Ecocloud Storage Review
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe recently soft-launched Ecocloud Storage, a customer-focused cloud storage service designed to store videos, pictures, and digital files for a monthly fee.
Looking up the EcoCloud Privacy Policy reveals that the service operates in partnership with Babylon Cloud, an Italian-based cloud storage, computing, and streaming provider. Founded in Rome in 2014, Babylon Cloud offers enterprise clients flexible, ready-to-deploy cloud solutions that they can integrate into their value-added services portfolio.
Ecocloud was launched without any announcements or onboarding instructions with the option appearing in the Mobile Data USSD menu, for which Econet faced criticism for unclear communication, as some subscribers mistook the EcoCloud bundles for a mobile data bundle, believing it to be cheap internet data packages. I still feel as if it was deliberate, given how they still haven’t given any official statement on the service, not even an sms.
When I tried out the service, I got an sms confirming that I had purchased a 25GB cloud storage bundle and no further instructions. Upon engagement with customer care, I was informed that a link would be sent to me in 24-72 hours.
The link eventually arrived after I had reached out to support, informing them that it had been 72 hours, and they said they would escalate the issue with the relevant department.
I was pleasantly surprised when the sms came with an offer for 100GB free storage, valid for two months, when I had only paid for a 25GB bundle… what happened to that by the way? Shouldn’t I have a total storage of 125 GB? I see you Econet, being like the dealer who gives you more than you asked for, so that you forget the dodgy moves.
My thoughts on Ecocloud so far:
The Good:
•The mobile app is fairly easy to use and one can set-up folders to backup and sync and schedule for when that occurs.
•You can access the files from anywhere.
•You can generate and share links to files and folders.
The Bad
•The app and website feel sluggish and require a stable, fast internet connection to load properly.
•The sign-up experience reduced my overall trust in the product.
The one major question I still haven’t found an answer to yet is what happens if for some reason I do not renew the service… does my data instantly disappear?
What Ecocloud could improve:
•A desktop app would be great for those of us who want to sync files and folders across phones and computers.
•Reviewing the bundle prices downwards and including a free tier of between 1-5GB to match popular cloud storage platforms.
•Zero-rating the data sync or including specialised ultra-cheap data packages specifically for backing up data using the mobile app might greatly enhance the cloud storage value proposition.
-As it stands, to backup a total of 25GB of data on the 30-cent package would require a minimum of 25GB of data, which costs $38 on the Econet mobile data packages, unless a user has access to Wifi or other unlimited packages.
Comparing Ecocloud to other cloud storage services
| Service | Free Storage | Entry Plan Storage | High Capacity |
| Ecocloud | — | 25 GB – $0.30 | Unlimited – $2.80 |
| Microsoft OneDrive | 5 GB | 100 GB – $1.99 | 6 TB – $6.99 |
| Apple iCloud+ | 5 GB | 50 GB – $0.99 | 6 TB – $29.99 |
| ZOHO | 5 GB | 1TB – $3 | 5 TB – $18 |
| Dropbox | 2 GB | 2 TB – $9.99 | 15 TB – $24 |
What are your thoughts on Ecocloud and cloud storage services
~B
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