Cell phone cool

The first time I asked someone for their phone number, the man announced “I am Comium” before proceeding to read out the six digits. I didn’t think much of it until I asked another woman for her number and she said “I’m Africell” Is this brand loyalty? I was told no, it was a pronouncement of your status in society.

Networks vary in Sierra Leone according to how much area they cover and how much money they spend on advertising. Zain, Africell and Comium pretty much help run most of the local newspapers that would capsize without their full page spreads. Which isn’t much because ad rates in Sierra Leone are among the lowest in the world.

But coming back to the brands themselves, every network suggests how deep your pockets are. Comium and Africell have some of the lowest call rates so are considered the most cost effective. Zain on the other hand is the head cheese of phone networks. A (076) prefix means that you’re a somebody. Not only do they have great national coverage but also the best international roaming deals. Again, a subtle way of letting people know that you’re well traveled.

There are other smaller networks which don’t carry much weight. No one wants to be caught dead with a Tigo sim for instance. Most people in Sierra Leone have more than one phone and multiple sim cards because calling between networks in prohibitively expensive. But I think it’s also a social tool, you give out the phone number that you believe will impress the person you’re talking to.

I guess it’s not very different from other parts of the world. I remember a scene from the Sex and the City movie where Carrie freaks out about having a (347) area code in New York. In Mumbai, your phone number immediately categorises you as a yuppie townie or a suburbanite who travels in the crowded local trains.

This is my cursory understanding of the cell phone culture in Sierra Leone. It’s the kind of brand loyalty that Vodafone and Virgin would kill for. By the way, I’m Zain and I think they should sponsor this post.