Category: Broadband
Econet bundle prices going up on 8 Feb, you will have to deal with it
You know the deal, you are used to it now. You should be. The annual inflation rate has been falling since September 2022 but it was still 229.8% in January. That means rising prices and airtime will not be an exception. Econet wants you to know that bundle prices will be going up tomorrow, the […]
Liquid Intelligent Technologies selects Nokia for a 12Tbps fiber backbone link spanning 7 African countries
Liquid Intelligent Technologies looks to expand its fiber network infrastructure and has contracted Nokia as its partner of choice. The project is a 12Tbps fiber backbone link that will be spanning 7 African countries that include Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. As part of the agreement, Nokia […]
Dandemutande partners with BCS for an US$8 million 891km fiber network expansion
Dandemutande has announced that it is partnering with Broadband and Cloud Services Group (BCS) to expand its fiber network. They have injected US$5 million into the expansion project with is riding on BCSs current fiber expansion project. Dandemutande’s section will span Somabula to Harare via Gweru and from Bulawayo to Plumtree and will be completed […]
5G is terrible right now. But it has a very useful and exciting future
5G is the current and most advanced mobile communication method right now. It’s been here for quite some time and in Zimbabwe, it was introduced by Econet beginning of 2022. But the world over, 5G has not been performing as well as advertised. The kinds of speeds being promised are over 1Gbps and yet during […]
Verizon closes the door on 3G in the USA, the last MNO to do so. Just how far behind is Africa?
Verizon has brought down the curtain on 3G tech in the USA. They announced their intentions back in 2019 and have been facing a number of delays but the final deadline was set on 31 December 2022. Verizon was also the last major carrier to still be offering 3G with AT&T and T-Mobile having winded […]
Dark Fiber Africa is using Zimbabwe’s major rail network to lay 2000km of fiber across the country
In 2020 Dark Fiber Africa (DFA) opened a shop in Zimbabwe after obtaining a Class B Internet Access Provider license from POTRAZ. Since then they have been laying fiber in the metropolitan areas of Harare. They recently partnered up with Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS) for a long-haul fiber backbone project. This project is […]
TelOne announces new data prices starting 1 January 2023
Nothing like a data price adjustment to start off the new year. TelOne just announced new pricing for its data packages. The new tariffs kicked off promptly on 1 January 2023. The price increase is barely noticeable though when compared to the wave of 61% increase in tariffs in the second half of 2022. Telone’s […]
Potraz Q3 report. Econet mopping up NetOne and Telecel subscribers & 104% increase in mobile revenues vs Q2
Potraz Q3 report is out and not a lot really happened. A total of nine 2G base stations were decommissioned and 139 3G base stations were added. 4G base station count increased by 120 whilst the number of 5G base stations remained the same. NetOne has been quite busy beefing up its 4G infrastructure which […]
Facebook’s fiber has landed in South Africa and it’s the world’s longest undersea cable at 45000km
Meta’s Facebook is joining the telecoms space and they have decided to come out of the gates with the longest undersea fiber optic cable at 45000km. To make this all happen they formed the 2Africa group which comprises other telecom operators. China Mobile International, Djibouti Telecom, Meta (Facebook), MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Telecom […]
USD LTE data bundles compared. Econet, Telecel, NetOne, Utande, TelOne and Liquid Home
Let’s talk about USD bundles. They came hot on the scene and the promise is you get more value when you pay in USD. But how much value is it really and who has the best value hands down? Time for some tables. In this head-to-head, we have several categories. Device support: Works in which […]
Liquid Home gives WibroniX the USD treatment. Data for a dollar
Finally, the WibroniX customers are now getting the USD bundle treatment. Something that Liquid Home had reserved only for FibroniX customers. It’s all well and good up until you realize that the LIT USD promotion is ending on boxing day, 26 December 2022. So you better grab it whilst it’s still there. We heard the […]
Liquid Home is facing challenges with its network with no resolution date yet
Liquid Home has been running maintenance after maintenance for the past month. On the 11th of November, they announced that maintenance would be going on for 5 days. That must have been one major maintenance. If you thought that was long, in the latest one the service disruption will go on indefinitely. 11 November 2022Dear […]
60 minutes and 500MB FREE when you buy US$5 airtime on Telecel.
It’s that time again to hunt for that Telecel line. They have announced the Free for Five promotion, rewarding their customers with free on-net minutes and data when they spend US$5, US$3, and US$2 in airtime. RTGS purchases also qualify because we have to be all-inclusive. This is what the rewards will look like. The […]
Utande LTE now available in Harare West
Utande has been pushing LTE expansion pretty aggressively, beating Liquid Home to the punch in Mutare. The LTE service will use Sim cards and an outdoor unit kit. Also, these sim cards will be geo-locked so if you thought this meant cheaper mobile data I am sorry to say this is not the case. A […]
Liquid Home’s LIT USD bundles. Are they any good?
Liquid Home has been offering USD packages on their FibroniX and WibroniX services, a bit of convenience for those of you that prefer paying in USD. These packages are running in parallel to the already existing ZW$ packages so merely a case of what is more convenient for you. The LIT bundles are currently on […]
Liquid Home vs TelOne vs Zodsat vs Telco vs Utande. Which is the best VSAT provider?
We made a comparison of the best fixed internet provider. Then we did another for the best mobile internet provider. But maybe these 2 classes of internet providers don’t reach some of you in the most remote parts of Zimbabwe and you need to go satellite. Look no further. This is all of the VSAT […]
Dolphin Telecom plus 2 other MVNOs. We wanted competition and it’s here. Almost
In an address by the POTRAZ Director General Dr. Gift Machengete, it was revealed that 3 companies have been granted Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) licenses to operate in Zimbabwe with Dolphin Telecoms being the one that is closest to going live. the other 2 are yet to be named. It is exciting stuff because […]
All USSD Codes for Econet, NetOne, Telecel, Banks, and more!
You are looking for a USSD code for something and you can’t quite remember what it is? You are confused about which one is for checking your balance and which one is for buying a bundle. Well here is a full list of all the USSD codes in Zimbabwe for Econet, NetOne, Telecel, Banks, and […]
Xiaomi AX9000 review. The most extreme Wifi router
There are normal routers. Nice and compact ones with support for 64 connected devices, which also blend in with the furniture. Nice, modern, and sleek. But what if normal is boring and ultimate excess is more of your cup of tea…like me. Then you get a router that comes in a behemoth of a box. […]
Experiencing call drops and dodgy 4G? Don’t blame your service provider. It’s probably your phone.
Many times someone you know is complaining about their phone just not being reliable. Calls just spontaneously drop and network connectivity just falls from 4G to 3G or even 2G without any warning. I remember back in 2015 I bought an LG G4 and it was a 4G capable device. However, when I put my […]
TelOne new voice and data tariffs effective 1 November 2022
Just like clockwork, what we hope is the last wave of tariff adjustments by telecom operators is upon us. TelOne has announced new prices for their voice and data services which will be in effect from 1 November 2022. Data Prices: Old vs New Also read: Brace for 61% more expensive internet. Again Liquid Home […]
Brace for 61% more expensive internet. Again
In a letter sent to Telco subscribers, a data price increase of up to 61% was approved by POTRAZ for November 2022 for all Telecommunication operators. This price increase is affecting ZW$ pricing which is not really moving with the official rate. The letter also says that these 61% increments have been in effect since […]
Liquid Home (Zol) prices rising by 61% in November to this
You’re used to it now. Or at least you ought to be. There will be price adjustments every other month and you better be at peace with that. The regulatory authority, Potraz, somewhat controls how often ISPs like Liquid Home can increase their prices. However, price controls or not, the prices still go up. The […]
Zimbabwe to get fibre optics, renewable energy funding from Africa50, is this a big deal?
What no one can dispute is that Africa is underdeveloped. Zimbabwe, for example, needs US$40 billion for infrastructure development currently and has a tiny fraction of that on hand. Where we disagree is on how to remedy that. There are a thousand ideas from a thousand pan-Africanists on how Africa should proceed. That’s not to […]
WhatsApp bringing multi-device support to mobile devices
A lot of features have been added to WhatsApp and it’s also been a while since we dived into them. This is a complete rundown of all the more interesting ones. Multiple device support coming to mobile devices At the moment you can set up your account on up to 5 different devices running the […]
Starlink getting better, to beam directly to phones and Zambia to get the service soon
We have written about Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider. The service is still relatively new but they are already making strides that have us wagging our tails in these parts of the world. Starlink’s next generation satellites are, to quote the man, “almost an order of magnitude more capable than Starlink 1.” Musk did […]
Forget the Mate 50, Huawei is making cars now!
Huawei held its September event and it was one long one. Rightfully so because they had a lot to show us and here is the rundown. Huawei Mate 50 series They have finally landed and they are as shiny as advertised. Nothing is really out of this world when it comes to the specs of […]
Windows Phone was COOL!
I have with me a Microsoft Lumia 640 XL. Yes, it has seen better days but regardless this has to be the most user-friendly smartphone OS to ever be created. Better than anything during its time. Dare I say, still better than current offerings and this is why. Runs smoothly on any hardware Windows Mobile […]
Econet eSim: Everything you need to know
Econet made a bit of a quiet rollout of their eSim service and Econet being Econet they are the first to bring this tech to Zimbabwe. And as it is with new tech we have a lot of questions needing answers. Let’s answer some of these. What is an eSim? eSim is short for embedded […]
[Video] “People in the community we serve can’t afford data, so we used WhatsApp” – Richard Fani, Mbilez24 Founder
Richard Fani is the Founder and Director of Mbilez24 – a community newsletter which provides access to developmental information on what is happening to young people in the communities of Mbare, Hopley, Epworth, & Hatcliffe. The organisation bridging the gap between these communities and service providers, and government office was established in 2018. In Episode […]