Business Expansion: Econet SmartBiz Surpasses 100,000 User mark
In the bustling digital landscape of Zimbabwe, Econet's SmartBiz unlimited mobile internet service has emerged as a prominent player, boasting approximately 100,000 subscribers as of July 2025. This growth is significant, considering that SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, which started operating in Zimbabwe in September 2024, has around 27,000 subscribers and is currently sold out in Harare, limiting its expansion.
Launched in June 2024, SmartBiz was Zimbabwe's first unlimited mobile data package, offering a generous Fair Usage Policy (FUP) of at least 1 Terabyte for $45 per month. The service became an instant hit, attracting many customers and continuing to grow rapidly even after Starlink entered the market.
However, SmartBiz subscribers have faced some challenges. One such issue is the quiet reduction of the FUP on the $45 package from 1TB to 200GB without prior notification, causing frustration among users maximising their data. Additionally, some customers have reported deteriorating speeds, with the service dropping from the expected 5 Mbps to under 1 Mbps, sometimes as low as 100 Kbps, impacting the usability of the service for essential business tasks.
Econet has introduced higher-priced SmartBiz tiers with faster speeds, but these options are not seen as providing great value compared to alternatives like Starlink, which offers speeds of 20-100 Mbps at $30-$50 monthly, making it a stronger choice, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Despite these issues, SmartBiz continues to grow rapidly, with the reduction in FUP limit and service reliability problems not appearing to significantly impact its popularity. The inability of Starlink to meet demand in Harare has been a significant factor in SmartBiz's continued growth.
In terms of competition, Starlink's smaller subscriber base compared to SmartBiz is more due to supply constraints rather than lack of demand. As such, it presents a strong, competitively priced alternative, hindered by limited availability in key urban markets.
In summary, while SmartBiz leads in subscriber numbers due to its early launch and pricing, it faces customer dissatisfaction due to reduced data caps and declining service reliability. On the other hand, Starlink offers a strong, competitively priced alternative, but its limited availability in key urban markets hinders its growth.
Technology plays a crucial role in the ongoing competition between Econet's SmartBiz unlimited mobile internet service and SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service in Zimbabwe. Despite facing issues such as reduced data caps and declining service reliability, SmartBiz leads in subscriber numbers due to its early launch and competitive pricing. However, Starlink offers faster speeds and is a stronger choice, particularly in rural and underserved areas, making it a competitively priced alternative that is hindered by its limited availability in key urban markets.
