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<p><a href="https://techzm.co.zw/starlink">Starlink</a> has now launched in Zimbabwe. The satellite internet company’s global availability map was updated on Friday night to show that its service is now live in Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>Zimbabweans can now buy the service directly from Starlink on its <a href="https://starlink.com">website</a>, or from local authorised resellers in the country.</p>
<p>The internet service’s availability in Zimbabwe was awaited for months owing to the expensive internet prices in the country by established providers. Zimbabwe’s launch follows hard on the heels of the Botswana launch earlier in the week.</p>
<h2>Starlink Prices in Zimbabwe</h2>
<p>The Starlink website shows that the standard kit can be bought for US $350. The Starlink Mini kit can be bought for $200.</p>
<p>The monthly subscription for the service is $50 for the basic residential unlimited data package. For the Starlink mini package, the monthly subscription is US $30 a month.</p>
<p>The local Authorised partner that has been announced so far in Zimbabwe is a company called Frampol.</p>
<h2>How Starlink works</h2>
<p>Starlink uses a satellite system to provide internet. When you buy the kit, you install it by pointing its dish to the sky the same way a DStv dish is installed. Because it uses satellites, like DStv it can be installed at any location where there is a clear view of the sky.</p>
<p>The monthly internet subscriptions for Starlink can be made online using a prepaid Visa or Mastercard debit card in Zimbabwe. Payment can also be made to local Starlink authorised resellers.</p>
<p>The service has unlimited data, which means that once the subscription of $50 has been paid, one can use as much internet as they want. This makes it ideal for families, small businesses, schools, mines, farms, and tourism destinations in remote places where network coverage has traditionally been a challenge.</p>
<h2>Competing Services from other internet providers</h2>
<p>Established internet providers in Zimbabwe have in recent months revised their prices and packages in anticipation of the Starlink launch.</p>
<p>Econet, the largest mobile internet provider in the country, now has<a href="https://www.techzim.co.zw/2024/08/econet-smartbiz-why-its-popular-package-prices-where-to-buy-and-starlink-comparison/"> an LTE unlimited data service for $45 a month</a>. Utande, Liquid, TelOne, Powertel, and Telco have also introduced promotional packages to prepare for the touch competition.</p>
<p>It is however ultimately difficult for established providers to compete due to Starlink’s satellite infrastructure giving it global network coverage anywhere a customer may be. </p>
<p>Liquid and TelOne have announced that they are working on offering their own satellite powered internet services in the future.</p>
<p></p>

Pindula News

Starlink, a satellite internet company, has launched in Zimbabwe. People can buy the service online or from local resellers. Prices start at $30 a month. The service uses satellites, so it can work anywhere with a view of the sky. Other internet providers in Zimbabwe are lowering prices to compete. Starlink offers unlimited data, which is good for families and businesses in remote areas. Some local internet providers are also working on their own satellite services.

Starlink Launches in Zimbabwe

<p>Starlink is shutting down its services in Zimbabwe. Technology publication, Techzim, has reported that people using Starlink received an email today telling them the <a href="https://www.techzim.co.zw/2024/04/breaking-news-starlink-instructed-to-shut-down-in-zimbabwe-by-regulator-potraz/">Zimbabwean  government has demanded that the service be shut down</a>.</p>
<p>Here’s a screenshot of the email they received from Starlink:</p>
<p><img alt="Techzim" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-273451" decoding="async" height="698" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px" src="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Starlink-shutdown.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Starlink-shutdown.jpg 485w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Starlink-shutdown-208x300.jpg 208w" width="485"/></p>
<p> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>You are currently using Starlink in an unauthorised territory, As a result. Starlink has been directed by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) to disable your service.</p>
<p>We will continue to work with POTRAZ to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to turn on Starlink services in Zimbabwe as soon as possible. We encourage you to contact POTRAZ at the.regulator@potraz.gov.zw or +263 242 333032 to communicate your support for Starlink to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals in Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>As described In your Terms of Service, Starlink does not guarantee when or where its Mobile or Mobile Priority Services Plans will be available. Use of such services Is dependent on many factors, including obtaining or maintaining the necessary regulatory approvals which are subject to change.</p>
<p>You may pause service and billing by following the Instructions here or continue service and use your Starlink service in an area we currently serve (see map here), If you opt to pause service, you can reach out to support and we will issue a service credit for any remainder of the current billing period.</p>
<p>As soon as we receive regulatory approvals turn on Starlink services In Zimbabwe, we will let you know.</p>
<p>The Starlink team</p>
</blockquote>
<p>According to the Techzim report, Starlink has about an estimated 5,000 users of the service in the country. </p>
<p>In February, the telecoms regulator in Zimbabwe POTRAZ, said that while Starlink had expressed interest in getting a license to  operate in Zimbabwe, it <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2024/02/26/potraz-says-starlink-has-not-applied-for-operating-licence/">had actually not applied for one</a>. Users of the service were therefore essentially breaking the law.</p>
<p>Last month, reports suggested that government was holding <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2024/03/13/zimbabwe-engages-starlink-internet-service-provider-report/">meetings with officials from Starlink over licensing of the service in Zimbabwe</a>.</p>
<p>Pindula spoke to one user familiar with the situation who commented on how such a shut down works:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>So what this means is that Starlink are not able to offer service to their customers in Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>If someome who has a Starlink kit travels to Zimbabwe, Starlink are not in a position to offer service.</p>
<p>If the user goes somewhere else, like any of the countries they’re registered in (Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Eswatini, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, etc) or any other country that they’re not banned in (Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, etc) then the device will work</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Zimbabwean users are not the first to receive such a notice from Starlink. Reports last month suggest users in DRC also had their Starlink terminals shut down in similar circumstances.</p>
<p>Starlink offers the cheapest means to communicate to the internet in Zimbabwe. At roughly $38 a month, its users get unlimited access to the internet.</p>


Starlink Shutting Down Internet Services in Zimbabwe, Following Government Directive

<p>The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) says internet service provider Starlink has not applied for an operating licence.</p>
<p>Over the past several months, some individuals and companies have been advertising Starlink Internet services but POTRAZ warned that those caught distributing and advertising Starlink Internet Services’ gadgets will be arrested.</p>
<p>Many have already installed Starlink internet gadgets which provide cheap and fast-speed internet.</p>
<p>As reported by <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200023629/starlink-has-not-applied-for-operating-licence-potraz"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>NewsDay</strong></span></a>, POTRAZ deputy director of economic tariffs and competition Vengesai Magadzire said the nation should know that Starlink is yet to submit its application papers.</p>
<p>Magadzire was addressing villagers in Chikomba West constituency during a consumer awareness campaign at the weekend. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As the regulator, POTRAZ is mandated to license operators in Zimbabwe but now Starlink has not submitted its application for the licence. We are waiting to hear from it and once it submits Potraz will do what is required.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A Chinese mining company operating in Mashonaland Central Province, San He, was recently fined US$700 for using Starlink in Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPA), the San He Mining company in Guruve was ordered to pay a US$700 fine by a Bindura Magistrate for contravening the Postal and Telecommunication Act. </p>
<p>Zimbabweans are increasingly eager to ditch local internet service providers for Starlink due to their poor service and high cost of data packages.</p>
<p>Developed by Elon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX, Starlink is a satellite internet network that provides high-speed broadband internet services.</p>
<p><strong>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></strong></p>


POTRAZ Says Starlink Has Not Applied For Operating Licence

<p>Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) director-general Gift Machengete has warned companies illegally advertising and distributing internet services and gadgets from Starlink, which is not licenced to operate in Zimbabwe, that they will be prosecuted.</p>
<p>There has been an increase in the number of local businesses promoting Starlink on social media platforms, particularly Facebook.</p>
<p>Speaking in an interview with <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/potraz-cracks-down-on-starlink-traders/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Herald</strong></span></a>, Machengete revealed that an illegal commercial courier, Macrotop Zim (Pvt) Ltd based in Msasa, was arrested recently after the company was caught delivering Starlink kits to customers.</p>
<p>The company has reportedly been delivering the parcels to customers after the production of proof of payment at its headquarters in Harare CBD.</p>
<p>POTRAZ confiscated two customer receipts after being produced as proof of payment to collect parcels.</p>
<p>The company was reportedly found with items labelled with the customers’ names and Zimbabwean contact telephone numbers.</p>
<p>Machengete said the parcels were ordered from China and destined for delivery in Zimbabwe. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Either customers come personally to collect, or the parcels are delivered to their doorstep.</p>
<p>Paperwork is set to be done on Monday in preparation for a court appearance. Because the parcels were far too many, we seized only 10 parcels which we took to ZRP Licence Inspectorate.</p>
<p>We also took their health licence, and on Monday they are required to produce all the company documents at the police station.</p>
<p>We are now planning to come up with our POTRAZ seal which we will use to seal such premises when they have too many parcels for us to confiscate.</p>
<p>These traders who were selling Starlink products broke the law and they were arrested and they will be prosecuted because they did something that is against the law.</p>
<p>If you bring Starlink equipment here, you have not been authorised by Potraz as per the law.</p>
<p>If you are found with it you will be arrested. Starlink or any other satellite company is allowed to operate in Zimbabwe provided they are licenced.</p>
<p>You need a licence to operate in the telecommunications sector and that is the law.</p>
<p>We are waiting for Starlink to submit the relevant information that is required by the regulator.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Zimbabweans are increasingly eager to ditch local internet service providers for Starlink due to their poor service and high cost of data packages.</p>
<p><strong>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></strong></p>


Zimbabwe Intensifies Crackdown On Starlink Traders

<p>NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the internet, has confirmed that Zimbabwe’s internet has been downgraded.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1693997476691558644?s=20"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">In a post on X on Tuesday evening</span></a>, NetBlocks said the throttling of internet services in Zimbabwe impacts online platforms on NetOne, Econet, TelOne and Liquid, potentially affecting citizens’ ability to stay informed. It said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Confirmed: Metrics indicate that internet service has been degraded in #Zimbabwe on the eve of elections; the incident impacts online platforms on NetOne, Econet, TelOne and Liquid, potentially affecting citizens’ ability to stay informed.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/1/18/zimbabwe-imposes-internet-shutdown-amid-crackdown-on-protests"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">In January 2019, Zimbabwe imposed a “total internet shutdown”</span></a> during nationwide protests that were triggered by a dramatic fuel price increase.</p>
<p>Access to the internet and popular social media apps like Facebook, X and WhatsApp were blocked.</p>
<p>Hundreds of Zimbabweans were arrested during the protests and the United Nations called for an end to the brutal security crackdown and the internet blackout.</p>
<p><img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F4JJjZ_b0AETPRY?format=jpg&amp;name=4096x4096"/></p>
<p><strong>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></strong></p>


Internet Access In Zimbabwe Downgraded On The Eve Of Elections - NetBlocks

<p>Just over 50 percent of Zimbabweans are unhappy with the mobile internet performance offered by the country’s mobile network operators (MNOs).</p>
<p>A recent survey by <a href="https://www.techzim.co.zw/2023/05/telecel-might-be-struggling-but-its-few-remaining-subscribers-are-the-happiest-results-of-the-mobile-internet-survey-we-ran/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">TECHZIM</span></a> in which a total of 939 responses were recorded shows that 50.1% of mobile internet users were “very unhappy” with the performance. Part of the TECHZIM report reads:</p>
<h2 id="h-internet-speed">Internet Speed</h2>
<h3>Overall</h3>
<ul>
<li>MNO distribution of respondents is: 68.3% Econet, 30% NetOne, and 1.7% Telecel</li>
<li>50.1% of respondents are very unhappy with their internet speed</li>
<li>2.4% of respondents are very happy with their internet speed</li>
<li>The average download speed tested by respondents is 7.94Mbps</li>
<li>The average upload speed tested by respondents is 4.91Mbps</li>
<li>The highest-tested download speed is 202Mbps (Econet)</li>
<li>The highest-tested upload speed is 36Mbps (Econet)</li>
<li>9.8% of respondents recorded a speed of 0Mbps after running a speed test/speed test failed to run because of a poor internet connection.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Econet Internet speed feedback</h3>
<ul>
<li>Average download speed on Econet is 9.57Mbps</li>
<li>Highest recorded download speed on Econet is 202Mbps</li>
<li>80.6% of Econet respondents are either unhappy or very unhappy with their internet speed</li>
<li>6.8% of Econet respondents are either happy or very happy with their internet speed</li>
</ul>
<h3>NetOne Internet speed feedback</h3>
<ul>
<li>Average download speed on NetOne is 4.5Mbps</li>
<li>Highest recorded download speed on NetOne is 50.04Mbps</li>
<li>82.6% of NetOne respondents are either unhappy or very unhappy with their internet speed</li>
<li>7.5% of NetOne respondents are either happy or very happy with their internet speed</li>
</ul>
<h3>Telecel Internet speed feedback</h3>
<ul>
<li>Average download speed on Telecel is 8.04Mbps</li>
<li>Highest recorded download speed on Telecel is 39.33Mbps</li>
<li>31.3% of Telecel respondents are either unhappy or very unhappy with their internet speed</li>
<li>50.1% of Telecel respondents are either happy or very happy with their internet speed</li>
</ul>
<h2>Internet Stability and Performance</h2>
<h3>Overall</h3>
<ul>
<li>49.2% of respondents report a very unstable internet connection</li>
<li>1.8% of respondents report a very stable internet connection</li>
<li>Internet stability is very bad in the afternoon and very good in the evening</li>
</ul>
<h3>Econet Internet stability feedback</h3>
<ul>
<li>87.7% of Econet respondents are either unhappy or very unhappy with their internet stability</li>
<li>2.9% of Econet respondents are either happy or very happy with their internet stability</li>
</ul>
<h3>NetOne Internet stability feedback</h3>
<ul>
<li>86.9% of NetOne respondents are either unhappy or very unhappy with their internet stability</li>
<li>4.6% of NetOne respondents are either happy or very happy with their internet stability</li>
</ul>
<h3>Telecel Internet stability feedback</h3>
<ul>
<li>56.3% of Telecel respondents are either unhappy or very unhappy with their internet stability</li>
<li>31.3% of Telecel respondents are either happy or very happy with their internet stability</li>
</ul>
<p>Zimbabwe’s telcos have not been spared by the country’s economic challenges and this has negatively impacted on their revenues and their ability to invest in infrastructure and network upgrades.</p>
<p><strong>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></strong></p>


Survey: Most Zimbabweans Unhappy About Their Internet Speed

<p>Harare City Council staff members at Cleveland House are failing to benefit from the virtual international training being offered under its twinning arrangement with the city of Munich in Germany because of the lack of internet connectivity.</p>
<p>This was revealed by Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume while reading notices during the 1918th ordinary full council meeting on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Mafume said he received a letter dated March 28 from Munich’s Department of Labour and Economic Development about the lack of an internet connection. Part of the letter read:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The absence of an internet connection at Cleveland House has affected the training of staff officers by the Munich development advisor who is based at Cleveland House since the training is done virtually.</p>
<p>… May you kindly ask the worship Mayor Mafume to look into this issue as it is slowing some of the good projects that we are working on. We are looking forward to your feedback before April 17, 2023.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Mafume claimed that there was serious corruption in the council’s IT department. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The IT department is never going to work; they are concentrating on corruption. There is an addiction to corruption of immense appetite.</p>
<p>We do not have internet at the office here (in Town House). We hardly have the internet.</p>
<p>We don’t have internet at Cleveland House, for functions of the city we are still operating on a manual basis yet we have one of the biggest IT departments.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200010082/harare-fails-to-pay-for-internet-services"><span>NewsDay</span></a> reported that Harare and Munich have held exchange programmes that have seen councillors and staff from the two cities paying reciprocal visits to learn and exchange best practices.</p>
<p>The City of Munich has in the past assisted Harare with medical supplies. Businesspeople from that city donated a generator to power the Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital.</p>
<p><strong>More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></strong> </p>


Harare Staff Members Miss Munich Virtual Training Due To A Lack of internet

<p>Zimbabwe’s biggest internet services company Liquid Home Zimbabwe (ZOL) says it is experiencing challenges on its network resulting in slow connectivity.</p>
<p>In a public notice, Liquid said the connectivity challenges have been caused by a break on the South Africa side of its Zimbabwe-South Africa fibre link. It said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Please note that we are currently experiencing degraded speeds on our network resulting in intermittent connectivity and in some cases, loss of service.</p>
<p>Our engineers are working to resolve this in the shortest time possible.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.techzim.co.zw/2022/03/liquid-home-zol-is-down/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Techzim</strong></span></a>, this is not the first time Liquid Home (ZOL) customers have experienced internet connectivity disruptions.</p>
<p>In 2018, Liquid suffered another fibre break that crippled its internet service.</p>
<p>Just a year before that in 2017, Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid Telecom) suffered another major fibre break in Limpopo South Africa after a farmer there ploughed it with their tractor.</p>
<h4>More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h4>


Liquid Home (ZOL)’s Network Is Down

<p>Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Jenfan Muswere said that COVID-19 has made the internet a basic need and pressured the government to speed up connectivity in marginalised areas.</p>
<p>Minister Muswere was speaking on Friday at the official launch of the community information centre in Ruwa. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are indeed, living in unprecedented times, a time where internet connectivity has become more of a basic need than a luxury.</p>
<p>This is expected to boost e-learning, the preferred mode of education due to COVID–19.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>He said community information centres (CIC) offer a chance for creative and innovative minds to break down barriers and create solutions.</p>
<p>Muswere said the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) together with the ICT ministry and ZimPost were handing over CICS to the public so as to alleviate the challenge of affordability and access to internet facilities.</p>
<p>He also said to enhance internet access, authorities had also embarked on a project to connect 1 500 schools by year-end.</p>
<p>POTRAZ director-general Gift Machengete said the ICT ministry continued to play an important role in the digitalisation agenda in line with the government’s national development strategy.</p>
<p>Demand for the internet rose during the COVID-19 pandemic as thousands of people were forced to work from home and teachers conducted online lessons, with churches also offering online services to curb the spread of the coronavirus.</p>
<h4><strong>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2021/09/internet-now-a-basic-need-ict-minister/">NewsDay</a></strong></h4>


Internet Now More Of A Basic Need Than A Luxury - ICT Minister

<p>I have to dispel a myth first. The myth is that it’s easy to make money online. It is not. However, it is in many ways easier to do than doing it offline. The opportunities, if you’re willing to commit and work, are much more than you have offline in the physical space. There are fewer hurdles to overcome just to get started with an online revenue</p>
<p>I’m going to explain what you can do to earn online or to build a business on the internet. I’m also going to give examples:</p>
<h3><strong>1. eCommerce </strong>– Sell something physical</h3>
<p>If you already have experience selling things then you can use the internet to sell more of that thing. This could really be anything from arts and craft pieces to selling a service that you provide physically like mowing loans and installing satellite dishes. The whole point with the internet is that it allows you to do 2 things that are otherwise difficult to do without it:</p>
<ul>
<li>Allows you to reach many more people across a larger area that you could reach with a physical shop. You could even reach customers in a different country</li>
<li>Allows you to get paid over the internet for your product and you can send it to your customer. You could get paid via PayPal, and in particular smaller countries like Zimbabwe, there are payment processors like Paynow in Zimbabwe or even EcoCash.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Examples:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://techzim.co.zw/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Techzim</a> in Zimbabwe sells mobile phones</li>
</ul>
<h3>2. Create content and put adverts against the content.</h3>
<p>If you like writing about a certain subject you could do this to create an opportunity to earn online.</p>
<p>You don’t have to find these adverts yourself, there are ad networks that will put ads against the content. This is admittedly the slowest way to earn money using content because adverts only start paying well (enough to sustain you the creator to do it full time) after you start getting a lot of people reading the content. This means you will need to work hard to get people to know your website or app.</p>
<p>We have an article that goes into detail on the career of <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/07/26/all-you-need-to-know-about-digital-marketing-the-fastest-growing-career-in-africa-part-1/">digital marketing here</a>.</p>
<p>Examples: <a href="https://techunzipped.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Techunzipped</a></p>
<h3>3. Create content and ask people to pay to access it. Web or WhatsApp</h3>
<p>Advertising is not the only business model for content. You could also ask your readers to pay you to read the content.  This can be done on a website or you could do so using WhatsApp as your means to deliver your content.</p>
<p>I should say though that if you use WhatsApp, as the subscribers to your content increase, it will become difficult to manage everything- payments, delivering content and ensuring that your readers all get a good service. You will have to adapt and consider getting professional services to manage.</p>
<p>To accept payments on the web you could use payment processors like Paypal and membership management like <a href="https://memberful.com/">Memberful.</a></p>
<p>Examples: <a href="https://zimbokitchen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZimboKitchen</a> (WhatsApp content distribution)</p>
<h3>4. Make videos that people would like to watch and put them on YouTube</h3>
<p>YouTube is increasingly the way that most people consume content, especially people below 30 years of age. Content ranges from instructional videos, media, music, short film (so-called skits) and even watching games.</p>
<p>The great news is that where, in the past, one had to have good professional video production equipment to get started, this is no longer the case. One can make a video using their phone to get started at least and buy equipment as they go – especially with their audience growing and money starting to come in.</p>
<p>One can make revenue with video in two ways:</p>
<ul>
<li>Get brands to pay you to feature their products in the video</li>
<li>Have YouTube ads show on the content</li>
</ul>
<p>It really doesn’t have to be YouTube, videos can be posted on other platforms too such as SnapChat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.</p>
<p><strong>Examples</strong>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGXpCeZNe7kzeHqMlg96Ebg">Bustop TV</a></p>
<h3>5. Work for someone remotely or freelance</h3>
<p>Another opportunity that the internet opened up is working remotely. That and freelancing, which is actually a different thing.</p>
<p>Now that access to the internet is global, there are companies especially in Europe and North America who are actively looking for people to work from them from wherever they are. This means that if you have the skills, you don’t really have to travel to the US anymore to work for a US company, you can work for it remotely from your home.</p>
<p>This is a growing phenomenon and there are now websites dedicated to listing such jobs. Here are the most popular websites:</p>
<ul>
<li>We Work Remotely: <a href="https://weworkremotely.com/">weworkremotely.com</a></li>
<li>FlexJobs: <a href="https://www.flexjobs.com/">flexjobs.com</a></li>
<li>Remotive: <a href="https://remotive.io/">remotive.io</a></li>
</ul>
<p>As you can probably tell imagine, most of such jobs are technology-oriented and generally service type skilled jobs such as Web Developer, App Developer, Designer, Draftsman, Architect, Data. However, there are also Writer, Editor, Digital Marketing, Sales, Legal, and even HR and other such traditional jobs that can now be done remotely.</p>
<p>Some of you may be worried that you don’t have these skills. Who says they can’t be learned. There are many ways to learn a new skill online. Technology jobs especially have many platforms for learning. One such powerful platform is freeCodeCamp. Like I said above, you have to be committed to doing this so you have to be committed to learning a new skill and finding a new job which could pay upwards of US $2,000 a month and even more.</p>
<h3>6. Create something useful</h3>
<p>If you have some skills, you create an app or website that offers a useful service that someone is willing to pay for.</p>
<p>It could be an app helping people solve something in their lives like understanding better how much money they are spending on EcoCash and budgeting better. It could be an app that helps them pass their provisional driver’s license. It could be an app that helps them compare prices so that they can always buy from the lowest priced shop near them. It could one that helps them contribute to a good cause near them.</p>
<p>If you don’t have the skills to create the app yourself, you could learn how to (see 5 above) or you could team with someone that knows how to build apps while you focus on other aspects of the business like marketing and strategy.</p>
<p><strong>Example</strong>: <a href="https://eco.ledger.co.zw/">EcoLedger</a></p>


TIPS: 6 Ways to Build a Business or Work on the Internet in Africa

<blockquote><p><em>This article is about Africa in general but to make my point I’ll use Zimbabwe as this is where I stay. However, the situation is the same in most of Africa because the underlying problem is similar. I have to say however there are a few countries where the situation has changed, and South Africa is one of them. Kenya and Nigeria also seem to be changing.</em> Let’s get into it.</p>
<p>Most of the websites in Zimbabwe are hosted outside the country. This website, for example, is hosted in the United Kingdom. This is because it’s generally cheaper to host one’s website outside Zimbabwe than inside. Zimbabwe is expensive in 3 ways:</p>
<ul>
<li>The price tag for web hosting. That is much you pay per month</li>
<li>The uptime. Also referred to as availability – this is how much your website will be accessible to the public. If your website is down 10% of the time, then we say that it has 90% availability.</li>
<li>You need to have some technical skills to set up your website. Compared to hosts such as WordPress.com, GoDaddy and others, to host a website with ZOL Zimbabwe, for example, you really need to know what you’re doing technically just to get going.</li>
</ul>
<h3>1. Price For Web Hosting</h3>
<p>Here’s a comparison of the prices for one of the most popular hosts locally (<a href="https://my.webdev.co.zw/cart.php?gid=1&amp;currency=1">Webdev</a>) and one of the most popular hosts internationally (<a href="https://www.godaddy.com/hosting/web-hosting">GoDaddy</a>) 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Project</th><th>Purchase Price (min)</th><th>VAT</th><th>Total Min</th><th>Deposit Required</th><th>Average Size Range (m2)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Woodville North</td><td>USD 20,000</td><td>USD 3,000</td><td>USD 23,000	</td><td>USD 10,000</td><td>4,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Paddonhurst</td><td>USD 10,000</td><td>USD 1,500	</td><td>USD 11,500</td><td>USD 5,500</td><td>800</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Various repossessed (Serviced)</td><td>USD 10,000</td><td>USD 1,500	</td><td>USD 11,500</td><td>USD 5,500</td><td>600</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
 It is important however that if getting USDs is not easy for you, the local host has an option for you to pay in the local currency equivalent. The high price of web hosting is generally because of reasons in 2 but there’s another separate reason which is economic. The number of customers looking for local web hosting is still very low which means right now when a company invests in having a good hosting package, they’re going to have to spread those costs over a few customers. In the end, not many companies are willing to invest in something that not many people will afford. Or, put another way, not many companies are willing to invest on a bet that they’ll be able to convince enough people to start hosting locally. It’s a chicken and egg. Someone has to put their money to change the balance and so far no one seems to have.</p>
<h3>2. Uptime</h3>
<p>As mentioned already, the uptime is about the percentage of time that your website is accessible (or as they call it in tech “up). Zimbabwe still has a lot of issues in terms of ensuring that website are always up. Here are a few:</p>
<ul>
<li>ZESA, the national power utility does not generally provide power 247. This means that your web host has to provide their own power when ZESA blacks out. This is part of the reason why hosting priced more in Zimbabwe – it is because it also costs the hosting company more to keep things up. Outside Zimbabwe, blackouts are not common which means that even though the hosting company would invest in backup power solutions, the number of times the backup actually is needed is lower. The lower number of switchovers translates to better stability and uptime.</li>
<li>Backup power might not always work. In addition to the national power utility being unpredictable, Zimbabwe also has fuel supply problems which means if the hosting company relies on generators, they might not have the fuel when they need it.</li>
<li>The technical skills needed to keep websites up are expensive. People with technical skills have generally fled to South Africa and other countries globally to work there. Where a hosting company is lucky to have some skills, the employees demand high pay. This then contributes to the high cost of hosting.</li>
<li>Even if your hosting company has competent technical people, not all ISPs in Zimbabwe have them. This means that if an incompetent techie at ISP A misconfigures their network and they accidentally impede access to your hosting company’s network, that ISPs customers will not be able to access your website. While this can also happen to internationally hosting websites, the likelihood is lower and if it does happen, it is likely to be detected and corrected much sooner as it would affect many people.</li>
<li>Hosting equipment and its spare parts are paid for in Forex and Zimbabwe is going through a forex crisis so your hosting company may not always have access to the spares equipment they need to keep things up. Where they are lucky to have a way of getting the forex, it’s through the black market, which generally drives up the cost of hosting.</li>
</ul>
<h3>3. Technical skills</h3>
<p>This is pretty self-explanatory so I will not break it down further.   <em>Happy to hear your thoughts on this in the comments below so we can discuss how these problems can be solved</em></p></blockquote>
<h3><strong>Related:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/internet-service-providers-offers-vsat-alternative/">Internet Service Provider Offers VSAT Alternative</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/tips-6-ways-to-build-a-business-or-work-on-the-internet-in-zimbabwe/" rel="bookmark">TIPS: 6 Ways To Build A Business Or Work On The Internet In Zimbabwe</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/zol-increases-internet-prices-for-wibroniks/" rel="bookmark">ZOL Increases Internet Prices For WiBroniks</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/zim-hospitality-industry-urged-to-embrace-cutting-edge-technology/" rel="bookmark">Zim Hospitality Industry Urged To Embrace Cutting-edge Technology</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/econet-to-announce-smart-data-bouquets/" rel="bookmark">Econet To Announce “Smart Data Bouquets”</a></strong></h4>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>More: </strong><a href="https://tips.co.zw/technology/why-web-hosting-expensive-africa/"><strong>Tips</strong></a></p>

FULL TEXT: Why Web Hosting Is Expensive In Africa (The Zimbabwe Case)

<p>Zimbabwe’s largest Internet Access Providers, Liquid Telecom, has switched its current pricing to US Dollars. It has also effectively increased its RTGS$ prices by 150%.</p>
<p>The 150% increase matches the official interbank exchange rate introduced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe on 20 February 2019. That exchange rate has however since increased to about 200% against the USD.</p>
<p>Said Liquid Telecom in a statement today:</p>
<blockquote><p>Liquid Telecom Zimbabwe would like to advise you of a price alignment which will take effect from 5 April 2019.</p>
<p>Pricing for all our products and services will remain unchanged from our existing US Dollar denominated base price when payment is made in US Dollars. When payment is made using the RTGS dollar, the price will be converted at the rate of 2.5.</p>
<p>For more information on how this affects your package, please contact your Account Manager or call 08677 030 000.</p>
<p>We thank you for the continued support and we value your business.</p></blockquote>
<p>Other telecoms companies have also been increasing internet prices following approval from the sector regulator, POTRAZ.</p>
<h3><strong>Related:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/zol-summoned-by-potraz-over-data-tariff-increase/" rel="bookmark">ZOL Summoned By POTRAZ Over Data Tariff Increase</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/zol-introduces-usd-prices-internet/" rel="bookmark">ZOL Introduces USD Pricing</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/netone-hikes-tariffs-calls-to-cost-02199-per-minute/" rel="bookmark">NetOne Hikes Tariffs, Calls To Cost $0,2199 Per Minute</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/telone-increases-data-bundle-prices-introduces-us-dollar-pricing/" rel="bookmark">TelOne Increases Data Bundle Prices, Introduces US Dollar Pricing</a></strong></h4>
</li>
<li>
<h4><strong><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/telecel-hikes-tariffs-calls-will-cost-22-cents-per-minute/" rel="bookmark">Telecel Hikes Tariffs, Calls Will Cost 22 Cents Per Minute</a></strong></h4>
</li>
</ul>


Liquid Telecom Introduces USD Pricing. Increases RTGS$ Prices

<p> </p>
<p>Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security minister Supa Mandiwanzira has said that the internet blackout which occured on Tuesday had cost the country millions of dollars in lost revenue. The country suffered an internet blackout from approximately, 11:30 hours to 17: 15 hours after a fibre outage occured on Liquid Telecoms Zimbabwe’s main fibre line close to Beitbridge Border Post. Liquid’s main fibre line was reportedly cut by a tractor on the South African side. The minister was not amused by the lack of redundancy plans and threaten to revoke the licences of the telecommunications which supply internet if they are found to have lied about the true reasons for the internet outage.</p>
<p>Said Mandiwanzira</p>
<blockquote><p><em>I had a meeting with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) director-general (Gift Machengete) to discuss the situation.</em></p>
<p><em>We have agreed that Potraz will look into it and see what really happened. They are now going to make sure that service delivery is at the top all the time and find out what really happened and why did the redundancy services not come into play.</em></p>
<p><em>Mandiwanzira said he was told that a tractor accidentally cut one of Liquid Telecoms’ main fibre lines in South Africa while Harare City Council workers accidentally cut one of Telone’s main fibre lines in Kuwadzana.</em></p>
<p><em>This should not happen, there should be redundancy plans in place and I wonder why these did not kick in. If we find that these companies were not truthful with us, we will revoke their licences.</em></p></blockquote>
<p>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/12/technical-fault-shuts-zim-internet/">Newsday</a></p>


Supa Threatens To Revoke Licences For Internet Companies

<p>Telecommunications company, TelOne has apologised for the loss of internet service on Tuesday afternoon.  Most of Zimbabwe was plagued by the loss of internet service due to core platform failure on the Liquid Telecom Network.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-36932" decoding="async" height="1080" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TelOne-Internet-outage.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TelOne-Internet-outage.jpg 768w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TelOne-Internet-outage-213x300.jpg 213w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TelOne-Internet-outage-728x1024.jpg 728w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TelOne-Internet-outage-600x844.jpg 600w" width="768"/></p>


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