Dar Es Salaam - 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?
We have a home country plan and local provider. Both are beneficial. - Nov 2022
Get a local sim. They are very cheap. I pay no more than $12 a month for my phone. - Jul 2022
Google Fi works well here. - Jan 2022
They are plentiful. - Oct 2021
I use Google Fi and kept my American number and an Embassy-issued IPhone 8. There's this whole thing now with getting biometrics scanned and having a Tanzanian ID card in order to get a local sim card. I don't think they thought about non-residents like diplomats when they rolled out the program - so - it's complicated. Touch base with IRM prior to arrival. - May 2020
Easy to get, cheap to maintain. - Jun 2017
It's super easy to get a sim card from Airtel, TIGO, Vodacom, or Zantel. I recommend either Airtel or Vodacom. Its like 14 bucks for a decent plan. - Dec 2015
Cell phone service is relatively cheap. You can get a flip-phone type for US$20. For nicer phones, order them on the internet unlocked or there's a guy at Slipway who can unlock them for you. Embassy provides officers with a Blackberry or iPhone (AID) upon arrival. Spouses and kids should probably wait until they're here to make a decision about what phone they need. - Jul 2015
Embassy will issue cell phones. For family members, it's cheap and easy to get a cell phone and buy minutes. - Mar 2014
There are several carriers and they are mostly the same price range. For data packages it gets a bit pricey. - Feb 2013
South Africa Vodacom was there as well as the Indian company Airtel. I recommend Airtel prepaid for phone and data plans with BlackBerry and iPhone. Both worked fine and airtime/data plans were cheap and easy to set up. - Feb 2013
Cell phones are cheap to buy and cheap to operate. Vodacom and Airtel (formerly Zain) are a bit more expensive but have bigger networks. - Aug 2011
Cell phones are common - pay as you go cards are the norm - texting is okay, but calling is really expensive. - Jun 2010
