Blog #Econet

Network disruptions have always been normal as maintenance and system upgrades have been done occasionally. This usually takes a few hours, a day or two but lately Econet has been in a major dilemma with the latest disruption. Econet Wireless, is battling to maintain reliable network services amid mounting customer frustrations and increasing competition from Elon Musk’s Starlink. So here is all you need to know and how it impacts everyone Econet user out there.

For as long as i can remember, i have only known one company controlling the generation and distribution of Electricity in Zimbabwe. Zesa Holdings through it’s subsidiaries , the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), has been the only licensed company. To say that they haven’t been delivering is an understatement, with Zimbabweans plunged into darkness and in most severe cases going 18 to 21 hours without electricity a few years back when the situation reached a critical point but all this is soon to change as private entities in Zimbabwe be licensed to generate, distribute, and transmit electricity across the country to tackle this crisis. This trend of licensing private players has been spreading in different industries in Zimbabwe and it’s safe to say it’s working one notable sector as we mentioned in previous articles is the telecommunications sector. But it’s not all good news though…

The inevitable arrival of Starlink brought about drastic changes to the Zimbabwe telecommunications industry and the Zimbabwean internet landscape as a whole, much to the delight of consumers because more competition means more options and less prices. While the introduction of Starlink garnered significant attention, another development has been quietly unfolding: the emergence of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Zimbabwe has been licensing more private entities from energy to telecommunications, Among these, Tagtel Communications has positioned itself as a popular contender by providing more affordable alternatives. So what should consumers know?

It’s no secret that your ISP can throttle your speed by prioritizing other users when the usage is in peak demand. We have seen this subtly done by Econet, Telone and Netone but to really understand this concept take a look a closer look at StarLink, they openly do it and they actually explain the concept explicitly in the data plans. Well even WiFi connections also do this kind of thing, that’s why you see sometimes your internet speed is insanely fast but sometimes it’s very slow but on the same plan. This prioritization is often given to subscribers paying more but what if i tell you that you can get more speed out of your current internet plan and equipment by optimizing your setup. So here’s how.

Cybersecurity is a must know for techies and non techies alike, given the rise in Cyber threats across the globe, with it proving to be a billion dollar industry for Cyber criminals. It was reported earlier that Zimbabwe’s largest mobile network service, Econent Wireless was the latest victim of such kind of attacks but the company has scoffed at media reports that its customer records have been compromised in a large-scale data breach. While the story is still developing what does this mean for us users and what steps should we take to ensure that our data and accounts are safe and secure.