SMS as we know it today, or rather as mobile network operators abuse it today, needs to go away. It’s so damn expensive. US 9 cents just to send 140 characters is undoubtedly the most costly means to communicate electronically today. And thankfully it is going away. Not fast enough but it is; one innovation at a time. WhatsApp, Dasuba, eTXT, Viber and biNu have all been delivering slow but sure blows on SMS and we’re always happy to share any news that will help you save a cent or two.
We were quite delighted therefore to read a biNu announcement (sent to us via WhatsApp) this week that the Australian startup’s biNu credits are now available locally on the Easi electronic prepaid services vending network. We wrote about Easi here some weeks ago; the company distributes airtime electronically via vending machines and now has about 200 vendors countrywide which makes for a significantly large network.
The thing about biNu credits is that you can buy 50 SMS messages for just a dollar and those SMS are not limited to local numbers only. For that same $1, Econet, Telecel and NetOne all give you just 4 SMS messages. Yes, it costs a pricey 22 cents minimum to send an international SMS on these networks. For local SMS, the mobile operators will sell you just 11 SMS messages on a dollar. Shocking yes what our telecoms regulator lets them get away with!
The Zimbabwe representatives of biNu tell us they are finalizing arrangements with YoTime to have biNu credits on their airtime as change solution at supermarkets. This will allow biNu users to receive biNu credits for their change, which is quite convenient seeing it’s taking forever for the change problem to go away.
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17 comments
Okay, so someone educate me, why would i choose to use this biNu instead of Whatsapp???
because WhatsApp doesn’t run on most feature phones. biNu works even on those low cost Chinese imitations
Ok, makes sense, tho i wonder how many people using thoz cheap phones really know about biNu and understand how it can save them money….
has about 200,000 user locally http://www.techzim.co.zw/2012/11/a-mobile-content-platform-with-a-social-framework/
wow!! thats a big adoption for binu…..
For one biNu person, there’s way more Whatsappers though.
Whats is limited to a considerably small category of phone models, compared to the number of messages/interactions one wants to do…esp in Zim
When the SMS decline problem started, it was because of the cost of it. Now it’s more because of the super features that IM apps such as Whatsapp are bringing: emoticons, media, group chat etc.
So since biNu is capitalizing on the SMS problem, they are nosediving soon too unless they remove the “cheap SMS” as their biggest value proposition. Feature phones yes, but with these affordable Nokias with Whatsapp now starting to float sub $50 on the street….it’s an interesting future ahead.
well BiNu is not all about sms only, i use Binu for super fast and cheap browsing on facebook and google. i also use it to check sport updates and many other feature applications it host. Even with this smartphone i have, BiNu was one of the 1st apps i installed
biNi is definitely a game changer. Keep in mind 2G mobile subscriptions (non feature phones) now account for 62.7 percent of mobile subscriptions in Africa. Massive pontential
Binu dont show airtime option he says airtime temporary unvailabe why? Please help me
Pls i try purchasing binu airtime with my mobile credit and my credit was deducted without receiving any binu airtime pls help me
Hi Tee.
How did you buy? Which country are you in?
Am in Nigeria,at first i needed a binu airtime to access a novel so i jes click on buy airtime and i was given an option to choose from,afterwards my callcard was deducted and i wasn’t given any binu airtime
So i assumed dat maybe it was because i wasn’t using my registered number secondly i text BINU to 32810 with my registered number and my credit was dedicated again without given a binu airtime
Why the binu app seem to be failing on a blacberry 8520.
Which stupid binu,my money was deducted twice witout any message