Mobile coverage and eSIM in Tanzania: how to stay connected

In short

With your home SIM card, you go online in Tanzania via roaming. Depending on your contract, this can get expensive; for contracts with a provider in the EU or EEA, “Roam like at Home” does not cover Tanzania. By contrast, a data bundle with around 1 GB starts from 2,100 Tanzanian shillings (TZS), according to providers’ price lists.

You can get a local SIM or eSIM from Vodacom, Yas, Airtel, Halotel or TTCL. Yas used to be called Tigo. For registration you need your passport. The provider compares your fingerprint with the immigration authority’s records.

According to the regulatory authority TCRA, the 4G network reached 94.39% of the population in June 2026, but only 77.53% of the land area. The authority gives no separate figures for the national parks or for Zanzibar. The team’s practical experience is covered in the section on the network.

Roaming with your home SIM card

The “Roam like at Home” rule applies in the 27 EU states as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and since 1 January 2026 additionally in Ukraine and Moldova. Tanzania is not included. There you pay the international roaming rates of your own mobile contract. The German network regulator Bundesnetzagentur therefore advises asking your own provider about the tariffs before departure.

If your mobile contract is with a provider in the EU or EEA, a fixed spending cap applies only to data roaming: your provider must warn you as soon as you have used 80% of €50 excluding VAT, and block the data connection at €100 excluding VAT. The prerequisite is that the foreign network supports real-time billing. Since 1 July 2022, this rule also applies to satellite networks on board ships and aircraft. If your contract is with a provider outside the EU and EEA, this EU rule does not apply to your contract; ask your provider before departure about the roaming tariff and a possible spending limit.

On-board networks like these are a particular cost trap. With an EU or EEA contract, if your phone connects to a satellite network, your provider must inform you by text message about the prices applying there, and the normal roaming tariffs do not apply there. The Verbraucherzentrale cites a case in which a phone connected to a ferry’s satellite network without the owner noticing: around 470 MB of video streaming added up at up to €30 per megabyte. The bill was around €12,000. So switch off data roaming when you do not need it.

Local SIM: registration

The rules are set out in the SIM Card Registration Regulations of 2025, Government Notice (GN) No. 59 of 31 January 2025. They replaced the previous rules of 2023.

You count as a tourist there if you do not have Tanzanian citizenship, are not a diplomat and stay for up to 4 months. You present a copy of your passport. The provider registers the SIM biometrically: your fingerprint is compared with records held by the immigration authority. The SIM is registered in your name, and its validity is linked to your permitted length of stay.

If the check cannot be run because data is missing or the database is unavailable, you may only register 1 SIM. In that case, the passport copy is sufficient and no fingerprint is needed.

Vodacom requires certified copies of the passport and a valid visa from visitors; visa-exempt visitors need only the passport copy. Registration takes place in the providers’ shops, in customer centres or with registration agents.

eSIM in Tanzania

An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a permanently installed chip in the phone. You download the provider’s profile digitally onto the device; you do not need a plastic card. You can check whether your phone can use an eSIM with the code *#06#: if a number labelled EID appears, the device is eSIM-capable.

One point regarding Airtel: according to Airtel, for the eSIM you need the national Tanzanian identity card (NIDA ID). A passport is not mentioned on the Airtel page. This contradicts the general rule, which requires visitors to show a passport. So sort out an eSIM from Airtel directly in the shop. Neither Halotel nor TTCL lists an eSIM offer on its website.

What data bundles cost

A selection of the prepaid packages:

All figures are indicative, as of October 2026. The providers change their tariffs frequently; the current bundles are listed, for example, on the Vodacom bundle page.

Mobile signal on safari and in Zanzibar

The TCRA publishes nationwide coverage figures every quarter. The report for the quarter ending June 2026 states for population coverage: 2G reaches 98.66%, 3G 93.95%, 4G 94.39% and 5G 34.18%. For area coverage, the figures are considerably lower: 2G 79.86%, 3G 76.41%, 4G 77.53% and 5G 11.34%.

The gap is easy to explain: where people live, coverage is almost universal. Sparsely populated areas and wilderness push the area figure down. The report gives no separate figures for individual national parks or for Zanzibar.

In the experience of the team in Arusha, with a local SIM card you generally have reception everywhere, including in the parks. Some safari vehicles have USB charging ports and Wi-Fi, but this is not the case in all vehicles and is not included as standard. So pack a power bank.

Even so, expect the odd gap. Download offline maps, music and films before the safari while you have a stable connection. What other technology to pack is listed in the packing list for Tanzania. On a private safari in Tanzania, the local team can be reached throughout the trip, even when your phone has no reception.

The German Federal Foreign Office also points out that internet and mobile network shutdowns can occur during unrest, including in Zanzibar. You can read more about this in the article on safety in Tanzania.

Correct as of October 2026

Frequently asked questions about network and eSIM in Tanzania