Recently Econet and then followed by NetOne hiked their bundle prices. Econet indicated that they would review their bundle prices effective 5 May and did so. NetOne had indicated that their bundle prices would be reviewed effective 6 May. They did eventually come into effect on the 7th of May. For Econet, it is even funny to think that just recently they had asked their suppliers to reduce costs by 20 per cent. This was premised on the indication by Econet that their business’ viability is seriously under threat. The tumbling local currency exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19 is being blamed for that. Herein I will comparatively look at the recent bundle price reviews for Econet and NetOne.
A Look At Some Of Econet’s Key Bundles
The 1.2-gigabyte bundle is now pegged at ZWL$130 (up from ZWL$80). WhatsApp monthly bundles comprise of either the ZWL$55 (240 megabytes) one or the ZWL$85 (400 megabytes) one. Both of them include Pinterest and Sasai. As for the Private Wi-Fi bundles, Econet pulled a shocker. The 25 gigabytes bundle now costs ZWL$15000 (up from ZWL$400). The 50-gigabyte one now costs ZWL$15000 (up from ZWL$800). The Private Wi-Fi bundles are only just two available options now. These are just some of the noteworthy bundle price reviews for Econet.
A Look At Some Of NetOne’s Key Bundles
The popular 1-gigabyte hourly data bundle is now ZWL$25 up from ZWL$15. WhatsApp bundles have been readjusted with the highest weekly now being 150 megabytes costing ZWL$30. As for WhatsApp monthly bundles, there is now 300 megabytes and 600 megabytes costing ZWL$55 and ZWL$100 respectively. Data bundles have also been reviewed with the highest daily 1.2-gigabyte bundle that used to cost ZWL$60 now pegged at ZWL$100. One-Fi bundles have been reviewed as follows, 25 gigabytes (ZWL$650), 50 gigabytes (ZWL$1250) and 80 gigabytes (ZWL$7000). The Khuluma 24/7 bundles have just been marginally hiked with, for instance, the 12-minute bundle now costing ZWL$13 up from ZWL$10. That is just a rough overview of the recent bundle price review for NetOne.
Some Things To Talk About
NetOne Offering The Best Deals
Just as before, NetOne still offers much better bundle packages than Econet. I have even noticed that more and more people are actually looking for NetOne lines. Just yesterday I saw several people looking for NetOne lines; this was an expected response to Econet’s tariff hike and came before Net One had announced theirs. People are being forced to spend more time online due to the prevailing circumstances, having data is crucial. Just a quick comparison of the Wi-Fi options shows how more preferable NetOne is. For example, 25 gigabytes for NetOne now costs ZWL$650 whereas Econet’s 25 gigabytes now costs ZWL$15000. Just look at that, Econet is charging twice the amount NetOne is charging. Basically, when you look across the board, from data to SMSes and calls, NetOne is offering better packages.
Concerns On NetOne’s Network Performance
I am a NetOne user and I have been for a while. NetOne’s network is becoming more erratic by the day. It is no longer as smooth as it used to be. Maybe those incidents are location-specific or maybe it is actually a widespread thing. I now find myself refreshing my network several times just to receive or send WhatsApp messages. That can be frustrating at times, especially when using the hourly data bundle.
However, when the network is up and running it is very efficient and internet surfing can be satisfying. I feel that NetOne has to work on that network performance aspect. I think this is even more pertinent as we move forward because more and more people are crossing over to NetOne. They should be able to sustain the new sign-ups ensuring their network performance is still top-notch.
The other thing that NetOne is falling short on is marketing their packages. Can you imagine that it took me ages to know about One-Fi bundles and how they work? Had they been doing a great job in publicising their packages I would have known. I rarely see promotional SMSes from NetOne – it is good to not spam users but they should promote products and services regularly.
