More than you ever wanted to know about cell phones in AfricabrbrbradApril 19 2007, 05:02:00 UTC
hmmmmmmm... cell phones in Africa. Here's how it works:
There are two basic types of cell phone technology: CDMA and GSM. If you've ever had a cell phone that had a sim card, it was a GSM phone (Cingular/AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM providers; Sprint, Verizon, and Altell are CDMA). So America has both CDMA and GSM, but Africa has only GSM. Also, Africa has a different type of GSM technology than America. American GSM works on the 850 and 1900 bands, and African works on the 900 and 1800 bands. Most cell phones will only work on 2 or 3 of those bands, but some will work on all 4 (Whitney's and mine are both quad-band GSM, so we're bringing them to use in Africa). If you have a phone here, let me know the brand and model number and I can tell you if it will work in Africa or if you'll need a new one.
Kenya has 2 GSM providers: Celtel and Safaricom. You can view coverage maps for each of them here. Most people in Kenya buy pre-paid phones. If you already have a phone, you can just buy a pre-paid sim card and put it into your
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Re: More than you ever wanted to know about cell phones in AfricatimetravelApril 19 2007, 13:36:40 UTC
thanks for your help! i'm going to assume taht my phone is NOT quad-band, but it's a prepaid (with TracFone) Nokia model 2126, just incase you can discover otherwise. how much does it cost to get a quad band phone here (without signing a contract), vs. buying the africa-type-bands (again, a prepaid account) once i arrive there, and also for buying a prepaid SIM card here vs. there?
packing lists are totally not my style, i'll have something scratched out on white 8 1/2 by 11 paper about 5 days before i leave, and then i'll likely spend some time crying and frustrated over my procrastination, but i've done alright and it's gotten me pretty far so far, so i'm not too worried.
Re: More than you ever wanted to know about cell phones in AfricabrbrbradApril 19 2007, 14:53:01 UTC
Yeah, doesn't look like the 2126 is GSM. An unlocked* no-contract quad-band phone over here is going to cost you in the neighborhood of $80. You kind of have to pay a premium for them because they will work anywhere in the world. I'd be pretty shocked if you couldn't get a cheaper phone in Africa. You wouldn't want to go over there with an American SIM because you'd end up paying international roaming charges. I wasn't able to find prices on African SIM cards, but I can't see them costing more than $15-$20
*One other little detail, a phone would also have to be "unlocked" in order to work in Kenya. American cell companies have the nasty habit of locking their phones so they won't work on anyone else's networks. You can purchase unlocked phones or you can get the company that locked them to unlock for anywhere from free (if you're their customer) to around $25.
Re: More than you ever wanted to know about cell phones in AfricatruthbetoldApril 19 2007, 16:19:53 UTC
i talked to a volunteer, mark, whos there now. he said phones in kenya are between $35-$60 (for a basic phone w/o a camera, email capabilities, etc). so definitely cheaper than buying here. and like brad said, you really have to get your sim card in kenya b/c if you dont, you will be roaming all the time and it will cost you a fortune.
so, you cant go wrong waiting and getting everything once youre there. :)
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There are two basic types of cell phone technology: CDMA and GSM. If you've ever had a cell phone that had a sim card, it was a GSM phone (Cingular/AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM providers; Sprint, Verizon, and Altell are CDMA). So America has both CDMA and GSM, but Africa has only GSM. Also, Africa has a different type of GSM technology than America. American GSM works on the 850 and 1900 bands, and African works on the 900 and 1800 bands. Most cell phones will only work on 2 or 3 of those bands, but some will work on all 4 (Whitney's and mine are both quad-band GSM, so we're bringing them to use in Africa). If you have a phone here, let me know the brand and model number and I can tell you if it will work in Africa or if you'll need a new one.
Kenya has 2 GSM providers: Celtel and Safaricom. You can view coverage maps for each of them here. Most people in Kenya buy pre-paid phones. If you already have a phone, you can just buy a pre-paid sim card and put it into your ( ... )
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packing lists are totally not my style, i'll have something scratched out on white 8 1/2 by 11 paper about 5 days before i leave, and then i'll likely spend some time crying and frustrated over my procrastination, but i've done alright and it's gotten me pretty far so far, so i'm not too worried.
thanks soooo much for your help agian!
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*One other little detail, a phone would also have to be "unlocked" in order to work in Kenya. American cell companies have the nasty habit of locking their phones so they won't work on anyone else's networks. You can purchase unlocked phones or you can get the company that locked them to unlock for anywhere from free (if you're their customer) to around $25.
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so, you cant go wrong waiting and getting everything once youre there. :)
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