Product info
Cairo eSIM plans
| Unlimited data · 5 days | $28.99 | Buy eSIM |
| Ohayu recommendsUnlimited data · 10 days | $37.99 | Buy eSIM |
| Unlimited data · 15 days | $44.99 | Buy eSIM |
| Unlimited data · 30 days | $58.99 | Buy eSIM |
| 3GB prepaid eSIM · 14 days | $13.49$4.50 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 5GB prepaid eSIM · 30 days | $18.49$3.70 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 10GB prepaid eSIM · 30 days | $31.49$3.15 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 15GB prepaid eSIM · 60 days | $39.99$2.67 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 20GB prepaid eSIM · 90 days | $48.49$2.42 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 50GB prepaid eSIM · 90 days | $102.99$2.06 / GB | Buy eSIM |
Plan details
How much mobile data you need
What's the best eSIM for Cairo?
Few days – 3 GB
Maps, ride-hailing, translation.
A week – 10 GB
Navigation and messaging daily.
Cairo, Luxor, the Nile – 20 GB
A classic multi-stop trip on one plan.
Longer stay – Unlimited
Tethering from an apartment in Zamalek.
Coverage and network
Coverage, and why calls fail
Egypt mobile networks
Egypt averages 51 Mbps and ranks 77th globally, with Cairo about the same. It is 4G in practice rather than 5G, and perfectly adequate for maps, messaging and ride-hailing in a city where you will use all three constantly. The real constraint is not speed - it is that app calling is blocked. (Speedtest by Ookla, June 2026)
Speedtest Global Index · Mobile · Cairo · June 2026
Download
52.52 Mbps
Upload
10.82 Mbps
Latency
26 ms
Global rank
#122 of 98
Cairo, specifically
- Central Cairo, Zamalek, Maadi: Reliable 4G across the city and on the metro. Ride-hailing apps are how most visitors get around and they work fine.
- Giza and the pyramids: Covered across the plateau and around the Grand Egyptian Museum. Signal weakens inside the pyramids themselves, which will not surprise anyone.
- Khan el-Khalili: Works through the bazaar, with the usual stuttering in the covered lanes and deeper stalls.
- Out to Saqqara, Fayoum and the Western Desert: Fine on the main roads and at the major sites. The desert routes beyond Fayoum thin out quickly.
Cairo, the Nile, the Red Sea
One plan for all of Egypt - Luxor, Aswan, Sharm, Hurghada - which suits a country most people see in several stops.
How to install eSIM
Connected in 3 steps
- 01
Buy before you fly
Choose your data plan before your trip.
- 02
Download & install
Log in to your account, tap your eSIM, and follow the on-screen instructions.
- 03
Land & activate
Activate when you arrive in Egypt. Turn on roaming for the eSIM and it connects to a local network.
Before you buy, make sure your phone supports eSIM — see Ohayu compatible devices list or dial *#06#. It's a free request to your phone's settings. If you see the EID number — your phone is eSIM-compatible.
Arriving in Cairo
Airport Wi-Fi at CAI
Cairo International has free terminal Wi-Fi but the portal wants an SMS code, and foreign numbers are hit and miss - travellers report success entering the number with a 00 country prefix. Installing before you fly is the less frustrating route.
Side by side
Cairo eSIM Comparison
Indicative comparison based on publicly listed Egypt plans as of August 2026. Competitor pricing and policies change - check their sites for current terms.
Frequently asked questions
Where to buy a SIM card in Cairo?
All four operators - Vodafone, Orange, e& and WE - have official booths at Cairo airport, plus shops across the city. Vodafone is the one most often recommended for coverage. You will need your passport, and be ready to show your entry stamp.
Do I need ID to buy a SIM card in Egypt?
Yes. Registration is mandatory and done at the point of sale: the vendor photocopies your passport and registers the SIM to you, which takes a few minutes. Several sources say they will also want to see your entry visa or arrival stamp, so keep that page accessible. Ohayu plans are data-only with no Egyptian number, so none of that applies.
Will WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work in Egypt?
Probably not, and you should plan around it. Egypt has restricted voice and video calling over apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype and Messenger on its mobile networks since 2017, and Article 72 of the Telecommunication Regulation Law makes international calling over VoIP networks illegal. The regulator announced an intention to lift the restriction in late 2024, but the most recent independent assessment - Freedom House, covering through mid-2025 - found it had not been lifted, and we have seen no credible evidence of a change since.
Two things are often confused with this. Egypt launched carrier Wi-Fi Calling in January 2025, which routes calls from your own number over Wi-Fi to patch weak indoor coverage. That is not the same as app calling and does nothing for a visitor. Separately, some travellers report app calls working on roaming plans because the data is routed outside Egypt - that depends on the provider's routing and we will not promise it either way, so do not rely on it for an important call.
What definitely does work: text messages, photos and voice notes in WhatsApp and the rest. Voice notes get you most of the way there.
Is it 5G or 4G in Cairo?
Treat it as 4G. Egypt has 5G spectrum awarded but deployment is limited, and around 51 Mbps is what you should expect in practice. That is fine for maps, ride-hailing, messaging and standard video, and noticeably slower than the Gulf or Europe.
eSIM not working in Cairo?
If data works but a WhatsApp call will not connect, that is the national VoIP restriction rather than a fault - send a voice note instead. If nothing works at all, check the Ohayu eSIM is your data line and roaming is on, then cycle Airplane mode. Chat and support@ohayu.com are open 24/7.
