Zimbabwe’s largest mobile network operator (MNO), Econet
Wireless yesterday hiked the prices of its mobile data bundles by between 30%
and 225%, while State-owned NetOne is expected to follow suit today.
Econet increased the price of its social media bundles by
between 30% and 40%, while the high-end 25GB wifi bundle went up by 225%, from
$400 monthly to $1 300.
The company said the price for the wifi bundle was last
reviewed more than half a year ago, but was utilised by less than 0,01 % of its
data customers.
The new prices would help it keep pace with rising costs of
doing business in a highly inflationary environment, the Postal and
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) said yesterday.
NetOne posted on their Twitter handle: “Please be advised
that NetOne will be reviewing its bundle prices effective May 6, 2020.”
Potraz director-general Gift Machengete said “the then
prevailing tariff thresholds had been rendered unsustainable as the operating
environment continued to deteriorate due to constantly rising inflation.”
Early last month, Potraz awarded the telecommunications
sector a 56,64% tariff adjustment after inflation continued to rise.
But in announcing the increase yesterday, the regulator
said the cost of goods and services had continued to spiral, threatening the
viability of mobile network operators and the whole telecommunications sector.
Econet last week wrote to its suppliers asking them to cut
prices by 20% with effect from May 1, citing worsening trading conditions.
Media lobby group, Media Institute of Southern
Africa-Zimbabwe recently called for affordable and reasonable data fees during
the COVID-19 pandemic to allow increased access to the internet for information
regarding the dreadful virus. Newsday
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