When we got our housing assignment, we asked the person currently living in it about the internet situation. She said she had routers for two wireless companies (Smile and Africell) and that given the location of the house, on the side of a hill, they were both terrible. So when Sean, our social sponsor, a logistics guy, asked if we would be interested in having fiber installed, we said yes, absolutely! The good news was that Simba, the company he had and thought was great, could install here. The bad news was that we couldn't start the process until we got here. So we get here, and Sean gave me the Whatsapp number to officially request fiber installation. They said yes sure, 7-10 days.
We wait. We're using the mi-fi the Embassy lent us when we got here, buying MTN data by the gig, in cash, and I'm hotspotting my Embassy-provided local iPhone for work. It's not a great solution but 7-10 days isn't that long, right?
Well, after two weeks we're annoyed. At Sean's advice I check in with Simba. They say I'm on the list so just be patient.
Ten days later we've refilled the mi-fi and Dustin has a local phone that he's put a bunch of data on (by the gig, in cash). I check in again. Just wait, they say. You're on the list. When are they coming, I ask. Within the week.
Ten days after that, I send another message. They ask for my name and a local contact number, which I give them. I ask when someone will come. 7-10 days. But I've already been waiting four weeks. Oh but now you're registered. I wasn't registered before? No. But you promise that someone will be here in 7-10 days? Yes.
It's been a week. This morning we emailed every other fiber company who might be in the neighborhood (there are three), and whoever shows up is the one we're going with.
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