Dakar - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
Local provider like Free or Orange. - Oct 2024
I have Google Fi and a local sim here. The local sim helps when I want to give directions for take out or have to call a local doctor's office. Cell plans are absurdly inexpensive here. With the scratch cards for data I pay 20 USD a month, maximum. - Apr 2022
The U.S. Embassy provided a mobile telephone, but the service they used was not reliable in some parts of the city. I got a SIM card and purchased scratch cards for Orange every month. It was cheap and reliable, and even worked when I traveled in Europe. - Jul 2020
A lot of people are switching to Google Fi and using that while overseas. Embassy personnel are issued phones and most spouses/adult children get local phone plans. - Dec 2019
Unlocked phone, use local provider and always have extra card refills. - Dec 2018
We use Orange, which is the best service out of all here. Just refill your card, as vendors are all over the streets. - Dec 2018
Bring an unlocked phone and get a local SIM. - Apr 2016
Bring an unlocked cell phone and buy a local SIM card for use. Credits are done by scratch off cards which are sold on literally every street corner. - Aug 2014
Widely available, not necessarily cheap. Network gets quirky at times but is reasonably reliable. - Apr 2014
Bring something simple and buy a $5 SIM card when you get here. Credit can be bought on every street corner and is pretty cheap. The data plans for smart phones are much cheaper than in the US. - Jun 2013
Easy to buy and cheap, as is phone credit. - Mar 2013
An unlocked quad-\ band phone will work fine. Some people were able to get reasonable monthly rates for data plans for smart phones. I think they have 3G. - Oct 2012
Buy a cheap phone on the street and purchase minutes as you need them. You can buy minute cards easily from vendors on every street corner. - Mar 2012
Get one but please don't drive when talking. You can get promotional deals for credit on every corner, as there is always somebody selling you a phone card. - Aug 2011
they are everywhere and pretty cheap. Get a cell that you can put a sim card in. You buy the card there and replenish via cards sold on the street (cell phone card vendors are everywhere). Use Orange - not Tigo. - Jan 2011
Orange and Tigo are the two big carriers. I have add experience with both and prefer Orange. - Feb 2010
Widely used and they work. - Feb 2010
Very used here. Phone cards are sold at any time of the day/night everywhere. Not cheap. Better to get a subscription depending on your usage. - Jan 2010
They work most of the time. - May 2009
