I have had a few problems with my ISP at home Africa Online so I decided to venture into the world of more mobile internet with Safaricom’s new Hot Spot/Broadband, powered by 3G. I will not use scientifically tried methods but will run you through my experience with it over the past two months I have enjoyed their services. One thing though, activation is something not for the faint of heart. I had to strenuously call the customer care service on 200 [post paid] fervently for a running seven days to get connected and a further two days to get online with the now activated sim card and postpaid account I had signed up for on contract.
Post-paid: [monthly rates]
700 MB @ Kshs 1,999
2 GB @ Kshs 3,999
5 GB @ Kshs 6,999
8 GB @ Kshs 10,000
30 GB @ Kshs 30,000Pre-Paid: [monthly rates]
300 MB @ Kshs 999
700 MB @ Kshs 1,999
1 GB @ Kshs 2,499Single user: [portable]
Huawei E220 USB modem @ 5,999Routers: [SOHO]
Huawei E960 or SonyEricsson W25 retailing at Kshs 35,000
I am using this product with the Huawei E220 USB modem which is capable of speeds reaching 7.2 Mbps, in other words lots of GBs can be yanked off the internet and onto your hard disk quite fast, users of 10 Mbps local area networks have been known to mention that it is quite fast, the Safaricom product has so far been able to clock a noteworthy 2.5 Mbps speed which i have never been able to get my grimy mitts on at such an asking price. Basically I have been able to watch realtime video on websites such as YouTube at which buffers faster than I can watch even while loading several videos at the same time.
I like the E220 since it is quite easy to use. A plug and play USB modem which comes with a short and a long cable, I recommend the long one for better signal reception, it has logging for data usage in built, unfortunately this data is only available from the windows interface, the Mac interface is entirely useless past the connection. Plug the modem into any computer with a USB interface and the software, on the modem self installs and you are online in mere minutes.
It has been quite brilliant with video and audio chat with Skype, Yahoo, MSN and provides the coup de gracie when you use iChat [Mac os X native] with AIM users[Windows] with crisp realtime video and audio with no lag, at least that I can discern that is. The only problem with this kind of application is that it can chew through your monthly download cap in a very short time hence you need to throttle down the bandwidth usage by reducing the quality of the video you are streaming.
I have been able to keep a connection open in Industrial Area, where my offices are located and at home for over twelve hours at a stretch and only logged out when I had to turn off the laptop or put it to sleep. I have noticed a slight but hardly noticeable degradation in service at peak times, and the worst being at 11:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. when the free call service kicks in and the network is overwhelmed.
The 3G signal is also prone to wild fluctuations and I advice users who intend to use it in weak signal areas to lock the device in 3G mode to avoid the connection being dropped whenever there is a signal fluctuation. Safaricom needs to boost their 3G signal since wherever I have used it I can only register a signal of 3 bars and that is at times only late at night yet I live about 100 meters from a Base-station.
There have been a couple network outages over the two months leaving me with no service for periods of about half an hour at times though not excessive, should be checked in the future. In locations without a good 3G signal EDGE has provided adequate speed to keep me from pulling my hair out and after the speeds on 3G you tend to get spoiled by instant load pages and having to slow to EDGE induces a number of unprintable thoughts though. The regions covered are most of greater Nairobi and parts of Mombasa at the time of publishing, I most certainly hope that they shall roll out in the rest of the country soon so that I can have the same brilliant speeds I have in Nairobi when seated on my grandmother’s porch when I go visit her in the village! I can dream can’t I?
Further information available here.
Shiko-Msa
savvy
val
Miss Cheri
Mushki
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(((still fighting to translate ksh to UgX))
This looks good, unfortunately the offer was rolled out just after I bought my 2G thing. When I’m done depreciating it in my mind, I just might switch over to 3 G
well, the rates are actually good, maybe after i leave campus, meanwhile, am sticking with my wires..
I’ve always been a crooner for Celtel, rather Zain, as opposed to any Safcom service. I suppose you either have very deep pockets, or you are not a downloader. How long does it take you to max out your bundle? I’ve just hooked up a modem from Zain and will send you an update of my experience using the unlimited account.
Its rather sad that 2 months down the after their 3g launch, safcom are still the only *real* broadband offering in the market. I’d expected that by now we would have had some sort of response from the isps ama they’re not yet shedding customers in droves yet?
How did you get the mobile connect app on your mac? Did it come on the modem? On mine, I had to get a huawei e220 modem script for the thing to work.
Dont rush to get it if you dont have it yet. Not that it aint good. Remember Blackberry? On launch it was doing KES19999 and not you can get the same for much much less. I remember last year I was shopping for a 21inch Slim Fit TV and at the time, it was doing about KES20,999. Its not at KES14999! Dont rush, it will come down
I comfortably use the Celtel (now Zain) unlimited internet service.
Suffericom can not be trusted with delivering consistently good service. Right now, they are offering that 3G internet offering as a monopoly – no wonder they have no unlimited bundle (they copied Vodacom in SA on the bundles).
All the same, Telkom will soon be in the mix and hopefully Econet Wireless. I’ll then consider 3G.
So far so good with my Zain Unlimited internet connection for only Ksh 3000 per month.
Cheers!
Mine is just a request. I’ve not seen the Safaricom broadband modem. If you don’t mind would you please send me a picture so that I can buy one for my final project?
Can Somebody help me on this please.I bought the safcoms 3g huawei modem for about KES11k somedays ago and i have been browsing till juzi when the thing suddenly could not work.Everytime i tried to open an url page,it brings the message the page cannot be displayed.Despite having topped up,it still canot work.Have tried talking to their customer care guys(after numerous trials ofcourse) who unfortunately dont seem to know the operations of this modem but to no vail.I checked the balance by sending an sms to 450 and it replied saying i have 0MB.
What can be the cause and how can i regain the MB?
boniface. what bundle did you sign up for? the information you have provided is scanty. customer care should be able to assist you since they have all the information regarding your account on their servers.
have you tried your regular data enabled sim card on the device? probably is a configuration issue on your side. an update of the firmware from the safaricom website might also clear the problem.
Hi Eleet,
thanx for prompt reply.i was not informed but having checked on the those bundles i think am on the 300mb prepaid cuz i paid 11k for modem and registration(modem kshs.9999 and kshs.999 registration).Ok i did speak with one customer care guys and he told me he will forwad my problem to their data analyst.I got a message the following day to go to their nearest customer care centre of which on saturday 30/aug. i went to msa Rex House(by the way am in malindi).When in msa it worked well in their laptop but upon trying to use it on my pc back in malindi,it had the same problem.what does the monthly rates for different bundles 300mb,700mb etc mean?Does it mean that once you have exhausted your mb, you cant continue using it despite topping up?
regards.
it should be possible to reload and then reactivate. its a certain number you text to after reloading and it should work.
as for the settings try uninstalling the safaricom application and re-installing again after a restart. remember to unplug the modem before uninstalling.
Eleet, is Malindi covered? I dont know how far they have expanded
i do not know about the reach for mombasa 3G. Nairobi and its environs is pretty much covered.
wow, your review makes it seem great. could you please answer me a few questions on this thread so i decide whether i am buying it:
1. Do pages load fully, including pictures. and are you frequently told ‘browser cannot find the server
2. Please just confirm for me that you can actually stream youtube vids without them stalling, and does this apply for most standard definition web video
3. At peak times, can you still stream youtube videos without them stalling, or do they only stall a little
4. how fast are the real download speeds e.g when downloading via limewire. does it eclipse 40kb/s which i would be more then happy with. does the speed change greatly during peak times.
please, please reply, i’ll check this page everyday
@David –
1. They do, better if signal is more than one bar, 3G mode. EDGE is rubbish. At times connection locks up for no reason but recovers and continues browsing. I use it on OS X though not windows. The error may show up on occasion as is the case with all service providers.
2. Definitely even more than two videos at a time, at standard resolution, i have not tried HD video. Takes about 3 seconds before they start playing though, perhaps something to do with latency, negotiating a connection with youtube or whatever servers.
3. They shall stream at speeds up to 50KB/s at peak hours and evenings and odd times of the day and mostly after 11pm you can clock upto 300KB/s, i live in kileleshwa area and about half a KM from a mast though 3G signal in some rooms in the house is non existent, that being a disadvantage. at peak the videos can stall but a pause of about a minute and you shall continue uninterrupted, not sure if its the local speeds or the service servers being busy at the time.
4. I have not downloaded via limewire or any download accelerator. I have not found need to since the browser [i use safari] downloads at the fastest speed that the line allows at the time mostly over 200KB/s. Uploads are not as quick but very very respectable at a max of 60KB/s so far.
These speeds have not in the past two months decreased that i have noticed, and i have not experienced much downtime, but be warned, getting the connection to work the first time will involve a lot of talking to Safaricom customer care and it may be a week before you get browsing after completing payment. Activation is a headache. These speeds are going to decrease with more users getting onto the service as time goes by unless Safaricom endeavour to increase bandwidth as more clients sign up.
Telkom are promising a new faster connection. You could hang on for about a month and see what they have to offer before getting the Safaricom connection.
@David –
that is the result of a test i did a few minutes ago.
many thanks man, i’m also a mac user. i think youve pretty much convinced me. the bandwidth cap is terrible, barely allows you download anything big. but my main interest is web video. i have another connection (much much slower) for downloads since it’s uncapped. do you know approximately how many MBs are used watching a 6 minute standard quality youtube video? plus the charge of 12 ksh per extra MB is absolutely ridiculous. i also fully agree that hopefully safcom will buy more international bandwidth as the service becomes more subscribed. this service will be great when the fiber is here.
My main prob is still the download cap. I simply cannot sign up for even the fastest connection so long as there is a limit to what I can download. Imagine a guy who downloads over 5 TED talks and over 20 BBC podcasts every week!
I would rather download and watch videos later, at my convenience. For this, I use the Orbit Downloader. So far, I can recommend it over DAP, IDM, … even FDM . Orbit is fast, lightweight, no adware and even has anti-leeching technology. And did I say it’s amazingly fast?
The Telkom EVDO service would ideally be my best option, since I simply cannot be duped by Safaricom’s 3G. See EVDO details and benchmarks here: http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/37/61/
I hope Zain roll out their 3G real soon, and go countrywide faster than Safcon. An unlimited bundle is welcome any day.
bambanet , i have poblems using it n it does not connet to internet im usin hpdv2000 xp duocore but ti doesnt wok n safaricom outlets jus dnt help!!!!!!!1 any one to help me please
thanks for the detailed information.Some of us are being helped tremendously by the outpouring of information and comments in this blog!may just prove useful in helping us decide on what service to adopt!
@Nairobian Perspective – Trying to be as objective as possible.
To all: Does someone have a Zuku installation story they would like to share? A testimonial to contradict mine? My contacts are up there somewhere. Click on the CONTACTS tab and hola!
Thanks for all the helpful info – silly me, came back to Kenya after a year, and thought Safcom was the only provider for fast internet – bought it and was disappointed by day – but at night it’s as fast as my net in UK! WOW!
BUT I have developed an interest in MMORPGs while in the UK – would love to know if anyone has used other providers on a MMORPG – I tried with Safcom, but my current laptop, with its useless INTEGRATED graphics card as well as lowest-of-low processor, may be the reason for its slowness (dont worry, I’m getting a better one in a month!)…
Looking forward to see how these comments progress – and again, wonderful article!
Mel, you cant compare connections in the UK and Kenya. Atleast not now. UK is well covered with fiber optic while we are yest to have the connection here. Ndemo says this should be done by Sep/Oct coming year. Till then, the 3G will remain ‘expensive’ and abit sluggish. Thereafter, we can complain if it acts ’slow mo’
I have been using Safcon 3G product.. i think its a big plus in our market. I used 1.2GB the first month (normal browsing, updates, software downloads, chatting, skype calls, youtube..) no big downloads.. Upgraded to the 2GB option so that i can use i can download stuff, better., and cheaper for my lifestyle (am a comp nerd)
As for the speeds, I am very happy, quite content.. The other day i was skyping on it, and the party on the other side (in Germany) was surprised that VOIP can be that good in Kenya.. no difference in local sites and international sites..
When i use it to connect to a VPN, sometimes it breaks the connection, sometimes it becomes slow. All the same, i think its better than anything we have. I like the mobility, can carry it from Home to Office, to clients, e.t.c. i get 1 bar which keeps on going and coming back most times, but in such times, i say – hey this is safcon.
Would recommend this to anyone who needs a good experience.
CONS: The first time i tried to set it up – it dint work. changed laptops, settings, even SIM cards.. nothing. Must have been the modem that was faulty, coz when i got a new one, setup was fast, no problems at all.
I would appreciate if the guys from safcom could be offering unlimited plans like Zain’s Ksh 3000/= per month plan. just thatthe Zain’s s never fast enough. Hope this will change soon with Zain, maybe start rolling out 3G networks, we need more bandwidth. Fast internet is no luxury anymore, it makes people more productive.
Keep up tha good work eleet.
Would just like to add that I was able to join and play an MMORPG two days ago, and have not had any major problems since… ZERO lag, unless there is a whole crowd, and even then, the lag is not noticeable. Net seems to be faster than it used to be, especially Sato nights.. though those Sato nights are still considerably slower than other nights…
I seriously love Safcom right now, even their Jibambie thing is saving me LOADS per week… Unfortunately Safcom never sticks with their best plans – they always make another “scheme/action” – so let’s see….
Guys, I know somebody who is selling this 3G huawei modem now at Ksh 2,500.00. What’s more it comes with 1Gb “units”! At these prices now, like eleet says, Safcom will seriously need to increase bandwidth.
Is anyone using safcom for a cyber cafe?which one and how is it?
Kizo cybers use fixed rate connections like ADSL. It wouldnt make economical sense to run a cyber using the broadband connections which are charged per MB and not per minute. With cybers u hav no control over the content size n there it wud be very very expensive if u used safcom, orange or zuku. As of orange’s connection, i hav had it n it sucks big time. lots of down time n its snail-ish compared to safcom
Hey there…i loved the article on safaricom’s 3G modem n its amazing speeds. Only thing i hate about this service is the fact that they have no unlimited bundle.
So for a hardcore p2p lover like me this spells trouble as i can max out 2gigz of data in a day or 2 on such speeds!
Also the formerly pricey 3G modems have dropped down..with the right connections as of now u can get one for only 2500/=
But lets not be in a hurry..lets all wait for the undersea optic cable to land in kenya sometime mid this year. Maybe then prices on broadband services will drop down dramatically.
What pains me most is the fact that a friend of mine in Butte, Montana US only pays $40/month (approximately ksh 3200/=) for a 15Mbps unlimited cable broadband! Now that to me would be pure heaven!
Hello guys,can you please assist me in knowing how i can pick a call using this safcom modame.Imagine i know only how send a message.
I have a macbook laptop and a Safariom Huawei modem. I find my connection, although fast, always cuts off after a few minutes with a message: connection terminated from remote site. I have to reconnect and even then will either get no signal or be cut off after a few minutes again! The connection lasts longer at night. The safaricom interface for a mac does not indicate 3G or EDGE and my queries to the Safaricom helpdesk are met with confusion. Does
anyone have any tricks for using the mac OS X system with the safaricom modem so that I can get the great service PC users seem to have? Note:My safaricom mobile signal is ALWAYS good from the same premises
All suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks
@BONNIE –
Well the safcom modem does not come with the feature of placing and receiving a call from your PC through it.
I’ve used the post-paid bambanet service on and off since October 06 and I it has been a massive disappointment:
1. Inconsistent signal. It can go off for an entire day and no amount of calls to their support staff can sort you out. They’ll call you back after 48 hours or not at all. Meanwhile you are still charged
2. Numerous times you need to reset the modem as the signal keeps dropping.
3. Billing that is at best suspicious and at worst fraudulent. You’ll get massive bills demanding payment for data you can be sure you did not download.
4. Calendar month billing even when you are barred. Even when they disconnect you for non-payment they keep the bill running and you can end up paying for services you never used.
I’d recommend Zain’s Uhurunet (Access) service for anyone interested in GPRS internet services
I didnt have such problems Startup. Again, its been almost one year since broadband. Upgrade
@Peter Njenga –
what do you mean by..they copied Vodacom in SA on the bundles.
if you offer something that already in market in onther country is that copying?
I love safaricom broadband modem and safaricom 3G.
I am from superiorfone communications and we are safaricom hotspot partners, so we distribute the modems. This safaricom modem E220 is the best if you need good internet then the bundles depends on your usage, like the ones that we are selling they have 300mb free usages so you compare with that from what you can use. for more information and enquiries or questions email me at abunjoniom@yahoo.com It goes for 5,999/= only with 300mb free and we will provide after sale services like installation, training and more
I have sampled all the data modems offered Zain,Orange and Safaricom.
I must say that internet connection on 3G Platform is excellent and currently Safaricom is the Pioneer of that technology in Kenya and they are rolling the service to the entire country(Currently they are on Western Region Kisumu and Eldored is being covered).
From my knowledge (I stand corrected) 3G technology (leave alone 4G) is very expensive to implement and one can not sacrifice “bursting speeds” for unlimited usage.
High speeds calls for more costs or capped usage(Safaricom/Orange data bundles).The same rule applies to all GSM providers.You can get “unlimited usage” but at “crawling speeds/EDGE connections”.
Safaricom modems don’t have provisions of placing voice calls while surfing.
This is to lock you in data channels and prevent interference from voice channels which would otherwise interfere with the data connection.You can use VOIP. Skype works well on 3G Connection.
……”Oh don’t buy the cough syrup yet..just wait,the body will develope a mechanism to heal itself…….”
…………………….OR……………………………..
The year is 2000: Don’t buy the cell phone (NOKIA 3310 @ Ksh.14500)..lets just wait for 9 years and buy it at Ksh.3000.
………………….OR………………………………
I dont have to wait till September for Monsoon winds to sail me to India on a yatch.Yet I can I can “jet”
DO IT NOW WITH BLACKBERRY.
@Benochali –
what the hell are you talking aboout?
@blahhh-I was responding to people who believe that they dont have to initially buy gadgets(Modems/blackberrys/Plasma T.Vs) simply because their prices will fall in the near future.
@Boniface –
check on your Internet Explorer config:
from your browser go to >>tools>>internet options>>connections>>
select never dial a connection.
proceed to LAN settings and select “Automatically detect settings
you are ready to surf
if problem persists just check in to the customer service center ie I&M on kenyatta avenue and ask for retail technical managers who are well informed on data issues
cheerz