The holidays are fast approaching, and you have been wondering about Cell C roaming in Zimbabwe. There are millions of Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa. Most of them visit their home country every holiday. There are also South Africans who occasionally visit Zimbabwe on holiday. Whatever your situation, one thing that you will be looking for clarity on is whether or not you can have Cell C roaming in Zimbabwe. If yes, at what cost and how do you activate roaming?
Can I use Cell C in Zimbabwe?
Yes, you can use Cell C in Zimbabwe. But while there, you will be on roaming. It means you will be getting connectivity through local Zimbabwean networks. In Zimbabwe, there are three mobile networks; Econet, Telecel and NetOne.
How do I activate Cell C roaming for Zimbabwe
We have previously given you an article in which we explained how to activate international roaming on Cell C. Those are the steps that you need to take to implement Cell C roaming for Zimbabwe.
Cell C Roaming Tariffs for Zimbabwe
The table below shows the Cell C roaming Zimbabwe charges. As you can see, you get charged both for making and for receiving calls. How much you will be charged depends on your preferred roaming partner. If you would like to roam on a particular network, you should manually pick up that network from a list.
| NETWORK | LOCAL CALLS | CALL RSA | RECEIVE CALL | SMS | DATA/MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NET ONE | R 15 | R 15 | R 10 | R 3 | R 15 |
| TELECEL | R 19 | R 40 | R 0 | R 5 | R 221 |
| ECONET | R 10 | R 10 | R 10 | R 3 | R 10 |
If you are roaming on Econet, which is the biggest mobile network in Zimbabwe, you will pay R10 per minute for local calls and for calls to South Africa. You will also pay R10 when you receive a call. SMSes are charged at R3 per SMS while data is charged at a rate of R10 per MB.
NetOne is the second largest mobile network in Zimbabwe. When doing Cell C roaming on NetOne, you get charged R15 per minute on local calls and on calls to South Africa. When you receive calls, the situation is the same as with Econet; you get charged R10 per minute. Data is charged at R15 per MB while SMSes are charged at R3 per SMS.
You also have the option to roam on Telecel. That’s the most expensive option here, though they do not charge you for receiving calls. When you call locally, you are charged R19 per minute, while you are charged R40 for calls to South Africa. SMSes cost R5 while data is charged a whopping R221 per MB.
Which network should I roam on?
That’s a question that we get a lot from people regarding Cell C roaming in Zimbabwe. You have seen what each of the three networks in Zimbabwe charge for roaming.
There are, however, other factors to consider before you can make a choice. Econet is the best when it comes to connectivity, particularly in urban centers. Meanwhile, NetOne prides itself in having greater connectivity in rural areas.
If you are visiting your rural home, as many people do, this will be a good roaming option. Telecel is good if you are going to be receiving lots of calls. As noted, they don’t charge you for getting called.
Alternatively, buy a local SIM
That’s the best course of action if you are going to be staying in Zimbabwe for a while. Roaming is expensive. It won’t do for you to be on roaming for weeks. It’s viable for a few days. Beyond that, you are better off buying a local SIM.
What do you think? Is it better to do Cell C roaming in Zimbabwe or to go local? Leave a comment below or on our Forum.