Zamtel Increases ADSL Prices
Zamtel, increased their ADSL internet prices. The price increase has affected both the home and business ADSL services. When the increase happened we are not certain and have not seen anything in the digital media (if it was in the physical press – we save trees!).
Zamtel, cleverly covered up the price increase by introducing new packages and getting rid of the old product sets. The new product sets are better structured that the earlier ones. The new products are definitely future focused with an emphasis on what you the consumer can get out of your service. The old ADSL products were:
| Package | On-Peak Speed | Off-Peak Speed | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonlight (night only) | Upto 1Mbps | K300.00 | |
| Home Standard | Upto 512kbps | Upto 1Mbps | K400.00 |
| SME | Upto 768kbps | Upto 1Mbps | K900.00 |
| ADSL Modem | From K133.00 |
The new product set is nicely listed on their website and is now a stand-alone product, the old ADSL services were hidden deep in their website. With the revised pricing they have expanded the number of services adding new products to the Home and Business segments. We have to applaud Zamtel, and state this is the clearest and simplest product layout for fixed internet services in Zambia! Now the new products:
Home ADSL:
| Bundle | Price |
|---|---|
| 10GB | K250.00 |
| 20GB | K450.00 |
| 50GB | K600.00 |
| 100GB* | K800.00 |
*The 100GB capped service is listed as Unlimited on the website. All home packages have a maximum speed of up to 2Mbps.
Business ADSL:
| Bundle | Price |
|---|---|
| 100GB | K1080.00 |
| 200GB | K1299.00 |
| 500GB | K1599.00 |
All Business services have a maximum speed of up to 4Mbps
ADSL Top-up Bundles:
| Bundle | Price |
|---|---|
| 500MB | K50.00 |
| 1GB | K100.00 |
| 10GB | K125.00 |
| 20GB | K225.00 |
| 50GB | K300.00 |
| 100GB | K400.00 |
Unfortunately as part of the revamp Zamtel have bumped some Home Standard customers to the new 100GB bundle, meaning a 100% price increase for those consumers. In this day and age of tight belts and even tighter shoes, companies have to warn their customers (suctomers?) and give them the opportunity to upgrade or not. Zamtel spoilt what is a good initiative by taking their customers for granted. In verbatim from their website:
Q: If I do not like my new package, can I move back to my old packages?
A: Due to the changes the system has undergone, all subscribers will migrate to the new bundle packages.
Now that is a statement that does not mince its words or inform you that you may end up paying more for your internet.
If you have been unfairly upgraded please let us know.
i think less people are reading paper in this era, i recall a print advert in the last quarter of 2015 with the price increase. Currently still on the old package so i suppose they have not moved everyone to bundles yet.
I paid K400 last Wednesday for my home unlimited ADSL. When did the change come into effect? They said legacy customers would remain on legacy packages until further notice, however, new customers will be on the new packages.
It appears Zamtel will roll out the new charges on November 1. This is day light robbery, the customer service and internet speeds are ludicris as it is already. I forsee their customer numbers dropping drastically,. I wonder if the general public will petition this increase, as they did for DSTv.
Thank you for the tip. Will be sure to follow-up.