Phone, internet and SIM cards
A local SIM card is the cheapest way to stay online in Egypt. Four companies run mobile networks, all with tourist packages. You can buy a SIM in the airport arrivals hall the moment you land.
01
Getting a SIM card
Where to buy
At the operators’ counters in the arrivals halls of Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Luxor and other main airports, and at official operator stores in every city. Avoid street sellers: a SIM must be registered to your name.
What to bring
Your passport. The seller registers the SIM to your passport, which the law requires, and activates it on the spot.
Tourist packages
Each operator sells tourist bundles with mobile data, local minutes and some international minutes, usually valid for 30 days. Top up with scratch cards from kiosks and supermarkets, or in the operator’s app.
02
eSIM
Local eSIM
Vodafone, Orange, e& and WE offer eSIMs for compatible phones at their stores; bring your passport. Availability of tourist bundles on eSIM varies by operator, so ask in store.
Travel eSIM before you fly
International travel eSIM providers sell Egypt data plans you can install before departure. They are convenient but usually cost more per gigabyte than a local SIM, and include data only.
03
Phone and internet
Coverage
4G covers the cities, the Nile Valley and the Red Sea and Sinai resorts; 5G is rolling out in major cities. Signal is weak or absent in the deep desert, some oases and at sea.
Wi-Fi
Most hotels, cafés, malls and airports offer free Wi-Fi. Hotel Wi-Fi in remote areas and on Nile cruises can be slow.
Calling Egypt
Egypt’s country code is +20. Mobile numbers have 11 digits starting with 010 (Vodafone), 011 (e&), 012 (Orange) or 015 (WE). From abroad, drop the first 0: +20 10 …
Emergencies
Ambulance 123, Police 122, Tourist Police 126, Ministry of Tourism hotline 19654. All emergency numbers.
04
Using your own phone
Your own phone works in Egypt with an Egyptian SIM or with international roaming. Egypt requires phones brought from abroad by residents to be registered, but visitors’ phones are temporarily exempt during a tourist stay. Check the current rules with the regulator, NTRA, if you plan a long stay.
05
Telecom companies
All four operators have stores in every city and counters at the main airports.
Vodafone Egypt
Egypt’s largest mobile operator, with tourist SIMs at the airports and the widest coverage. Numbers start with 010.
e& Egypt
Formerly Etisalat Misr. Mobile data and tourist bundles. Numbers start with 011.
WE (Telecom Egypt)
The national telecom company: mobile, landlines and home internet. Numbers start with 015.
More on phone and internet
Mobile data, 5G and Wi-Fi
All four operators run 4G across the cities, the Nile Valley and the resort coasts. 5G arrived more recently: Telecom Egypt took the first licence in 2024, Vodafone, Orange and e& received theirs in 2025, and the operators launched commercial 5G together in June 2025. Coverage is still concentrated in the big cities, and you need a 5G-capable phone and a plan that includes it, so expect to spend most of your trip on 4G.
Free Wi-Fi is easy to find in hotels, cafés, restaurants, malls and airports, though you may need to ask staff for the password. Speeds vary a lot: in older hotels, desert camps and on Nile cruise boats it can be slow and is often shared by many guests, so it is fine for messages and maps but not always for video calls or large uploads.
- Avoid banking or entering passwords on open networks; use mobile data instead.
- Download offline maps and your tickets before heading to the desert, the oases or out to sea.
- A local SIM with a data bundle is usually more reliable than relying on Wi-Fi alone.
Sources: connectingafrica.com, datacenterdynamics.com, tra.gov.eg.
Roaming with your home SIM
Your home SIM will normally connect to one of the Egyptian networks automatically, but Egypt is outside the EU and most home operators' inclusive roaming zones, so pay-as-you-go roaming charges can be high. Before you travel, check with your own operator whether roaming is switched on for your line and whether it sells a daily or weekly bundle for Egypt.
- If you have no bundle, turn off data roaming and use Wi-Fi, a local SIM or an eSIM for data.
- Switch off automatic app updates, photo backups and video autoplay, which can use a lot of data in the background.
- Keep the text message your operator sends on arrival: it lists the roaming rates.
- Incoming calls are usually charged while roaming too, so ask people to message you instead.
For a stay of more than a few days, a local SIM or eSIM is almost always cheaper. With a dual-SIM phone you can keep your home SIM active for texts such as bank security codes.
Sources: tra.gov.eg.
Last checked in October 2026. Schedules, fares, packages and rules change often, so confirm with the official source before you travel: NTRA, Vodafone, Orange, e&, WE.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a SIM card at the airport?
Yes. Vodafone, Orange, e& and WE have counters in the arrivals halls of the main airports. Bring your passport: every SIM is registered to an ID.
Does Egypt have 5G?
Yes. All four operators hold 5G licences and launched commercial 5G in 2025, mainly in big cities. 4G covers most towns and tourist areas.
Will my own phone work on an Egyptian SIM?
Usually, if it is unlocked. A foreign phone used with a local SIM for more than 90 days must be registered and may be charged a fee, so check the rules if you stay longer.
Is roaming a good idea?
Egypt is outside EU-style inclusive roaming, so roaming can be expensive. A local SIM or an eSIM data plan is usually much cheaper.