By Business Reporter-Thousands of Econet Wireless subscribers were left stranded on Wednesday after the company’smobile money platform, EcoCash, crashed, further fueling frustration over the network provider’s service quality.
The outage, which lasted from 2 PM to 3:30 PM on February 5, 2025, disrupted financial transactions for individuals and businesses alike.
In a statement, Econet acknowledged the system failure but assured customers that services had been restored.
“We experienced some issues on the platforms that enable our subscribers to make calls, use data, or carry out EcoCash transactions, resulting in some of our customers being unable to use the services for about an hour and a half, starting around 2 PM to 3:30 PM today (February 5, 2025). We are pleased to advise that the challenges have since been successfully resolved, and all services have been fully restored. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers.”
This latest disruption comes amid mounting dissatisfaction among Zimbabweans over Econet’s declining service reliability, high costs, and frequent system failures.
Over the years, Econet—Zimbabwe’s largest telecommunications provider—has been criticized for offering expensive yet inconsistent services.
Users have often complained about dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and the unreliability of its mobile money service, EcoCash, which is a critical platform in a country where cash shortages make digital transactions essential.
Econet’s services have been plagued by persistent breakdowns, with EcoCash being particularly notorious for downtime during peak transaction periods.
Customers regularly face delays in sending and receiving money, failed transactions, and difficulties in accessing their funds.
This has raised concerns over the company’s capacity to manage its growing subscriber base effectively.
Adding to customer grievances are Econet’s exorbitant tariffs.
Zimbabweans pay some of the highest mobile data and voice call rates in the region, despite the subpar quality of service.
Frequent power cuts and a lack of adequate investment in infrastructure have been blamed for the poor service delivery, yet the company has continued increasing its prices under the pretext of adjusting to inflation and operational costs.
The latest EcoCash failure comes at a time when global satellite internet provider Starlink, owned by Elon Musk’sSpaceX, is making inroads into Zimbabwe.
Starlink has been touted as a revolutionary force in the country’s telecommunications sector, promising fast, reliable, and affordable internet services.
Unlike traditional mobile network operators like Econet, which rely on terrestrial towers, Starlink provides high-speed internet via satellite, offering a more stable connection even in remote areas.
Starlink’s impending launch in Zimbabwe has sparked excitement among consumers desperate for an alternative to the existing telecom monopoly.
Many hope that the entry of the satellite internet provider will not only improve service quality but also push Econet and other players to reduce their tariffs and enhance network efficiency to remain competitive.
While Econet remains the dominant player in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications sector, its repeated service failures and high costs have left many Zimbabweans eager for change.
With Starlink poised to offer a cheaper and more efficient alternative, the pressure is mounting on Econet to eitherimprove its services or risk losing customers to a new, more reliable competitor.