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How to phone Kenya?

Going to Kenya for a month - is there a way to get a prepaid phone to send texts back home?

  • Hi all! I'm going to be outside of Nairobi, Kenya for a little more than a month beginning in May. I really need to have a phone that is able to send text messages to my friends and family back home in the US! Right now I'm with Verizon, but I figured the roaming rates would be crazy. I would prefer to have an American phone number since most of the people I'll be texting don't have international on their plans. Does anyone know of a company that provides CHEAP texting (it would be great to have unlimited, but I'll make due with whatever) with coverage in Kenya? I have heard of Safaricom but I don't think they would be able to give me a US phone number.

  • Answer:

    Cakes4Africa is right. Try Next2.us (http://hungrygarden.typepad.com) for true text messaging between Kenya and the United States using any mobile phone that provides for text messaging. The Next2.us service is true phone-to-phone SMS text messaging and not sending a text message from computer to phone. You will be able to send and receive text messages on your mobile phone and use an in-country short code (no expensive international calls) to send your text messages. Users first register with the Next2.us SMS service by sending a text message to the country short code. Then users can exchange text messages with any other user that is registered with Next2.us. (You send messages to another users's Next2.us name rather then a user's mobile phone number.) Their is NO cost to send and receive text messages in the USA (free). The cost to send a text message in Kenya is KSH 5 (about 5 cents). It is free to receive text messages, In Kenya obtain an inexpensive low-end handset and then text Next2.us Kenya short code to register your mobile phone number and to start texting with your friends and family in the USA and Kenya. (They will have to register their mobile phones with Next2.us by sending a text message to the USA short code.). Next2.us SMS service provides a number of other interesting services too.

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When u get to kenya ask a Taxi driver to take u to a nearest Safari-com Customer care shop. U will buy a new phone so many cheap phones like $20 to 30 and it will provide u withe a cheap and u will also buy a recharging voucher at the same place . Its called credit. Safari-com is the most used telecominication service in Kenya and its cheap to send text. All u will have to do is to add your numbers into a new phone +1 US Cord and the number .

Fifi

Hello...well I do have family in the US and even without a US phone number we are able to make calls and send texts at affordable rates. You can have a contract either safaricom or airtel for the month you will be here and be able to communicate with your family back home....hope this helps :|

Emily

cakes4southafrica

Safaricom or Airtel offer really good options. They are wide spread and dependable. Check out www.eadestination.com to learn a lot more. It is a great site and a great magazine for those interested in Africa. Cheers.

brennen

No need for using an American Roaming Service, come to Kenya and get hooked up with A Safaricom or Airtel Line, rally cheap to call USA

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