Basics[]
Ascension Island is part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic about halfway between Africa and South America. Even though it belongs to the same territory as Saint Helena, the mobile networks are separate and hence it merits a separate article.
These islands haven't been part of the EU, so EU roaming caps don't apply and providers charge a very high price for roaming.
Ascension Island has no submarine cable link and all communications go through a relatively narrow band satellite channel. So expect quite low speeds (even on 4G/LTE), high latency and very high prices. The first and so far only network operator started in 2012:
- Sure South Atlantic Ltd.
Sure operates 2G/GSM/EDGE on 900 MHz and 4G/LTE on 1800 MHz (band 3). Note that there is no 3G/UMTS, so if you want data, you need a phone that supports LTE band 3 or you'll be limited to low 2G/EDGE speeds.
Sure has roaming agreements with very few providers so far, not even with all providers from the UK. That's why it will be much more likely that your device won't roam there at all.
Sure[]
Sure by Sure South Atlantic Ltd is offering WiFi hotspots, landline and mobile broadband services on the island. In 2012 it started the only mobile network on the island in 2G and later in 4G/LTE.
This network is separate from Sure on Saint Helena, subject to roaming fees.
Availability[]
A SIM card costs £32.25 with £10 included valid for 60 days. It's sold at their service centre at Georgetown and other places.
Top-ups are available from different stores. To top-up dial *177*<CODE>#. To check balance, dial *178#.
The SIM card has an initial validity of 60 days and then "expires 60 days after last call/text made or data use".
Data rates[]
Default data rate is £0.12 per MB (= £120 per GB). They offer 2 data bundles:
- 100 MB for £10. To buy dial *173*100#
- 250 MB for £20. To buy dial *173*200#
Note, that the same amount of data would cost £12 or £30 respectively on the default rate, so it is worth buying the 100 MB bundle only, if using more than 83 MB and it is worth buying the 250 MB bundle only, if using more than 167 MB.
More info[]
- Website: http://www.sure.co.ac/
- APN for prepaid (make sure you put it all caps): SUREASC