Data tariffs will likely go up again in the near future after the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) said that changes in the Interbank market affect data pricing.
The interbank market rate has been volatile since it was introduced in February with the US dollar now trading at close to RTGS$6, while it was 1:2.5 when it was introduced.
POTRAZ director general, Gift Machengete, in an interview with New Zimbabwe Business recently, revealed that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are pushing for an upward review of data tariffs. He said:
Rates on the Interbank market affects the costs and they were taken into consideration when the tariffs were increased.
It was around 3.5 and the current shifts which have seen the rates going higher than five times are being looked into though there are no specific timelines to determine the outcomes.
MNOs raised data and call tariffs at the beginning of April after the government abandoned the fixed rate of 1:1 between the US dollar and the local currency, the RTGS Dollar.
Appearing before a parliamentary committee in May, Machengete denied claims that internet data and call tariffs are too high in Zimbabwe when compared to regional countries. He insisted that local tariffs compared favourably with regional averages.