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.
If you’re keen on freebies from your mobile network, Econet has one for you. The mobile operator is running a promotion that offers subscribers 1 free minute between the hours of 5 am and 8 am everyday.
“You have been selected to be part of the pilot tests to purchase ZESA prepaid tokens using TeleCash…”
However, one other number that stood out for us related to Econet’s broadband services. According to to the analysts’ presentation which accompanied the results, Econet has 7 million broadband subscribers. Econet says this number is an improvement from the 4,7 million broadband subscribers that the operator had in the same period last year.
If you use buses frequently you’ve probably been waiting for an online bus ticketing service that works so it does away with the frustrations of booking and paying for a ticket.
The 2015 nominees list for AfricaCom Awards was recently released, and out of the thirteen categories spanning across various telecoms sub-domains, Liquid Telecom, the telecoms infrastructure company with strong Zimbabwean ties through its Econet DNA has been nominated for 5 awards.
Steward bank, the financial institution owned by Econet Wireless Zimbabwe recorded a $1,8 million profit for the half year ended August 2015. This is its first profit, and it has been attributed to cost management and a growth in interest income..
One of the first services you’ll notice as soon as you get to the Expo is called Technites. This is another startup idea from the Econet team and though the service hasn’t entered the market it is set for launch in the short term.
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has announced a 17.7% drop in revenue and 52% decline in profit in its 2015 Half Year Results.
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.
One of the products unveiled at the Econet beyond The Phone Expo was the Econet ConnectedHome service. This uses standard smart home technology to offer a security system and automated domestic experience. However, Econet is looking beyond just cars and homes with these new products.
The latest news from Zimpost is that Zipcash, the remittance service is now in Nigeria and has been offering services from the West African country since September this year.
Mobile money and remittance services have managed to amplify their individual success by working together. This has managed to prove the strength of partnerships and their role in effectively extending platforms and services reach.
Mukuru, announced this week the launch of Storecard in partnership with Zimbabwean retailers Halsteds and Electrosales. Essentially, the recipient of the transfer will be able to ‘redeem’ products equal to the transfer value from these […]
POTRAZ, the local telecoms regulator is on a Quality of Service campaign and is taking in suggestions from everyone on what they should focus on. Here are 4 issues that POTRAZ should aim to fix with this QoS drive.
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?
The Zimswitch fees increase is retrogressive to the slow but positive plastic money uptake in Zimbabwe in that it will deter customers from using ATMs and POS if they cannot locate one from their own bank.
Is the latest drive for e-banking from Ecobank adequate for a 2015 Zimbabwe which is a proudly informal economy? It would seem that the glaring omission from Ecobank’s strategy is an aggressive adoption of indigenous retail banking alternatives.
One of the latest developments for Hour Of Code Zimbabwe is that Astro Mobile, the Zimbabwean mobile device distributor has signed on as a sponsor for future Hour of Code events. Any efforts to grow that pool, like what Hour Of Code is doing, are a win for companies like Astro Mobile. Perhaps other companies…
With the coming in of prepaid water, Councils should avoid the same mistakes that ZESA made with the prepaid electricity meters and coordinate on infrastructure rollout to reduce costs.
Recently, there was a lot of excitement stirred up when Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile operator, released the Application Program Interface (API) for its mobile money service M-PESA to local and international developers. This is a step forward for Kenyan mobile commerce and e-services, but also shines light on the importance of startup and developer engagement.
We’ve seen some advocacy for Bitcoin locally as well, and now some people are starting to integrate Bitcoin with other common financial services. Take Bitmari for example. This is a new Bitcoin-based money remittance service for the Zimbabwe market.
YoAfrica, a local internet service provider has set up its own online retail platform. Called YoShop, it focuses on the sale of IT related products.
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?
Zipcash has continued to expand its presence and it is now available in new Sub Saharan markets. How does it fare against the contemporary mobile money options?
A local Mobile Money tariff calculator app released last year has now been tweaked to catch up with some of the changes in local mobile money services. The app it now incorporates calculations and comparisons for OneWallet and Nettcash and the user interface has been dusted up a bit.
In recent months, we have been seeing the shift in companies from cash sales to the trendy electronic and online platforms. Some of the most unlikely “traditional” corporate are showing an interest in these “new age systems”. Are we finally seeing the start of a huge shift into online payments and mobile payments in Zimbabwe?…
Local payments gateway, Paynow, is experiencing healthy growth, recording a 30% month-on-month increase in transaction value and volumes. Paynow’s Topup has also managed to process up to 3,000 transactions per month from its launch to date.