Note that this article is about Guinea also known as Guinea-Conakry or officially Republic of Guinea located on the West coast of Africa with about 13 million inhabitants. It's not about Guinea-Bissau nor Equatorial Guinea that are easy to mix up.
Basics
In the Republic of Guinea three networks are operating:
- Orange Guinée
- MTN Guinée (formerly: Areeba)
- Cellcom Guinée
The debt-stricken incumbent fixed-line operator Sotelgui operated its Lagui mobile unit before it closed down in 2012. Sotelgui was declared bankrupt in 2013, and though there have been several announcements regarding its revival the government in late 2017 confirmed that there was no prospect of its return without a public private partnership to inject substantial cash and equip the company with skilled management.
The heavily indebted 4th mobile player Intercel was obliged to close down its network in late 2018 due to persistent service quality issues.
Orange is now the dominant provider with 60% of the market, while MTN retains 30% and Cellcom about 10%. 2G is on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz and 3G on 2100 MHz. 4G/LTE was started only by Orange so far in the capital of Conakry in 2019.
Currency is the Guinean franc (GNF). Calling code for Guinea is +224.
Orange Guinée
Orange Guinée run by the French operator is the dominant provider in the country. It's the only one that has started with 4G/LTE so far, available mostly in Conakry, probably on 1800 MHz (B3).
Availability
A SIM card costs 5,000 GNF with 516 GNF balance. You can buy SIM card in any Orange boutiques (locator). One store is available outside Conakry Gbessia International Airport building in meeting area. A passport is required for registration.
Top-ups are sold on the street. to top up, enter *123*<voucher PIN>#, to check balance *124#.
Data feature packages
For data you need to purchase a package that is called Pass Internet:
| Data | Time | Price | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 MB | 24 hours | 980 GNF | 30 SMS |
| 100 MB | 24 hours | 1,950 GNF | 50 SMS |
| 150 MB | 24 hours | 2,950 GNF | 2000 GNF airtime |
| 350 MB | 24 hours | 6,400 GNF | 4000 GNF airtime |
| 800 MB | 7 days | 14,000 GNF | |
| 1.8 GB | 7 days | 31,000 GNF | |
| 3 GB | 30 days | 50,000 GNF | |
| 6.5 GB | 30 days | 105,000 GNF | |
| 15 GB | 30 days | 185,000 GNF |
To activate packages, check remaining balances, bonuses and etc, just open pass.orange-guinee.com or dial *222#.
More info
- APN: internetogn
- Website in French: https://www.orange-guinee.com/
MTN Guinée
MTN is the second provider in Guinea with a slightly lower coverage than Orange. There is no 4G/LTE yet.
Availability
The SIM card is sold for 5,000 GNF in their boutiques. It comes with 1000 GNF credit, 30 SMS and 30 MB pre-loaded.
Data feature packages
For data you need to purchase a package that is called Offres internet.
| Data | Time | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 MB | 24 hours | 3 000 GNF | *100*3*3000# |
| 500 MB | 24 hours | 5 000 GNF | *100*3*5000# |
| 60 MB | 48 hours | 1 500 GNF | *100*3*1500# |
| 140 MB | 48 hours | 2 500 GNF | *100*3*2500# |
| 300 MB | 48 hours | 4 000 GNF | *100*3*4000# |
| 500 MB | 48 hours | 5 500 GNF | *100*3*5500# |
| 650 MB | 7 days | 10 000 GNF | *100*3*10000# |
| 1.3 GB | 7 days | 15 000 GNF | *100*3*15000# |
| 2.5 GB | 7 days | 30 000 GNF | *100*3*30000# |
| 2.5 GB | 30 days | 40 000 GNF | *100*3*40000# |
| 5 GB | 30 days | 75 000 GNF | *100*3*75000# |
| 7.5 GB | 30 days | 110 000 GNF | *100*3*110000# |
| 15 GB | 30 days | 190 000 GNF | *100*3*190000# |
| 30 GB | 30 days | 355 000 GNF | *100*3*355000# |
For activation type *100*3# or go to https://surf.mtn.com.gn/.
More info
- APN: internet /or/ internet.areeba.com.gn
- Website in French: https://mtn.com.gn/
Cellcom Guinée
Cellcom entered the Guinea market in 2008 and is the smallest operator what coverage and subscriber numbers are concerned. They may not be so suitable for travelling: coverage map.
Availability
Their 3G+ plus SIM card is available in their boutiques (list) for 5000 GNF with 2500 GNF credit and 25 local SMS.
Top-ups are sold on the street. To top-up by voucher enter *224*<voucher code>#, to check balance by *223#.
Data feature packages
For data you need to purchase a package called Internet 3+ sans limites valid for 30 days:
| Data | Price | Activation |
|---|---|---|
| 50 MB | 1,000 GNF | *777*50# |
| 100 MB | 2,000 GNF | *777*100# |
| 500 MB | 10,000 GNF | *777*500# |
| 1 GB | 20,000 GNF | *777*1# |
| 2 GB | 40,000 GNF | *777*2# |
| 3 GB | 60,000 GNF | *777*3# |
| 4 GB | 80,000 GNF | *777*4# |
| 5 GB | 100,000 GNF | *777*5# |
| 10 GB | 200,000 GNF | *777*10# |
| 50 GB | 1,000,000 GNF | boutique |
| 100 GB | 2,000,000 GNF | boutique |
To activate or check your data balance, enter *777#.
More info
- APN: internet.cellcom.com
- Website in French: http://www.gn.cellcomgsm.com/