Short answer
A BaobabSIM eSIM for Egypt is an Africa regional plan: it roams on an Egyptian network, so you turn data roaming on for the eSIM line. Install it at home and you are online after landing, with no shop and no passport check. Egypt’s phone registration applies to phones used with Egyptian SIMs.
Facts checked 25 September 2026
Egypt eSIM plans and prices
Africa regional plans, data only. They roam on an Egyptian partner network, so turn on data roaming for the eSIM line when you land.
Prices checked 1 October 2026 · Prices in US dollars. The total, tax included, is shown before you pay.
Egypt’s four networks
Egypt has four mobile networks, and all four launched 5G in June 2025. Our plans are regional: they roam on one of these networks, and your phone shows its name once connected.
Vodafone Egypt
Sells a tourist line at its airport store and in its shops.
Orange Egypt
Sells a line for visitors, the Holidays Line.
e& Egypt
Formerly Etisalat Misr. Sells Traveler bundles for tourists.
WE
The mobile brand of Telecom Egypt. Sells Mobile Egypt bundles for tourists.
Where you will travel
4G is widespread in the cities and the resorts, and less consistent in the desert.
- Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan
- 4G is widespread in the cities and the tourist areas.
- Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and the Red Sea coast
- The Red Sea resorts are among the tourist areas with widespread 4G.
- Sinai
- After coverage problems on some roads, the regulator funded 90 new mobile sites around St Catherine, Ras Sudr, El Tor and Nuweiba in 2021.
- Siwa and the Western Desert
- Canada’s travel advice notes limited mobile coverage on the road from Marsa Matruh to Siwa, and in Siwa itself.
Arriving in Egypt
A local line needs your original passport and a document showing your permitted stay, such as your visa, and it works only for that stay. With the eSIM installed at home, you can skip the shops.
CAI
Cairo International
The airport’s shop list names Vodafone in Terminals 1 and 3, Orange in Terminal 2, and e& and Telecom Egypt in Terminal 3.
HRG
Hurghada
Shops for all four networks in arrivals, after customs, reported open around the clock and cash only.
SSH
Sharm El Sheikh
We could not confirm which shops are open in arrivals, one more reason to land with the eSIM installed.
Install before you fly
Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi before you fly, and keep the line switched off. After landing, switch it on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line only: the plan roams on an Egyptian network, and it is prepaid, so roaming cannot add charges to it. Keep data roaming off on your usual SIM.
Install your eSIMSwitch it on when you landPhones that take an eSIM
Questions about eSIM in Egypt
Which eSIM should I get for Egypt?
One you set up before you fly, so you land online. Our Egypt plans are Africa regional plans: they roam on an Egyptian network, which is why you turn on data roaming for the eSIM line. Pick the days of your trip and the data you expect to use.
How does an eSIM work in Egypt?
You scan the QR code at home, on Wi-Fi, and keep the line switched off. After landing, you switch the eSIM line on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line only. Your usual SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts.
How much is a SIM card at the airport in Egypt?
Prices change often. On their own pages, e& Egypt lists Traveler bundles from 200 pounds for 7 GB, and WE lists Mobile Egypt bundles from 100 pounds for 5 GB, valid 30 days. You need your passport and your visa to buy one.
Do I have to register my phone in Egypt?
Not for a phone used with a foreign SIM: the government’s Telephony rules exempt it. A phone used with an Egyptian tourist SIM is exempt for 90 days on each visit. Our Egypt plans are not Egyptian SIMs: they roam on Egyptian networks from abroad.
Can tourists get a local eSIM in Egypt?
Sometimes. Egypt’s networks have offered eSIM since 5 December 2024, but their rules for visitors differ: WE’s eSIM can only be activated inside Egypt, and Orange’s FAQ lists tourists as eligible while also asking foreigners for valid residence. An eSIM bought before you fly avoids the question.
Is there 5G in Egypt?
Yes. The regulator launched 5G officially on 4 June 2025, and the operators switched their networks on during June 2025.
Sources
- NTRA, mobile SIM card sales regulations for individuals
- NTRA, eSIM launched in Egypt (5 December 2024)
- Telephony, questions and answers on registering phones
- NTRA and Customs, end of the passenger phone exemption (20 January 2026)
- Ministry of Communications, 5G licences (7 October 2024)
- State Information Service, 5G launch (4 June 2025)
- Cairo Airport, shops
- Vodafone Egypt, tourist line
- e& Egypt, travelling to Egypt
- WE, Mobile Egypt
- WE, eSIM
- Orange Egypt, eSIM
- Lonely Planet, how to get connected in Egypt (18 February 2026)
- Traveltomtom, SIM card at Hurghada airport (February 2026)
- Government of Canada, travel advice for Egypt
- NTRA, telecom efficiency in the Sinai Peninsula (6 December 2021)