Abuja - 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?
Home-country plans don't make sense here unless you want to pay outrageous roaming fees. Local providers are fine and offer mobile internet as well. You can get sim-cards and top up your plan at the commissary. - Sep 2019
Just get a phone in the country. Carriers from outside the country don't even register the signal. - Feb 2019
The embassy will provide employees with phones. Most people either use MTN or 9mobile. All are cheap and reliable. Many people use What's App. - Apr 2018
Bring an unlocked phone and use a local SIM. Costs are very reasonable. - Apr 2017
Local is the way to go, but they require a passport and a photo and fingerprints. This is to prevent money laundering, or so they say. - Jun 2016
Bring an unlocked smartphone and use Etisalat - reasonable pricing, reception, and service. - Aug 2015
Mission issues phone to the employee. EFM will have to find their own. Like the internet, there are several providers that have a "pay as you go" plan. There vendors everywhere to buy the pre-paid cards - Jun 2015
Embassy supplies one to those who work there but spouses need their own. Service varies according to where you live. - Nov 2014
Buy a cheap unlocked phone and buy a local SIM card. Most folks have two phones, one each with a different carrier. So when one serve is out, you have another one to use. Employees will get a phone and a radio issued by Mission. - Aug 2014
Bring an unlocked phone or buy one here cheaply. Local sim cards and recharges are easy and not expensive. - May 2014
Anything you can put a SIM card into will work. The vast majority of people get a SIM and load it with prepaid minutes. You can do data like that, too. There is 3G. I hesitate to recommend a particular provider because they all go down for hours or even days at the time on a regular basis, or only get decent reception in certain parts of the city. Most Nigerians carry 2-3 phones. - May 2013
I had a phone assigned by the embassy; no experience using the local prepaid SIM cards. - Jun 2009
The reception quality is not very good, and the service is occassionally down no matter which provider you use. There's also no voicemail on cell phones here. - Sep 2008
They are fairly cheap, and plentiful. Service is terrible -- it's almost impossible to complete a call and be able to have a conversation -- so EVERYONE sends text messages here. I've even used them for initial contacts to high government officials, which would be unthinkable elsewhere. - Aug 2008
Get one. MTN is the major carrier here. - Jul 2008
