Using Mobile Phones in Egypt

Visitors have a number of different options for using a mobile phone in Egypt:

Bring Your Own Phone and Use the Roaming Setting

Most European networks provide a roaming setting for use abroad. When you land in Egypt, you’ll likely receive an SMS message from your provider welcoming you to the country and listing the relevant tariffs for use. I.e. the price per SMS and call you make or receive while on your travels. This is the easiest and probably the most expensive of the options listed here.

Worth noting that the price of receiving a call while abroad is often as much as that of making one.

Buy an Egyptian Handset and SIM Card

For a fee of about $50-$75 it’s possible to purchase an Egyptian handset and SIM card for your travels. These deals often include some credit to start you off and a basic handset.

All incoming calls are free in Egypt when using an Egyptian SIM card.

SSmart phones are not yet ubiquitous Egypt and will likely cost significantly more if available.

Unlock Your Own Phone and Buy an Egyptian SIM Card

More cost effective still is to simply buy the SIM card with credit. Egyptian network providers such as MobilNil and Vodaphone Egypt both offer SIM only deals for as little as 50LE.

In order to use these SIM cards in your existing handset the phone must be ‘unlocked’.

Phones bought in the UK or Europe are often locked is part of a contract deal. Check with a local phone shop before you go and be sure to get it unlocked if you plan to explore this option.

AAll incoming calls are free in Egypt when using an Egyptian SIM card. SIM cards and credit are available from Street side Kiosks across the country.

Talk for Free! Use Skype or Similar

Great news for those that like to stay ‘in touch’ is that Remote Wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) is increasingly common in Egypt. Restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars – particularly those frequented by tourists – often have great signals free of charge.

Even McDonald’s, which has a presence in most major resorts and cities, have a reliable Wi-Fi connection.

This means that you can make free calls back home with either a laptop or smart phone using software such as Skype.

Skype has an app setting available for most smart phones (alas Blackberry remains illusive). So you can simply log onto the free Wi-Fi connection at your hotel, fire up Skype and make a free call to another Skype users or a very cheap call to phones around the world.

BBe sure to top up with some Skype credit before you go (see resource box below for more details).

How to protect your mobile phone abroad?

The crime rate is relatively low in Egypt and since most people (desert dwelling Bedouins included) own a mobile phone these items are unlikely to draw any real attention when being used in public.

The more likely dangers facing your phone are loss or damage. For example, it falls out of your pocket on a bus or more fatally overboard on a scuba trip.

For that reason it’s worth obtaining adequate travel insurance when you are in Egypt and ensuring that it includes coverage for your mobile phone. Read more about Egypt Travel Insurance.

Data Downloads – Don’t Learn the Hard Way

Any smart phone owner will have a setting on their device that controls data downloads at home and while roaming. The cost of downloading data (used anytime you receive an email, surf the web, watch a clip/sound bite etc) is significantly higher when roaming.

Many have data included in their plan while at home so travellers often fail to switch it off when they travel, only to find they receive a massive bill when they return home.

SSince this bill can easily be equivalent to the cost of your trip (or flights as least) it’s worth being particularly prudent on this point.

For More Information:

Skype - Free calls across the Internet