Econet SmartBiz: The Potential Demise of a Innovative Financial Solution
In the bustling city of Harare, Econet's latest offering, the SmartBiz unlimited data package, has hit a snag. For nearly a month, subscribers have been grappling with slow internet speeds, a situation that has left many frustrated and confused.
Launched in June 2024, SmartBiz offered an attractive proposition: unlimited data at 5Mbps for just $45 per month, with a 1TB soft cap. However, an 80% reduction in this soft cap, from 1TB to 200GB, has been implemented without any prior announcement to customers.
This sudden change, which occurs when users exceed 200GB, results in their internet speeds being drastically slowed down or "deprioritized," sometimes to unusable levels. The lack of transparency surrounding this decision has sparked widespread customer dissatisfaction and backlash on social media.
According to reports, Econet's rationale for this reduction appears tied to their reassessment of network usage patterns. Initially, they assumed that very few customers would reach 1TB. However, this assumption proved false, leading them to impose a stricter Fair Usage Policy to manage network performance.
The confusion deepens as Econet's official website still lists the original 1TB cap, adding to user confusion. Customer service, on the other hand, confirms the new 200GB policy.
The regulatory body, POTRAZ, has been mentioned and tagged on social media but has not yet made any official statement about the situation. It is likely that discussions are underway between Econet and POTRAZ given the complaints about the discrepancy between advertised and enforced data caps. However, no official statements or updates have been released by POTRAZ at this time.
In an attempt to manage traffic better across the network, Econet may consider geo-locking the SmartBiz service. The product was designed based on historical data from capped bundles like Private WiFi, assuming no one would reach 1TB of data usage.
The threat of Starlink limitations in Harare may factor into the re-design of SmartBiz. Initially, the threat seemed huge, but things have settled for now. Despite the challenges, Econet is currently re-designing SmartBiz, with different categories of SmartBiz being considered to accommodate heavy users who would pay a higher fee for their usage.
Some affected customers have taken their grievances a step further, starting a change.org petition due to Econet's lack of transparency. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how Econet will address these concerns and restore customer trust.
[1] NewsDay Zimbabwe, "Econet's SmartBiz: Customers Fume Over Data Cap Reduction," 15 July 2025. [2] The Herald, "Econet's SmartBiz: A Quiet Policy Shift without Transparency," 16 July 2025. [3] ZimLive, "Econet's SmartBiz: Outrage over Data Cap Reduction," 17 July 2025. [4] TechZim, "Econet's SmartBiz: Regulatory Scrutiny Amidst Data Cap Reduction," 18 July 2025.
- The sudden reduction in the data cap for Econet's SmartBiz unlimited data package, from 1TB to 200GB, has sparked outrage among business owners and tech enthusiasts who rely on consistent high-speed internet for their financial operations and technology-driven enterprises.
- The lack of transparency in Econet's implementation of the new data cap has raised concerns among regulatory bodies, with calls for a thorough investigation into the financial implications of the policy shift and its impact on business continuity in Harare's technology-driven sector.
