Note that this article is about Guinea-Bissau, a small state located on the West coast of Africa with about 2 million inhabitants. It's not about Guinea (Conakry) or Equatorial Guinea that are easy to mix up.
Basics[]
In the Republic of Guinea-Bissau two mobile networks are operating:
- Orange Bissau (by Senegal’s SONATEL)
- MTN (by South African mobile group)
State-owned Companhia de Telecomunicacoes da Guine-Bissau (aka as Guine Telecom) used to run a 3rd network called Guinetel, but this has been discontinued due to lack of funds. They were the first in 2004 to start a mobile network. The government then liberalized the mobile phone market by awarding two additional licenses to international operators: MTN in 2003 and Orange Bissau (a subsidiary of Sonatel) in 2007.
2G is on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, 3G is on 2100 MHz and 4G/LTE has started on 1800 MHz (B3) in the capital on both networks.
Currency shown in 'F' is the West African CFA franc (XOF). International code for Guinea-Bissau is +245.
Orange Bissau[]
Orange Bissau has a market share of 52% and leads the market since 2013. It was the first operator to launch a 4G/LTE network in the Africa region at the end of 2015: coverage map
Availability[]
A SIM card costs 1000 F with zero balance. You can buy a SIM card outside the airport building from vendors, they will reach you right after you exit. No ID will be asked. They are also available in their stores (list).
Top-ups can also be found on the streets for 500 F, 1000 F, 5000 F, 10000 F and 25000 F. To top-up by code, enter *123<Voucher Code>#, to check balances dial #123#.
Data feature packages[]
For data you need to purchase a package that is called Pass Internet. They are available by volume and time:
| Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 40 MB | 24 hours | 200 F |
| 80 MB | 24 hours | 350 F |
| 250 MB | 3 days | 650 F |
| 750 MB | 7 days | 2000 F |
| 1.5 GB | 30 days | 4000 F |
| 3 GB | 30 days | 7500 F |
| 5 GB | 30 days | 10,000 F |
| 10 GB | 30 days | 15,000 F |
| 20 GB | 30 days | 22,000 F |
| 40 GB | 30 days | 35,000 F |
| 75 GB | 30 days | 50,000 F |
To activate packages, check remaining balances, bonuses and etc, just open pass.orange-bissau.com or dial #1234#
More info[]
- APN for 3G: internetogb and APN for 4G: 4Gogb
- Website in Portuguese: https://www.orange-bissau.com/
MTN[]
MTN is the second provider with a slightly lower coverage in the country. It advertises 4G/LTE, but this is hardly found.
Availability[]
The SIM card is available in their stores (locator) for 500 F without credit. Top-ups can be bought on the streets. To check balance dial *134#.
Data feature packages[]
For data you need to purchase a package that is called Pacotes Internet Móvel:
| Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 50 MB | 1 hour | 100 F |
| 200 MB | 1 hour | 200 F |
| unlimited | 1 hour | 500 F |
| 5 MB | 24 hours | 100 F |
| 50 MB | 24 hours | 300 F |
| 100 MB | 24 hours | 500 F |
| 500 MB | 24 hours | 700 F |
| 150 MB | 7 days | 1000 F |
| 1 GB | 7 days | 2500 F |
| 5 GB | 30 days | 10000 F |
| 10 GB | 30 days | 15000 F |
| 20 GB | 30 days | 25000 F |
They also offer 3 night packs valid 11pm-6am:
- for 1 night: 500 MB - 200 F
- for 1 night: 2 GB - 500 F
- for 7 nights: 2 GB - 800 F
For social media (Facebook and WhatsApp) these two bundles are offered:
- for 1 day: 4 MB - 50 F
- for 7 days: 10 MB - 100 F
For activation type *138#.
More info[]
- APN: internet
- Website in Portuguese: https://www.mtngbissau.com/