The most attractive bundle on offer is the US$10 for 10GB which works out to be much more affordable compared to their cheapest rtgs Private Wifi bundle priced at ZWL $4 320.

However, people have cried foul on Twitter firstly saying that the bundle stops working at a 2GB remaining balance. According to an Econet Wireless representative on Twitter, the 10GB bundle is divided into two, 8GB of it is “peak data” and the remaining 2GB is “off-peak data”. This means 8GB can be used any time of the day and 2GB of it can only be used at night.

Remember when people wondered what the catch in the whole deal was? This was the catch. Econet subscribers have asked why they were not well educated about the peak and off-peak conditions from the onset and they are wondering why there has to be rules on the usage of data they have bought with their own money.

Hi @ChasiNgodo, kindly note the Smart USD bundle 10GB comprises of 8GB peak data which is usable any time of day and 2GB off-peak data which is usable between 2300hrs and 0400hrs. ^YVN

— Econet Customer Care (@econet_support) April 29, 2022

I am left with 1.8 gig off peak bundles but from 10pm last night up to this morning the network was completely dead , please remove this off peak thing and allow me to use my data until I finish it at my times .

— Donald Sirewu (@DonaldSirewu) April 29, 2022

Another common outcry is how the bundles deplete very fast only lasting days for some. Many people express that this does not make sense because the 8GB Private Wifi bundle would last them a month. What could be going on? Is the 10GB not really 10GB? Below are some of the complaints lodged by Econet Wireless users.

I think we all need to agree that the new Econet SmartUSD bundle is a complete scam! Same phone, same apps,same browsing behavior, I would use the 8G e-learning bundle for a whole month,but with this new bundle, its just 3days? How come to you so @econetzimbabwe @tonnie_montana pic.twitter.com/97hw8pIAEI

— real_mdlongwa (@EngineerWabantu) April 28, 2022

Fuck econet USD bundles

— Twintawaz (@sabzmrparty) April 28, 2022

Guys that 10 gig Econet USD bundle rikugara here

— Tafadzwa (@TafadzwaGaxie) April 27, 2022

Advice if you haven’t tried the USD econet bundleDon’t try it, its day light robbery & its shit…

— Twintawaz (@sabzmrparty) April 28, 2022

The post Econet Wireless Smart USD Bundle Users Cry Foul appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

The *143* USSD shortcode has a new option called Smart USD Bundles. This option has Voice, SMS, Data and COMBO bundle choices. The bundles are quite reasonably priced. For example, the 10GB under Smart USD Bundles costs USD$10 but under the normal Private Wi-Fi option 8GB cost RTGS $4 320. With an average exchange rate of RTGS$220 to USD$1 the 10GB, Smart USD Bundle costs RTGS$2 200 and one would need to change USD$20 to buy the ordinary 8GB Private Wi-Fi bundle.

Many people on social media platforms are asking Econet Wireless how they can purchase the Smart USD Bundles since most people use RTGS in their Ecocash accounts. Econet has not yet officially let people know how they can purchase the new bundles in the form of ads or posts. An Econet customer services employee responded to an enquiry on Twitter by saying;

“Hi @rastawepabuse, you need to visit any Econet shop to make the purchase or you can use your FCA wallet if you have funds in your account. To purchase the bundles kindly dial *143# and select Smart USD bundles, and choose the bundle package you want and confirm. ^AIH”

So it looks like one needs to make a deposit into their Ecocash FCA account or buy USD airtime at Econet shops to purchase the bundles. These bundles are not necessarily cheap but they are better priced.

Full list of prices under the Smart USD Bundles *143* option

1. Voice

Bundle of Joy 30 mins USD $0.5

Bundle of Joy  60 mins USD $1

Bundle of Joy 320 mins USD $5

2. Data

Whatsapp Weekly 300MB USD $1

Whatsapp Monthly 900MB USD $3

Whatsapp Monthly 1650MB USD$5

Private WIFI 10GB USD $10

3. S.M.S

Bi-Weekly Bundle 225 SMS (no price)

Monthly Bundle 550 SMS (no price)

4. COMBO

FCA USD Recharge USD $1

The post Econet Introduces Smart USD Bundles: Zvaku Maker Sense appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

The telecoms company made the announcement in a statement on their official website. Elizabeth has worked as a senior executive for various organisations including Higherlife Foundation where she is the head of Design and Innovation.

She is also a social entrepreneur and philanthropist, also serves on the board of the Harvard University Leadership Council for the Centre of African Studies.

Recently her father Strive Masiyiwa recently stepped down from the Econet board. With this recent development in mind, one can say Strive simply replaced himself with his daughter and he will still have an influence and an ear on what goes on within the company.

The post Elizabeth Masiyiwa Appointed On Econet Wireless Board Of Directors appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

A Twitter subscriber named Mhofu Tweeted about the outrageous prices displayed at an Econet shop in Avondale saying:

“Crazy pricing!!

Econet Shop – Avondale sells an iPhone 13 Pro 256GB for US$3975 – almost $4000.

Apple retails this phone for $1099.

Econet is selling it for nearly 4 times it’s retail price.

Apple retails the iPhone 12 for $599 while Econet sells it for $2197.”

The former minister of Higher & Tertiary Education, Science & Technology Development responded to the Tweet

“Only for some people to fall on each other to worship a bondnote billionaire, as if they don’t know how he makes his billions!”

Many people came to Strive Masiyiwa’s defence calling the Prof a bitter man and advising him to focus on other issues like fighting the government. The focus of the Tweet quickly turned from the ridiculous prices of the gadgets to the jealous tones in Prof Moyo’s words.

Strive Masiyiwa is dubbed the richest businessman in Zimbabwe with a net worth of 3 Billion USD. It’s not difficult to see why with the pricing of the gadgets at the Econet shop.

Although Prof Moyo may have thrown a blow by calling him a bond note billionaire, the second half of his tweet hints at the fact that Strive Masiyiwa makes most of his money from overpriced goods and services. Gadgets aside, Econet Wireless is also known for overpriced tariffs and data bundles.

Many people tried to justify the pricing by saying that the gap between the bank rates and parallel market rates is what causes companies to price unfairly. The US dollar has the same value everywhere so that does not justify a phone costing four times its recommended retail price. If anything the RTGS price should be the unstable one since it changes all the time.

Only for some people to fall on each other to worship a bondnote billionaire, as if they don't know how he makes his billions!

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) March 31, 2022

The post Jonathan Moyo Calls Strive Masiyiwa A Bond Note Billionaire…Again appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

Strive has served on the board since the founding of Econet although he has not been based in Zimbabwe for many years.

The statement released by Econet was not clear as to why Strive Masiyiwa is stepping down. Recently he was appointed as a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation board. This could mean that he has a lot on his plate and he is confident of the current leadership at Econet Wireless.

Strive Masiyiwa remains a major shareholder meaning he still has control of the board. The decision to retire from the board is with effect from the 1st of February.

The post Strive Masiyiwa Leaves Econet, The Company He Founded appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

While that isn’t too much of a surprise, a question that keeps coming up over and over again when these hikes take place is, “why is POTRAZ allowing such ridiculousness to happen?”

Before we go into that, below are the results of NetOne’s recent price review.

This is what it will cost you to surf the internet for a month on the NetOne network (without including social media bundles):

POTRAZ

For those who don’t know, POTRAZ is an acronym for Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe. This is the board that regulates data prices in Zimbabwe. They are responsible for making sure that the data tariffs set by these mobile network operators are reasonable and justified.

So the question still stands…where is POTRAZ amidst all these data tariffs hikes?

Zimbabwe has reported the highest data tariff prices in our region despite the existence of boards such as POTRAZ. As a result, some Zimbabweans on various social platforms have finally reached a conclusion on this matter and it might just make sense. They have suggested that these unbearable price hikes could possibly be a way of reducing people’s access to the internet because a lot of political awareness and change start as just conversations on the internet.

Remember that November when a revolution started and was organised from the internet? A whole regime was changed and that is the power of the internet.

So it would make sense a lot of sense if this was a way to stop that from happening. With regards to this situation, a social media user (@doctorphill1) commented:

“social media has been and is our weapon as Citizens to spread information pertaining voting for competent leadership.”

These were the same sentiments shared by citizens when the 2022 national budget revealed controversial tax amounts on mobile phone purchases.

Do you agree with this view?

The post Ridiculous Data Bundles Price Hikes. A Political Strategy? appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

TelOne recently released their new tariffs. Despite the rise, people still commented on the affordability of these tariffs in comparison to other service providers like Econet.

The new Econet Tariffs are as follows:

LOCAL CALL TARIFFS (INCL VAT, EXCISE & USF)

Econet founder Strive Masiyiwa recently secured a deal to provide the DRC and other Central African countries. Perhaps our time will come, hopefully soon!

The post Econet Tariffs – September 2021 appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

View some comments from Econet subscribers expressing the challenge they had on that day:

However the most touching of these experiences with Econet’s network was a family that ended up losing their grandfather because of they couldn’t communicate for hours with the doctor that was en route with the necessary medications to save his life.

His granddaughter shared her laments in the following tweets:

Zimbabweans on social media were hurt by this experience. Others shared their heartfelt condolences while others shared the following sentiments:

This is not the first time Econet has been accused of causing such negative effects to citizens’ lives. It has previously been caught up in allegations of being partly responsible for the homelessness of cyclone Idai’s victims.

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.

The post Social media laments over the claims that Econet’s network led to the death of an innocent man appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

View the new wifi data prices below.

Private WIFI Data Bouquets:

These prices are an increase to almost twice the previous price with the 8GB bundle having cost $1560 before this change. At this rate, internet access is fast becoming a privilege in this country. This goes against the vision of Econet’s founder himself who said the following on his Facebook page:

The current hike in data prices is also very ironic considering the sweet deal made by Econet Global’s subsidiary which Strive Masiyiwa recently celebrated. The deal serves the purpose of bringing cheap internet to DRC and other Central African countries.

Although it’s not so, one would almost think that Zimbabwe is the one incurring the cost of such a deal.

Below are some reactions of Zimbabweans with regards to these recent data tariffs changes:

Kuramba ndichingoshandisa Econet dzava nharo

— BumbleBee (@Samie_zw) July 8, 2021

Econet yatotanga kupinda 2030 ne8 gig ravo.

— Wilbert Muzaruwetu (@Wilbert_Muza) July 8, 2021

its a full circle data prices rise up people complain nothing happens Econet laughs bad service continues WE ADJUST BECAUSE NO ONE COMES TO SAVE US bad service continues prices rise up AGAIN!!

— weNDEBVU svipa ♔ (@infinitepuls) July 8, 2021

But then again, in the words of controversial journalist Hopewell Chinono, you’re not being forced to use Econet.

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.

The post New data prices: Is Zimbabwe paying the hefty cost of Econet’s deal to bring DRC cheap internet? appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

Masiyiwa was soo proud of the achievement that he took to his Facebook page to share the exciting news. There is no denying that this is yet another huge milestone for the serial entrepreneur.

He shared the following sentiments:

“To this end, today I am excited to share the news that Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Facebook have agreed to partner to build a fibre network in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help connect East and West Africa by land. This partnership will improve internet access for more than 30 million people across Central Africa!

Liquid Intelligent Technologies is a subsidiary of Econet Global. The partnership between Econet’s subsidiary company and Facebook came into play as a result of Masiyiwa’s vision of a digitally connected Africa with cheap internet access. His aim is that all citizens can have affordable access to use new technologies with the potential to improve their quality of life, create businesses and open up more prosperous opportunities to build Africa’s century.

No doubt, Zimbabwe will be patiently waiting for its turn since we are known for our data prices. These expensive data prices even landed Zimbabwe first on the list of most expensive mobile data in 2019, according to a 2019 report by Cable.

Currently, the cost of accessing the internet is still too high for the average citizen with Econet being deemed the most expensive. The complaints against Econet even got so much that controversial journalist Hopewell Chinono had to set Zimbabwean citizens straight in that regard.

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.

The post Mbinga yedu, Strive Masiyiwa secures deal with Facebook to provide cheap internet to DRC and other Central African countries appeared first on Provoker Magazine.