What is the best cell carrier for me?

u can used ,.
safaricom ( for local ) + internet for out side = ( Skype is more convenient ,. for send SMS or speak to other countries and more sheap ¡ ,. if u contrat you have u Skype number no problem at all ) ,.
[ u need a good smart phone for that ]
sawa sawa

Jambo,

@Jerry,
when i am in Kenya i use for telephone and Internet Orange because its a little cheaper as Safaricom.
But Safaricom is the mostly Provider.

Greatings Gerald

hi jmagill,the best cell would be safaricom its very efficient and most common here in kenya.

Thank you Frederick. When I first started asking people in Kenya about cell carriers, they said the top 2 were safaricom and orange.  But since I been asking what carrier does each person use personally, i have only found 1 who uses Orange. I'm not just talking about this forum.  I have talked to 5 or 6 others who I am in contact with in Kenya.  So this is not a scientific survey by any means.  haha.  But are there any Orange users that want to add anthing here?
Jerry

Jerry
Try Airtel.
Thats because if you are going prepaid, then their vouchers are ubiquitous.
And if your are travelling across Africa, roaming (although a limit, but it big enough) is free. Especially east Africa.

And you are not going to be using data, which makes it easier, because I find their connections slow.
Pradeep

I think by ubiquitous, you mean they cover all networks? And i don't have to choose to either pay more in Tanzania and Uganda for roaming or get a separate sim in those 2 countries?  And neither safaricom nor Orange do the same?  Sounds great. 
Would you consider the reliability of Airtel to be tantamount to safaricom Pradeep? 
Jerry

Jerry,
By ubiquitous I mean that their prepaid top-ups (vouchers) are easily available across East Africa (Kenya included).
On your second question, yes you do not have to pay more if travelling across Tanzania or Uganda on an Airtel Kenya SIM.

In these 3 countries, I would peg Airtel's network coverage at about the same as Safaricom (barring a 5% drop in coverage in Kenya, but that should not bother you as it would happen in remote countryside situations).

Cheers
Pradeep

Pradeep, is a voucher the prepaid cards with which one would buy a load of various ksh amounts?  Or is it what in some asian countries what is called a bundle - a special package. 

Like a special package I would hope to find is one offering unlimted texting on all networks.  They usually are good for 24 or 48 hours.

Jerry,
The voucher I am referring to is the prepaid voucher for talktime, sms messages, etc.
But yes you do get prepaid voucher bundles specially for texting (for a limited periods). Though I am not sure if they have an unlimited one on offer.

Let me check today when I top-up mine. Will let you know.

Thanks,
Pradeep