Econet partners with SA's Cell C for call-home product

9 Apr 2009

The 'Econet Wireless Call-home SIM, Powered by Cell C' is a partnership between South Africa's Cell C network and Zimbabwe's Econet Wireless, allowing Zimbabweans travelling to South Africa to call home at lower tariffs.

“Econet advises its valued customers that this product can only be used in South Africa, on the Cell C network. The SIM card can therefore not be used in Zimbabwe,” an announcement from Econet said.

The SIM cards are however still hot products on a thriving black market because of hordes of Zimbabweans who cross the border for shopping in South Africa, as well as millions of others who desperately need to call home after fleeing an economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe.

While acknowledging that the SIM cards were selling in the country, Econet said customers had to buy the product “with a clear understanding that it is only usable in South Africa.”

Officials said tariffs on calls made from South Africa to Zimbabwe using the SIM cards were pegged at US$0.22, against US$0.29 for domestic calls on the same network in Zimbabwe.