How to Buy a SIM Card in Mozambique in 2026
For a Mozambique eSIM there is one plan we sell that covers the country: the Vodafone Travel eSIM, with 25GB over 30 days and unlimited local calls. Orange World and our Africa plan do not include Mozambique, and we would rather say so than sell you a plan that will not connect. The alternative is a local SIM from Vodacom, Movitel or Tmcel, which is cheap but has to be registered in person. This guide compares the three networks, prices their bundles in meticais, explains the counters at Maputo airport, and is honest about the islands, where no SIM helps much. The plans we sell for the country are on the Mozambique eSIM page.
Vodacom, Movitel and Tmcel
Vodacom holds about half the market and put the first 5G into Maputo. Movitel, a joint venture with Viettel, built its network into rural districts the others ignored. Tmcel, the merged state operator, has been working through heavy debt, and its coverage shows it. The regulator INCM measured all three across twenty areas including Maputo, Matola, Beira, Nampula and Pemba, and the figures are clearer than any advert:
- 4G download speed: Vodacom 20.71 Mbps, Tmcel 14.44 Mbps, Movitel 13.02 Mbps.
- Network availability: Vodacom 96.78%, Tmcel 91.95%, Movitel 91.40%.
Vodacom is the safe choice on the coast and in the cities. Movitel is worth a second look if your route runs through rural districts inland.
What a local SIM costs
The SIM card itself is almost free: Movitel starters go from 5 MZN, and Tmcel asks about 50. Data is where the operators differ. Vodacom sells 5 GB over 30 days for 500 meticais, about eight dollars, 12 GB for 1,000 and 30 GB for 2,000 MZN. Movitel undercuts everyone with 14 GB over 30 days for 200 MZN, and Tmcel charges the same 200 for 3 GB. These figures come from 2026 travel guides rather than the operators' own pages, so check the bundle on the counter before you pay.
Registration at Maputo airport
Every SIM is registered at the point of sale against your passport, which the seller photocopies. Vodacom has counters in the international arrivals hall at Maputo airport, and all three operators run shops in Maputo, Beira and the larger towns. Pay in meticais if you can. Travellers crossing overland are warned off the vendors working the border queues: wait for the first proper town and walk into an operator's shop, so the line is registered to you and actually works.
Roaming packs and our Vodafone eSIM
Many searches ask for a Mozambique international roaming pack. Your home operator's pack may cover the country, but check the daily price before you rely on it. The Vodafone Travel eSIM is $26.60 and includes Mozambique in its bundle at no extra charge: 25GB over 30 days from purchase, unlimited local calls, 5G where available and hotspot, on a UK number, and it is installed before you leave home. Because the 30 days run from purchase, buy it close to departure. The O2 SMS Only eSIM at $8 a month keeps bank and verification codes arriving on a private UK number while a local SIM carries the data, and the Global PAYG eSIM at $20 with €17.50 of credit is a backup for a short transit.
Side by side
| Option | Price | Data | Number | Passport |
|---|
| Vodacom bundle | About 500 MZN | 5 GB, 30 days | Mozambican | Yes, at the counter |
| Vodacom bundle | About 2,000 MZN | 30 GB, 30 days | Mozambican | Yes, at the counter |
| Movitel bundle | About 200 MZN | 14 GB, 30 days | Mozambican | Yes, at the counter |
| Vodafone Travel eSIM | $26.60 | 25GB, 30 days from purchase | UK, unlimited local calls | No |
| O2 SMS Only eSIM | $8 a month | None | UK +44 for incoming texts | No |
| Global PAYG eSIM | $20 | €17.50 of credit | Data only | No |
The mainland, the coast and the islands
About a third of Mozambique's population lives with no mobile broadband signal, and the towers follow roads, ports and towns. Maputo, Matola, Beira, Nampula and Pemba are well covered, and most beach towns have at least 3G. The island lodges are another matter: on Benguerra, Medjumbe or Vamizi you may see one intermittent bar and then nothing, and messages go over the lodge's satellite Wi-Fi instead. Size your data to the days you spend on the mainland, and treat island days as offline days with Wi-Fi at the bar. That is true of every SIM and every eSIM, including ours.
Our recommendation
For a trip of up to a month, the Vodafone Travel eSIM gives you data and calls from the moment you land, with nothing to register. If you are staying longer, travelling deep inland or simply want the cheapest gigabytes, buy a Vodacom SIM at the Maputo arrivals counter with your passport, and keep the O2 SMS Only eSIM on the second line for your codes. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and the plans for the country are on the Mozambique eSIM page.
