Shaka Mobile was a US prepaid phone service with voice plans and mobile money transfers, aimed at African immigrants. Wikipedia lists it as a defunct brand that ran on Sprint. Its last dated mention we found is a 2012 trademark record. No official shutdown date was found.
Shaka Mobile appears to be shut down
Wikipedia lists Shaka Mobile in its table of defunct, merged and acquired US operators, with Sprint as the host network. No end date is listed there. A May 3, 2010 press release is the last dated news about the service we found. Its SHAKA MOBILE trademark application, filed July 5, 2011, was marked abandoned on May 21, 2012. We found no official end date.
If you had a Shaka Mobile line
No source names a carrier that took over Shaka Mobile customers. Sprint, its host network, merged into T-Mobile. If you still use an old Shaka Mobile number, it is most likely no longer active. Check with any current carrier whether the number can still be ported. If not, pick a new plan and a new number.
BestCellular.com could not find an official Shaka Mobile shutdown notice and will update this page if one is published.
How Shaka Mobile ended
- May 3, 2010: Shaka Mobile adds international airtime top-ups through the TransferTo platform, per a DT One press release.
- July 5, 2011: Shaka Mobile Corporation files a SHAKA MOBILE trademark for prepaid calling services.
- May 21, 2012: The SHAKA MOBILE trademark application is marked abandoned.
Why Shaka Mobile appears to have ended
No source explains why Shaka Mobile stopped. The records we found show a small prepaid brand built around one community: African immigrants in the US who sent airtime and money to family abroad. Its trademark application was abandoned in May 2012 and never registered. After that we found no dated news, plans or support pages. Wikipedia now lists the brand as defunct without an end date.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Shaka Mobile
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Shaka Mobile counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Shaka Mobile
Is Shaka Mobile still in business?
It appears not. Wikipedia lists Shaka Mobile as a defunct operator, and its trademark application was abandoned in May 2012. BestCellular.com found no official shutdown notice and no end date, so the exact closing date is not confirmed.
Which network did Shaka Mobile use?
Wikipedia lists Sprint as the host network, using CDMA technology. Sprint no longer exists as a separate network. It merged into T-Mobile. The Shaka Mobile press coverage we found does not name the network.
What happened to Shaka Mobile customers?
No source says where Shaka Mobile customers went. No successor carrier was named. Former customers would have needed to move to another carrier and, if possible, port their number before the service stopped.
What was special about Shaka Mobile?
Shaka Mobile paired prepaid voice plans with money transfers for African immigrants in the US. A May 3, 2010 release says customers could top up a relative’s prepaid phone abroad, such as in Kenya, by text message or on the Shaka website.
Sources
Checked October 14, 2026.
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists Shaka Mobile as a defunct operator: Personal market, Sprint host, CDMA, no end date listed (checked October 14, 2026).
- DT One: Shaka Mobile offers TransferTo international airtime transfer service to diaspora Africans in the US: Describes Shaka Mobile as a US prepaid voice and mobile money service for African immigrants; President Dhidha Timona (May 3, 2010).
- Justia Trademarks: SHAKA MOBILE (serial 85363216): Filed July 5, 2011 by Shaka Mobile Corporation for prepaid calling services; abandoned May 21, 2012.
Best Cellular. “Shaka Mobile: Appears to Be Shut Down,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/shaka-mobile/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.