It’s the year 2018 and you probably assume that wifi is a universal thing. I backpacked through SEA and found WiFi at just about every restaurant and guest house. I have ended my phone service in order to have no bills while I travel. I still have the device but it is only useful when connected to WiFi. I got away with this method without a problem in Europe, but once I got to Africa things changed.
Most places you go are not going to have public WiFi. It’s possible to find it in big cities like Mombasa, Arusha, Dar Es Salaam, Lusaka and Windhoek. The villages are not going to have public wifi and they will also have shotty cell service. Don’t worry though, this does not mean that you have to go completely off the radar while traveling in Africa.
Each country I went to has easily accessible SIM cards and for less than $20 you can usually get a few GB of internet data. These SIM cards are so easy to get ahold of, they are literally sold on the street. You’ll see stands under red umbrellas advertising Airtel, Vodacom, MTN (Uganda and Zambia) or MTC (Namibia). You buy the SIM card for $2 and then your data. Since everybody buys their own data, don’t expect somebody to let you use their phone to look something up. Using your data is of course limited to if you have cell service. Ask the locals which is the best provider for the area you plan to be in.
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 