• Kenya introduces bond trading via M-PESA, offers lesson to Zim govt

    Earlier this week it was reported that Kenyans will now be able to open Central Bank depository accounts from their phones using their mobile money accounts without visiting a bank or broker, and proceed to buy government paper. Can this be adopted in Zimbabwe as well?

  • 200 and counting – Telecel grows its kiosks and franchise shop numbers

    According to Telecel, it has increased the number of its kiosks from 75 to 200 and it now has 12 franchise stores acorss the country. This is part of the operator’s strategy to develop a stronger brand presence in the market which will hopefully draw in lost subscribers.

  • The government needs Econet to play ball, here’s why

    The government needs Econet to join in sharing infrastrucure to prevent itself from becoming the very same monopoly that Econet/ Liquid is.

  • No going back on Infrastructure Sharing despite Econet conundrum

    Despite the minister’s less than eloquent responses in a radio interview, Infrastructure Sharing must proceed and Econet must work out its strategy especially where it may relate to how they source the funding for its infrastructure expansion.

  • Liquid’s expensive bandwidth, rogue economics in Zim telecoms & Infrastructure Sharing: Podcast

    In this podcast, we discuss the comments shared by the Minister of ICT in a recent interview on ZiFM Stereo that touched on Infrastructure sharing.

  • TelOne pays $29 million to Econet and Telecel

    Recently, Chipo Mtasa, the CEO of TelOne pointed out that the fixed telecoms operator had reached a debt repayment deal with Econet Wireless and Telecel. TelOne will pay $24 million to Econet and another $5 million to Telecel. Mtasa referenced a “tripartite offset arrangement” between Government, Telone and Econet and the extension of money towards…

  • As MTN zero-rates data for VOD here’s why other providers might follow suit

    It was recently reported that MTN South Africa, the mobile network operator, zero-rated data for MTN FrontRow. This is the operator’s Video On Demand (VOD) service. This has implications on what might work for VOD services in Africa aligned to broadband providers.

  • 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,…

  • Viva Mobile set on being Zimbabwe’s 1st Mobile Virtual Network Operator

    A Zimbabwean entrepreneur, Dzidzai Chidumba, has his eyes set on launching his own MVNO. Called Viva Mobile with a 2016 (hopeful) launch date, Chidumba says Viva Mobile is meant to disrupt the existing telecoms market by delivering better products and services. We caught up with him and asked some questions related to Viva Mobile.

  • Here’s why the government might block WhatsApp

    The suggestion of a WhatsApp ban is shocking, especially when we consider how it has made communication so much easier and cheaper. However, the latest numbers from the industry regulator suggest that its effect is huge on revenue and if the operators make that call, our favourite app could be banned.

  • Net Neutrality and the curse of the privileged byte

    The same bundles that operators created to lure users are the ones that are denting their voice revenues and yet they won’t implement net neutrality.

  • Shouldn’t TelOne migrate its major voice clients to VoIP?

    Given that Telone is not investing in maintaining or improving their fixed lines infrastructure, shouldn’t it just migrate major customers to VoIP?

  • For whom the bell tolls: Is Telecel Doomed?

    It cannot be ignored that Telecel has been on a downward trend since 2012 if the subscriber numbers from Potraz are anything to go by. With the licence issues reaching boiling point early this year resulting in the most disruption on their timeline it is interesting to see how they will bounce back.

  • 8 interesting things from the new Infrastructure Sharing Regulations

    Here are 8 things you may need to know from the final draft of the Infrastructure Sharing Regulations.

  • Mobile operators suffer a 14.2% decline in revenue: POTRAZ Report

    POTRAZ has released the latest Telecommunications and Postal sector report that indicates an overall decline in business despite gradual increase in subscriptions.

  • Econet remains mum on Infrastructure Sharing, but here’s what it could be planning

    Econet has remained mum on their walkout from the Infrastructure Sharing debate, but it cannot afford as a business to just let it slide. What are some of its options going forward?

  • Supa Mandiwanzira clarifies infrastructure sharing issue & impact on private companies

    The latest statements from the Minister of ICT give a glimpse into what the government is thinking in terms of Infrastructure and may explain the ICT ministry’s agenda in infrastructure sharing.

  • 60,000 jobs: Econet spits out numbers to emphasize its value to the Zim economy

    In its latest effort to highlight its position as a job creator, Econet has published a full page press statement outlining its support of more than 60,000 jobs in the Zimbabwean economy. Could be it be part of Econet’s efforts to lobby for the loosening of regulation which has been handicapping the industry?

  • What is local content?

    So after the noise with the tengai.co.zw store and the ensuing usual talk about local content one question has been tickling the nether regions of my brain. Just what the heck is local content?

  • Econet accuses POTRAZ of destabilising the telecoms industry

    In a statement that clarifies its position on the series of job cuts it has effected, Econet has taken a shot at industry regulator, POTRAZ, accusing it of causing instability in the industry.

  • Gtel clinches devices distribution deal with Airtel

    G-Tel has made strides into Kenya by partnering with Airtel in a deal structured to take advantage of Airtel’s market share to deliver mobile phones on credit.

  • Reduced roaming tariffs project welcome, but a bit late in the making

    A pilot exercise by regional member states to reduce roaming tariffs as a means through which to promote regional trade and partnerships under the SADC Home and Away Roaming (SHAR) initiative is underway. However, this development is a bit late in the making and seems to ignore data roaming charges.

  • With all these job cuts, a credit rating system is now more critical than before

    With the current developments in labour where perpetual employment has been virtually terminated, credit rating systems will become crucial in providing benchmarks through which companies offering products on credit can reference credit worthiness.

  • Astro Mobile continues to grow, opens new branch at Joina City Harare

    Astro Mobile has just commissioned a branch at Joina City Mall in Harare, where it’s showcasing some of its products including the flagship Astro V2+.

  • Nettcash’s the only privately owned mobile money service selling ZESA. How did it pull it off?

    The sale of prepaid electricity has been opened up to Nettcash, the youngest mobile money service which has no visible ties to the government. Just how did Nettcash pull this off when other operators like EcoCash and Telecash are being excluded?

  • Here’s a case for mobile money services through football clubs

    There is an opportunity for induced Financial Services adoption in mobile money via the use of popular sports such as soccer. Through the use of simple technology, banks can motivate deposits and operators can activate inclusion beyond just sending and receiving money.

  • Here’s how Nettcash’s app is a solution for ZESA’s prepaid voucher problem

    The Nettcash app offers a simple user interface and brings the ability to purchase ZESA tokens to mobile better than the NetOne OneWallet utilities. Except for it being a data consuming app, it is handy tool especially for vending.

  • Tengai’s partnership with Econet triggers backlash

    Some readers argued that Tengai, the new online classifieds startup, though registered and fully operational as an entity that is not a subsidiary of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe or the Econet Group, has ties to the mobile operator and is leaning on this association in a way that violates net neutrality.

  • Econet still uninterested in interoperability (updated)

    It seems Econet, banking on its market share and business interests, is still unwilling to enable interoperability in some aspects of their services, particularly hand to hand wallet to wallet interfacing. This is unlike the competitors OneWallet, Telecash and Nettcash.

  • Mozido acquires Nettcash, adds utility services

    Mozido, a global payments provider recently acquired local mobile payments provider Nettcash. They have announced through their website that they merged the two wallets and immediately made available a new feature that allows users to buy prepaid electricity from their credit stored in the mobile wallet.