Category: Broadband
Why is internet so expensive in Zimbabwe?
Every other week it seems like Data prices are just going up. Of course, we could blame that on our depreciating currency but even in the USD era, data was not what the typical Zimbo would term affordable. So for example in 2016 Zimbabwe had the 3rd most expensive internet in Africa with 1GB of […]
Econet data outage caused by core network “incident”. MNO says service is back up
This afternoon (towards the early evening), social media and WhatsApp were awash with reports of an Econet data outage. Customers were reporting that mobile internet services went dark for most of the late afternoon, while others were saying service was intermittent. We reached out to Econet when we reported the mobile data outage and they […]
What’s going on with Econet’s mobile internet services
We have been seeing reports that Econet mobile internet services went completely off sometime this afternoon. It’s unclear at the moment if this is a nationwide blackout because there are some people who responded to our call on Twitter saying that Econet mobile data was working on their end. Whatsapp groups are also alight with […]
Liquid Home customer support will be understaffed tomorrow
Liquid Home has, in an SMS, notified customers that they will be operating with fewer customer support staff over tomorrow. The message from Liquid Home reads as follows: Dear CustomerOn 16/6/22 our Contact Centre will operate with skeletal staff & resume normal operations on 17/6/22. For self-help visit: https://bit.ly/3zs8F6z Liquid Home vis SMS This message […]
Utande has capped LTE bundles in Byo, Mutare & Chitungwiza. No love for Harare…
While we were in Mutare at the Hillcrest College ICT Expo and Winter Fair, we visited the Utande stand to check out what the internet service provider (ISP) had on offer for customers in the Eastern Highlands. And to our surprise, the team at Utande told us that they had LTE capped or pay-as-you-go packages […]
Sudan shut down the internet to stop students from cheating during exams?
This is one of the strangest things I have seen in a very long time, and I am saying this as a Zimbabwean who is accustomed to the weird and wonderful that is thrown our way regularly. According to Cloudflare Sudan shut down its internet, over the weekend, to spot students from cheating during exams. […]
Congratulations TSITSI BATIYA you are our Grand Prize Winner!
The Techzim Market Promotion has come to an end and we would like to congratulate Tsitsi Batiya who has won our grand prize of two nights for two at Pamuzinda Safari Lodge Thank you to everyone who participated in the points promotion, who knows next time it could be you. Remember You can buy NetOne […]
EcoCash says service is back up after hours-long outage.
Mobile Money Operator, EcoCash Zimbabwe which went down this morning has announced on its Twitter page that the service is back up and running. EcoCash post on social media reads as follows. Dear Valued Customer We are happy to advise that all EcoCash services are fully restored and are working normally. You can now Do […]
TelOne revises USD bundles. They are now HALF PRICE!
So about a month ago TelOne announced their Bonus Broadband Packages which are USD data bundles. As we had established they were a pretty good bargain but TelOne has just revised them downwards. Something you do not hear very often. The prices are still the same but the data part of it has been increased […]
ZOL is now officially Liquid Home & has 60 new LTE base stations
ZOL, today unveiled its new brand identity – Liquid Home Zimbabwe. This rebrand follows the evolution of Liquid Telecom becoming Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies. ZOL was the only arm of Liquid that hadn’t yet come under the new brand umbrella. ZOL to become “Liquid Home” in the not too distant future […]
NetOne e-top up system back up after over 32 hours downtime
NetOne’s e-top up system went down from around midnight on Tuesday the 3rd of May and stayed down the whole of Wednesday, only to come back up around 8am on Thursday. What was going on? Well, good luck finding out. Like in almost all similar cases all we are told is something along the lines […]
Telco at ZITF 2022: solar equipment, internet packages & mobile computer lab
Renewable energy and internet connectivity were what defined Telco at ZITF 2022. The company, which is one of the oldest internet service providers, brought all it has to offer to this year’s edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. The team that Telco sent to ZITF 2022 was kind enough to give us a tour […]
Why your 5G iPhone does not have a 5G option in Zimbabwe
You may have a 5G capable iPhone or iPad and are trying to experience the glorious 5G speeds on Econet. If you cannot find the 5G option in the settings in Zimbabwe you are not alone. But don’t worry. Your device is not faulty. Apple just has not enabled the service on your phone yet. […]
TelOne launching USD data bundles
They also get a special name to differentiate them from the RTGS bundles. TelOne is calling them Bonus Broadband Vouchers. Only 4 packages are available at the moment and they are as follows: The USD packages are all valid for 30 days and they are not cumulative so if 30 days elapse and you still […]
If TelOne was in the UK, customers would get USD11.00 a day for an internet outage
Yesterday TelOne announced that one of its fibre lines was damaged by an excavator that sunk into the ground causing an internet outage in some suburbs. The situation was complicated by a water line the digger also hit which meant that there were two problems to contend with to restore service. While browsing on the […]
TelOne customers, a stuck digger is the reason why you don’t have internet
State-owned telecommunications company TelOne has announced to its customers in some suburbs in Harare that if they were experiencing an internet outage it is because of a construction accident that damaged a fibre cable. TelOne’s statement on the internet outage caused by the fibre break reads as follows: TelOne sincerely apologises for service disruption in […]
Econet’s Smart USD bundles are cheaper than MTN’s in South Africa. There’s much to discuss
Econet Wireless launched Smart USD bundles yesterday that allow customers to purchase voice airtime, data and SMS in USD. Customers can buy this USD airtime either through the EcoCash FCA wallet or by purchasing physical recharge cards or vouchers. Said Econet spokesperson, Customers will be able to purchase the bundles via their EcoCash FCA wallet, […]
Your router’s okay, it’s Liquid Home (ZOL)’s network that’s down: a rant on service disruptions
I know there might be someone who just got fibre and is furious right now. There is intermittent service on Liquid Home’s network right now and they have acknowledged it. I promise, this is not the norm, clearly something is wrong. You may have missed the notice. Said Liquid Home, Important Notice: Service Degradation Please […]
[Update] Liquid Home (ZOL) is down
If you are a Liquid Home customer I am pretty sure you have restarted your router countless ties with no luck and even tried to check your balance thinking you are out of data. You are not alone. Liquid Home is facing network challenges that have been caused by a fiber cut on their link […]
Google subsea cable lands in Africa, to improve internet speeds and lower costs
Sub-Saharan Africa is the least connected region in the world. GSMA research shows that only 28% of the population used mobile internet in 2020. Lucky for us, there is some investment going into changing that. Unfortunately for us, we aren’t bothered to do it ourselves, instead relying on American companies to step in. Google says […]
Scammers can now convincingly fake browser windows, including URL. You can protect against that
Man, just when we think we have this cybersecurity thing figured out someone throws a wrench in the works. One of the easiest ways to see if a website is shady is no longer as solid as it once was. Conventional wisdom says checking the URL is one of the surest ways to spot an […]
Utande will soon be billing LTE packages in USD
Dandemutande subsidiary Utande Internet Services has announced through an email to customers that it will be billing its LTE packages in USD from the first of April 2022. The statement from Utande/Dandemutande’s CEO Never Ncube to customers reads as follows: Dear Valued Customer, We hope this letter finds you well. We consider your choosing Utande […]
Telco Fiber. Is it any good?
I am pretty sure majority of you are familiar with only Zol and TelOne when it comes to fiber. Telco might be one of those confused with TelOne here and there because of it being less prominent. But for me it was an absolute saving grace. Let me start from the beginning. Moving to a […]
Telco vs Liquid Home vs TelOne. Which one is the best?
When people think of fiber they default to just 2 providers. TelOne and Liquid Home (Zol). Not many know of Telco and yet in my short time using their fiber it seems they actually are a competent alternative to the big 2. Service is really good, I have not had any faults yet so I […]
Ukraine got Starlink satellite internet. Can the Russians attack it?
You don’t need telling that there is a war situation between Russia and Ukraine. There was tension between the countries and last week the Russians invaded Ukraine. Missiles were launched, bombs thrown and all the usual war stuff. This military activity disrupted Ukraine’s internet and as you know, the internet as a communication enabler and […]
The death of Shareit
When Shareit came into the scene it was an absolute hit. It was able to transfer files tens of times faster than Bluetooth and not only that. On Android it meant you could now share apps! So if your WhatsApp had expired for example and all you had was a WhatsApp bundle, you could ask […]
5G has arrived in Zim… Almost
Yes! We finally have it. 5G was launched. Ribbons were cut and some phones got to flex that 5G icon next to the network bars for the 1st time in this teapot shaped country of ours. All thanks to Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. So let’s have a little QnA of our own right here. Starting with […]
DStv to restrict users to streaming on one device at a time
Multichoice has a convoluted streaming strategy. You really have to comb through all their offerings to decide on the best streaming package for you. For some of us who are football lovers, Showmax Pro is a good option even though it lacks Champions League football. However, if you also love Formula 1 like I do, […]
Internet throttled during Yellow Sunday plus 10% internet tax is bad for Zimbabwe
Netblocks, the watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and governance of the internet, reported yesterday that Zimbabwe’s internet services degraded or were being throttled during the Citizens Coalition For Change’s (CCC) Yellow Sunday Rally. “Network data from NetBlocks confirm a significant slowing of internet service for many users in Zimbabwe on Sunday 20 February 2022, as […]
New TelOne internet package prices; some large data caps almost doubled
State-owned telecommunications company TelOne has increased internet package prices. The price increase is most felt in the bigger data packages with the lower ones not being affected or remaining unchanged. Here are the TelOne Internet Package Prices which will take effect on the 22nd of February 2022 TelOne residential broadband package prices Package Download Cap […]