When I saw this prompt, the first thing I did was go to my gallery to check a particular photo to get the date I switched to the network I'm currently using, which is the AIRTEL network.
Before then (exactly March 2025), I was using the MTN network, which was good for me—especially with the fact that it had my favourite data subscription plan, and the network was also reliable. But what made me switch to Airtel that particular day was because the data plan I was using was removed. I waited for them to reinstall it, but it wasn’t forthcoming. I couldn't continue with the exorbitantly high cost of data, so I switched to Airtel, which had the preferred data plan, though with a slight adjustment, but it was manageable.
Then, something happened
When I started using the AIRTEL network solely for browsing, I noticed that it was far better than the MTN I was using before, with regard to speed. I was shocked because I had an Airtel line before that I didn’t use until they blocked it. I didn’t use it because I thought—or believed—that MTN was better in my area.
That said, just a few weeks after I started using the AIRTEL network, the MTN network in my street crashed. There was no 5G, 4G, not even 3G. It only had 2G, which is the EDGE (E) network. I got to know about that when my brother started lamenting and constantly begging me to share my network with him via hotspot connection.
Just like a joke, this issue lasted for a month or a little over a month before it was resolved. I have been wondering how I would have survived it if I hadn’t switched to Airtel before that saga. I know I would have eventually bought an Airtel SIM card in the process, but what about the exact night the issue started? How would I have survived the “E” network, which is as good as “no network”?
Switching to the Airtel network has been the best decision for me. The fact that it has the data plan I use often makes it more reliable for me. The only bad side of it is that I don't get bonuses like I used to whenever I recharged on MTN. But that’s fine too because I don’t use the AIRTEL network for calls; I only use it for data. However, it would have made more sense if there were bonuses, because there are times when one makes ‘unnecessary’ calls, and such bonuses would be suitable for those moments. That’s how I see it.
Currently, I have three networks: MTN, Airtel, and Glo. Telecommunication can misbehave at any time, and for someone who is always doing one thing or the other online, I don’t want to be caught off guard.
I know there will be a day when this Airtel I’m currently using will misbehave. Whenever that happens, I’m going to switch to Glo. Maybe I might find out that the network is better than the other two, and I would start using it permanently.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to smp-w16 prompt.
Photos used are mine (screenshots from my apps)
