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Powertel Slashes Internet Prices to Match Starlink. Introduces $30 Unlimited Package

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Staff Writer

Powertel internet CDMA LTE

The government owned internet provider, Powertel, has introduced a $30 unlimited data package, in an attempt to compete with Starlink.

The new prices will ensure Powertel is able to retain its customers assuming it does not apply low speeds and low FUP caps. Starlink though is less about prices and more about coverage.

Powertel and fellow established operators will not be able to match the growth of Starlink into under-served locations like rural areas. These companies just don’t have the infrastructure in place to compete against Starlink’s satellite technology there.

The coming of Starlink has shook up Zimbabwe’s telecoms market forcing operators to drop their prices to remain relevant. Econet was first with it’s SmartBiz packages

Starlink itself is struggling with demand in the urban areas in Harare where Zimbabweans have quickly taken up all capacity available. This reality will buy some time for other internet providers to catch up to the reality of the disruptive innovation that Starlink is.

83 comments

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  1. Indomitable Lion

    The new prices will ensure Powertel is able to retain its customers assuming it does not apply low speeds and low FUP caps. Starlink though is less about prices and more about coverage.
    Starlink always the best option. 😎

    Reply
  2. Taps

    Telone should reduce prices as well to $20 unlimited @5Mbps.I will work with that, thats all I need zvimwe zvese ratova drama.

    Reply
    1. Blindman

      5mbps is slow mate, are you sure, and the quality of their fiber is not as good as liquid or dandemutande

      Reply
      1. Dzidzai

        More than enough for those on a budget I feel.

        Reply
        1. freeman

          starlink the way to go

          Reply
          1. Dzidzai

            Startup cost yacho ma1 sha😅

            Reply
          2. LILLIAN KAWADZA

            Is Starling really now operational is Zimbabwe.
            One minute yes and the next we hear Govt has banned Starling.
            What really is the position before one invests in sunken costs- paying for kits which will not work!!!

            Reply
            1. Sabhuku bandera

              STARLING* is not banned and is working in Zimbabwe. Only two resellers were banned from selling the kits

              Reply
        2. blvdillon

          How much is starlink

          Reply
          1. Dzidzai

            From the reports you are looking at $300-$500 landed cost.

            Reply
            1. Bonnie Zulu

              373usf if you buy ne visa on the official website

              Reply
      2. Anonymous

        Haaa 5mbps is slow cde haaaaa😅

        Reply
        1. Dzidzai

          If its 5mbps guaranteed, toshanda nayo. Beggars cannot be choosers. 😂

          Reply
      3. Zisamuel

        So in other words, they were profiteering? We have been taken for granted for all these years. Bye bye

        Reply
    2. Dennis

      True unless u are an organization or a content creator uploading gigabytes to YouTube then starlink is no use to the regular person

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      Amen to that

      Reply
  3. Gangsta

    We need faster speeds. Otherwise 🚮🚮

    Reply
  4. vv

    how fast is this powertel

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Super fast especially in Braeside/Hillside & Nehosho Gweru

      Reply
      1. Zoltus

        They say the closer you are to the substation the better the speeds of you are kachana ma1 ako by default

        Reply
      2. Anonymous

        Superfast as in? Please put up a speed test. So we can see the superfast speeds which i do not believe.

        Reply
  5. Rural Folk

    Well, it’s just the beginning of the benefit of starlink entry. In a month tinenge taona kuti isu vasinga affordi starlink toenda papi.

    Reply
    1. Muzukuru Wa ED

      You can say that again, ngavarambe vachidzikisa then tozoona kuti totora service ipi

      Reply
      1. DJD

        Yesaya

        Reply
  6. D.K.

    Powertel had the daily and weekly Unlimited internet packages in 2016 at the same prices as they are telling us now. The only difference from 2016 September is that their monthly unlimited was $40 which they have changed to match Starlink, and they have added the 50cents Unlimited valid for just one hour!
    Did they have wait for a serious competitor to readvetise their tariffs?

    Reply
  7. Muzukuru Wa ED

    It will be a mammoth task for Powertel to match Starlink. Yes they have reduced their prices to $30 for unlimited internet. However they are failing to serve most of the urban areas, for instance where i live, Powertel services are only confined in the CBD and areas proximity to the CBD, they don’t serve the ghetto.

    They have to put more effort to match Starlink which serves places as deep as Chemagora in Gokwe

    Reply
    1. Cobra iComms

      Inini hangu I feel providers like Telone should be network providers only responsible for the national back bone. Fibre to every business, growth point, farm, mine, school. As a government company, connectivity should their core business and not trying to compete with Liquid and Zol, its cheaper for them as well.

      Service providers like Powertel, Africom can then pick up from there. Either using LTE base stations or fixed wireless access.

      DFA just has to steal a march on them with dark fibre and the juggernaut may come to a grinding halt as we have seen some Telcos needing bailouts from empty coffers, so we need a Mr. Mann

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        Well said Mr. Mann

        Reply
    2. Jonathan Bhoqo

      Why are us Liquid not slashing their prices? Is it not a subsidiary of Econet apa the way their data finishes it is unacceptable

      Reply
    3. African Cristiano

      Uku ndekwe gwikwi. Kuno chohwa chohwa tambo dze network, haku mihwe mihwe

      Reply
      1. Cobra iComms

        Kunochohwa chohwa munhu, hakumihwa mihwe😂😂😂

        Reply
        1. Anonymous

          Imi tiri kutaura zve internet Imi mukutaura zvekuchohwa chohwa bhooo herr

          Reply
    4. Chihwa Somwana

      But is it ethical business practice for the telecoms companies in Zimbabwe to start reacting with the lowering of prices now, simply because Starlink has landed on the Zimbabwe market? Have their existing costs disappeared? Be aware of creamers

      Reply
      1. Steed Huntsman

        The market had stagnated with no innovation, it was just copy and paste. Now, they are forced to compete with a world class company and the prices start falling because they have seen there is demand for Starlink even with high upfront costs.

        Really speaks about the pricing in our market, not understanding the value of the USD and small profit quicker returns.

        If Telecel comes up with 6Mbps unlimited internet for $15-$20 they may regain those 3 million subscribers back, but it won’t be over night. It will take a lot of marketing and sales effort to reattract lost subscribers while assuming the other networks rest on their laurels.

        Exciting times for the long suffering Zimbabwean customer, may the competition bring out our best side. 🇿🇼

        Reply
  8. Muzukuru Wa ED

    How much is Powertel’s kit?

    Reply
  9. Voltron

    Well they are only available in some parts of Harare only, so its nothing to talk about. Probably just trying to get relevance in these hard times🤣

    Reply
  10. Sabhuku bandera

    To Staff Writer :
    1. powetel inoshandisika ne sim or inotoda kit ye router ne modem
    2. coverage irisei
    3. Speeeed irisei
    4. Ko africom takambonzwa kuti ine unlimited broadband yekuma 25-35 monthly.
    5. How is econet smartbiz so far with the 5mbps limit.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      The article is meaningless without that kind of information.

      Reply
    2. Voltron

      Alot of information is missing, please find out the important information first that will help us.

      Reply
      1. Prince Lotor😈

        The best Voltron was the one with the Lions. The one with the cars was not as great, and the CGI remake was even worse.

        We used to run from school on Fridays to catch Voltron and Robotec, you have taken me back.

        Witch: Bring out the Robeast.. Kkkk 💫🔪

        Reply
  11. Dzidzai Chidumba

    Well done Powertel. All the best.

    Reply
  12. Anonymous

    They won’t match Starlink, no matter what circumstances, because they won’t offer 100Mbps for $30. The installation will likely be more expensive than the Starlink Mini kit. Regardless, they won’t be able to provide a stable network until the country’s electricity outages are resolved.

    Reply
    1. Cantaz

      True

      Reply
    2. X

      Sha they said the speed of starlink goes up to 250mbps its not a secret, our can go up to a gigabit per second

      We can bring starlink and our fibre hear and do the test ours is faster

      Why would you invest in a technology that are not all weather friendly, and it was omitted from the article, the problem ndeyekuti pano panotengeswa starlink

      Reply
      1. John

        Haiwawo vaivepi kare kese tichitambura ne network. Starlink is here to stay zvana power chakadaro kudhara. Nyika dzine network kwayo dziri zii

        Reply
  13. Kayniq

    Desperate times calls for desperate measures 😂

    Reply
  14. Andy

    Powertel ma 1 …. I used to have their dongle and sim card and they discontinued the service in 2021 claiming to be upgrading to LTE. Up until now they seem not to have done so 3 years later. The speeds were very slow often with interruptions that would last even a week.

    I have never used their fibre before but I think it could be expensive to install especially kuma ghetto but let’s hope the speeds are good.

    Reply
  15. just maybe

    if its fibre and 40Mbps or higher (up & down) , with no silly FUP/throttling, then maybe its an option @ 30 per month in real money. Even 300GB per month @ 40Mbps or better @ $30 might also be an option for me….

    Reply
    1. Death Vader

      But their coverage is very limited to low density areas in Harare only.

      Reply
      1. Dzidzai Chidumba

        Starlink just proved that executives got it all wrong. They went for areas they live in, not lucrative high density areas. Chitungwiza, Dema, Velvet, Ziko. Easily 2 million + in population.

        Reply
      2. true

        these established providers will just have to up their game quickly or they lose out more

        Reply
  16. Elon Musika

    Starlink has set the maximum affordable data price and speed, anyone who will offer unlimited data must no go above $50, good move from Powertel @$30 ,now we wait for Telone for $25 unlimited 🤣🤣

    Reply
    1. Cobra iComms📡

      Elon Musika😅

      I rate Zimbabwean humour as some of the top in the World including British humour.

      Our people are actually very funny, they just need a chance to shine, but it bothers the boring company if they have not sanctioned it🔥 …

      Reply
    2. good day Mr. Musika

      LOL, great name kkkk

      Reply
  17. Tony Stark

    😂😂powertel ichiriko kk??

    Reply
  18. Dororo

    The lines are usually not available. I have 2 modems with lines that stopped working when I travelled briefly out of the country .so to me it’s too little too late

    Reply
  19. wezhara@gmail.com

    All along they had been robbing us by giving us a raw deal with poor speeds. Disruptive innovation yakanaka chose and it has awaken them but unfortunately its too late, starlink huchi

    Reply
    1. Boss

      Kkkkk tsano

      Reply
    2. Muzukuru Wa ED

      Aizve ko Starlink vuchi zve 🐝

      Reply
  20. Kayz

    Is powertel still in business do they now have lines? Last time i enquired vaivhaira zvavo vanhu ava, kutoti hatina malines and never expect to have anything because we dont expect any lines in future, apa I used to pay 50US everymonth kunyengerera that tortoise speed internet. Haaaa Starlink yakagonesa chaizvo makauya in good time. Pasi nevanhu vanotibira mari dzedu

    Reply
    1. Kim

      I don’t know why our companies show off to paying customers?

      Telone pa Town Center it was the same issue. No lines, come check again. Then a guy who works at Telone came, they opened the vault and sold him a line.

      How much is router $120 ko mifi $80. If we shop around in town a roiter is $40 and mifi $15. A lerger organisation that wants to attract subscribers can even give out routers for free in a promotion and tie you down for life.

      Its good to see customers getting power back, now we will see the good executives and the not so good ones, profit vs loss, you decide.

      Reply
  21. Anonymous

    Stay away from starlink if you rely heavily on torrents. If you care at all about online privacy Telone is still the best option. If you do use starlink be prepared to use a VPN for any “illegal” or questionable activity.

    Reply
    1. Dreamer😴

      Inini hangu i’m staying away. Local is lekker, plus the small issue of torrents kinda makes it a hard sell. Your account can be closed because a customer, guest or a child downloaded the wrong thing, it will just keep my BP up for no reason. 5Mbps $15-$20 per month is more than enough for us budget users. Tozo’ona Starlink kana tapihwa minda nemusangano.

      Reply
      1. Mike

        Starlink is good it’s way better than econet and other Internet service providers

        Reply
  22. A

    Stay away from starlink if you rely heavily on torrents. If you care at all about online privacy Telone is still the best option. If you do use starlink be prepared to use a VPN for any “illegal” or questionable activity.

    Reply
    1. K.O Ininiwo

      Starlink yekubasa haisati yavharwa but we are downloading ma Albums pa Torrent and softwares in matter of minutes zvaititorera the whole business day

      Reply
  23. Light of Tech

    Econet has high potential of dethroning Starlink. They smart biz can go up to 250Mbps. I have tested these speeds in realtime. When its slow it was 120Mbps it was until they slashed the speed down to 5mbps, Imagine how it feels after coming from 250Mbps to 5Mbps. Econet needs to take just 1 step. Uncap the Speeds and we have better mobile internet than starlink which is not portable though it is technically mobile

    Reply
    1. X

      Who made starlink king, econet has superior technologies and a bigger subscriber base, you cannot compare the two,

      Reply
      1. Apes

        We need affordable data

        Reply
    2. Dzidzai

      I feel the ball is in Econet’s court. They can become the perfect monopoly. Affordable prices across the range from $20 5Mbps, $40 30Mbps $80 100Mbps. Something for every pocket and need.

      Reply
  24. X

    Powertel said

    He said the speed of starlink goes up to 250mbps its not a secret, our can go up to a gigabit per second

    We can bring starlink and our fibre hear and do the test ours is faster

    Why would you invest in a technology that are not all weather friendly

    Reply
    1. X

      Techzim this was the meat of the news but you chose to omit because you have become advertisers and sellers of starlink equipment so you have lost your objectivity, you are compromised, why haven’t you mentioned to your poor readers that fiber is better and satellite is hear to save remote areas, you cant because that will hurt your business

      Reply
      1. Zvimba

        😂😂😂

        Reply
      2. Jack

        20Mbps Fibre @$150 is better but its not affordable because there are people who earn less than $100 per month.

        Reply
  25. Tomla

    Let’s wait and see. This will have an impact on everything

    Reply
  26. Dennis

    All hype. Starlink complements the already existing players not to outcompete with them. If it was the case then in USA AT&T would have felt the pressure.

    Technologies used by Starlink do not require a lot of pple to connect to a satellite as opposed to base stations.

    An example use case is Telecel will use Starlink infrastructure were they do not have strong connections and offer a service to customers just like what TelOne and Econet do.

    So Ma zimbos we are missing the point here.

    Reply
  27. Dzidzai 😈

    Powertel through ZETDC has the best fibre like connection and most widespread connection. Internet can be transmitted via power lines.

    Your smart meter then becomes your router as well. When you purchase you electricity tokens you add $20 and voila💫 you have 5Mbps unlimited internet to almost every high density area in the country, efficient and convenient.

    In the meantime we look at Small Modular Reactors, because without guaranteed power, there is no business case.

    Reply
  28. Uyo uyo

    Vachadzikisa havo kusvika kana mu10 chaimo

    Reply
  29. Anonymous

    Will go for power tell to me it’s 100%

    Reply
  30. Andrew Shereni

    Will go for power tell to me it’s 100%

    Reply
  31. Biggaz

    Kind of confirms that the pricing was always exorbitant and customers have a long memory.

    But if speed and service is good… that’s good…. I hope there’s no catch.

    Reply
  32. @ztec

    Kkkk looks like they will just have to share territories throughout the country, starlink territory, smartbiz territory, zol territory but zol is already geo locked so there’s that. coz I don’t think they can retain customers and offer quality service at the same time

    Reply
  33. Tracy Chapman

    How come our opposition leaders don’t get robbed and beaten?

    Easy money.

    Crossroads 😈 vs 👿

    Reply
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