Algeria eSIM

Staying connected in Algeria

Algeria is Africa's largest country, and its south takes in a large part of the Sahara. Many trips combine Algiers and its old Casbah with Oran, Constantine or a desert tour. Install a travel eSIM at home and switch it on when you land. AirOva sells Algeria plans from $1.49, with a fixed amount of data or unlimited, all data only, with no call minutes, SMS or local phone number.

Which Algeria plan to choose

GB plans suit most trips, since maps, messaging and booking apps take little data, and run on Mobilis and Ooredoo. Unlimited plans give unlimited data with no data cap and no fair-usage limit, priced by the number of days, and run on Mobilis, Ooredoo and Djezzy. Each plan card shows whether it is listed as 4G or 5G; on a 5G plan, expect 4G, with 5G where available.

Mobilis, Djezzy and Ooredoo

Algeria has three mobile operators: Mobilis, the mobile arm of the Algérie Télécom group; Djezzy, wholly state-owned since 2022; and Ooredoo, the former Nedjma. Our plans run on Mobilis, Ooredoo and Djezzy; a card that says ATM Mobile means Mobilis, and one that says Orascom means Djezzy. Algeria officially launched 5G in December 2025, with a six-year plan to cover the country.

Arriving in Algiers or Oran

Algiers' Houari Boumediene Airport (ALG) lies about 17 km east-southeast of the city, and Ahmed Ben Bella Airport (ORN) is 8.7 km south of Oran. After landing, switch on the eSIM line, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming for that line. UK travel advice says you must have a visa and need your passport to check in to hotels and on domestic flights.

The Sahara, borders and exam days

UK travel advice says mobile coverage can be patchy or unavailable in remote areas, particularly in the south, and that some online maps may not be accurate there. It advises against all travel within 30 km of the borders with Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger and of parts of the Tunisian border, and notes that the land border with Morocco is closed. Internet access has also been cut or restricted nationwide during the June baccalaureate exams each year since 2016, the digital rights group SMEX reported in 2024.

Tip: download offline maps of your whole desert route before you leave town. Flying in on a French or other EU SIM? Roam Like at Home does not apply in Algeria, so keep data roaming off on it; more in EU roaming rules explained.