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No, WhatsApp’s failure to connect has nothing to do with elections
So, since last night complaints from Econet subscribers have have been hitting our tips mailbox, the issue being that they couldn’t WhatsApp anymore and that they suspected Econet “blocked WhatsApp”. The reason, according to the emails, was basically that politicians had instructed them to do so to limit any communication as #ZimDecides.
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Telecel introduces Kingdom Bank financed devices for Red customers
This week, the company announced a return to mobile phones, specifically, smartphones and tablets financed in partnership with Afrasia Kingdom.
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The EcoCash mobile payments strategy and numbers: a case study by GSMA
Recently, the GSM Association released a case study report they did on EcoCash this year. The case study focuses on EcoCash’s rapid uptake since launch in September 2011 with a look at how the company has managed to register 2.3 million Zimbabweans in under two years.
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Zim broadband speed mini survey results: Telecel has the fastest broadband (Update)
Surveys can yield the strangest results and the results for the mobile broadband speed survey were quite shocking in some aspects. According to the results Telecel, of all the mobile operators that grace our country with their service, is not only the fastest service provider in terms of internet speed but the most reliable as…
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Mahindra Comviva introduces Square-like payments dongle for Mobiquity platform
Over the past 3 or so years whenever we’ve met senior guys from local companies in the payments space we’ve asked them if they know Square and Square cloning. Square is basically a dongle that can be plugged to any phone through headphone jack, enabling the phone to accept credit card payments.
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iWayAfrica in $55k loss for year ending December 2012
The annual report released this past weekend by Masawara also had details of the financial performance of one other internet provider which Masawara has shareholding in; iWayAfrica Zimbabwe. The iWay business also made losses in the year ending 31 December 2012 albeit much lower than uMAX.
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Mobile broadband speeds mini survey (survey)
Last week we had a look at mobile broadband packages and their various applicable tariffs and some (myself included) of you were wondering about the quality of the service.
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ZOL announces uncapped internet. Offers one of Zim’s lowest priced broadband
As internet prices continue to fall in Zimbabwe, Liquid Telecom subsidiary ISP, ZOL, announced yesterday the introduction of unlimited internet to replace its capped packages. In a message to customers ZOL said that effective immediately all broadband packages will no longer incur additional usage charges as internet caps are “a very archaic method and it…
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Guroo is Africom’s new VoIP service. Our initial thoughts
You may have noticed Guroo over the past several days. Or Guro-o if we go by the new service’s domain name and logo. It’s a product by Africom and in case you are wondering how that’s pronounced, it’s ‘guru’ as in expert. It’s a new VoIP service the company has launched. Africa’s first, they are…
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Comparison of mobile broadband tariffs in Zimbabwe
Here’s a comparison of the tariffs of the mobile broadband services offered by Mobile Operators In Zimbabwe. We have included both the traditional GSM mobile operators, Telecel, Econet and NetOne, as well as new emerging mobile operators Africom and PowerTel. First we post the comparison, some notes to make sense of the data, and then…
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NetOne introduces internet bundles for prepaid customers
Of the three mobile operators in Zimbabwe, government owned NetOne is the only company that has been selling its internet service at a simple to understand flat US 7 cents per megabyte for all subscribers. That has changed today. The company announced the introduction of data bundles today
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Harare city council bill payments latest addition to EcoCash uses
Econet announced yesterday via an SMS to subscribers that residence of Harare can now pay their council bills (rates and water) using EcoCash as more practical use of the mobile money service are rolled out.
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Why Skwama reloaded is real: Former top EcoCash executive now at Telecel
We weren’t sure how direct an entry especially because she referred to it as “mobile banking”. New information we have received from sources in the industry says there indeed is a more direct mobile money project going on at Telecel.
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Telecel Zimbabwe considering mobile money re-entry?
Last year, Telecel Zimbabwe pulled a ‘surprise of the year’ move on all of us; A mobile operator killed its mobile money service. No one knows (well, except them and probably ZimSwitch) when exactly Skwama was killed because it was done silently, only to be disclosed when we asked about the disappeared product in September…
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Afrocoin to compete with Mukuru, Western Union, EcoCash in remittances
A new startup, Afrocoin Mobile Money, is set to launch in the coming months (or weeks,no idea right now) as a new player in the remittances and mobile money transfer market.
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Telecel unleashes mega bonus on competing networks, effectively reduces tariffs!
In a move clearly qualifying as “a first”, Telecel Zimbabwe has effectively reduced mobile voice call rates. Information we received says the company has extended its mega bonus promotion to cover off net calls.
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Orascom Telecoms in talks with Government over the Telecel license renewal
The Egyptian owners of Telecel Zimbabwe, Oracom Telecom, revealed yesterday that they are in talks to sort out the license renewal issues they have with the government and local telecommunications regulator, POTRAZ, in Zimbabwe. The information was posted by Netherlands based, Telecompaper.
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New Zim and US eCommerce site, KhayaShopping, launches
Without any widely adopted internet payments platform, despite the existence of Vpayments, and some EcoCash internet payment trials, eCommerce in Zimbabwe is struggling to take off. But there are startups that are moving in early regardless, positioning themselves for when the Zimbabwean will rely on the internet to shop.
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Liquid expands in Rwanda with acquisition of new telecoms assets
A report by Rwandan newspaper today, says Liquid Telecom, has acquired additional telecommunications assets from a former Rwandan mobile & internet operator under liquidation called Rwandatel.
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Government to Telecel: Transfer shareholding to locals first to renew license
The government of Zimbabwe has told Telecel Zimbabwe to sort out its long pending shareholding issues first, before they can be eligible for their mobile network license renewal. The announcement was made along with the announcement of the new license fees that have already been put in place. Telecel’s 15 year license, which they got…