The details concerning ZOL’s recently launched LTE service -WiBroniks- have been scarce. At the launch event, we managed to know how much the packages for WiBroniks will cost but we never got a clear answer on the costs of activation/installation at the time. Now we have a clearer picture and if you are interested in WiBroniks you better be ready to fork out some serious dollars!
Paying through the nose?
So we contacted ZOL through their support page and the figures we got are quite surprising. If you are interested in the WiBroniks indoor modem you will have to part with $250 which is quite the amount if you ask me!
When NetOne launched their One-Fi service and the modem was announced to cost $135 we thought that was expensive but that’s child play compared with the WiBroniks modems. For ZOL maybe their LTE modem will be more advanced to justify the extra $115+ you end up paying.
The outdoor modem is priced at $350. You may be wondering what the difference between Outdoor and Indoor modem is and why you have to fork out an extra $100. Well, the indoor modem will get you coverage if you’re within a 2km radius of the base station. If you live beyond this radius you’ll need an outdoor modem as it offers coverage for 9km within the base station’s radius.
You also have to pay an activation fee of $20 and this means that if you’re going with the indoor modem you’ll part with $270 whilst the outdoor will cost you $370 before you start paying for the data.
A source did inform us earlier that there is a partnership with a Microfinance Institution that will help buyers to finance the purchase of these modems but we are not entirely sure how the financing will work at this time.
Lastly, the Mi-Fi modem will cost $170. The Mi-Fi modem is a portable modem with a rechargeable battery so you can take this modem with on the go. The Mi-Fi device will also offer coverage within the same 2KM as the indoor modem.
Who is this for?
When WiBroniks was outed it seemed like a service that was supposed to cater for communities that have no fibre but now with this pricing it’s not really clear if ZOL can capture the market with their aggressive price. Without knowing what the financing of loans for modems will look like its still too early to have a final verdict on WiBroniks but right now I’m not sure who this is for.
Last week, we had a comparison article that pitted WiBroniks up against potential competitors and we noted that the package most similar to WiBroniks was the One-Fi. In this comparison, we had noted that it’s hard to have a final verdict since we did not know the costs of the modem. Now we know the costs of the modem and One-Fi is offering a more cost sensitive service. I think now the only thing that can make ZOL’s offering is the financing plan which we don’t have details on yet.
| 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 |
[UPDATE]: When we initially published this article we inaccurately stated that the validity period for the WiBroniks packages were 30 days. WiBroniks packages actually carry over and have no set validity period. This means you only top-up once your data is depleted and you don’t have to worry about a package expiring before you have used your data.
Comparing One-Fi to the new WiBroniks offering is now a bit awkward considering that the starting prices are quite different but a compromise will have to be made as One-Fi offers shorter packages in the lower-data tiers whilst all packages on WiBroniks have 30-day packages. It’s up to you…
18 comments
It gets worse
The ZOL outdoor unit only works with the unlimited package, so if you get that unit you can’t enjoy the cheaper packages, however, there are some areas in Harare that only work with the out door unit, which effectively means that in some parts the Wi-bronics is essentially just the $119 package regardless of your actual requirements.
ZOL themselves are not really sharing the information so they must know that their pricing is contentious
All the blah blah blah dont justify the price for purchasing the modem ,connection fees and it may seem that netone has better connection than Zol I would rather stick to netone as their service and pricing seem to be simple and straight forward
You’ve tested the WiBroniks speeds?
powertel is better
I bought this crap yesterday…Its not even working in my hood….BUT they lied to me that it works anywhere where there is Econet signal… am on my way there to demand my money back…. I think its still in trial mode or something, they shouldnt be selling this yet…
What model is it, is it not the same as one fi device that can connect to LTE, so is it not backward compatible with 3g so that I can use it in areas with . Another point to note One-fi has reviewed its packages downwards $59 is now 40gig and $99 is now 75gig
Don’t think Telone will be concerned about losing customers!
Yeah these costs mean they are probably safe for now
This is kind of rubbish we continue to get from ZOL but all service providers in general. Also to be forced to pay for equipment only to find later you need to move to another service provider and the equipment you will have bought is now useless! Why don’t they just hire out the equipment?
It really is time we the Zimbabwean citizens started exercising our rights and power
I still don’t understand why companies have activation fees. Besides, the fact that their modem is expensive and is probably configured to work exclusively on their network, why should a person pay to get service activated. “Activating” accounts in most systems takes less than 5 minutes of data capture and a few clicks. Does that work translate to $20 worth of labour?
Zimbabwean companies are too greedy, they try to make a profit from their products from day one of launch. We are patient, we will wait, the prices eventually come down.
These guys have crappy PR sent then an email last week thursday am still waiting for a response.
Meanwhile in Romania uncapped data at 1GB/sec costs $30
I bought a Huawei Mifi for MTN Zambia For 200 Kwacha and it comes with 10Gig for one month, this translates to about USD19 (Where do we get our prices in Zimbabwe surely)
Same modem here is costing $170 ?????? even if you are buying the forex on black market at 50% it translate to $10.45 so is ZOL marking up by over $100??? uuuuum this is not good.
I was so keen on this being in ADSL for 7yrs looks like telone is the best for a very long time… I’ll compromise speed for cost… Did not make sense I’m getting 60gb for 42… And initially the modem was free… Now it’s about 45 hands down better deal… Plus their service has improved… More there’s no pressure on them to reduce prices and ask the fence sitters and going to come to them… In a price sensitive market with low disposable income…I just can’t understand why they would even bother with a product like this…. You would only get this if you got not option which is probably where they going to make money
Okay! I used to bash NetOne wifi bt l think l owe them an apologe!
I bought a huawei 4g wifi router, then bought my netone sim card and l was up and running in few seconds. I did trial run of $2 and was able to make video calls, international landline roaming(my office number, no one knew l was not in office except work collegues). I was amazed. I went to their office in Chitepo near Enterprise and l bought another 20 bollars top up which gave 5gig
I thought hey, this service is Harare, what of rural areas. I drove to my rural where l spent 3 weeks. Well done NetOne. I had all my services just like l was in Harare.
I also had a journey to Gweru via harare, then Gweru to harare via Mvuma and all l got where smiles from my signal happy huawei router and my mobile wifi connected phone.
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Don’t worry people. Pricing is one of the most difficult decisions to make in business. Sometimes you have to simply close your eyes and state your price, ignoring what others are charging provided you have the stamina to back it up! Econet should be getting zero revenue from its data, considring price alone!
The market will ultimately decide the “correct” price.