Blacklist

This article lists the countries and territories in the world where you can run into trouble finding or using a local SIM card for data. This may be due to technical constraints, legal restrictions or other reasons.

These areas have been put into three different categories:

• BLACKLIST - where it's simply impossible to get a local sim card as visitor
• GREYLIST - where there may be major obstacles to get one, but still feasible under certain conditions
• WARZONES - where the political or economical situation is very unstable and dangerous

Blacklist

This category shows countries or territories where it's still impossible to buy a local prepaid SIM card (for data). This can be because of lack of technical infrastructure or legal restrictions which prohibit the purchase of a SIM card by foreigners. As you see, this list, following alpha-order, has become rather short and refers mostly to less traveled and very isolated areas like island countries:

Antarctica

Antarctica utilizes a mix of handheld radio and satellite phone services to provide communications between research stations on the continent. Argentine bases have 2G networks provided by Claro and Movistar, relying on satellite uplink. The Brazilian Comandante Ferraz base have a full fledged mobile LTE service provided by Oi, using the Amazonas 3 satellite as a uplink. The Australian government have the Range Networks who operate an 2G service, covering Macquarie Island and several research stations on the Antarctic continent.

Eritrea

Eritrea was the last country in the world to adopt a mobile phone system. Its sole provider Eritel is hardly accessible to foreigners as it requires a resident's permit, a very high connection fee and some weeks to get connected to a network mostly 2G-only with few 3G cells. There is a separate CDMA network covering 85% which is not compatible with most GSM phones.

Saint Pierre & Miquelon (France) (see own article)

The two mobile providers SPM Telecom and Globatel only offer 2G without any data to prepaid users in this French Overseas Department. Globaltel offers 4G/LTE but only on a rolling contract, not for prepaid. This leaves the area as only territory without own 3G coverage in America, but both High-speed internet access and a widespread public WiFi network are available.

Public WiFi SPM A LA CARTE (150 hotspots) let anyone subscribe online for premium Internet Access. SPM A LA CARTE is free during the first 24 hours.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK)

There is no publicly available telecom service on those islands. You'll have to rely either on your ship's service or your own satellite link. If you're employed there, you will need to contact your employer for info that applies to you.

Tristan da Cunha (UK)

There is no mobile coverage on Tristan da Cunha. Since 2006 there is an internet café with a VSAT 1 Mbps shared by all users, so it will be slow. The café has a place to use own laptop, but it's unknown whether it's Ethernet or WiFi. Price for visitors is GBP 10 for the duration of the stay, but it's not published online so this number may be outdated.

Uninhabited territories

Obviously, there is mostly no mobile coverage in uninhabited territories. As there are too many of them, it's impossible to enumerate, hence they are grouped in this one entry. Your only way to connect would be to bring your own satellite linked device.

Greylist

This category shows countries or territories, where you should think twice of buying a local prepaid SIM card, as it may not be advisable under all circumstances. Because of certain requirements, legal barriers or technical restraints, you may be better off looking for alternatives like local WiFi hotspots or using a roaming SIM card instead. Check articles first to check, what exactly is restricted, or what additional requirements are in force, and how and whether it applies to you and may affect your purposes.

Australian External Territories (see own article)

Norfolk Islands, Christmas Islands and Cocos (Keeling) Islands are not served by Australian operators. They used to depend on satellite connections. The situation has somewhat improved by the arrival of the nbn Sky Muster system. But availability and coverage of 4G networks remain very limited and can't be verified.

Azerbaijan (see own article)

It's easy to buy a local SIM card from one of the providers as a new centralized registration system for foreigners has been implemented. The country remains greylisted as an additional IMEI registration system is in place for all devices using a local SIM. If the device has not been registered in 30 days, the device will be add to the blacklist and use of Azeri SIM cards will be blocked.

Chile (see own article)

Chile has implemented in 2018 an IMEI registration system for use of Chilean SIM cards. To register, you need to have the evidence of purchase and travel booking to Chile. An unregistered device can use the Chilean SIM card for 30 days.

China (see own article)

Because of the "Great Firewall of China" a.k.a. censorship your internet access can be severely restricted. Facebook, Twitter, many Google sites like Maps, Gmail or its search engine and many others are blocked. Furthermore, they are starting to clamp down on VPNs used to circumvent these blockages.

Cuba (see own article)

Cuba opened mobile internet to its own citizens in 2018 and eased restrictions for foreigners to buy a SIM card. Still there are strings attached and users should check alternatives like roaming and WiFi hotspots for a reliable access.

India (see own article)

India has a very unforeseeable policy of registration which can take a few minutes, but also more than a week. So you'll never know, when you will actually be connected to the network after having purchased a new SIM card. Special rules apply to Jammu and Kashmir state which are hard to access.

Iran (see own article)

In 2018 Iran implemented a new registry scheme for phones to be used with a local SIM card for more than 30 days. Similar to Turkey you need to import the device paying taxes and add its IMEI number to a whitelist.

Japan (see own article)

Japan is one of the few countries with no 2G/GSM network and much of its 3G is on very own frequencies. Officially, it bans the purchase of voice SIM cards to travelers by law. You can still buy data SIMs (and use VoIP for voice calls) or rent a device or SIM card at many rental agencies.

Korea (North) (see own article)

State-owned provider Koryolink sells very expensive SIM cards to foreign visitors for their 3G network on 2100 MHz. They now contain a data option too, but are restricted by bureaucratic registration, high prices and limited options.

Lebanon (see own article)

Lebanon has adopted a whitelist IMEI registration scheme similar to Turkey which makes it hard to use a local SIM card for more than 90 days. You are safe for this period, but need to import your device, if you want to use it for longer.

Pakistan (see own article)

Pakistan has one of the most rigid biometric registration schemes in the world. You'll need to give fingerprints. On top of that your device must be registered with its IMEI number at a different place to avoid being shut-off after only 15 days.

Palestine - Gaza Strip (see own article)

After 12 years of waiting operators in the Palestine Territories were granted permission to launch 3G services in the West Bank in 2018. But the Gaza Strip is excluded so far leaving Gaza as the only million city in the world without an own 3G or 4G coverage.

Pitcairn Island (UK)

In 2017 the British Government funded a new telecommunications system partnering up with Speedcast Comm. to implement a 4G/LTE Mobile Network in Adamstown with shared speeds of 5.0 Mbps. Availability and prices are not known. There is fixed internet service provided in some accommodations, sometimes with a WiFi router, so you can connect through WiFi to it. All data goes through Inmarsat, so latency is high, speed is low and traffic is expensive. There is a tiered tarification to discourage large downloads. Outages lasting weeks are not unheard of.

Tajikistan (see own article)

Since February 2023, a device has to be registered in the IMEI database for use with a local SIM beyond 30 days. If the device has been declared at the border on the T6 form, the import and registration into the IMEI database is free of charge.

Tokelau (see New Zealand article)

There is a 4G/LTE network up and running in Tokelau now, but there is no publicly available information on it aside from the fact that it exists and runs on band 28 (700 MHz). Otherwise, Internet is provided through Teletok in free internet cafés and some households offer their own ADSL internet connection.

Turkey (see own article)

Turkey has implemented a scheme of paying up to 1500 TL tax for all imported devices to be used with a local SIM card regulated by a whitelist registration system of IMEI numbers. If you don't comply, your device will be blocked after 3 months for all local providers.

Turkmenistan (see own article)

Turkmenistan is a very restricted Asian country where they sell SIM cards with data, but for visitors it's hard to get one especially as the second provider has been shut down in 2017.

Ukraine - Luhansk region (see Ukraine article):

Due to the ongoing conflict in the Eastern part of the country, 3G/4G networks have been only been deployed in the Donetsk - but not Luhansk region - where networks are still restricted to 2G/EDGE.

Uzbekistan (see own article)

Uzbekistan maintains a whitelist registration system on IMEI numbers, blocking those using a local SIM card beyond 30 days. Once blacklisted it is possible to get the device unlocked by registereing it, however the registration fee will be 25% higher in that case. Registration can be done in a do it yourself manner online, via USSD or the operator shop can help with that.

Warzones

These countries are in a state of war, have major armed conflicts within or are going through significant economical turmoil. In all of them, travel warnings have been issued for major parts and very few visitors go there. That's why no reliable information can be given for travellers. The technical infrastructure is often damaged and provision of mobile services severely restricted. In some places extreme inflation prohibits a detailed listing of prices and options. Nevertheless some people do need to travel to these countries, for example journalists, humanitarian workers and diplomats, and therefore it is intended to add at least basic guidance on the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Iraq
• Libya
• Somalia (excl. Somaliland)
• South Sudan
• Syria
• Ukraine
• Venezuela
• Yemen

Back to main page