https://shkspr.mobi/blog Regular nonsense about tech and its effects 🙃 Thu, 07 Aug 2025 08:01:02 +0000 en-GB © Terence Eden. 🄯 CC BY-SA. See https://shkspr.mobi/blog/copyright-and-copyleft/ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/cropped-avatar-32x32.jpeg https://shkspr.mobi/blog 32 32 https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/08/roaming-costs-in-africa/ https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/08/roaming-costs-in-africa/#comments Sun, 07 Aug 2011 07:31:59 +0000 http://shkspr.mobi/blog/?p=4261 <p>As I've mentioned, <a href="/blog/index.php/2011/07/africa/">I'm off to Africa</a>.</p> <p>I was wondering what the rates are going to be for roaming. I could get a local SIM - but as I'm only there for a few days, it seems a bit pointless - no one will have the number &amp; I'll lose any credit at the end of the trip.</p> <p>So, how do the various roaming SIMs stack up against my Vodafone SIM?</p> <p><img src="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/truphone-logo.png" alt="" title="truphone-logo" width="214" height="63" class="size-full wp-image-4311"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110627190458/http://www.truphone.com/en-GB/Products/Tru-SIM/Rate-Checker/">TruPhone's list of prices</a> is very simple</p> <table> <tbody><tr> <th>Country</th> <th>Make a call</th> <th>Receiving a call</th> <th>Send a text</th> <th>Data</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Kenya, Nigeria,<br> South Africa</td> <td>120p a min</td> <td>78p a min</td> <td>36p</td> <td>600p per MB</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><a href="http://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/edent"><img src="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/giffgaff_002.gif" alt="" title="giffgaff_002" width="193" height="70" class="size-full wp-image-4312"></a> <a href="http://giffgaff.com/index/pricing">GiffGaff's list of prices</a> now include data roaming. Again, a simple tariff.</p> <table> <tbody><tr> <th>Country</th> <th>Make a call</th> <th>Receiving a call</th> <th>Send a text</th> <th>Data</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Kenya, Nigeria,<br> South Africa</td> <td>100p a min</td> <td>100p a min</td> <td>30p</td> <td>500p per MB</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><img src="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/maxroam-logo.png" alt="" title="maxroam logo" width="263" height="86" class="size-full wp-image-4313"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140409032006/https://www.maxroam.com/Info/Rates.aspx?cur=GBP">MaxRoam's prices</a> are slightly more complicated</p> <table> <tbody><tr> <th>Country</th> <th>Make a call</th> <th>Receiving a call</th> <th>Send a text</th> <th>Data</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Kenya</td> <td>351p a min</td> <td>140p a min</td> <td>43p</td> <td>780p per MB</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Nigeria &amp; South Africa</td> <td>263p a min</td> <td>140p a min</td> <td>43p</td> <td>780p per MB</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><img src="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Vodafone-logo-lead1_thumb160.jpg" alt="" title="Vodafone logo lead1_thumb160" width="159" height="42" class="size-full wp-image-4315"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110805123223/http://www.vodafone.co.uk/personal/price-plans/managing-my-costs/travelling-abroad/index.htm">Vodafone's price plans for roaming</a> are very competitive.</p> <table> <tbody><tr> <th>Country</th> <th class="first">Make a call</th> <th>Receiving a call</th> <th>Send a text</th> <th>Data</th> </tr> <tr> <td>South Africa</td> <td>80p a min</td> <td>75p a min</td> <td>35p</td> <td>500p a day for 25MB</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Kenya and Nigeria</td> <td>165p a min</td> <td>130p a min</td> <td>35p</td> <td>500p a day for 25MB</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h2 id="conclusion"><a href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/08/roaming-costs-in-africa/#conclusion">Conclusion</a></h2> <p>Stone the crows! It looks like my domestic Vodafone SIM might just be the cheapest way to roam in Africa!</p> <p>MaxRoam has some really innovative features - but the costs are insanely high.</p> <p>TruSIM is good in UK, USA, and Australia, but not so good elsewhere. While the rates are marginally cheaper in Kenya and Nigeria, the data costs really are prohibitive.</p> <p>The new MVNO <a href="http://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/edent">GiffGaff</a> has some great prices - and the cheapest SMS price.</p> <p>But, overall, it has to be Vodafone. Not least because of the pricing model for data. A fiver for 25MB is much more generous than the other providers - and using email or GTalk will be much cheaper than SMS. While the costs are marginally higher in Kenya and Nigeria - I'll be spending the majority of my time in South Africa. Crucially, I get to keep my number - so I'm not out of contact.</p> <p>Have I missed something? Are there any better roaming deals?</p> <img src="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/themes/edent-wordpress-theme/info/okgo.php?ID=4261&amp;HTTP_REFERER=RSS" alt="" width="1" height="1" loading="eager"> https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2011/08/roaming-costs-in-africa/feed/ 3