You know that feeling when you stumble upon a hidden gem in a place you least expect? That’s exactly what happened to me with Airtel’s My Airtel app the other day.
See, I’ve been a loyal Safaricom user for nearly 20 years, and let’s be honest—most of us Kenyans grew up on Bamba 20, Please Call Me, and those “No service” struggles in rural areas. It’s a long relationship, but recently, Airtel Kenya has been catching my attention… and now it’s doing more than just flirting with low data prices.
While casually exploring the My Airtel app, I stumbled upon something that genuinely impressed me. Hidden inside the menu is a little gem called “Check Network Coverage”—and let me tell you, it’s nothing like the vague maps you’re used to.
What Makes This Feature So Special?
Once you tap on “Check Network Coverage” and enter a location, the app pulls up a live map showing Airtel’s tower coverage—yes, actual booster locations. You can filter your search results to 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G. You’ll see clear tower icons along your route or in your area, and the magic happens when you realize that 5G towers are marked with a special icon, so you immediately know where the ultrafast signal lives.
Take a look at this screenshot I took from Chavakali in Maragoli, Vihiga County. You can actually see a red 5G booster planted on the map. It’s accurate, it’s real-time, and it’s incredibly useful. For some reason, there’s no similar indicators for 4G towers.
Whether you’re moving house, visiting shosh upcountry, or wondering why your speeds are crawling—it gives you the clarity you didn’t know you needed.
Of course, I had to check if MySafaricom app offered the same thing. I mean, they’re the market leader, right? Surely they’d have an even more powerful tool? Well… not quite.
Despite digging through every tab, button, and section in the MySafaricom app, I couldn’t find anything that comes close. There’s no interactive tower map, no 5G booster indicators, and certainly nothing that shows you what signal to expect in specific areas. Sure, Safaricom has a 5G network coverage page buried deep on their website, but it’s just names of places and estates—you can’t even see where the boosters are.
How to Access Airtel’s Network Coverage Tool
Want to try it for yourself? It’s simple:
- Open the My Airtel app on Android or iPhone.
- Tap the menu icon (≡) in the bottom right corner.
- Select “Check Network Coverage.”
- Type your area (e.g., “Chavakali, Kenya”) into the search bar and select the right location from the list.
- Zoom in on the map to see towers—5G ones are marked in red with a signal icon, while 2G/3G/4G are standard red towers.
This tool may not be the flashiest feature in the My Airtel app, but it’s quietly brilliant. For the first time, I feel like a telco is pulling back the curtain and saying, “Here’s where our boosters actually are—go see for yourself.” And that transparency? It’s winning me over. Fast.
Safaricom may still have better coverage in some rural zones, but features like this—combined with Airtel’s lower prices—make the full switch tempting. Especially if you’re tired of guessing where the nearest mast is.
So hey, maybe it’s time to stop being loyal to your SIM card… and start being loyal to your experience.
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