Zimbabwean ISP ZOL says it will allow for data roll-over with effect from August 2019, a move that is expected to be replicated by other data service providers and ISPs as the country remains gripped by ongoing power outages and a currency that is rapidly losing purchasing power.

There has been an outcry over data charges in Zimbabwe, with parliament pressuring the Posts and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) as well as the ICT Ministry to enforce a tariff reduction.

ICT Minister Kazembe Kazembe has however defended telecom companies, saying they have to cover for foreign obligations.

Meanwhile ZOL posted a message on Twitter on Sunday: "We are pleased to announce that starting 1 August 2019, unused data will be rolling over to the next month."

This was in response to a customer who had tweeted that allowing data roll-over would be a good incentive for internet users.

"Don't you think it would be fair for people to carry over their unused data to the next month? Considering that people aren't even getting to use up their allocations within 30 days. It would (be) a dope incentive to your customers during this load shedding period," said King Kandoro in a twitter posting in which ZOL was tagged.

Mobile data costs about US1c per megabyte per second in Zimbabwe, according to the country's ICT Ministry. However, consumers believe the cost is too high, especially after inflation hit 97.7% in May 2019.

The ICT Minister said this month that he was not opposed to data roll-over, while Potraz director general Gift Machengete also said the regulator was already in discussions with telecom companies to facilitate the process.