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  • Zimbabwe raises telecoms licence fees, migrates to converged licencing

    The Herald reports today that the Government of Zimbabwe has raised the operating license fees for mobile network and fixed telephone operators from the current US $100 million to $180 million. The change comes as Econet Wireless and Telecel Zimbabwe prepare to renew their operating licenses in June this year.

  • Hacked back in 2011, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange website is still down

    It’s now March 2013, a whole year and 7 months after the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange website was taken down after a hacking incident. For a reason only the ZSE would know, it’s still down.

  • Press Release: TN Bank to lend money for smartphones and tablets

    Econet Wireless customers will soon be able to borrow money from a facility set up at TN Bank by the cell phone company to buy high end smartphones and tablets. Customers will be able to upgrade their phones, which they can get from Econet Shops.

  • Telecel reduces price of 3G modems to US $30

    Telecel announced early today via an SMS to subscribers the reduction of its 3G modems price from US $45 to $30. Subscribers will also get 300mb of data along with a new modem. We’re told it’s a promotion, which means the deal has an expiry date.

  • Agribank CEO, Sam Malaba, encourages banks to integrate with EcoCash

    Agribank has become the latest Zimbabwean bank to integrate with the EcoCash mobile money transfer system. The announcement was made today at a press conference jointly held by the bank and Econet Wireless today in Harare. The integration is basically the same as that which Econet has secured with 3 banks so far i.e. to…

  • Zimbabwe’s tele-density reaches 100%, mobile penetration now 97%

    Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), has released the December 2012 (4th quarter) mobile phone and fixed telephone subscribers statistics. According to statistics that we received from the regulator, Zimbabwe’s mobile penetration is now 97%, up from 85% in June 2012.

  • EcoCash & Stanbic integrate. CEO Mboweni comments on ZimSwitch integration

    We’re just from a press conference where Econet Wireless and Stanbic Bank announced the integration of Econet’s mobile money transfer platform, EcoCash, with Stanbic’s banking system allowing EcoCash subscribers to transfer money from and to their Stanbic accounts. Selected branches of Stanbic will also act as EcoCash Super Agents allowing EcoCash agents and customers to…

  • Arguments for piracy

    While Free and Open Source Software owes its birth to the fact that people wanted an open source platform that they could modify, it owes its success to the fact that more often than not the software is given gratis. It is doubtful that people would have been drawn to Linux in droves if it…

  • Press Release: EcoCash open to every bank in Zimbabwe

    A senior Econet Wireless executive, Mr Darlington Mandivenga, who is responsible for the rollout of EcoCash, has dismissed a claim reportedly made by Bankers Association of Zimbabwe’s immediate past president, Mr John Mushayavanhu, stating that Econet has denied banks access to its platform for integration.

  • You don’t need to be an engineer to start a technology business

    Gary Shayne who founded Cellular Systems, later renamed Celsys, which he listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange when he was only 27 years old and went on to sell to Lonrho was a chartered accountant, and not a telecommunications engineer. Sure there were many telecommunications engineers who knew telecommunications, and who could boast more experience…

  • Saving mobile phone data

    In the previous installment several suggestions were made on how to reduce bandwidth consumption on a capped connection. Whilst this article focused solely on PCs the rise in the use of smartphones has led to headaches as people try to manage data bundles on their smartphones and tablets. This is not helped by the fact…

  • Living with data caps in Zimbabwe

    If we lived in a perfect world, all of us would have an unlimited internet connection on which you could do anything from video conferencing, watching movies and playing internet games. Of course such a connection does exist – you could obtain one from a provider locally but you’d have to give them your first…

  • Journey into smartphone ownership

    A few years ago I was browsing in a store in Boksburg looking to purchase a phone. The BlackBerry was all the rage then and the iPod was extremely popular. I gazed at the multiple deals which we only see now courtesy of Econet and Gtel in Harare. While I was busy comparing the many…

  • Zim mobile operators directed to reduce mobile money transaction fees

    The constant complaint with mobile money services locally (EcoCash really) is that it’s expensive to use. Since launch. They reviewed the transaction fees downwards once, a few weeks after launch, but EcoCash remained the most expensive mobile money transfer service in Zimbabwe. So yes, we mourned a lot about it every time we got a…

  • Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to establish mobile money regulation

    The Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Gideon Gono, announced yesterday the introduction of a deliberate legal and regulatory framework for Mobile Financial Services. The announcement was made as part of the Monetary Policy Statement presentation.

  • Local developer builds an EcoCash agent locator app

    Despite EcoCash being quite expensive to use (especially for the larger amounts) there’s always that time when it’s really the only option. Time of day, your location and the situation’s urgency all conspire to get you to EcoCash someone.

  • Liquid expands footprint with East African assets acquisition

    Econet Wireless owned fibre and satellite operator, Liquid Telecom, announced yesterday the acquisition of East African telecom assets from JSE listed Altech Group in a deal that will, according to the company, make it the largest terrestrial fibre operator on the continent. Altech will get an 8.6% stake in Liquid Telecom and 10% shareholder voting…

  • Social media lessons from Zimbabwe’s mobile operators (Updated)

    A lot can change in a year – especially in Zimbabwe. In 2011 very few of Zimbabwe’s established brands seemed to have a presence on Facebook (Twitter “didn’t exist” yet). Today’s marketing landscape has significantly changed as a number of savvy brands finally understand how and why social media matters to their marketing mix.

  • Startup talk: A knack for potential

    A lot of startups simply stuck their heads into the sand and launched e-commerce sites with a credit card based checkout and no wonder they failed. Whilst at it, it needs to be mentioned that people hate writing cheques and banks hate issuing cheque books even more. www.gtel.co.zw seems to have mastered the art of…

  • Startup talk: the value of a brand

    Although it might not be apparent at first, one of the most common reasons why startups fail is because of the inability by the founders to create a recognisable, respected and indispensable brand-a cult brand. A brand is a “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as…

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