Basics[]
Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a sovereign state on the west coast of Central Africa, located near the equator. Gabon remains one of the wealthiest nations in Africa, with the economy largely supported by oil revenues.
The telecom market was liberalised in 1999, when the government awarded mobile telephony licences and established an independent regulatory authority (ARCEP). Mobile penetration already reached 100% in 2008 when 6 operators shared the market. Today, only two major mobile players remain:
- Gabon Telecom (Libertis merged with Moov)
- Airtel Gabon
A third provider called Azur Gabon (USAN) was closed down in 2018.
Gabon reached a pretty good 2G coverage, but following years of delays 3G was started as late as 2014. This happened more or less together with 4G/LTE services in 2014/5 in Libreville. 2G/GSM is on 900 MHz, 3G on 2100 MHz in major towns and 4G/LTE on unspecified bands in the capital (most likely 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz, Bands 3, 7, 20).
SIM cards are sold in the stores of the providers. Their price have come down over the years from 75,000 CFA to now 500 CFA. As a tourist you will need to supply two copies of your passport and visa. So it might be wise to have some copies ready. Recharge cards are available pretty much everywhere.
Gabon Telecom (Libertis, Moov)[]
Gabon Telecom was privatised in 2007 when Maroc Telecom bought a 51% stake in the operator. In 2016 Maroc Telecom merged Gabon Telecom with Moov Gabon. The new operator is the new market leader and dominant provider with about 60% share. It's still known under its old name of Libertis.
3G or 4G/LTE coverage can be expected in Libreville, Bitam, Bongoville, Cocobeach, Fougamou, Franceville, Gamba, Kango, Koulamoutou, Lambarene, Lastoursville, Bongolo, Makokou, Mayoumba, Miztic, Moanda, Mouila, Ndjole, Ngouoni, Ntoum, Oyem, Port-Gentil, Tchibanga, Mandji and Batanga: 3G/4G coverage map.
Availability[]
Prepaid SIM cards are sold for 500-1000 CFA in their stores called agencies (list). You have your passport and visa ready for copying.
Recharge cards of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000 and 30000 F are sold all over. To check balance type #111#, to top up by vouchers enter *123*<voucher PIN>#.
Data feature packages[]
For 2G/3G/4G data these packages are offered:
| Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 130 MB | 1 day | 500 CFA |
| 20 MB | 2 days | 200 CFA |
| 300 MB | 2 days | 1000 CFA |
| 40 MB | 3 days | 350 CFA |
| 500 MB | 3 days | 1500 CFA |
| 1 GB | 3 days | 2500 CFA |
| 60 MB | 5 days | 500 CFA |
| 2 GB | 7 days | 4500 CFA |
| 130 MB | 10 days | 1000 CFA |
| 300 MB | 14 days | 2000 CFA |
| 5 GB | 15 days | 8000 CFA |
| 600 MB | 30 days | 3000 CFA |
| 1 GB | 30 days | 4000 CFA |
| 2 GB | 30 days | 6000 CFA |
| 4 GB | 30 days | 10,000 CFA |
| 10 GB | 30 days | 15,000 CFA |
| 15 GB | 30 days | 20,000 CFA |
| 25 GB | 30 days | 30,000 CFA |
| 50 GB | 30 days | 50,000 CFA |
To activate, type *222#
For night use (midnight - 6am) they offer two packs:
- 500 MB: 250 CFA
- 1 GB: 500 CFA
More infomation[]
- APN: libertis
- To check balances dial #111#
- Website in French: http://www.gabontelecom.ga
Airtel Gabon[]
The second operator to be awarded a licence was Celtel Gabon in 2000. After being re-branded as Zain in 2007, it now operates as Airtel, since the Zain Group was acquired by India's Bharti Airtel in 2010.
It used to be the dominant provider 2009-15 with a market share over 50%, but has been overtaken by Gabon Telecom recently. This is reflected in a lower coverage as well: coverage map.
Availability[]
The price for SIM cards was lowered from 1000 CFA to 500 CFA in 2017. They are sold in their stores and outlets (locator). Provide your passport for registration.
Refill cards can be found at every street corner. Beware than none of the double or triple credit promotions apply to data, only domestic voice or SMS. Check credit by *137#.
Data feature packages[]
Default rate is 75 CFA per MB. There new packages are offered for data in 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE:
| Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 25 MB | 2 days | 250 CFA |
| 60 MB | 5 days | 500 CFA |
| 100 MB | 14 days | 1000 CFA |
| 150 MB | 14 days | 1200 CFA |
| 250 MB | 30 days | 2000 CFA |
| 300 MB | 2 days | 1000 CFA |
| 500 MB | 3 days | 1500 CFA |
| 650 MB | Sat/Sun | 1000 CFA |
| 1 GB | 3 days | 2500 CFA |
| 1 GB | 30 days | 4000 CFA |
| 1.2 GB | 30 days | 5000 CFA |
| 1.5 GB | 7 days | 4000 CFA |
| 2 GB | 7 days | 5000 CFA |
| 4 GB | 30 days | 10,000 CFA |
| 5 GB | 15 days | 8000 CFA |
| 10 GB | 30 days | 20,000 CFA |
| 40 GB | 60 days | 40,000 CFA |
| 200 GB | 60 days | 90,000 CFA |
Activation is by *111*1#.
For night use (midnight - 6am) they offer two packs:
- 800 MB: 300 CFA
- 2 GB: 600 CFA
For WhatsApp, they offer a daily packa with 20 MB at 250 CFA.
More information[]
- APN: internet.ga.airtel.com
- Website in French: https://www.airtel.ga