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Zimbabweans rate WhatsApp most popular app: report

Xinhua, March 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

WhatsApp proved to be among the most popular Internet services in Zimbabwe after it accounted for 34 percent of mobile Internet traffic during the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the latest report by the telecoms regulator.

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) confirmed in its report that Zimbabweans use WhatsApp more than any other broadband service or application, an online publication reported Thursday.

According to the report, the instant messaging (IM) platform's bundles accounted for 34 percent of mobile broadband traffic in the fourth quarter of last year, surpassing the 3 percent registered for Facebook bundles use.

WhatsApp bundles were first introduced in Zimbabwe by telecoms giant Econet Wireless in 2014, and adopted by other two operators Telecel and NetOne, enabling "unlimited" access to the IM service.

Mobile operators introduced the bundled service as a way of monetising the service, especially since it had, like other Over the Top services like Skype, accelerated the decline of voice revenue.

WhatsApp has become a popular tool to share images, audio and video content, and its bundles offer people a convenient way to access Internet at a discount. Enditem