Zimdeveloper: Here’s a cool place to learn and debate everything programming
My short experience writing for Techzim has taught me that Zimbabwe has a lot of developers, pros and some pretenders, with one thing in common. Passion! They’ll love to flaunt their skills, debate and...
View ArticleEcoCashLoans now available to EcoCashSave customers with zero interest
Econet Services has officially launched a new product called EcoCashLoans, an extension of EcoCashSave at an event held at Holiday Inn in Harare this morning. EcoCashLoans, just like EcoCashSave will...
View ArticleGTeL has shipped 250,000 smart devices in the local market, says Robert Gonye
Local mobile device maker, GTeL today revealed some interesting figures on their performance. Speaking during the #GetSocial event held today, GTeL’s marketing manager Mr Robert Gonye said GTeL has so...
View ArticleOneWallet now pays ZESA prepaid electricity credit, so does CBZ & ZB Bank
NetOne’s OneWallet customers will now be able to buy ZESA prepaid electricity credit via OneWallet mobile money solution. In a press statement, NetOne said the integration is part of a deal between...
View ArticleTelecel Go: The brand Telecel is looking to introduce for it’s prepaid service
Zimbabwe’s second largest mobile network operator by subscribers, Telecel, is set to brand its prepaid service to “Telecel Go”, Techzim sources have revealed. Telecel Go will be the equivalent of...
View ArticleLatest Techzim podcast: EcoCashLoans, airtime vending machine, mobile OS stats
Thanks for joining us for the latest Techzim podcast. In this edition, we zeroed in on the top stories that made it to Techzim.co.zw. We discussed the EcoCashLoans, the marvelous locally developed...
View ArticleThe DNA of Zim’s technology hubs part 1 – Muzinda-Umuzi Hub
Quite a number of tech hubs emerged during the later stages of 2013. Mostly centered around Zimbabwe’s capital, the so called hubs have been visible in the media and social media platforms but...
View ArticleUnboxing the Samsung Galaxy S5 and our quick thoughts
When Samsung announced their new flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S5 at the Mobile World Congress, the toned down reaction and applause was probably something they did not anticipate. Now that the device...
View ArticleTelecel Go launched with significantly reduced tariffs across all networks
Telecel today launched Telecel Go during a press briefing at Telecel’s premises in Harare. Telecel Go (we wrote about here) is primarily Telecel’s new prepaid service brand name. Although Telecel...
View ArticleFacebook VoIP calls on Econet Facebook bundles work but the quality is poor
Facebook owned WhatsApp is expected to add voice calls to it’s IM offering within this quarter. Customers, especially those on Econet’s WhatsApp bundles are excited about the prospect of making...
View ArticleLatest Techzim Podcast: Telecel Go, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Muzinda Umuzi Hub
Welcome again to the latest Techzim Podcast. In this edition, the discussions were engaging as usual and to cap it all, we had a special guest, Tawanda Kembo, Muzinda-Umuzi’s Technical Director. We...
View ArticleBOStv’s return as paid satellite TV service delayed but now in sight
Formerly free to air Channel BOStv has missed it’s target to return to screens on 1 April as a paid satellite TV station due to delays in the delivery of decoders according to the company’s director,...
View ArticleA bit more information on EcoCashLoans in case you’re still in the dark
A few weeks after the EcoCashLoans launch, a lot of people still have some questions on how the service really works. On their part, both Econet Services and Steward Bank have surprisingly done...
View ArticleGovernment requests report: 5 African governments request info from Facebook
Facebook has published it’s second “Government Requests Report” and there is little activity from African governments requesting information from Facebook. Facebook’s Government Requests Reports are...
View ArticleHere are some of the channels coming to BOStv’s paid TV bouquet
So BOStv is set to return as a paid satellite TV bouquet in a month or two. The station, which was a popular stop gap service after Santech’s encryption of the SABC signal will have to prove itself for...
View ArticleThe DNA of Zim’s technology hubs Part 2 – Hypercube Hub
Continuing on the first installment examining Zimbabwe’s technology hubs (Starting with Muzinda Umuzi hub), this week we move on to another hub formed under similar circumstances to Muzinda Umuzi hub...
View ArticleWhatsApp now has 500 million active users, growth mostly in emerging markets
Popular IM WhatsApp announced via a blog post that they now have half a billion active users throughout the world. Apart from the impressive user stats, the 5 line blog post also highlighted a high...
View ArticleSteward Bank retrenchments strategic or late response to $24 million loss
The Herald yesterday reported that Steward Bank is closing 8 branches and consequently retrenching scores of employees. The Herald report does not give an indication of the timelines nor any official...
View ArticleStrive Masiyiwa announces awards to encourage African innovators & inventors
Econet Wireless founder and Chairman Strive Masiyiwa yesterday announced plans to set up an awards program to reward and encourage African innovators and investors. Strive Mayisiwa announced these...
View ArticleProtronics airtime vending machine now going through patent process
Remember George Chingore? He was the Harare Institute of Technology dropout who built an airtime vending machine and pitched it at Emerging Ideas‘ Pitch Night in March. Well I caught up with him at...
View ArticleKenya has 67% smartphone penetration, way above the continent’s figures
A recent report by Human IPO has said that Kenya has 67% smartphone penetration. The report is based on figures released by Kenya’s leading mobile operator Safaricom. According to Safaricom, Kenya has...
View ArticleLatest Techzim podcast: Steward Bank, WhatsApp, Nokia-Microsoft Deal & more
Thanks again for joining us for this Techzim podcast. This time around we engaged in lengthy conversations on the alleged retrenchments at Steward Bank, WhatsApp reaching half a billion users and the...
View ArticleZimstocks now available for iOS devices, messaging feature coming in few weeks
Zimstocks, a mobile app that provides critical information on investing on the Zimbabwean stock exchange is now available for iOS devices.The app which is 6 to 8 months old was first introduced for...
View ArticlePOTRAZ $60 million passive infrustructure project uncertain
Zimbabwe’s telecoms regulator POTRAZ has yet again hit a snag in delivering the infrastructure due through the Universal Services Fund (USF) collected from telecom providers annually, according to a...
View ArticleEconet announcing results today, apparently the media is not invited
Zimbabwe’s leading mobile operator Econet Wireless is set to announce its annual results up to March 2014 but we are told the media will not be part of the announcement. A source has told Techzim that...
View ArticleEconet Results: Data and EcoCash revenues growing, overall revenue growth slows
Econet today released their financial results for the year ended February 2014. The results indicate that Econet Wireless posted $119.4 million profit which is definitely impressive, in an economy like...
View ArticleSteward Bank can’t shake it off but recovers remarkably from half year loss
Econet Wireless owned “tech bank” Steward Bank has recorded a loss of $26.3 million for the operating year ended March 2014. Econet Wireless announced this in a media release and the parent company is...
View ArticleSamsung Galaxy S5 to hit Econet stores in Harare tomorrow for $788
Econet Stores in Harare are tomorrow expected to start selling the Samsung Galaxy S5 for a comparatively low cash price of $788. According to a source at Econet, the Samsung Galaxy S5 only arrived at...
View ArticleLatest Techzim podcast: Econet results, smartphone penetration, iROKO TV
Here is our latest Techzim Podcast were we discussed the Econet Financial results, Steward Bank losses, iRoko TV, Rocket Internet and many more. We really got into a heated debated on the 10%...
View ArticleSpecial Edition podcast: Find out about Tech Lair and their monthly meetups
A little over two months ago we wrote about Tech Lair, a Ted Talk like initiative were local tech guys and people from other fields converge monthly to discuss everything tech in Zimbabwe. The...
View ArticleLamudi issues release on expansion into Zimbabwe but says very little
A few days we broke the story that Africa Internet Holdings had entered Zimbabwe’s webspace with a properties website Lamudi. Today, the company issued a release announcing their expansion into...
View ArticleMvendr launches prepaid “Mobile Tuck Shop” Android app in Zimbabwe
A UK based company called Mvendr has announced the launch of a vending app that according to them allows “vendors” or micro traders to sell things like prepaid airtime, electricity tokens and DStv...
View ArticleTelecel finally announces on net video calling
A month ago Techzim reported that Telecel was set to introduce video calling and today the MNO announced that the service is now active. Based on information gathered from sources, the service was due...
View ArticleThe DNA of Zim’s “Technology” hubs part 3: Emerging Ideas
A few weeks ago we started a review of the local tech hubs as means to assess how they have hit the ground running in their first few months navigating around the Zimbabwean startup ecosystem....
View ArticleAstro mobile to launch a new flagship smartphone called Astro Virtual 2
Local tech services and devices company Astro, is set to launch their new flagship smartphone called the Astro Virtual 2 tomorrow at an event to be held in Harare. Astro is keeping details of the...
View ArticleEconet selling a ZTE V795 entry level smartphone for $55. Our thoughts
Econet last month introduced a new smartphone deal targeting first time smartphone users; a ZTE V795 Android smartphone for just $55. Late last year Econet introduced the Huawei Ascend Y220 targeting...
View ArticleWhatsApp accounts for 23% of all internet traffic on Econet’s network
WhatsApp now constitutes 23% of internet traffic on Econet’s network since the introduction of WhatsApp bundles in February. This is according to a press released published by Econet’s technical...
View ArticleAll set for the Startup Weekend this Friday with $30,000 in prizes up for grabs
The Startup Weekend Harare to be hosted by Hypercube will come alive this Friday at Hypercube in Harare. According to event organiser and Hypercube community manager Irene Chikumbo, pretty much...
View ArticleIs the Astro Virtual 2 just a rebranded version of the Chinese iNew V3?
On Wednesday 14 May 2014, Astro launched their new flagship smartphone called the Astro Virtual 2. After the launch, I suspect a lot of people left the venue feeling a sense of pride towards what...
View ArticleTel•One sponsors second edition of the Zimbabwe Broadband Forum
Tel•One will this year be sponsoring the second edition of the Zimbabwe Broadband Forum which begins tomorrow (Friday, 6 June) at the Sango Conference Centre, Cresta Lodge, Harare. The country’s...
View ArticlePIVOT East 2014: Startups in mobile finance category highlights
East Africa’s largest startup competition, PIVOT East has come to life and East African startups have started a battle of ideas and an event being held in Nairobi Kenya. The first category was on...
View ArticleZOL sponsors Startup Challenge for the 4th Year
Local internet service provider, ZOL Zimbabwe, has once again thrown its full weight behind the ZOL Startup Challenge. The tech startup showcase, now in its fourth year, has had ZOL as its title...
View ArticleThe ZOL Startup Challenge 2014 to be bigger, better and much more fun
Today we are proud to announce that Zimbabwe’s most anticipated startup competition is upon us. The fourth edition of the ZOL Startup Challenge kicks off today and we have bumped up the competition...
View ArticleNUST to host ZOL Startup Challenge Bulawayo tech entrepreneurship training &...
Hot on the heels of a successful ZOL Startup Challenge meetup held in Harare last week. Techzim and ZOL Zimbabwe will be descending on Bulawayo on the 4th of September for the ZOL Startup Challenge...
View ArticleCheck out the 2014 ZOL Startup Challenge video
The ZOL Startup Challenge 2014 is getting more interesting by the week. Proceedings kicked off with a meetup held in Harare a fortnight ago. Last week, the ZOL Startup Challenge was in Bulawayo for the...
View ArticleCan Aflix compete in Africa’s (now cut throat) VOD Space? Here’s what we know
Recently, Video On Demand has been making some moves across the continent and you would think it’s the next big thing in Africa after the Telecoms revolution. In just a space of two weeks, South Africa...
View Article60% of the Zimbabwean population connected on mobile: POTRAZ
Despite having an “over-subscribed” mobile penetration rate of 106%, POTRAZ estimates that only 60% of the Zimbabweans are actually on mobile device or have multiple-active mobile SIM cards (Unique...
View ArticleFive things that will (some we wish won’t) happen in digital media in 2015
2015 will be important as far as digital media is concerned. This year has already set a solid foundation for digital media so 2015 will be the year that we will see more products and traction on...
View ArticleTop Zimbabwean tech failures of 2014 we can all learn from
Back in June I had an opportunity to meet a Tel Aviv based entrepreneur whilst covering PIVOTEast in Nairobi. During his presentation at PIVOTEast he spoke a lot on the different two startup ecosystems...
View ArticlePlagiarism at the centre of clash between old media & new media publishers
Over the past year or so, stories of blatant plagiarism have become a common piece of conversation in Zimbabwean social media circles. Local bloggers have been victims to what they claim outright theft...
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