Econet announced the launch of its 5G network in Zimbabwe in February 2022. The company rolled out 5G with the help of Ericsson. Econet is the only mobile operator in Zimbabwe currently that has 5G.
In general, 5G offers internet speeds that are up to 10 times that of 4G.
With the release of more and more 5G capable phones globally, Zimbabweans may not be clear if these phones are relevant in Zimbabwe.
Here is the list of locations where Econet 5G is available in Zimbabwe:
Harare 5G locations
- Avondale
- Newlands
- Greendale
- Sam Levy’s
- Econet Park
- RGM Airport
- Holiday Inn
- Club Chambers
- Belgravia
- ZESA HQ
5G locations outside Harare
- Makoni Shops, Chitungwiza
- Zengeza Main, Chitungwiza
- NSSA House, Bulawayo
- Anchor House, Bulawayo
- Econet House, Bulawayo
- NRZ Bulawayo
- Rainbow Hotel, Bulawayo
- Mimosa House, Bulawayo
- Victoria Falls Spar
- CABS Gweru
- Rothbat Building, Gweru
According to the telecoms industry regulator, POTRAZ, Econet has a total of 22 5G base stations currently (based on December 2022 data). In March this year, Econet promised to deploy more 5G sites around the country but did not commit to any numbers.
Does it make sense to buy a 5G phone in Zimbabwe?
As you can see above, the total number of 5G base stations in the whole country is just 22. This is a very small number, especially considering that 5G has a limited range compared to 4G and 3G.
To put it into perspective, Econet has over 900 4G base stations in Zimbabwe. Based on these numbers, in a practical sense, we can’t really say there is 5G in Zimbabwe.
In the rare case that you live or work in one of the 22 locations listed above that have 5G, it will be worth it for you, yes. Otherwise, there’s no point.
Does NetOne have 5G?
As of the writing of this article, NetOne does not have any commercial 5G sites in Zimbabwe.
What about Telecel? We cannot even talk of 5G when it comes to Telecel. The company is struggling to deploy a 4G network, with only 17 of them so far according to the industry regulators report.
Which phones available in Zimbabwe have 5G?
This is a hard question to answer because most of the phones in Zimbabwe do not come into the country through the manufacturer’s official channels.
People buy mobile phones that were made for other markets like US, UK, South Africa, and Australia (basically where Zimbabweans in the diaspora are found). They also buy phones meant for Asia that are imported via market the Dubai gray market channels.
This means that 5G phones available in these countries can also generally be available on the local market. But again, there’s no point in buying a 5G mobile phone right now. At least it being 5G must not be the reason for buying it.
That said here’s a quick list of some of the 5G phones available globally:
- All iPhones from iPhone 12 onward
- Samsung Galaxy S20 onward
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Samsung Galaxy A54
- Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, A14 5G
- Samsung Galaxy M53
- Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
- Samsung Galaxy A33 5G, A34
- Samsung Galaxy M32 5G
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
- Samsung Galaxy F52 5G
- Samsung Galaxy M42 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 5G
- Huawei Mate 30E Pro, 40E
- Huawei Mate 30 5g ()and 30 Pro 5G)
- Huawei P40 5G (and P40 Pro)
- Huawei Mate X2
- Huawei Nova 6 5G (and Nova 8 SE High Edition)
- Tecno Camon 20 5G
- Infinix Note 30 5G
- OnePlus 11
- OnePlus 10 Pro
- All Google Pixels phones from Pixel 5 onward
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 12
- Xiaomi Civi 3
- Xiaomi 13 (and 13 Pro)
- Oppo A57
- Oppo Find X6 Pro
- Oppo Reno8 T 5G (and Reno10 Pro+)
- Realme 10 Pro (and 11 Pro)