What is a WiFi billing system?
A WiFi billing system is the software that sits between your internet connection and your customers, controlling who gets online, for how long, and making sure they've paid for it. In Tanzania, that almost always means connecting to a MikroTik router — the hardware nearly every hostel, hotel and small ISP already uses — and adding mobile money payment (M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa/Mixx by Yas, Airtel Money, Halopesa) on top, so customers can pay and get online without you doing anything manually.
Without one, hostel and hotel owners are usually stuck doing this by hand: writing out paper vouchers, manually creating hotspot users on the router, and trying to track who paid in a notebook. A proper billing system automates all of it.
How much does a WiFi billing system cost in Tanzania?
This is usually the first question — here's real, transparent pricing for UpesiLipa, UpesiNet's hotspot billing platform.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | TZS 0 | 1 router, up to 10 concurrent users — good for testing the platform |
| Twiga | TZS 5,000/mo | Up to 3 routers, 50 concurrent users |
| Tembo | TZS 10,000/mo | Up to 8 routers, 250 concurrent users |
| Simba | TZS 15,000/mo | Up to 15 routers, 500 concurrent users |
Every plan includes mobile money payment integration, a revenue and voucher dashboard, and free technical support — there's no separate setup fee added on top. Upgrade or downgrade any time as your business grows.
Do you need to download anything?
No. This is one of the most common questions we see, and the honest answer is: a modern WiFi billing system shouldn't require downloading or installing software on a computer at all. UpesiLipa is cloud-based — it runs on secure servers, connects to your MikroTik router over the internet, and you manage everything (revenue, vouchers, plans, sites) from an ordinary web browser on your phone or laptop.
That's actually safer and simpler than the alternative: older billing tools that need installing directly on a Windows PC at your premises tend to break when that one PC restarts, gets a virus, or the person who set it up leaves. Nothing to download means nothing to maintain on your end.
What makes the "best" WiFi billing system?
Not all hotspot billing tools are built for Tanzania specifically. Here's what actually matters when comparing options:
- Native MikroTik support — most Tanzanian hostels, hotels and small ISPs already run MikroTik; your billing system should connect to it directly, not require replacing your router
- Real mobile money integration — customers pay with M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa (Mixx by Yas), Airtel Money or Halopesa, straight into your own payment account, not a third party's
- Automatic account creation and expiry — no manually creating hotspot users after every sale
- Voucher support for cash customers — not everyone pays by phone; printable vouchers matter
- A real dashboard — revenue today, this month, per-site breakdown, from any device
- Migration help — if you're already running something else, switching shouldn't mean starting from zero
UpesiLipa is built around exactly this list — it's the same technology already running UpesiNet's own live WiFi hotspots across Dodoma.
Who is this for?
UpesiLipa fits any location with its own internet connection sitting idle outside of who's already using it: student hostels, hotels, cafés, markets, bus stations, residential estates, and independent WiFi entrepreneurs anywhere in Tanzania.
Want to see pricing and setup requirements in full?
UpesiLipa is UpesiNet's own hotspot billing platform — built, tested and already running our live WiFi locations across Dodoma.
Ask a Question on WhatsApp Get Started Free at UpesiLipa.comFrequently asked questions
Is there a free trial?
Setup, migration and support are already free on every plan — talk to us on WhatsApp about your specific location and we'll walk you through what fits best.
Does it work with routers other than MikroTik?
Yes. UpesiLipa is MikroTik-native, and also supports RADIUS-based hardware including Ubiquiti/UniFi, TP-Link Omada, Ruijie, Cudy, Ruckus, OpenWrt, Grandstream, Meraki, and Cisco WLC.
Who holds the customer's payment?
Nobody but you. Payments go directly into your own payment gateway account (ClickPesa, Snippe, PalmPesa, AzamPay or Selcom — your choice) through your own API keys — UpesiLipa only verifies the payment succeeded so it can unlock internet access automatically.
What if I'm already using another hotspot billing system?
UpesiNet's technical team migrates your entire setup — MikroTik configuration, customers, vouchers, billing packages — free of charge, with minimal downtime.