Things to consider before you buy a USB modem in Tanzania

We all like to stay connected — with friends, family, colleagues, mates etc. Today, and to most of us, the internet has become another “basic need”. Something we can barely live without. Whether you are a blogger, an email holder, a facebook subscriber, a tweeter or just tech admirer, you will need to use the internet at one point or another.

Unlike in the developed world where almost everything is connected to something else through cable (LAN), bluetooth or WIFI; the situation in most African countries is different. In Tanzania, for instance, you can get internet through internet cafés or by owning your own USB modem (wireless internet stick). So far there are five different companies offering the wireless internet option. These are: Vodacom Tanzania, Zain, Zantel, TTCL and Sasatel.

There are practically two things to consider before you go shopping for one of these sticks: 1) Coverage and 2) Price. Some of the mentioned companies cover a smaller geographical area of Tanzania compared to others. As for the price the situation is twofold: price for a modem and price per MB of internet usage.

Vodacom: their modems sell at US$ 60 apiece and, currently, their per MB tariff is the cheapest at TSH 40 (US$ 4 cents) a megabyte. Their service cover almost the entire land area of mainland Tanzania with the exception of some remote rural poaches.

Zain: their USB modem is a bit more expensive compared to Vodacom ones — at US$ 90 apiece. Their per MB tariff is probably the most expensive around. Although Zain boasts great mobile phone signal coverage, some users of their internet portable modems have complained of signal scarcity in areas far away from urban centers.

Zantel: sell their internet service at TSH 50 (US$ 5 cents) — second cheapest after Vodacom. Their USB sets go for US$ 60. Coverage? A glitch — not very good outside the urban centers.

TTCL: Not much is known about their tariffs and price plans because, I guess, they have many plans most of which target corporate users and small businesses. They however are the fastest in terms data transfer and (I would guess, again) they cover a great deal of mainland Tanzania.

Sasatel: relatively cheap both in terms of per MB and modem price but the only killer is that they are only found in Dar es salaam, the national commercial capital.

Good night!