Before you start

Unlocked handset
Passport
A Harare address
Passport photograph, sometimes requested

Step-by-step

1
Choose the network for what you actually need
Econet has the largest network and EcoCash; NetOne is state-owned and often cheaper on data; Telecel is the smallest. Econet is the default unless you have a specific reason otherwise.
In personWho: You
2
Register the SIM against your passport
Subscriber registration is compulsory under POTRAZ's regulations. Buy from an operator shop rather than a street vendor so the registration is done properly in your own name — a SIM registered to someone else becomes a problem when it is tied to your mobile money.
In personWho: You
3
Activate mobile money
EcoCash on Econet, OneMoney on NetOne. It is what you will use for small everyday payments. Note that the ZiG and USD wallets are separate.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Buy data as a bundle, never on standard rates
Zimbabwean mobile data is bought in fixed-period bundles and standard out-of-bundle rates are punitive. Set a bundle up on day one.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Keep a second network's SIM in the drawer
Coverage and capacity vary between operators and between suburbs, and outages happen. A cheap second SIM on another network is standard practice here rather than paranoia.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Proof of Harare address
Passport photograph, sometimes

Things most newcomers don’t know

Mobile money is tied to the registered identity. A line registered to someone else works fine until you need to recover a wallet, dispute a transaction or prove a payment — at which point it is legally not yours. It is the commonest shortcut newcomers take and the one that bites hardest.

Source: POTRAZ — Subscriber Registration Regulations, SI 95 of 2014

The emergency number depends on your network.

POTRAZ's national numbering plan assigns 112 to emergency services on Econet and Telecel, 114 to police on NetOne, and 993, 994, 995 and 999 to fire, ambulance, police and general emergency on the fixed network. There is no single number that works everywhere, which is worth knowing before you need one.

Source: POTRAZ — Zimbabwe National Numbering Plan

Data is expensive here in a way that shapes how people work.

Bundles are the norm because out-of-bundle rates are punishing, and heavy video calling costs real money. Combined with load shedding, this is the main reason Harare is a harder remote-work city than its climate and cost of rent suggest.

Source: community-reported, consistently

Fixed-line area codes still matter for landlines.

Harare's national destination code is 4 (dialled 0242 domestically) and Bulawayo's is 9. Government offices and hospitals still publish landlines, and getting the code wrong is a common newcomer error.

Source: POTRAZ — Zimbabwe National Numbering Plan

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying a pre-registered SIM from a street vendor and inheriting someone else's identity on your mobile money.
Using data out of bundle.
Assuming 999 works from a mobile — 112 is the mobile emergency code on Econet and Telecel.
Ignoring a re-registration notice and losing the line and the wallet together.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.