Mobile data in Sierra Leone is priced by regulation as much as by competition: since 5 November 2023, NatCA has set a floor of 20 leones per gigabyte, and the big bundles sit right on it. At about 24.6 new leones to the dollar, that is roughly 80 cents a gigabyte. Orange sells 20 GB for a month at 300 leones, about 12 dollars; Africell's 15 GB month is the same 300 leones; Qcell's 10 GB lasts 45 days for 200. The cheapest travel eSIM, Nomad, charges 39 dollars for 10 GB. So for anyone staying more than a few days, a local line is the obvious money choice, and the real questions are practical ones: where in Freetown to buy it, what identification the shop will ask for, and whether you can manage the first day from Lungi without it.
What This Guide Covers
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Africell, Orange and Qcell: Who Runs What
Three operators compete for prepaid customers, and a fourth, the state-owned Sierratel, is a fixed-line and enterprise business that a visitor can safely ignore. Your choice is between the following.
| Operator | Background | Money wallet | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africell | Lebanese-founded group, in Sierra Leone since the mid-2000s, describes itself as market leader | Afrimoney | First 5G sites live in Freetown; the widest bundle range, including a 90-day 40 GB pack |
| Orange | The old Celtel network, later Zain and Airtel, under Orange ownership since the mid-2010s | Orange Money | Deep upcountry footprint inherited from the oldest network; the cheapest 20 GB month on its own site |
| Qcell | Gambian operator, licensed in Sierra Leone in October 2018 | None found on its site | Lowest daily bundle prices in NatCA's comparison and double-value days three times a week |
For a first-time visitor the practical choice is usually Africell or Orange, because those are the two networks the Nomad and Holafly eSIMs also name, the two whose shops you will find in every provincial town, and the two whose mobile money wallets are accepted by drivers and guesthouses. Qcell is a credible third option in Freetown and a cheap one, but it is smaller, and if you are heading to the east or the north it is worth asking locals which network holds a signal where you are going.
Why the eSIM sellers name the networks differently
Holafly calls Orange "Celtel (Orange)" and Airalo calls it Zain. Both names belong to the same network at earlier points in its life. If you see either of them on a map or an old sign upcountry, it is the network Orange runs today.
What a Gigabyte Costs in New Leones
Sierra Leone redenominated its currency in 2022, knocking three zeros off the old leone, so prices on operator sites are in new leones, written NLe or SLE. Orange's own pages still label them SLL, the old code, but the amounts are clearly in the new currency. The figures below come from each operator's published bundle tables, converted at about 24.6 leones to the dollar.
| Operator and bundle | Data | Validity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Weekly 1GB | 1 GB | 7 days | NLe 15 (about $0.60) |
| Orange Monthly 10GB | 10 GB | 30 days | NLe 150 (about $6.10) |
| Orange Monthly 20GB | 20 GB | 30 days | NLe 300 (about $12.20) |
| Africell weekly | 2 GB | 7 days | NLe 40 (about $1.60) |
| Africell monthly | 6 GB | 30 days | NLe 120 (about $4.90) |
| Africell monthly | 15 GB | 30 days | NLe 300 (about $12.20) |
| Africell long validity | 40 GB | 90 days | NLe 800 (about $32.50) |
| Qcell | 5 GB | 30 days | NLe 100 (about $4.10) |
| Qcell | 10 GB | 45 days | NLe 200 (about $8.10) |
| Nomad eSIM | 10 GB | 30 days | $39 |
| Airalo eSIM | 5 GB | 30 days | $32 |
The pattern is plain: across all three operators the monthly bundles cost about 15 to 20 leones a gigabyte, close to or at the regulator's floor, and a 10 GB month from a travel eSIM costs five or six times as much. Orange's weekly gigabyte at 15 leones even sits below the published floor, which suggests the operators treat small weekly packs as promotional.
Qcell's Data Bunya days
On Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays Qcell runs what it calls Data Bunya, dialled through *303*1#. Its published Bunya table prices 5 GB at 75 leones and 10 GB at 150, a quarter off the normal rates. If you are buying a Qcell bundle, buying it on one of those days saves real money for no extra effort. The everyday bundle menu is on *303#.
Registering a Line With a Passport
SIM registration with valid identification has been a legal requirement in Sierra Leone since regulations made under the Telecommunications Act in 2009, and the regulator is now pushing much harder on enforcement. In August 2026, NatCA's director general told Parliament about a phased plan to bar unregistered lines, starting with outgoing calls and moving on to incoming ones. For a citizen the sticking point is the cost and availability of the national ID card. For a visitor the document is your passport.
Buying a line in Freetown, in order
1. Go to a branded Orange, Africell or Qcell shop rather than a street seller, because registration needs to be done properly to survive the barring drive.
2. Hand over your passport. Staff record your details against the new number; expect a photograph and possibly a fingerprint.
3. Pay for the SIM and choose a bundle, or ask staff to load one for you before you leave.
4. Test data and calls in the shop.
5. Keep the receipt or registration slip with the number on it, in case you need to prove ownership later.
What we could not confirm
We found no 2026 notice from NatCA or the operators that spells out exactly which documents a foreign visitor must present, or whether the barring plan treats visitors differently. A passport is what shops have historically accepted, and it is what to carry. Qcell's website advertises online SIM registration, but we could not test whether it accepts a foreign passport. Allow half an hour in a quiet shop and considerably longer on a busy Saturday in central Freetown.
Shops, Street Sellers and the Lungi Side
Most visitors buy their line in Freetown, because that is where the airport transfer delivers them and where the branded shops are concentrated. Africell, Orange and Qcell all have customer care centres in the city centre and in the western neighbourhoods around Aberdeen and Lumley, close to the beach hotels where many first-time visitors stay. Each operator lists its shops on its website, and your hotel reception will know the nearest one.
Arriving late at Lungi
Many international flights land in the evening, and the water taxi then takes you across the estuary in the dark. By the time you reach Aberdeen, operator shops are shut. Roadside sellers offer top-up scratch cards almost everywhere, but a roadside table is not where you want to register a new line. If you land after dark, plan to use an eSIM or hotel WiFi for the first night and visit a shop the next morning.
Topping up is easy once the line exists. Scratch cards are sold at kiosks, petrol stations and market stalls across the country, and once the line is registered you can also ask the shop about paying for bundles through Orange Money or Afrimoney. Carry small leone notes, because sellers rarely have change for large ones.
Qcell's Over-the-Counter eSIM
One detail sets Sierra Leone apart from its neighbours: a local operator sells an eSIM of its own. Qcell's website says its eSIM costs 75 leones, about 3 dollars, and is bought at any Qcell customer care shop, where an agent checks that your phone is eligible, issues a QR code and links it to your number. You still go through registration in person, and the eSIM gives you a normal Qcell line with Qcell bundles, so it is a way to keep your home SIM in the physical slot rather than a way to avoid the shop.
Africell's site also has an eSIM page, but its own FAQ says eSIMs cannot currently be set up in its stores, and parts of the page read as if copied from another operator's template. We would not plan around an Africell eSIM until the company says clearly how to get one.
| Option | Where you get it | Registration | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qcell eSIM | Qcell shop, NLe 75 | In person, passport | Keeping your home SIM in the slot |
| Physical Orange or Africell SIM | Any branded shop | In person, passport | Mobile money and the widest coverage |
| Travel eSIM (Nomad, Airalo, Holafly) | Online, before you fly | None | The arrival day and short trips |
Matching the Option to the Trip
The arithmetic favours the local line by a wide margin, so the honest question is whether the time and paperwork are worth it for your particular visit.
Buy a local line when
Stick with an eSIM when
A combination works well for many people: a 1 GB Nomad eSIM at 7 dollars to cover Lungi, the crossing and the first night, then an Orange or Africell line from a Freetown shop the next morning. The Sierra Leone eSIM guide compares all three providers on verified prices, the Lungi airport guide covers the arrival and the crossing in detail, and the eSIM Finder will size a plan to your dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to get 10 GB of data in Sierra Leone?
A local bundle. Qcell sells 10 GB valid for 45 days at 200 leones, about 8 dollars, and only 150 leones on its Data Bunya days. Orange's 10 GB month costs 150 leones, about 6 dollars. The cheapest travel eSIM for the same amount, Nomad, costs 39 dollars.
Why are Orange's prices shown in SLL on its website?
It appears to be a leftover currency code. Sierra Leone replaced the old leone with the new leone in 2022, removing three zeros, and the new currency's code is SLE. Orange's bundle pages still say SLL, but amounts like 150 for 10 GB only make sense in new leones, at roughly 24.6 to the dollar.
Will a SIM bought from a street seller keep working?
It may not. NatCA has told Parliament it is introducing phased barring of unregistered lines, cutting outgoing calls first and then incoming ones. A line registered properly against your passport in a branded shop is the safe option. Street sellers are fine for top-up scratch cards once your line is registered.
Can I get a local eSIM instead of a plastic card?
With Qcell, yes. Its website says a Qcell eSIM costs 75 leones and is issued in its customer care shops after staff check your phone. You still register in person. Africell's site mentions eSIM too, but says it cannot currently set one up in store.
Which network should I pick for a trip to Bo and Kenema?
Africell or Orange, the two largest networks, both reach the main provincial towns. If you can, ask a driver or your guesthouse which works best on your exact route, because strength varies from district to district. A dual-SIM phone with one line on each is a cheap way to cover both.