Lagos - 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?
GoogleFi works well. - Mar 2024
Sim cards are cheap, just bring an unlocked phone. - Aug 2020
Local sim cards are cheap, bring a phone from the US. A lot of employees have Google Fi which works fine here. - Jul 2020
Google Fi is great, particularly if you have a dual-SIM phone. Get a local phone number quickly. It's cheap and will make your life much more simple. I used 9-Mobile and topped off data via purchase at the GQ. - Jun 2019
Local provider or Google Voice. There are 4 main networks in Nigeria, and they all frequently go down for minutes to hours at a time. Some locals have different phones with different networks to avoid this problem. The Consulate gives all USG direct hires a phone; most are getting iPhones now. - Mar 2018
The Consulate provides family members and non-essential staff with a basic phone with some time loaded onto it. Direct hires can get a smart phone but new management has deemed that a waste. - May 2016
MTN, provided they don't get closed down by the government through fines, is everywhere. Cheap cards are everywhere. - Nov 2015
Bring an unlocked GSM phone and buy charge cards on the street. Black market GSM phones are good (available online), as are phones from Cingular and T-Mobile. If your GSM phone is locked, a Nigerian guy on the corner can unlock it for a fee. Verizon phones are useless, as they are not GSM. - Dec 2011
Must have for emergencies and general communication as land-lines are not as common or reliable. Buy an all-band phone when you get here, for all family members old enough to use one. Use pre-paid cards; widely available. - Sep 2008
Buy one when you first arrive, MTN, or GLO, the most popular. After I started working, I used that cell for all calls. - May 2008
