Yesterday, Starlink started shutting
its
customers
in
Zimbabwe
who
are
on
the
Roam
Service.
These
are
subscribers
who
were
using
Starlink
kits
registered
in
Malawi,
Mozambique,
Zambia
and
Eswatini
before
Starlink
got
its
license
in
Zimbabwe.
Once
Starlink
got
its
license,
it
gave
these
customers
a
60-day
grace
period
to
transfer
their
kits
to
Zimbabwean
addresses.
That
or
the
kit
has
to
return
and
connect
from
its
registered
address
outside
the
country
in
order
to
get
another
60
days.
There
have
been
suggestions
these
Roam
subscribers
were
as
many
as
5,000.
So
this
affects
a
good
number
of
people.
Some
were
able
to
transfer
their
accounts
to
Zimbabwe,
but
some
could
not
because
of
payment
problems
and capacity
issues
in
Harare.
The
Harare
capacity
problem
is
quite
significant
now
–
there’s
just no
more
capacity,
indefinitely.
Those
subscribers
are
stuck
wait
for
capacity
to
open
up
before
they
can
transfer.
But
there’s
another
option.
Transfer
of
Roam
kits
to
Harare
via
TelOne,
Aura
Affected
subscribers
can
upgrade
their
account
to
a
more
expensive Starlink
Business
package.
And
strangely,
customers
can’t
do
this
directly
with
Starlink
via
its
website.
It
can
only
be
done
via
resellers,
and
they’re
charging
significantly
more
for
subscriptions
than
Starlink
is.
And
one
of
them
is
charging
a
‘transfer
fee’
of
$150.
There
are
only
two Starlink
Authorised
Resellers
in
Zimbabwe who
are cleared
to
operate
in
the
country
by
the
regulator –
Telone
and
Aura.
Where
Starlink
charges
$71
a
month
for
its
entry
level
business
package,
TelOne
is
charging
$115.
Aura
is
charging
$104.
Here
is
the
full
price
Starlink
Business
price
comparison
|
Direct Starlink.com Price |
Aura Price |
TelOne Price |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kit Transfer Fee |
free | $150 | free |
|
40 GB Priority |
$71 | $104 | $115 |
|
1TB Priority |
$101 | $152 | $160 |
|
2TB Priority |
$200 | $296 | $320 |
You
can
view
the TelOne
price
sheet
here,
and
the Aura
Starlink
price
sheet
here.
Their
reason
for
charging
at
least
46%
more
is
apparently
their
markup
plus
taxes
they
have
to
pay
locally
(Potraz,
RBZ,
ZIMRA).
But
still,
this
feels
too
much.
We’re
right
back
to
the
problem
of
extortionate
pricing/taxing
that’s
made
the
internet
so
expensive
in
Zimbabwe.
As
for
the
transfer
fee
that
Aura
charges,
a
representative
of
the
company
we
spoke
to
said:
It’s
USD150
to
legalize
the
kit
as
we
have
to
pay
fees
to
Potraz
and
Zimra
since
most
if
not
all
of
these
kits
were
smuggled
But
it’s
difficult
to
understand
because
you’d
expect
TelOne
to
also
charge
a
fee.
Or
is
it
TelOne
is
unaware
of
fees
they
need
to
pay
to
Potraz?
And
on
the
subscription
side,
how
is
Potraz
allowing
TelOne
to
charge
more
than
Aura
for
essentially
the
same
service?
Is
it
that
Starlink
prices
are
not
regulated
the
same
as
other
internet
tariffs
in
Zimbabwe?
It
would
make
sense
if
these
companies
were,
themselves,
doing
the
technical
work
and
resourcing
the
physical
infrastructure
to
provide
this
internet.
They
are
not.
They
are
simply
collecting
subscriptions
payments
on
behalf
of
Starlink.
What
to
do
if
you’re
not
in
Harare
It’s
those
in
Harare
and
surrounding
areas
where
capacity
has
sold
out
who
have
to
go
through
the
resellers.
If
you’re
outside
these
areas,
this
does
not
affected
you.
However,
due
to
Starlink’s
popularity,
it
is
possible
the
other
cities
will
run
out
of
capacity
too.
Bulawayo
especially,
might.
To
protect
yourself
against
this
possibility,
it
is
better
to
transfer
your
Starlink
kit
right
away.
Or
buy
one
right
away
if
you
you
don’t
have
it
already.
While
you’re
at
it,
you
might
also
want
to
get
Starlink’s
$71
business
package
direct
from
Starlink.com
now
before
you’re
forced
to
go
through
the
resellers.
This
ensures
that
you
get
faster
priority
internet
when
capacity
becomes
a
challenge.
But
it
also
ensures
you
pay
a
much
lower
subscriptions.