Lately, there is been a tussle of narratives. One aligned with the notion that prices are going down. The other one is insisting that prices are actually going up. The truth is there are instances for either but none widespread enough to assert dominance. As always, there is a semblance of price stability on the US dollar front. What is for sure is that Zimbabwean dollar prices keep going up for the most part. A relatable example is that of toll gate fees. Another recent example of that is the price of data – a key focus on NetOne.
Recent NetOne Tariffs Review Overview
NetOne advised that they would be reviewing their ZWL Voice, Data, SMS, and USSD tariffs with effect from 2 September 2022. Here are some of the notable tariff reviews:
WhatsApp Bundles
Old
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Data (MB) |
| 1 | 50.72 | 20 |
| 1 | 127.19 | 50 |
| 7 | 177.10 | 70 |
| 7 | 362.25 | 150 |
| 30 | 644.00 | 300 |
| 30 | 1499.00 | 750 |
New
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Data (MB) |
| 1 | 81.65 | 20 |
| 1 | 204.78 | 50 |
| 7 | 285.13 | 70 |
| 7 | 583.22 | 150 |
| 30 | 1036.84 | 300 |
| 30 | 2332.89 | 750 |
Khuluma 24/7 Bundles
Old
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Mins |
| 2 | 90 | 6 |
| 3 | 170 | 12 |
| 5 | 325 | 25 |
New
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Mins |
| 2 | 145 | 6 |
| 3 | 275 | 12 |
| 5 | 525 | 25 |
One Fusion Packages Now Back (In US Dollars)
One Fusion packages were excluded from the previous tariff review (effective from 29 July 2022). They are back and priced in US dollars as follows:
| Lite | Gold | Premium | |
| Cost (US$) | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| International Calls (mins) | – | – | 5 |
| On-Net Voice (mins) | 15 | 25 | 80 |
| Off-Net Voice (mins) | 5 | 10 | 25 |
| Data (mb) | 250 | 500 | 1500 |
| WhatsApp (mb) | 250 | 500 | 1000 |
| Streaming (mb) | 250 | 500 | 1500 |
| Gaming (mb) | 250 | 500 | 1000 |
| SMS | 5 | 25 | 30 |
Dollar A Day (DAD) Bundles Now Back (In US Dollars)
On the previous tariffs review, DAD bundles were excluded as well but are now back, in US dollars as follows:
| Daily | Weekly | |
| US$ | 1 | 5 |
| Minutes | 60 | 300 |
| SMS | 40 | 200 |
| Days | 1 | 7 |
Private Wi-Fi Bundles – One Fi
| Validity (Days) | Price (ZWL$) | Data (GB) |
| OLD | ||
| 30 | 10465 | 10 |
| NEW | ||
| 30 | 26 200 | 10 |
That is a 150 percent increase which is quite disturbing!
The truth of the matter is that a huge number of Zimbabweans get their incomes in Zimbabwe dollars. Yes, some do get part of their incomes in US dollars, but it is barely enough to cover the essentials. The ZWL$26 200 there is over US$30. It is ludicrous for just 10 GB of data to cost that much. For ZWL$ earners, that amount is depressing.
Just to put into perspective how expensive this is, here is a comparison:
15 GB – ZWL$16 577
25 GB – ZWL$24 297
NetOne Private Wi-Fi Bundles
10 GB – ZWL$26 200
This shows us that 25 GB of Econet data is cheaper than 10 GB NetOne data. It certainly defies logic.
US Dollar Data Bundles – MoGigs
Their relatively affordable data bundles are the MoGigs data bundles. These are essentially their US dollar data bundles and can only be purchased directly from their NetOne Shops. They are as follows:
| Volume (GB) | Cost (US$) | Validity (Days) |
| 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 | 5 | 7 |
| 8 | 8 | 14 |
| 15 | 10 | 30 |
While these are relatively more reasonable, not everyone can access US dollars easily. This also shows how ridiculous the ZWL$ price for the 10 GB is. You need about ZWL$10 000 to get US$10 on the parallel market – for example, buying US dollars using EcoCash. ZWL$10 000 versus ZWL$26 200 does not make sense! Of which the US$10 will get you 15 GB MoGigs (ZWL$26 200 getting you 10 GB). That can only mean one thing; NetOne is indirectly discouraging subscribers from using ZWL$. This is a way to lead them to purchase the MoGigs bundles instead of using US dollars. If you do purchase the 10 GB using ZWL$26 200, they are the winners (you being a sore loser).
It clearly shows the growing lack of confidence in the Zimbabwe dollar. In fact, that confidence sailed ages ago despite the government insisting the Zimbabwe dollar is the real deal. Though decisions taken by service providers (e.g. MNOs like NetOne) can be inconvenient, they are understandable. Those companies cannot operate viably if the tariffs are priced in Zimbabwe dollars. That is why you saw that NetOne now has a number of its bundle packages priced in US dollars. These are companies trying to strike delicate balances whilst operating in a mercurial environment.
