: Now econet is behaving like an ex 😩 kufinhura kwacho so. Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the nation’s largest telecommunications provider, has reportedly implemented a drastic reduction in its popular SmartBiz data packages, shrinking the 1 Terabyte (TB) Fair Usage Policy (FUP) to a mere 200 Gigabytes (GB). This move, which has sparked considerable concern among businesses and heavy internet users, significantly alters the value proposition of a service previously lauded for its “unlimited” internet offerings.
While Econet’s official SmartBiz page still lists a SmartBiz 5 package with a 1TB FUP for US$45, anecdotal reports and discussions on platforms like Reddit indicate that the actual usable data at advertised speeds has been severely curtailed. Users are reporting that after consuming approximately 200GB, their speeds are drastically throttled, often to as low as 80kbps, effectively rendering the remaining data almost unusable for typical business operations.
This apparent change directly contradicts the previous understanding of SmartBiz as a high-volume, reliable internet solution for small businesses, home offices, and even larger corporates. The “Fair Usage Policy” in place for SmartBiz packages outlines that once a specified data limit is reached, connection speeds may be reduced. However, the magnitude of this reported reduction and the substantial drop from 1TB to 200GB for practical high-speed usage has caught many subscribers off guard.
Econet launched SmartBiz to cater to the growing demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity, even reducing prices by 25% in August 2024 to accelerate digital adoption among businesses. At that time, the SmartBiz 5Mbps package was advertised with a 1TB FUP, promising “worry-free Browse.
