Your options for getting online in Côte d'Ivoire
Roaming, a local SIM or an eSIM: each meets a different need. It all comes down to how long you are staying and whether you need an Ivorian number.
Roaming with your own provider
Nothing to install, and you keep your number. Côte d'Ivoire is outside the European Union, so EU ‘Roam like at home’ rules do not apply, and prices are set by your provider. Check what is included before you go.
A local SIM card
It gives you a local number, which is useful for long stays, local calls and mobile money. You have to buy it locally, usually show ID and insert the card, sometimes in place of your own.
A data eSIM
An eSIM is installed before you leave and gives you data as soon as you land, with no queue and no shop. Your usual SIM stays in place. The Alizeoo eSIM provides data only, with no number and no standard calls; WhatsApp and apps that work over the internet run as normal. For a detailed comparison: eSIM, local SIM or roaming.
Networks and coverage in Côte d'Ivoire
The country's main mobile operators are Orange, MTN and Moov. Networks run on 4G, with 5G in Abidjan. With an eSIM, 5G is only used if the plan, the partner network and your phone all support it, so do not count on it by default. The partner networks for each Alizeoo plan are listed on its page, as they can change.
- Abidjan and the large cities: coverage is generally good.
- Rural and forested areas: signal can be weak, or missing in places.
- Roads between towns: the connection may drop now and then, so prepare your routes in advance.
The eSIM uses the partner operators' networks: where those networks do not reach, there is no connection. Before leaving Abidjan, download offline maps and keep your documents available without signal.
Public and hotel Wi-Fi
Hotels, restaurants and co-working spaces often offer Wi-Fi, of varying quality. It is useful for large uploads and updates, but it does not follow you as you travel around or between meetings.
On an open network, avoid anything sensitive: signing in to your bank, entering passwords or handling confidential work documents. Your mobile data is safer for those tasks.
Useful apps and mobile money
- Messaging: WhatsApp is often used to reach hotels, drivers and business contacts. It works on your eSIM data, including calls over the internet.
- Maps: a maps app such as Google Maps or Apple Maps helps you find your way; download the areas you need for offline use.
- Mobile money: Orange Money, MTN Mobile Money, Moov Money and Wave are very widely used. These services are tied to a local number, so a data eSIM cannot be used to open an account.
If mobile money is essential for you, combine a local SIM for the account with the eSIM for data, if your phone allows it. Verification texts from your apps and your bank arrive on your usual number: see keep your main number.
Installing and activating your eSIM for Côte d'Ivoire
You need a phone that supports eSIM and is unlocked. The guide is my phone eSIM compatible? helps you check in seconds.
- Choose from the plans for Côte d'Ivoire, or a regional plan that covers the country: the list of countries, duration, data allowance and hotspot use are on each plan's page. Prices include tax and are in US dollars.
- Install the eSIM before you leave, over Wi-Fi, using the QR code or the installation link.
- When you arrive, turn on the Alizeoo line, set it as your mobile data line and turn on data roaming for that line.
- Turn off mobile data and roaming on your usual SIM, which you keep for calls and texts.
The plan's validity usually starts when you first connect in the country. Step by step: install an eSIM on iPhone, install an eSIM on Android. If nothing happens when you arrive: my eSIM has no signal.
How much data will you need?
For a stay built around messaging, maps and email, usage stays moderate. Video conferences, video calls, file sharing and streaming use a lot more. If you work on a laptop, check on the plan's page that hotspot use is allowed.
The estimator on the Côte d'Ivoire page gives you a rough figure based on how long you are staying and how you use your phone. For a trip across several countries, use the trip planner.
Our tips before you go
- Check that your phone is unlocked, or ask your provider to unlock it, before you leave.
- Install the eSIM at home, over Wi-Fi, and do not delete it.
- Download offline maps of the cities and regions you are visiting.
- If you need mobile money, plan on getting a local SIM as well.
- For several phones, plan on one eSIM per device.
For a business trip, install the eSIM a few days before you leave and check that the Alizeoo line appears in your settings: all that is left is to turn on data roaming on that line when you land in Abidjan.