Buying a local line here is cheap, and the main cost is the paperwork. Yas, still widely called Telma, which was its name until November 2024, sells a Net Month bundle with 15 GB for 75,000 ariary. At about 4,460 ariary to the US dollar in early October 2026, that is roughly 17 dollars. It also sells a tourist eSIM for 60,000 ariary with 5 GB, an hour of national calls, five international minutes and 50 texts, valid for thirty days. Orange and Airtel sell similar bundles at similar prices. Before any of them will activate a line, you need to show your original passport and complete a registration at the counter.
For a fortnight or more, the local option is the better deal: a Yas line beats every travel eSIM on price per gigabyte and comes with a Malagasy number your driver can call. For a week or less, the difference is a few dollars, and that may not justify a queue at the end of a long flight. The sections below cover what each operator sells, where to buy it, and how to get it set up quickly.
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Yas Net Month and Net Week: The Bundles Locals Buy
Yas lists its data bundles publicly and activates each one with a USSD code beginning #322*. Visitors usually look at two groups: Net Week for short stays and Net Month for anything longer. The table shows the bundles published on yas.mg in October 2026, with an approximate dollar equivalent at 4,460 ariary.
| Bundle | Price (Ar) | About (US$) | Data | Valid | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ye'low One | 1,000 | 0.22 | 1 GB | 24 hours | #322*64# |
| Net Week 5000 | 5,000 | 1.12 | 1.2 GB | 7 days | #322*71# |
| Net Week 10000 | 10,000 | 2.24 | 3 GB | 7 days | #322*73# |
| Net Month 25000 | 25,000 | 5.60 | 4.5 GB | 30 days | #322*8# |
| Net Month 75000 | 75,000 | 16.80 | 15 GB | 30 days | #322*13# |
| Net Month 125000 | 125,000 | 28.00 | 29 GB | 30 days | #322*17# |
| Net Month 200000 | 200,000 | 44.80 | 100 GB | 30 days | #322*15# |
Per gigabyte, the ladder gets cheaper as it climbs, with one exception. The 3 GB weekly bundle at 10,000 ariary works out at about 75 US cents a gigabyte, the 15 GB monthly bundle at about 1.12 dollars, the 29 GB bundle just under a dollar, and the 100 GB bundle about 45 cents. The odd one out is the 4.5 GB monthly bundle at roughly 1.25 dollars a gigabyte, which is still the sensible buy for a light user because it is the smallest thirty-day option. The Ye'low One deal, 1 GB for 1,000 ariary valid for 24 hours, is a handy daily option if you only need data for a single day, such as a transfer.
Buy bundles with credit, not cash at the counter
Bundles come out of your airtime balance. Load credit first, either with a scratch card from any shop showing the yellow Yas sign or through MVola, then dial the code. If a bundle fails to activate, the most likely reason is that you do not have enough credit to cover it.
The Yas Tourist eSIM, and the Nine Shops That Sell It
Yas also sells a tourist eSIM for visitors: 60,000 ariary, quoted on its site as 12 euros, for thirty days with 5 GB of data, one hour of national calls, five minutes of international calls to a list of about forty countries including France, the UK, the US, Germany and Canada, and 50 texts to any network. You cannot buy it online. The process is to buy a voucher at a Yas Store, register with a staff member, then scratch the voucher and scan the QR code with your phone.
Only nine stores sell it, according to Yas's own list: Yas Store Aéroport Ivato, Zoom Ankorondrano in the capital, Diego Foch, Fort Dauphin, Morondava, Nosy Be Mall, Sainte Marie, Tamatave Avenue and Tuléar Ortu. The airport store is the obvious place to buy it if you land during opening hours.
Reasons to take it
Reasons to skip it
In practice, the tourist eSIM's main benefit is the number and the calling minutes. If you only need data, a regular Yas SIM card with a Net Month bundle gives you more data for less money. If you do not want to remove your home SIM, the tourist eSIM is the easier option.
Orange and Airtel: When the Second and Third Networks Make Sense
Orange Madagascar is a reasonable choice if you are staying mainly in the capital, Toamasina, Mahajanga, Diego Suarez or Nosy Be. Its monthly data bundles cost about the same as Yas's, and travellers in 2025 reported paying 30,000 ariary for 4.5 GB over thirty days. The main Orange shop is in Analakely, close to the Avenue de l'Indépendance, and Orange Money is accepted in many of the same places as MVola. Orange's site loads its prices with scripts and does not show them in a form we could verify, so check the current bundle list in the shop. Orange also suffered a cyber incident in February 2026 that disrupted service at its Antananarivo and Toamasina sites for a period. Service has recovered, but it is a reminder that relying on one network carries some risk.
Airtel is the smallest of the three operators and has very few branded shops, which makes its airport kiosk the easiest place to buy its SIM. Both Airalo and Holafly use Airtel for their Madagascar plans. If you already have one of those eSIMs installed, buying an Airtel SIM gives you no extra coverage.
A two-network setup works well here
Because the networks differ so much outside the cities, the best setup for a long road trip is two connections on different networks: for example, a Yas SIM in the physical slot and an Airtel-based travel eSIM, or a Nomad eSIM, which can connect to Yas, alongside an Orange SIM. When one network has no signal on a stretch of the RN7, the other sometimes does, and switching takes only a few seconds in your phone's settings.
Registration: Passport, Photo and Patience
All three operators require you to register a new line with an identity document before it will work, and for visitors that means your passport. Bring the original, as staff generally will not accept a photo of it. Yas staff take your picture during registration, and Orange asks for a signature. Travellers who have bought SIMs from all three report that the process is straightforward but that the time it takes varies. Plan for fifteen minutes to half an hour, longer at the airport if several long-haul flights have arrived together.
Check your phone is unlocked
A phone locked to your home carrier will reject the local SIM after you have already paid for it. Check before you travel. An eSIM-only phone needs the Yas tourist eSIM rather than a physical card.
Hand over the passport, not a scan
The staff member enters your details and takes your photo at Yas. Keep the passport out until they have finished, because they sometimes need to check a detail again.
Ask them to load the bundle for you
Pay for credit and ask the staff member to activate the Net Month bundle while you are still at the counter. Dialing USSD codes in French in a busy arrivals hall is harder than it sounds.
Note your new number
Write it down and send it to your driver or guesthouse straight away. On Yas you can check data and balance through the MVola app or the #359# menu.
The SIM card itself is cheap, around 1,000 ariary at Yas and 3,000 at Orange or Airtel according to 2025 traveller reports. The real cost is the time spent registering, which is why a travel eSIM bought at home still makes sense for short trips.
Local Line or Travel eSIM: Where the Line Falls
Compare the numbers directly. Yas's 15 GB costs about 17 dollars. Nomad, the cheapest travel eSIM here, charges 25 dollars for 10 GB, which is more than twice as much per gigabyte. Airalo charges 45 dollars for 10 GB. Holafly's thirty-day unlimited plan costs 111.90 dollars. The local card is cheaper, but the gap with Nomad is smaller here than in many countries, and Nomad's ability to connect to Yas means the eSIM gives up little on coverage.
That makes the decision mostly about trip length and whether you need a local number. For a week or less, mostly in the capital and one beach destination, a Nomad plan bought at home is the simpler choice and costs only a few dollars more. For two weeks or longer, especially with a driver, a Yas SIM bought at the Ivato store or in town is the better option, as it gives you a number, mobile money and the lowest data price. Many visitors on longer trips use both: a small eSIM for the arrival, then a Yas SIM once they have time to register.
One more consideration is electricity. Antananarivo has had regular rotating power cuts since August 2026, and they are now happening during the evening peak. Guesthouse WiFi often goes down during these cuts, while mobile towers usually stay up on backup power. Whichever option you choose, having your own mobile data matters more here than in places with reliable power.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a SIM card plus enough data for two weeks?
On Yas, about 26,000 ariary covers it for a moderate user: roughly 1,000 for the SIM and 25,000 for the Net Month bundle with 4.5 GB over thirty days, under six dollars in total. A heavier user who streams or uploads photos daily should take the 75,000 ariary bundle with 15 GB instead, about 17 dollars. Either way you will pay much less than for any travel eSIM sold for Madagascar, but you will need your passport and some time at the counter.
Can I buy the Yas tourist eSIM before I fly?
No. Yas sells it only in person, at nine of its own stores, and requires you to register with your passport. The nearest store to most arrivals is the Yas Store Aéroport Ivato. If you want data working from the moment you land, a Nomad, Airalo or Holafly eSIM bought online at home is the only option. Nomad is the cheapest of the three and the only one that lists Yas as a network.
Do the bundle codes work if my phone is set to English?
Yes. The USSD codes such as #322*13# for the 15 GB Net Month bundle are dialled the same way whatever language your phone uses, but the replies and menus are usually in French or Malagasy. If you are not confident, ask the staff member to activate the bundle while you are at the counter, then check your balance before you leave.
Will my Malagasy number still work on my next trip?
Probably not if you leave it unused for months. Prepaid lines here expire after a period with no top-ups, and the number can be reassigned. If you visit often, put credit on the line every few months to keep it active. For most visitors, it is simpler to accept a new number each trip, since registration only takes about half an hour.
Is MVola useful for a visitor?
It can be. MVola is Yas's mobile money service, and many small businesses, guesthouses and drivers accept it. Visitors can use it to top up airtime and buy bundles without needing a shop. Opening a full wallet requires the same registration as the SIM, so ask at the counter whether they can set it up for you at the same time. Orange Money is the equivalent if you choose Orange.