Yesterday, we asked our followers on X:
See, this past week, with Starlink having finally gone live in Zimbabwe, Econet started fighting back more aggressively than it was with SmartBiz. It sent out a message to some of its customers on Wednesday telling them:
Dear Customer. You have been selected to test our new bundle. Look out for a special offer notification from 289. Your participation means a lot to us
About 24 hours later its customers started receiving the special offer as promised. Except the offer wasn’t the same. The new bundle is a actually an A/B test of sorts. From the responses we got to our tweet, Econet has been sending out at least different offers.
Here are the offers:
| USD Price | Calls (Minutes) | SMS | No. Responses |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | 200 | 240 | 3 |
| $23 | 280 | 340 | 2 |
| $30 | 420 | 500 | 1 |
| $45 | 580 | 700 | 3 |
| $60 | 750 | 900 | 4 |
| $75 | 920 | 1100 | 9 |
| $98 | 1250 | 1500 | 1 |
| $158 | 1580 | 1900 | 1 |
| $195 | 1890 | 2480 | 1 |
Econet Unlimited Data Offers – Sep 2024
We are thankful to everyone that respond to our tweet 🙏🏾. Our sample is very small – just 25, so we don’t know if this represents all the offers well. Regardless, it is interesting that the $75 offer is the most common here.
The offer can also be redeemed using the local ZWG at the official rate, currently 13.6. (We hear the black market rate is around 29 now) so in the end what Econet gets is actually less than half the USD price.
When you receive the offer, you have the option to accept or reject it. Those that reject are asked for their reasons. If you don’t receive the offer, there seems to be no way to request one. Unless, maybe, you know someone at Econet.
Our assumption is that Econet will look at this data and make the actual new bundle available for purchase on the *143# USSD menu and within the EcoCash app.
Econet’s Hand
Econet is playing to the two advantages it has over Starlink right now – customers being able to get this offer without needing new hardware, and the ability to do regular calls and SMS.
We’re not sure how big a deal SMS still is, but calls are definitely still a thing, and based on the responses we got, the company has succeeded convincing a decent number of people to accept the offer.
It’s a no brainer, right? Anyone offered $15 unlimited data and 200 minutes calls in Zimbabwe would be foolish not to accept. Right? Even compared to Starlink, this is a solid deal. Well, all things – speed and network coverage that is – being equal. But are they?
If indeed Econet ends up giving away unlimited data at $23 or $15, this might turn out to be complementary connectivity to Starlink. Starlink at home for the household, while individuals buy the Econet unlimited bundle for internet on the go, and for those calls. $75 unlimited, the average person, will not do though.
Econet, NetOne (and maybe Telecel) may be in the position to compete and complement Starlink this way. But what about the operators offering fibre and home-fixed LTE? There’s the reselling which is complementary, but there’s also other digital solutions. Connecting to the internet is just the start, there’s so much more businesses, families, schools, health providers, miners, farmers… need once they are connected.
Starlink is a huge shift in the market, enough to qualify as a true game changer. These are early days yes, but signs show it will be opening new possibilities for the previously underserved.
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