ZOL recently announced a new wireless service that they have termed WiBroniks. The finer details of the service will be provided by ZOL at a later date but thus far they have provided details such as the data caps for these packages, the speeds and also the cost.
From these details, we can begin to make comparisons with other products that are on the market and even though we can’t definitively recommend one internet package over the other -since we don’t know how much the WiBroniks router/modem will actually cost-, you will be able to have an idea of what package is best for you in terms of data.
WiBroniks VS One-Fi
The most comparable internet offering to what WiBroniks is offering is NetOne’s One-Fi. The price bands are similar and the data allocations are very similar, whilst both offerings rely on LTE.
| Package | Cost | Data | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| WiBroniks 5 | $10 | 5GB | Pay As You Go |
| One-Fi | $9 | 4GB | 7 Days |
| WiBroniks 10 | $19 | 10GB | Pay As You Go |
| One-Fi | $19 | 10GB | 14 Days |
| WiBroniks 25 | $33 | 25GB | Pay As You Go |
| One-Fi | $39 | 25GB | 30 Days |
| WiBroniks 50 | $60 | 50GB | Pay As You Go |
| One-Fi | $59 | 50GB | 30 Days |
| WiBroniks Unlimted | $119 | Unlimited | Pay As You Go |
| One-Fi | $99 | 107GB | 30 Days |
Most of the prices and data allocations are almost identical. Where ZOL has a clear advantage over One-Fi is in the 25GB bracket. Their offering costs $6 less than the One-Fi equivalent.
Costly routers
The only problem with both devices is in relation to pricing of the modem. The One-Fi router costs $135 and this is quite a prohibitive sum to part with before you begin enjoying the service. On ZOL’s part, we are not sure what the pricing is and because of that, it’s not yet clear who has a better offering since the question of deciding which service will be decided by the pricing of the modems/routers since there isn’t much of a difference.
WiBroniks VS TelOne
WiBroniks will also probably grab the attention of TelOne subscribers who are using ADSL or are in areas where there is no fibre coverage.
| Packages | Cost | Data | Speed | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TelOne (Topup) | $5 | 5GB | N/A | 7 Days |
| WiBroniks 5 | $10 | 5GB | 10Mbps | 30 Days |
| Wibroniks 25 | $33 | 25GB | 10Mbps | 30 Days |
| TelOne – Home Plus | $25 | 30GB | 3Mbps | 30 Days |
| TelOne – Home Premier | $42 | 60GB | 4Mbps | 30 Days |
| Wibroniks 50 | $60 | 50GB | 10Mbps | 30 Days |
Looking at the table one advantage TelOne has over WiBroniks is cost. Their packages are much more affordable but it seems that this cost comes at a price as the Wibroniks packages are way faster than the ADSL packages. This begins to matter if your internet is servicing the needs of a number of different people. The more people on the network the more there is a strain. I know a couple of people who have had challenges with ADSL due to weather so that’s also something to consider if you are in the market for a new service provider.
$5: Great entry level
TelOne does have a lower entry level with the $5 for 5GB which is a package that will interest a number of people. To get 5GB on WiBroniks you have to actually pay double the amount for TelOne. The only problem with TelOne’s package is that it is valid for 7 days compared to WiBroniks 30 days. On the other hand, 30 days with 5GB is a bit of a stretch in this day and age of Whatsapp statuses and Facebook, Instagram.
Still, a lot to learn…
Before potential customers can commit to the WiBroniks there is one boulder; we don’t know how much the routers will actually cost and this will determine a lot of things. If the routers are priced prohibitively then this will definitely slow down uptake of this service.
15 comments
Good comparison… Still this that telone is far more cheaper plus there’s more gigs…. Pity about the speed but I’ve been using for a year with 4 users and it does the job and great price
Hopefully you will be able to test out one of their devices soon. Speed is the primary concern for me. Fibroniks sometimes doesn’t live up to their speed promises. To give them credit, the slow periods don’t last long, but they are certainly noticeable.
It’s not right to ask someone to sign up BEFORE giving full prices for everything involved. Don’t even ask me my name until you tell me exactly what you are selling and for how much. ZOL needs to respect us there. This is how people get trapped into contacts that rip them off – SA has that problem with cellphone contracts.
telone one home premier speed is 5mb. They also have unlimited for $89(10mb) and it works perfectly for me can stream 4k video perfectly with no buffering.
The Telone’s $89 package is not unlimited but capped at 100GB.
When did you last use it. I pay $89 and I used more than a terabyte of data last month. check their packages
One-Fi figures revised its tariffs about two months ago. Your figures are incorrect.
One-Fi figures revised its tariffs about two months ago. Your figures are incorrect.
Hey, just noticed I had messed up the validity periods for two of the One-Fi packages.. Thanks for that!
Would try zol is they lost their price but alas I’ve been waiting for 3yrs now… Tell one is the better deal hands down
Personally I value speed and reliability with price coming last. Why ? With I will be more productive and make more money with extra time to spend with kids. Honestly I cant afford to “save” $10 per month and lose several hours of time I could have spent elsewhere.
Is Wibroniks over WIMAX or 4-5G?
The costs of the routers/modem is $350 for the externally mounted fixed one and 250 for the internal (mobile) one. I called & that’s the price for those considering a move to WiBronicks. Roll out to start June but you can prepay & be in line to be the first. The sales lady also noted that they partnered with Success Microfinance for a loan which can finance the router/modem cost.
Who would want the internet so bad they take a loan?
How much does it cost to buy a zol wifi router and a telone wifi router