Econet Wireless Zimbabwe says it has reviewed its Smart4U bundle offering as part of ongoing efforts to align the popular product with changing customer needs and usage patterns, while at the same time clarifying how the product works.

The review comes amid growing customer enquiries over why some customers receive different Smart4U offers and why certain Smart4U bundles no longer appeared on their menus. Others wanted to understand why internet speeds may change after they reach specific usage levels.

According to Econet, Smart4U bundles are personalised offers that combines voice, data and SMS into a single package, tailored to a specific individual customer's usage habits.

Unlike standard bundles that are available to all customers, Smart4U offers are generated based on an assessment of a subscriber's voice, data and SMS usage over the previous three months.

This therefore means different customers will receive different bundle offers, based on their unique usage patterns. At the same time, there is also the possibility of an individual customer's offer increasing, decreasing, disappearing or reappearing over time – based on changes in their usage patterns.

“Smart4U is designed to provide customers with value based on their unique usage patterns,” Econet said.

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“Because every customer's needs – and therefore usage patterns – are different, the available offer per customer will vary from one subscriber to another,” the company said.

It added that a key area requiring greater customer awareness was the Fair Usage Policy (FUP), which applies to Smart4U bundles and is designed to ensure a fair and consistent experience for all users across the network.

FUP is an accepted practice among internet and mobile broadband service providers globally, that ensures equitable network performance for all customers by preventing a small number of excessively heavy users from degrading the quality of service for the rest of the users. 

“The policy helps protect network performance, prevent inequitable use of network resources and guarantees critical access to services for all customers as data consumption continues to grow,” Econet said.

Under the Fair Usage Policy, customers enjoy maximum internet speeds available in their location. However, once certain usage thresholds are reached, browsing speeds may gradually start to decrease – in stages – to help maintain overall network quality in the area for all customers.

Econet explained that Smart4U operates through three usage stages.

“During the primary and first stage, customers access the highest available speeds on the network. Once the applicable Fair Usage threshold is reached, users move to a secondary stage where speeds are reduced, with a further reduction in speeds occuring in the third and last stage, if usage continues beyond prescribed limits,” Econet explained.

It noted, however, that a customer can boost their speeds – back to the maximum available speed in their location – by purchasing a Smart 4U Top Up bundle. 

The company stressed that Fair Usage Policies are widely used by telecommunications operators the world over, to balance rising demand for data services with available network resources and capacity to offer the service.

Econet also noted that actual internet speeds can be influenced by several other factors – including location, network coverage, device capability and congestion levels at a particular time.

Smart4U bundles remain valid for 30 days or until the allocated data is exhausted, whichever comes first, and can only be purchased once per calendar month.

However, a customer who deplete their Smart4U allocation before the 30-day bundle expiry period is reached, has the option to purchase a Smart4U Top-Up bundle.

Econet said top-up bundles restore browsing speeds to the maximum level available in the customer's location, subject to prevailing network conditions, allowing customers to continue enjoying high-speed internet access.

The company also reminded customers that Smart4U bundles are non-transferable and intended for use on the purchasing line only. It said tethering and hotspot functionalities are not supported under the Smart4U bundle offer.

Customers can check whether they qualify for a Smart4U bundle by dialling *143#, selecting their preferred currency option, then choosing the Data and Smart4U menu options. If they are not eligible, they can select any other available bundle offers on the menu. 

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