• It’s time startups started “importing” venture capitalists

    There is huge investment that is constantly being harvested from Zimbabweans living abroad. Tech startups can tap into this and they should be exploring some ways to do so. This would create a scenario where venture capital is essentially imported.

  • Zimpapers’ HY results and the challenges of a digital future the company faces

    When Zimpapers, Zimbabwe’s largest media company, announced its half year results two months ago, it reported a US $20,000 loss. Shortly after, the company apparently uncovered an error in its tax accounting for […]

  • NetOne rumored to be scrapping benefits & cutting salaries by 28%

    We recently received information from sources close to NetOne that the mobile operator is set to cut salaries by 28% and scrap benefits and allowances.

  • Understanding Econet as it prepares for the half year results. What does the future look like?

    Does Econet get the internet? Looking at the Tengai experience (it hasn’t been restored more than 2 months later), a strange EcoShopper product, and the long silence on ipidi you get a sense of how much Econet is prepared for business at this level.

  • Facebook to provide internet in Africa via satellite

    Facebook announced yesterday that it will deliver satellite broadband internet to Africans via satellite starting next year. This will be made possible through a partnership with a European satellite operator called Eutelsat as part of the internet.org initiative.

  • Solar geysers, ZOL free WiFi, Econet LTE & the long winter – Podcast

    Local internet provider ZOL has made its WiFi hotspots free again, with some Ts and Cs of course. However, this shows how the model for WiFi rollout can be tinkered […]

  • Unboxing the Telecel Hie Bundles

    The value proposition for subscribers is clear. Telecel has been generous with voice, SMS, and social media access and it is outpacing its competition with this offer. While both bundles offer savings on airtime purchases, the $10 bundle is easily the better pick of the two, considering the access to Facebook, generous free minutes and,…

  • Some takeaways from MISA Zimbabwe’s Internet Governance Conference

    The second session of the MISA Internet Governance Conference held in Harare recently concluded with startups and online businesses sharing their experiences. The role of technical enablers in the form of […]

  • The trouble with Android…

    Here is a sad fact: If you are a Zimbabwean reading this from your Android device there is a 99% probability ( ok I just made that number up but you get the idea) that you are doing so from a vulnerable device that has not been updated in a long time if ever.

  • Telecel Zimbabwe becomes latest company to effect job cuts

    Telecel Zimbabwe has become the latest company to effect a series of job cuts in a follow-up to a Supreme Court decision that gave Zimbabwean employers the right to terminate employment contracts at any time by putting employees on three months notice.

  • TelOne expanding distribution network through local agents & entrepreneurs

    TelOne has started inviting people interested in becoming sales agents for its products and services to contact the operator or submit details at the Harare Post Office. This franchising opportunity is part of TelOne’s strategy to expand its footprint while managing costs.

  • Econet’s anti net-neutrality moves are wrong. The hackers hitting them are wrong.

    The problem is the lack of net-neutrality and not Econet itself. Going after Econet by hacking its websites doesn’t help anyone. If anything, the stubborn people I know Zimbabweans to be will dig their heels in, plant a flag of commitment to their position, however unjustifiable it is, and make a choice to refuse to…

  • Our problem is we don’t stand together. We don’t speak together

    As a people we don’t seem to see far enough to realise what is hurting the competition now (or just someone we don’t care about) will surely hurt us too eventually. We laugh that classifieds.co.zw is getting hit Econet and Stive while forgetting the same net-neutrality unfairness on us when they smell the blood.

  • Interview with Telecel CEO Angeline Vere: What are the mobile operator’s plans?

    Recently, Techzim interviewed Telecel Zimbabwe CEO, Angeline Vere. In the interview, she highlighted some aspects of Telecel’s plans for the short to medium term, as well as some aspects relating to the investment from its current owners.

  • Econet reintroduces Buddie Zone, packages it with mobile games

    Econet has reintroduced its Buddie Zone promotion, which offers discounts of up to 90% for on-net voice calls. At first glance, this looks like Econet’s way of adding value to voice calls for subscribers. However, the fact that it is coming after another operator, Telecel introduced free calls after midnight, gives the impression that this…

  • This is how the government should give you free WiFi

    In South Africa, the plans for free WiFi have progressed with one province introducing the service on public buses. It doesn’t seem to complicated, and we even have startup trying to offer similar convenience. Can’t we rollout the same sort of project locally?

  • Everything you need to know about the Ubuntu Phone

    Canonical, the people behind, the Ubuntu Operating system have gone into the smartphone and tablet market with their own devices. Their phones seem brilliant in terms of specs, but without WhatsApp compatibilty can a phone sell in Zimbabwe?

  • Econet reduces salaries; shows how tough the Zim telecoms environment is

    Econet has reduced the salaries of its entire staff by 35%. This has been attributed to a lot of challenges in the local business environment, and the other complications in Zimbabwean telecoms. The operator will have to do a lot to improve its performance and beat all of this.

  • Econet now selling the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge for $1,305

    Local mobile operator is now selling the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge for a cash price of $1,305 a fee that most will consider as steep. There’s a credit option under the Econet Premium line. You can get the device on a 24 month credit plan for $100 a month.

  • BYOD: Is Zim ready for Enterprise Mobile?

    The advancement in technology has seen Zimbabwean companies trailing in the type and quality of devices available at the work place. As a result employees have tended to bring their own devices into the workplace. Whether that indeed increases productivity and companies should adopt BYOD is a good point to ponder.

  • EOH takes over Zimbabwean enterprise firm, Twenty Third Century Systems

    The move by EOH to take over 49% percent of Twenty Third Century Systems (TTCS) to expand its African Enterprise Systems footprint leaving TTCS a minor controller is conspicuously for its detail on the resulting shareholding. This leave EOH as somewhat of a monopoly SAP partner in the region. What does this mean for TTCS?

  • 6 things NetOne’s OneWallet needs to do to get my money

    NetOne has a fair subscriber base of just under 30% of the market, which has however failed to translate into a healthier OneWallet. Accounting for less than 1% of Mobile Money subscribers, it needs to overhaul the product or face extinction.

  • The new MVendr app: Excellent for vendors, but not for Zimbabwe.

    Mvendr’s revamped app is an excellent improvement on their previous version and could have been a good solution for vendors today. It will, however, predictably, face the same challenges its predecessor faced in Zimbabwe like data affordability.

  • $20 for a Blackberry Curve: Harare’s thriving market for street devices

    The streets of Harare have turned into virtual malls with an assortment of devices that include gadgets. Even phones and tablets now have a place there, with smartphones going for as little as $20

  • As local languages are added to EcoCash, lets hope an update of its App is coming

    Listen to that…..silence. It seems like besides launching a group savings product, EcoCash has been rather quiet lately. I say this not because I was a fan of the product […]

  • What did you just say about paying for content? “It’s not my policy…”

      I am a thief. I have been for a while. In fact, when I stop to think of it, I fear that my children might inherit the inclination to […]

  • What sort of chances does TelOne have with its Metro Wi-Fi?  

    At the 2014 Broadband Forum, the conclusion was that the next frontier in broadband is retailing broadband right to the doorstep. Various ISPs made noise about FTTH promising to deliver […]

  • Had it up to here with ZESA & wanna get off the grid? Here are 3 alternatives

    So let’s face reality and move away from Utopian slogans and hashtags. Things related to a lot of local services, especially power supply, haven’t been so good so far. This […]

  • The Shona Language: Is it marginalised or just dying?

      Many people do not know this but Shona is the most spoken L1 Bantu Language; that is as a first language. According to Wikipedia, there are over 535 Bantu […]

  • NetOne’s bold $200 million ambitions: How will the mobile operator meet this target?

      “Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.” That ought to be etched on every business manager’s wall, especially before setting targets and making projections. All industry captains have to keep […]