Econet video calls need no data bundle, but the price remains unclear

Both people need Econet lines and a working 4G connection.

The feature can be useful when a data bundle runs out and the caller still wants to speak face to face.

The price remains unclear.

Econet's published US-dollar tariff lists ordinary calls between Econet numbers at US$0.0437 a minute, or 4.37 US cents, including taxes and levies.

The tariff table gives no separate rate for video calls and does not say whether the ordinary voice rate applies.

The company's public guidance also leaves open whether a voice bundle covers the call or the charge comes out of the caller's airtime balance.

How to make an Econet video call

Carrier video calling uses a technology called Video over LTE, or ViLTE.

It builds on Voice over LTE, known as VoLTE, which lets a phone carry ordinary voice calls over 4G.

Both phones need to support carrier video calling. A phone that can make VoLTE voice calls may still lack the video option.

Econet's Android guide tells users to open Settings, select Mobile Network, choose their Econet SIM and turn on VoLTE Calls. Some phones label the setting 4G Calling.

Once both phones have it enabled, open the Phone app, select the other Econet number and look for the carrier's video-call option. Some phones also let users switch to video during a voice call.

The camera icon can open a different service depending on the phone. If it launches Google Meet, the call uses that app and needs an internet connection.

Econet's instructions for iPhones cover HD voice calling. They give no indication that iPhones support this carrier video feature.

Is it cheaper than WhatsApp?

A WhatsApp video call uses an internet connection on both phones.

If either caller relies on mobile data, their cost depends on the bundle they bought and how much data the call uses. There is no single per-minute WhatsApp price that applies to every subscriber.

For Econet customers, the practical question is whether a video call is deducted from a voice bundle or billed separately, and at what rate.

Until the operator publishes those terms, subscribers can still check whether their phones offer carrier video calling, but there is no reliable basis for saying it will cost less than WhatsApp.