Mobile network promos blocked Marketing ads ‘not cleared’ by Potraz

THE Postal and Te l e c ommu n i c at i ons Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has reportedly issued a directive suspending some marketing promotions by mobile service providers in the country.

The service providers announced the move to their clients this week although no explanation has been advanced by the regulator.

The suspended promotions had cushioned subscribers from high costs of mobile telecoms services.

These promotions are, however, subject to approval by the regulator as they contradict gazetted tariffs, sources say.

An outstanding feature of the promotions was discounts on voice, SMS and data.

Social media communications and Press statements by the country’s three mobile service providers since Tuesday indicate that the regulator had not given the operators the green light to continue offering the promotions.

Econet had its Data Double Up and 7x promotions discontinued, while NetOne’s Bundles Reappear and Data Bundles Reloaded have also been blocked.

“NetOne Cellular would like to inform its valued subscribers and the general public that under the instruction of the regulator Potraz, the following promotions will be suspended from 1800hrs on August 4, 2016,” reads NetOne’s statement released yesterday.

Econet said on Tuesday: “We’d like to advise that our popular promotions have not been approved to go beyond July 31, 2016. We are still engaging the regulator on this matter”.

Telecel sent its subscribers messages saying: “Due to a regulatory directive, we have stopped mega bonus and other promotions until further notice. Apologies for the inconvenience caused.”

Potraz has given no explanations as to why this directive was given and the operators said they were not given the reason behind it.

Potraz spokesperson Norah Zaranyika could not be drawn to comment saying she was out of office.

Her office had also not responded to questions sent to via email by the time of going to print.

The suspension of the promotions has raised mixed feeling among subscribers.

Some subscribers argued that they could not afford the normal tariffs charged as they were too high while others said the promotions were not really fair to them.

“Some of these promotions were rip-offs because we didn’t get what was advertised, so I can’t really say I’m sorry to see them go,” said Christabel Khumalo, a subscriber. — @BiancaMlilo