Effective 2 February 2022, NetOne reviewed its voice, data, and SMS bundle prices. Not too long before that, Econet had done that as well. The new prices came into effect on 25 January 2022. Let us take a look at the new bundle prices for both MNOs. Later on, I will highlight some noteworthy comparisons. Additionally, I will discuss some topical issues of the performance of NetOne and Econet. In short, I can say there are serious public concerns about network performances.
ECONET
Bundles Of Joy – Econet To Econet
| Package | New (ZWL$) |
| Daily 2 mins | 19.20 |
| Daily 4 mins | 38.40 |
| Daily 10 mins | 96 |
| Weekly 30 mins | 288 |
| Weekly 45 mins | 432 |
| Night Chat 10 mins | 65 |
SMS Bundles
| Package | New (ZWL$) |
| Daily 5 | 5.30 |
| Daily 10 | 10.55 |
| Daily 25 | 24.75 |
| Daily 35 | 34.50 |
| Weekly 75 | 66.70 |
| Weekly 125 | 110.55 |
| Weekly 200 | 169.65 |
| Weekly 300 | 254.15 |
General Daily Data Bundles
| Data | New (ZWL$) |
| 20MB | 31 |
| 40MB | 62 |
| 80MB | 123 |
| 150MB | 230 |
| 250MB | 370 |
| 600MB | 802 |
| 1200MB | 1200 |
Weekly General Data Bundles
| Data | New (ZWL$) |
| 20MB | 31 |
| 60MB | 94 |
| 160MB | 250 |
| 250MB | 385 |
| 370MB | 530 |
Monthly General Data Bundles
| Data | New (ZWL$) |
100MB
 300MB  (BuddieBeatz) |
157 |
| 270MB | 420 |
| 500MB | 770 |
| 700MB | 1050 |
| 1400MB | 2000 |
Social Media Bundles
Daily
| Data | Package | New (ZWL$) |
| 4MB | 6 | |
| 12MB | 18 | |
| 20MB | 31 | |
| 20MB | 31 | |
| 20MB | 31 | |
| 20MB | 31 | |
| 45MB | 70 | |
| 45MB | 70 | |
| 45MB | 70 | |
| 45MB | 70 |
Weekly
| Data | Package | New (ZWL$) |
| 65MB | WhatsApp, | 100 |
| 140MB | 215 | |
| 140MB | 215 | |
| 140MB | 193 | |
| 140MB | 193 |
Monthly
| Data | Package | New (ZWL$) |
| 240MB | 350 | |
| 400MB | 580 | |
| 400MB | 580 | |
| 400MB | 503 | |
| 400MB | 503 |
Private Wi-Fi Bundles
| Data | New (ZWL$) |
| 8GB | 4320 |
| 15GB | 6600 |
| 25GB | 7860 |
| 50GB | 12000 |
Other Data Bundles
| Bundle | Size | New (ZWL$) |
| E-Learning 10GB | 10.24GB | 4920 |
NETONE
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Data (MB) |
| 1 | 31.50 | 20 |
| 1 | 79 | 50 |
| 7 | 110 | 70 |
| 7 | 225 | 150 |
| 30 | 400 | 300 |
| 30 | 900 | 750 |
One Fusion
| Price | On-Net | Off-Net | Data | |
| (ZWL$) | (Mins) | (Mins) | (MB) | (MB) |
| 600 | 15 | 5 | 180 | 90 |
| 950 | 25 | 10 | 400 | 160 |
| 1900 | 80 | 60 | 1000 | 360 |
| *For 1900: Plus 30 SMS and 5 International Minutes | ||||
One Fi
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Data (GB) |
| 30 | 6500 | 10 |
| 30 | 8500 | 25 |
| 30 | 12500 | 50 |
| 30 | 15000 | 80 |
Data Bundles
Hourly Data Bundles
| Price (ZWL$) | Data (MB) |
| 250 | 1024 (1 Hour) |
| 400 | 1024 (2 Hours) |
Daily Data Bundles
| Price (ZWL$) | Data (MB) |
| 47.50 | 30 |
| 126 | 80 |
| 315 | 200 |
| 620 | 480 |
| 1000 | 960 |
| 1200 | 1200 |
Weekly Data Bundles
| Price (ZWL$) | Data (MB) |
| 47.50 | 30 |
| 95 | 60 |
| 255 | 160 |
| 550 | 350 |
| 1000 | 700 |
| 5000 | 5000 |
Monthly Data Bundles
| Price (ZWL$) | Data (MB) |
| 315 | 200 |
| 710 | 450 |
| 2350 | 1500 |
| 4500 | 3500 |
| 6000 | 5000 |
| 8000 | 8000 |
Voice Bundles
Khuluma 24/7
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Duration (Mins) |
| 2 | 58 | 6 |
| 3 | 110 | 12 |
| 5 | 225 | 25 |
DAD – Dollar A Day
| Validity | Price | Duration | SMSes |
| (Days) | (ZWL$) | (Mins) | |
| 1 | 150 | 20 | 10 |
| 2 | 250 | 40 | 20 |
| 3 | 550 | 100 | 70 |
SMS Bundles
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | SMSes |
| 1 | 10 | 8 |
| 1 | 25 | 25 |
| 1 | 50 | 50 |
| 7 | 85 | 90 |
| 7 | 160 | 200 |
| 7 | 350 | 500 |
| 30 | 550 | 400 |
Notable Comparisons
Private Wi-Fi Bundles
| Econet | |
| Data | New (ZWL$) |
| 8GB | 4320 |
| 15GB | 6600 |
| 25GB | 7860 |
| 50GB | 12000 |
| NetOne | |
| 10 | 6500 |
| 25 | 8500 |
| 50 | 12500 |
| 80 | 15000 |
As you can see, Econet is the most preferable for private Wi-Fi bundles. NetOne has very few and expensive options – its cheapest bundle is ZWL$6500. Whereas, Econet’s cheapest is ZWL$4320 (despite it being 8GB). Econet’s 15GB bundle is almost the same price (ZWL$6600) as NetOne’s 10GB bundle (ZWL$6500). I find it even surprising that Econet reviewed its bundles before NetOne. You would think NetOne could have at least tried countering Econet’s bundles by offering more competitive bundles. Yet they did not bother, I guess they do not care about that.
Network Performance
I remember a time when NetOne used to be overall better than Econet. I cannot say the same now because NetOne’s network performance has significantly plummeted. Right now as I write this article NetOne network has been done for at least 5 hours where I am. This is something that regularly happens at times lasting more than 24 hours. This experience is also being reported in several other parts of the country. Econet I would say it is marginally better because they also have their issues. Both MNOs are found seriously wanting when it comes to reliable network availability and connectivity.
Bundle Prices
The consensus is that bundles are now expensive for most people. That is so due to the meagre local currency-based salaries most Zimbabweans are getting. This morning I was talking to some folks who were joking about the NetOne private Wi-Fi bundles. The thing is that the bundles menu code for NetOne is *171#. So the joke was like, “How painful it is to see your salary on *171#.’
The truth is, so many people are earning those salaries in Zimbabwe i.e. ZWL$6500, ZWL$350 000, ZWL$12500, and ZWL$70000. It is a complicated scenario because the prices are not entirely the MNOs’ fault. They are also victims of the same comprised economy you are all subjected to. Objectively speaking, the bundle prices make you wonder how they maintain positive cash flows. That is probably why their service delivery has gone down drastically. It is a Catch 22 situation.
That is it about the latest MNO bundle prices review. The unfortunate thing is that people are not only grappling with the steep prices. They are also dealing with poor service which exacerbates the whole ordeal.
