So, EcoCloud has quietly shown up on USSD. If you go poking around under the Data section (*143#), you’ll see it there. And naturally, we had to try it. $0.30 → 25GB $0.65 → 50GB $2 → 100GB $2.80 → EcocloudUnlimited $40 → Peak 25GB + O/Peak 5GB + 30Day EcoCloud Now, when you see pricing like that, your mind probably goes straight to cloud storage.

And that’s what this looks like. So… what is EcoCloud? Econet already has something called EcoCloud, but it’s mostly been for businesses; data centres, hosting, that kind of thing.

What we’re seeing here feels like a consumer version of that. Basically, you pay a small monthly fee, and Econet stores your files for you. They store your videos, pictures and whatever you have digitally and you pay a monthly fee for the service.

Instead of you trusting that cheap external hard drive of yours with your memories. So it appears to be something like Google Drive or iCloud. Getting EcoCloud?

The buying part works perfectly. You select the bundle, confirm, and boom, you get the SMS saying you’re good to go. No problems.

It feels like you’ve just signed up for Econet’s answer to Google Drive or iCloud. Nice. Then you try to actually use it.

Step 1: Download the App After buying the bundle, we went ahead and downloaded the app. It’s branded EcoCloud and even says Powered by Cassava inside, so it looks a little legit. You open it up and you’re greeted with a clean login screen.

So far, so good. Step 2: Try to Log In… Or Even Sign Up And then you hit a wall. The app gives you: Username Password Login That’s it.

No “Create account”. No “Register”. No onboarding flow. Just login.

Step 3: We tried to make it work At this point, we figured maybe we’re missing something obvious. So we did what any normal person would do: we tried to use it anyway. We entered some details.

“Incorrect username or password.” Fair enough, we don’t have an account. So we went back and checked the SMS we got after purchasing. Nothing.

Just confirmation of the purchase. No credentials. No instructions. No link.

No “here’s how to get started.” Alright. Let’s try another angle. We guessed maybe: your phone number is the username maybe there’s an OTP flow somewhere maybe there’s a default password situation Tried all of that.

Nothing. At this point, it’s not user error anymore. It’s just a dead end. Step 4: Maybe the Guide Explains It?

We found the official guide in the app. And it quietly confirms the problem: The app assumes you already have an account. There’s no step showing how to create one.

Which explains everything we just experienced. So Where Is The Account Supposed To Come From? That’s the missing piece. Because right now, the flow looks like this: Buy EcoCloud bundle – Easy Download the app – Not a problem ???

Log in – Not happening That step 3 is just not there. Feels Like An Enterprise Tool Trying To Be Consumer The more you look at it, the more you’re reminded that EcoCloud started life as something else. It behaves like software meant for: companies internal deployments pre-created accounts handed to users Where IT gives you login details and you’re good.

But now it’s sitting on USSD, being sold to everyday users who expect to just sign up and go. That gap is very obvious right now. Right now, EcoCloud feels like a half-finished attempt to convert an enterprise solution into a consumer one.

And That’s A Problem Cause Google Drive & iCloud Exist Because those services have set the standard: Install app Create account in seconds Start uploading immediately No friction. No confusion. EcoCloud right now doesn’t even get you past account creation.

For Now… EcoCloud is in that crazy state where: You can pay for it You can install it But you can’t actually use it And that’s not a great place to be, especially when a vocal minority online is always accusing Econet of stealing from them. Well, this EcoCloud implementation won’t help with that. They should at least remove the option to buy the bundles from the USSD menu until they sort out the onboarding.