French in Senegal

Using the Telephone

The telephone is considered something of a luxury. In Dakar, it is not uncommon for every household to have a phone, but, when one moves out into the suburbs, it is more likely that only one out of two families will have a telephone. In the farming villages, phones are not necessary to the inhabitants; however, there will always be a pay phone or one household that has several telephones that are metered and available for use.

The use of the cell phone is clearly popular among tourists, young Senegalese, and business people, but it is still not used as much as in some other countries. Generally, one operates cell phones with phone cards rather than having long-distance plans.