A restriction that ties a phone to a single carrier, which can prevent installing a different eSIM.
A carrier-locked phone, common on devices bought on a contract or installment plan, may refuse to activate an eSIM from a different provider, including a Kenya travel eSIM. Check your phone's lock status with your home carrier before your trip if you bought your phone on a payment plan.
Also known as: sim lock, carrier lock
4G / LTE
The mobile data standard that provides most of Kenya's everyday browsing, streaming, and navigation speeds.
5G
The newest mobile data standard, currently limited mostly to Nairobi and other major Kenyan cities.
Airtel Kenya
Kenya's second-largest mobile network, strong in cities but with materially less rural and national-park coverage than Safaricom.
APN (Access Point Name)
The network gateway settings a phone uses to connect to mobile data — usually automatic, but sometimes needs manual entry.
Coverage Map
A visual representation of where a carrier's network signal reaches, often shown by strength or generation (4G/5G/3G).
Data Roaming
The setting that allows a SIM or eSIM to connect to mobile data while outside its home network's coverage area.