Take a look at the calendar, the month of April is as good as over. This means that we have breezed through the first one-third of the year. In local tech and broadband, a lot has come with that passage of time, including a review of voice tariffs.
We all hoped the Government and POTRAZ, the regulator, would jump in and prompt all Internet service providers and broadband merchants to also lower prices. This wasn’t the case. Luckily, the invisible hand of Economics appears to be working in our favour as consumers and since we last took a look at internet packages and prices, some adjustments have been made.
There have been product and price reviews from Powertel and Africom as well as new internet services now available from TelOne in the form of WiFi and Fibre. Nothing has changed from the mobile telecoms operators in terms of price, but the proliferation of very cheap WiFi might just cause a product/price rethink.
So how cheap, or expensive, is to go online in Zimbabwe right now? If you are in Harare (and Victoria Falls) it can be free from a ZOL spot or $1 for 100MB of WiFi from TelOne. These seem to be the best options available for quick access. For home internet, it still looks like its economical to get TelOne ADSL at $25 for 10GB.
Here are most of the internet packages available right now and their prices.
AFRICOM
Super Data Promotion Packages
| PRICE ($US) | SIZE | VALIDITY (Hours) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.50 | 20 MB | 24 |
| 1 | 80 MB | 24 |
| 2 | 200 MB | 24 |
| 6 | 500 MB | 24 |
| 10 | 1 GB | 48 |
MiChoice and Flexi-Bundles Packages
| Package/ Bundle | Price | Validity (Days) |
|---|---|---|
| MiChoice – (Offers Unlimited Social Media Access, Browsing) | ||
| MiChoice Bronze | $5 | 7 |
| MiChoice Silver | $10 | 14 |
| MiChoice Gold | $25 | 30 |
| Flexi – Bundles (Pay As You Go Data Package) | ||
| 11MB | $1 | 30 |
| 50MB | $5 | 30 |
| 200MB | $15 | 30 |
| 500MB | $20 | 30 |
| 1GB | $40 | 30 |
| 2GB | $60 | 30 |
| 3GB | $75 | 30 |
| 5GB | $125 | 30 |
| 10GB | $250 | 30 |
POWERTEL
Weekly Fiesta Unlimited Package
| DATA PLAN | COST ($USD) | UNLIMITED BROWSING DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| 100 MB | 2.50 | 1 day |
| 500 MB | 12.50 | 3 days |
| 1 GB | 23.00 | 7 days |
| 2 GB | 39.00 | 14 days |
Regular Package
| Data Bundle | Cost ($US) |
|---|---|
| 1 GB | 23 |
| 2GB | 39 |
| 3GB | 58 |
| 20GB | 230 |
TELONE
ADSL
| Package | Price($US) | Download Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 25 | 10GB |
| Silver | 45 | 25GB |
| Gold | 85 | 50GB |
| Platinum | 160 | Unlimited |
TelOne Fibre to the Home
| Package | Price ($USD) | Download Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 36 | 5Mbps (usage capped at 20GB) |
| Boost | 70 | 10Mbps (usage capped at 50GB) |
| Intense | 118 | 20Mbps (unlimited) |
ZOL ZIMBABWE
| Package | Price($USD) | Download Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | 49 | up to 1 Mbps |
| Enhanced | 99 | up to 2 Mbps |
| Ultra | 129 | up to 3 Mbps |
| ZOL Fibroniks | ||
| Basic Essentials | 39 | up to 5Mbps (capped at 15GB per month) |
| Family Essentials | 89 | up to 10Mbps (capped at 30GB) |
| Entertainment Pack | 149 | up to 20Mbps |
| Modern Family Pack | 199 | up to 30Mbps |
| Power Pack | 259 | up to 50Mbps |
| Turbo Pack | 339 | up to 100Mbps |
APTICS
| Package(all packages are unlimited) | Cost($US) | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Aptics Bargain | 50 | 256Kbps |
| Aptics Basic | 75 | 512Kbps |
| Aptics Standard | 120 | 1Mbps |
| Aptics Deluxe | 180 | 2Mbps |
iWay Africa
| Package | Cost ($US) | Speed | Data Allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Internet | 42 | 3.1Mbps download speed | unlimited |
| WiMax | from 99 | from 1Mbps | from 40GB p/m |
| Fibre | from 99 | from 1Mbps | from 40GB p/m |
uMax Internet Packages
| musheMAX | monthlyMAX | skyMAX |
|---|---|---|
| $45/ month | $75/month | $150/month |
| 15GB allowance | 40 GB allowance | 150 GB allowance |
| 2 Mbps download speed | 3 Mbps speed | up to 5 Mbps |
| 15GB access off-peak (12am -6am) | 40 GB accessible off-peak (between 10pm and 6am) | Unlimited access off peak (between 10pm and 6am) |
Yo Africa WiMax Packages
| Package | Cost($US) | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | 70 | 512Kbps |
| Medium | 110 | up to 1Mbps |
| Hot | 160 | up to 1.5Mbps |
Mobile Network Operators Broadband Prices
| Data Price (US$) *All prices are for bundle rates | Econet Wireless Broadband | NetOne Broadband | Telecel Broadband |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50 | 5MB | 8MB | 4.8MB |
| 1 | 10MB | 17MB | 9.5MB |
| 3 | – | 70MB | 76MB |
| 5 | 80MB | 125MB | 142.5MB |
| 10 | 200MB | 285MB | 304MB |
| 20 | 500MB | 670MB | 800MB |
| 30 | – | 1GB | – |
| 35 | 1GB | – | – |
| 45 | – | – | 2GB |
| 50 | 2.5GB | 2GB | – |
| 75 | – | – | 4GB |
24 comments
Thanks Nigel, been looking for a comparison like this for a while.
Is there a heading missing (for Telco I assume) after NetOne?
There are two different variants for TelOne, there’s the ADSL and there’s the Fibre to the Home. I just made the adjustment to make it clearer.
Arnt telone packages 30 days?
no
http://www.telone.co.zw/business/adsl
your telone packages are out of date!!
Thanks for bringing that to everyone’s attention. http://www.telone.co.zw/residential/adsl We used the figures that were available from official TelOne platforms. If there have been any adjustments to these prices I’d really appreciate it if you shared them with everyone here.
where is telco ?
Telone not complaining at all!
I mistakenly bought a dual sim model of the phone I wanted but it seems the real mistake was not putting a Telecel line in the second slot for data! #RIPtelecel
Telone no complaints
Thanks for a very detailed analysis but Telecel broad is old and should be adjusted to 4.5MB, 9.5MB, 76MB, 142MB etc respectively.
Thanks for this, but I need to make one correction about ZOL WiMax packages. Starting in May, the $99 which I had been using is being increased to $115.50, so can you find out about other levels. The chart in your article has made me to now apply for a DSL Telone line. Goodbye ZOL and your eratic internet.
Hahaha Fairgame apa wajuta… ZOL inofaya but Just spoke to someone from there and there is nothing on zvauri kutaura… I am on WiMAX for business.
Econet advertises opera bundles. I bought the 3 day one and never got to use it. There was hardly any connection and felt cheated. In my part of town the data link is pathetic.
How do I win a TechZim coffee mug?
TelOne Fibre to the Home is capped at 50MB for a 10Mbps connection? I am going to assume you meant 50GB?
Telone the only option, Zol is drunk especially WiMax, rushusho, chironda chemumhuno
I have been on Telone Adsl since 2011 and the only time I ahve felt I needed to change up was when Telone introduced fibre to the home….what! $118 for 20mb/s Unlimited? I am sooooo getting off my ADSL and going fibre and to top if off the fibre cable runs 7 meters from my house. Don’t worry guys I will let you know just how good it is and if it is better than ADSL. Telone just keeps on getting better and Yes I am a fan boy 😉
Telco are introducing their own FTTH product branded Velocity (http://www.velocitybroadband.co.zw/) compared to ZOL their packages seem a little anaemic though
Africom is now useless busy throttling speeds and you cant even youtube anymor. They have blocked a lot of sites. It seems as if they don’t want us customers anymore and forget the reason we left powertel for them is what they are now doing to customers!!
@ Tinashe, I think the problem with Africom packages is people fo not understand them their MiChoice package is meant for browsing ONLY not youtube. You can purchase regular bundle for that and you will be able to youtube all you want. As a student I enjoy the unlimited browsing and I find it very convenient. if they offered unlimted downloads everyone’s speed would be affected by a few bandwidth hogs who stream and download all day with no regard to fair usage which is what happened to powertel and caused them to discontinue their product. Think about it!
Thank you very much for this info, regards
can this list be updated and separate for home and corporate