Algeria SIM Card Guide (2026)

Algeria has no tourist SIM, because it has very few tourists. What it has is three operators competing hard for Algerians' data spending, and that has driven local prices down to some of the lowest in North Africa: Djezzy's 60 GB monthly pass costs 1,500 dinars, about 11 dollars at the official exchange rate. Two of the three networks, Djezzy and Mobilis, are owned by the state, and the third, Ooredoo, is the one every travel eSIM brand uses.

The cost of a local card is not money but effort. You need your passport, possibly a local address, cash in dinars and enough French or Arabic to get through a registration at an agency counter. Against that, the cheapest travel eSIM for Algeria is 16 dollars for 10 GB, close enough to local prices that for a short trip the convenience wins easily. This page sets out what each operator charges and what buying a line involves.

DjezzyNet, the Ladder to Beat

Djezzy rebuilt its data offer in February 2026 under the name DjezzyNet, and it is now the yardstick for anyone comparing prices in Algeria. The range is split into monthly, weekly and daily passes and is open to every Djezzy customer, prepaid or contract. Buying through the Djezzy app adds a bonus of 2 GB on a monthly pass, 500 MB on a weekly one and 100 MB on a daily one, and a second subscription in the same period is half price.

Dollar figures use the official rate of roughly 135 dinars to the dollar in October 2026. At that rate the 60 GB pass costs about 18 cents a gigabyte, against 1.60 dollars on Nomad's 10 GB plan and 78 cents on its 50 GB plan. A local pass is therefore somewhere between four and nine times cheaper per gigabyte depending on what you compare, a narrower gap than in much of Africa but still a real one on a long stay.

We could not load Djezzy's own website from outside Algeria while researching this page, so these figures come from the February 2026 launch announcement as reported by the Algerian business press. Ask at the counter whether the bonus structure has changed before you pay.

Mobilis, Navigui and the Network That Reaches the Oases

Mobilis is the operator to consider if your Algeria is more than the coast. It is part of the state Algerie Telecom group, it carries a large share of government and public-sector lines, and drivers who work the Saharan routes tend to keep a Mobilis card for the stretches where the other two fade. Its pricing is a little behind Djezzy's on raw gigabytes but simple to follow.

The product worth asking for by name is Navigui, a data-oriented SIM that Mobilis sells for 300 dinars. Activation includes 3 GB of data valid for thirty days, which on its own covers a week of maps and messaging for most visitors. When it runs out you add any of the passes above through the USSD code *600#, the MobiSpace app or a Mobilis agency. There is also a Navigui 4G variant that adds a recurring 2 GB each month for six months, which only matters if you are staying a long time.

Ooredoo, the Old Nedjma

Older Algerians still call it Nedjma, the name it traded under from 2004 until 2013. Ooredoo is the privately owned challenger, part of the Qatari group, and it was the first operator to cover every Algerian province with 4G. It is the network that Nomad, Airalo and Holafly all list, which says something about its interconnection deals and the quality of its city network.

Ooredoo's own monthly mobile passes are bought by dialling *151# or in the Ooredoo app: 6 GB for 500 dinars, 15 GB plus 5 GB reserved for YouTube for 1,000, and 40 GB with unlimited YouTube for 1,500, each valid for thirty days. For a few days there is a 72-hour pass with 3 GB for 300 dinars. The company also sells a separate home and data-only range called Ooredoo Internet, with 50 GB over four weeks for 1,500 dinars at the bottom, but that is aimed at households replacing a fixed line, not at visitors.

For a traveller the interesting point is that buying an Ooredoo SIM gains you nothing in coverage over an Ooredoo-based eSIM: it is the same masts. What it gains you is the price per gigabyte and an Algerian number. If you want a local card that adds a different network to the one your eSIM already uses, pick Djezzy or Mobilis instead.

Buying a Line: Passport, Address and Cash

Every Algerian SIM is registered to an identity document, and for a foreigner that means your passport, with the visa or entry stamp in it. Travellers who have bought cards in recent years report that agencies sometimes also ask for an address in Algeria; your hotel's address or the booking confirmation for a rented flat is enough. Staff at airport counters are said to be more relaxed about the address. We could not find an official 2026 statement of the rule from the regulator, the ARPCE, so carry both.

Budget around half an hour at a quiet agency and an hour or more at a busy one after work, when queues build. That is time a short-trip visitor is right to avoid, and it is the main reason a travel eSIM is worth its premium here.

When an Algerian Number Earns Its Place

A travel eSIM gives you data and nothing else. In Algeria a local number is more useful than in many places, for three reasons. Guesthouses, drivers and desert agencies arrange things by phone call and WhatsApp, and some still prefer a local call. Several Algerian apps and services send a one-time code by SMS to a local number. And calling a domestic number from a foreign SIM on roaming is expensive in a country where few carriers have generous roaming deals.

If you are joining an organised Saharan tour under the visa-on-arrival scheme, ask your agency first. Many will arrange local cards for their groups, and the guide will carry a satellite phone for the stretches where no network reaches.

Doing the Sums for Your Trip Length

Algeria is a case where the travel eSIM is closer to the local price than usual, so the decision tips toward convenience earlier. On a four-day business trip to Algiers, Nomad's 5 GB plan at 11 dollars is only a few dollars more than a Navigui card plus a pass, and it saves you the agency visit entirely. On a ten-day coastal circuit, the 10 GB plan at 16 dollars is still a reasonable price for a line that works from the moment the doors open at Terminal 4.

The one group for whom the local card is clearly better is the long-stay visitor: engineers on rotation, researchers, anyone visiting family for a month. At 1,500 dinars for 60 GB, a DjezzyNet pass pays for the hour in the queue many times over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Algerian operator should a visitor buy, if only one?

For price in the cities, Djezzy, whose DjezzyNet passes give the most gigabytes per dinar. For a trip that goes into the Sahara, Mobilis, the state network that drivers in the south tend to rely on. Ooredoo is excellent in the north, but every travel eSIM already uses it, so a local Ooredoo card adds price savings rather than coverage.

Can I buy a SIM at Algiers airport before passport control?

No. The operator counters are in the public part of the terminal, after immigration and customs. You will need to clear the border with whatever connection you brought with you, which is one argument for having a travel eSIM installed for the first hour.

What is the Navigui card, and is it a good choice for a short stay?

Navigui is a Mobilis SIM sold for 300 dinars that includes 3 GB of data valid for thirty days. For a short stay it is excellent value, and you can add a 1,000 dinar 10 GB pass through *600# if you need more. It is not the cheapest per gigabyte on a long stay, where DjezzyNet's bigger passes win.

Will my Algerian line stop working when I leave?

Prepaid lines lapse if they go unused and are not topped up for a long period, and each operator applies its own rule. If you expect to come back, top up a small amount before you leave and ask the agency how long the line stays alive without credit.

Why do passes keep mentioning YouTube and Facebook?

Algerian operators compete by zero-rating popular apps. Ooredoo's 1,000 dinar pass includes 5 GB reserved for YouTube and its 1,500 dinar pass unlimited YouTube, while Mobilis has passes with WhatsApp and Facebook included. For a visitor who mostly uses maps, messaging and browsing, compare passes on the general data allowance and ignore the app extras.