Dear Safaricom, you are not the best option in mobile broadband in Nairobi

Just the other day, Safaricom m announced that they were to drop the unlimited internet on the basis that it was a loss making venture and unsustainable. Well, this got me thinking of the so called fair usage policy but that’s just before I embarked on this my research, I remembered that they were also doing so to avoid legal issues that might arise from what they are offering just as it has happened to the likes of AT&T who were fined not offering the advertised internet speeds.

Just before I began writing this article, I came across a friend's status update on a social media site that really did echo my sentiments as a consumer. I have been with Safaricom since back in the day when they could charge me KES 50 to make a to another network and that KenCell (Zain) and when data was a gold mine to them. What amuses me is the fact that they find it difficult to put in place infrastructures where they are dully needed just as a way to milk cash from the poor Kenyans.

Let's take a look at the way they have gone about launching the 3G services. I have had a 3G phone enabled phone for more than 6 years and it never serves me right whenever I am in highly populated areas and by saying so I do not mean to disrespect such neighborhoods but just to say that they are never on Safaricom priority. Why do places like the Industrial Area, Westland’s and Up-market areas get the first priority when it comes to the deployment a better version of 3G like the 21.1Mbps or the 42MBps? How come Zain has a citywide 21.1Mbps while Safaricom chooses to stick in the upmarket places or just takes longer to upgrade the whole of Nairobi?

As a customer, theory has it that I am always right especially when there are options. As the saying goes, “the higher the options the lesser the chances of settling”, I chose to keep searching for the truth better option. Since we as a country have more 2 submarine cables, I do believe that we have enough broadband for us not has a KES 160 for daily unlimited internet access. This is a comparison between Safaricom’s KES 200 for one day unlimited internet access as compared to Orange Kenya’s KES 40 shillings a day. What justification does a company have to claim such a big disparity, they might argue that Orange Kenya’s prices are promotional but that seems to work with me given the fact that they are not hell bent to get my money by forcing me into bundles without trying the fare usage policy for the few morons that are violating it if ever existed. The legal argument seems to confirm our fear that they will screw us to the tightest corner and back off just when we are about to kick them in the gut. Well, people, in this time and age you don’t have to suffer in silence and if you need anything just Google to make sure you get value for your money.

The likes of YU have free access to Facebook while Zain and Orange Kenya do not seem to be having plans to scrap unlimited internet access and they have better citywide coverage of 3.75G (talking about Zain). Feel free to find the best option either with a jail broken modem, purchasing a new one from the service provider or better yet just swap the SIM cards and tether and get that value for your money. And finally, did I mention that Airtel Kenya should keep it up with their current mapacha promo? Yes I said it that it is credit and they sure do deserve it.