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SIM Cards in Botswana: The Best Prepaid Plans | 2024 Guide

Getting a prepaid SIM card in Botswana is a must to capture a country full of nature, wildlife, and friendly locals. Whether you are staying in Botswanan cities, towns, or villages, there will be plenty of things to do and to see when in Botswana that you want to share on social media.

This issue is that international roaming with your provider has proven to be expensive in many cases, which makes it an unaffordable option to stay connected when traveling. Luckily, local prepaid SIM cards are available to travelers and tourists in Botswana, which is often the most affordable way to stay connected in Botswana.

Mobile data rates are a bit on the expensive side for African standards but still cheap compared to the world average, so getting a Botswanan SIM card should be a no-brainer.

In this article, I will go over everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in Botswana. Let’s get started, shall we?

Buying a SIM Card in Botswana Guide (logos of Mascom Wireless, Orange & BTC Mobile)

Original publication: 5th of August 2020. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.


Table of Contents

Telecom Operators, Networks & Frequencies in Botswana

Cellular Connectivity Illustration by Phone Travel Wiz

Botswana has 3 telecom operators offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:

All operators have 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE networks.

The following frequencies are used by the Botswanan operators:

  • 2G: 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
  • 3G: 2100 MHz
  • 4G/LTE: 1800 MHz (Band 3)

Best SIM Card in Botswana

If you want to buy a SIM card in Botswana, then both Mascom and BTC are good options. Mascom has the best coverage throughout Botswana. They are more expensive than BTC (35 BWP/GB vs. 27 BWP/GB) but cheaper than Orange (58 BWP/GB) when looking at data-only bundles. BTC should be considered when staying in populated areas and wanting to save money.

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SIM Card Registration Regulations in Botswana

Just like most countries in Southern Africa, and Africa in general, you have to register your passport details to buy a SIM card in Botswana.

  • Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
SIM Card Registration Worldwide Tool by Phone Travel Wiz
Flag of Botswana

The State of the Telecom Market in Botswana

(This section is not potent to learn how to get a SIM card in Botswana, and the prices for the packages offered by the local operators. However, it does give you background information on how the Botswanan telecom market is, and it explains why things are how they are. If you are simply interested in getting a SIM card in Botswana, click here to jump to the first operator.)

Botswana is a landlocked country, which means that they are dependent on fiber bandwidth from neighboring countries. Normally, this means that mobile data is costly compared to nations that have access to submarine cables. In the case of Botswana, however, mobile data rates are reasonable.

The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) is “a global coalition working to make broadband affordable for all.” Every year, they analyze the mobile broadband prices of countries in Africa, the Americas (excluding North America), and Asia and see how expensive mobile data prices are in these particular regions.

A4AI found that the average cost per GB is 8.85 USD in Botswana, which is slightly above average for Southern African standards (8.25 USD/GB) but on the more expensive end for African standards (6.45 USD/GB).

This makes Botswana the 9th most expensive African nation to buy 1 GB of data, which is cheaper than neighboring country South Africa (7th place with 10.37 USD/GB), and slightly more expensive than the other neighboring country Namibia (12th place with 8.57 USD/GB).

Another neighboring nation, Zimbabwe, is the 2nd most or most expensive country to buy 1 GB of data for a whopping 15 USD (sometimes much more depending on the source).

When taking the Botswanan average monthly income into account, a Botswanan would spend 1.37% of their monthly income on 1 GB of data, which is extremely low for African standards.

Be aware that coverage throughout Botswana is not as extensive as you may be used to in other (Southern) African nations or other countries in the world. All cities and large towns have at least 3G coverage. Only the most populated places have 4G/LTE coverage. Smaller towns have to deal with 2G or nothing at all. Most of the national Reserves have no coverage at all, including Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Currency in Botswana

Botswana uses the Botswana Pula with the symbol BWP (which will be used throughout this article). Prices in Botswana are listed in P or BWP. For example, 25 BWP is P25. For reference, below are some exchange rates between BWP and USD (US Dollars – Rounded):

  • 1 BWP = 0.075 USD
  • 10 BWP = 0.75 USD
  • 100 BWP = 7.40 USD
  • 1000 BWP = 74.20 USD
  • 10 000 BWP = 742.25 USD

For up-to-date BWP:USD exchange rates, search BWP to USD on Google, or replace USD with the currency you use.

If your credit/debit card charges you foreign exchange fees, get yourself a Wise Borderless Account and Debit Card.

Their fees are MUCH lower than banks and credit card companies charge you (and Wise is transparent about their fees, unlike banks).

I have saved literal THOUSANDS of Australian Dollars and Euros, my main currencies, when using Wise abroad when traveling compared to my debit and credit cards.

Open a Wise account for FREE!

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Botswanan Prepaid SIM Cards

Below, I will guide you through Mascom Wireless, Orange Botswana, and BTC Mobile and go through:

  • Background information
  • SIM card types, prices, and availability
  • Recharge / top-up information
  • Combo plans, data plans, and special packs (such as social media packs) 

With that being said, let’s see what Botswana has to offer to us.

Mascom Wireless

Mascom Wireless Logo

Mascom Wireless, just Mascom, is the largest operator in Botswana. They also have the best 3G coverage, and 4G/LTE is still actively being rolled out.

Mascom Coverage Map

SIM Card Price – Mascom

You can buy a Mascom SIM card for 10 BWP in Mascom stores. Top-up vouchers are sold everywhere, even on the streets.

  • Find out how much SIM cards cost in every country, including data-only SIM cards and tourist SIM cards, offered by each mobile operator + information about starter benefits (lookup tool)
SIM Card Prices Worldwide Tool by Phone Travel Wiz

Mascom Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers

Mascom has many types of combo plans and data-only plans, which are:

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Mascom MyCombo

The MyCombo bundles are combo bundles that come with data, minutes, and SMS. You have the following options:

PriceDataMinutesSMSValidity
5 BWP10 MB3 minutes3 SMS1 day
15 BWP60 MB10 minutes10 SMS1 day
45 BWP600 MB20 minutes20 SMS7 days
65 BWP1 GB30 minutes20 SMS7 days
95 BWP1 GB50 minutes30 SMS14 days
125 BWP2 GB75 minutes30 SMS14 days
165 BWP2 GB100 minutes50 SMS30 days
245 BWP4 GB150 minutes100 SMS30 days

You can activate a MyTime Bundle by following these steps:

  1. Dial *123#
  2. Select My71Shop
  3. Select MyCombo
  4. Choose your bundle of choice
Mascom MyTime

The MyTime bundles are short-time data-only bundles that come with unlimited data for 1 hour, 5 hours, or 10 hours with no speed reduction or apparent fair-use policy within 30 days. You have the following options:

PriceDataValidity
10 BWPUnlimited1 hour
50 BWPUnlimited5 hours
100 BWPUnlimited10 hours

You can activate a MyTime Bundle by following these steps:

  • Dial *123#
  • Select My71Shop
  • Select MyTime
  • Select Buy MyTime
  • Choose your bundle of choice
Mascom MyMix

The MyMix bundles are data-only bundles. The name makes it sound like they are combo bundles, but they are not. The following MyMix bundles are available:

PriceDataValidity
2 BWP25 MB1 day
5 BWP100 MB1 day
10 BWP500 MB1 day
18 BWP1 GB1 day
20 BWP1 GB2 days
39 BWP1 GB7 days
45 BWP2 GB7 days
49 BWP1 GB14 days
69 BWP2 GB30 days
85 BWP3 GB14 days
99 BWP4 GB30 days
149 BWP8 GB30 days
279 BWP16 GB30 days
525 BWP32 GB30 days

You can activate a MyApp Data Bundle by following these steps:

  1. Dial *123#
  2. Select My71Shop
  3. Select MyMix
  4. Select Buy MyMix
  5. Choose your bundle of choice
Mascom MyMeg Prepaid

The MyMeg Prepaid Bundles are long-term data bundles. They come in the following variant:

PriceDataValidity
9.50 BWP14 MB14 days
19.50 BWP30 MB14 days
45 BWP70 MB30 days
80 BWP130 MB30 days
150 BWP250 MB45 days
300 BWP500 MB60 days
600 BWP1.2 GB60 days

You can activate a MyApp Data Bundle by following these steps:

  1. Dial *123#
  2. Select My71Shop
  3. Select MyMeg
  4. Select Buy MyMeg
  5. Choose your bundle of choice
Mascom Night Surfers

The Night Surfers bundles are unlimited data-only bundles that are valid at night between 23:00-5:00 (11 PM-5 AM). The following Night Surfers bundles are available:

PriceDataValidity
10 BWPUnlimited1 night
65 BWPUnlimited7 nights
125 BWPUnlimited14 nights
250 BWPUnlimited30 nights

You can activate a MyApp Data Bundle by following these steps:

  1. Dial *123#
  2. Select My71Shop
  3. Select Night Surfers
  4. Choose your bundle of choice
Mascom MySocial

The MySocial bundles are data bundles for Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp combined. You get 500 MB for 24 hours or 500 MB per day for a week or 30 days. MySocial data speeds are throttled to 1 Mbps. The following MySocial bundles are available:

PriceDataValidity
5 BWP500 MB24 hours
15 BWP500 MB/day7 days
60 BWP500 MB/day30 days

The data allowance for the weekly and monthly plans reset at midnight.

You can activate a MySocial Bundle by following these steps:

  1. Dial *123#
  2. Select My71Shop
  3. Select Other Internet Vouchers
  4. Select MySocial Voucher
  5. Choose your bundle of choice
Mascom MyApp Data Bundles

The MyApp Data Bundles are social media bundles for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Twitter individually. In addition to the social media allowance, you also get Extra All Access Data, which can be used for anything else than the four social media apps. It is possible to combine multiple MyApp Data Bundles if preferred.

The prices, data allowances, and validities for all MyApp Data Bundles are the same. As in, you will pay the same price for the daily, weekly, and monthly bundles regardless of the app you choose. The following MyApp Data Bundles are available:

PriceDataExtra All Access DataValidity
3 BWP100 MB10 MB1 day
10 BWP300 MB50 MB7 days
40 BWP1200 MB250 MB30 days

You can activate a MyApp Data Bundle by following these steps:

  • Dial *123#
  • Select My71Shop
  • Select Other Internet Vouchers
  • Select MyApp Voucher
  • Choose your bundle of choice

Mascom APN Settings

In most cases, your phone will retrieve the correct APN settings automatically. If you need to enter it manually, then you need the following details (do not add anything not mentioned below):

  • Name: Mascom Wireless
  • APN: internet.mascom

Orange Botswana

Orange Logo

Orange Botswana, just Orange, is the second-largest operator in Botswana. They have good coverage throughout the country, but their coverage is not as extensive as the one of Mascom.

Orange Botswata Coverage Map

SIM Card Price – Orange

You can buy an Orange SIM card for 10 BWP in Orange stores. The SIM card comes with 5 BWP in on-net call credit and 5 BWP in cross-net call credit.

  • Find out how much SIM cards cost in every country, including data-only SIM cards and tourist SIM cards, offered by each mobile operator + information about starter benefits (lookup tool)
SIM Card Prices Worldwide Tool by Phone Travel Wiz

Orange Botswana Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers

Orange has several combo plans and data-only plans, which are:

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Orange BuaLeNna Le BaBangwe + Data

The BuaLeNna Le BaBangwe + Data bundles are combo bundles that come with data, unlimited on-net minutes, and cross-net minutes. You have the following two options, which can be activated by dialing *121#:

PriceDataOn-Net MinutesCross-Net MinutesValidity
24 BWP60 MBUnlimited on-net minutes30 cross-net minutes1 day
90 BWP400 MBUnlimited on-net minutes120 cross-net minutes7 days
Orange Ola Prepaid Packages

The Orange Prepaid Packages are combo plans with data, minutes, and SMS. They come in four variants: Ola! Classic, Ola! Social, Ola! Surf & Talk, and Ola! Ultimate. The Ola! Classic packages do not come with data and will not be discussed in this article.

The following 9 Ola Prepaid Packages are available, which can be activated by dialing *121#:

PriceDataOn-Net MinutesAll-Net MinutesInternational MinutesLocal SMSValidity
6 BWP5 MB5 on-net minutesN/AN/A5 SMS1 day
12 BWP10 MBN/A10 all-net minutesN/AN/A1 day
20 BWP20 MBN/A20 all-net minutesN/AUnlimited SMS1 day
22 BWP20 MB20 on-net minutesN/AN/A20 SMS7 days
50 BWP20 MBN/A30 all-net minutes5 international minutesN/A7 days
60 BWP50 MB50 on-net minutesN/AN/A75 SMS30 days
100 BWP50 MBN/A50 all-net minutes5 international minutesUnlimited SMS7 days
120 BWP50 MBN/A70 all-net minutes7 international minutesN/A30 days
300 BWP1 GBN/A80 all-net minutes10 international minutesUnlimited SMS30 days
Orange All My Friends

The All My Friends bundles are semi-combo plans with social media data, on-net minutes, and SMS. The data allowance, which is advertised as free but comes with a 500 MB daily limit, can be used for the following apps:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • Snapchat
  • LinkedIn

The following 3 All My Friends bundles are available, which you can activate by dialing *148#:

PriceData for Social Media AppsOn-Net MinutesSMSValidity
5 BWP500 MB5 on-net minutes10 SMS1 day
20 BWP500 MB/day20 on-net minutes50 SMS7 days
60 BWP500 MB/day60 on-net minutes200 SMS30 days
Orange Tsena Ka Coin

The Tsena Ka Coin is a micro-data-only bundle that comes with 12 MB for 24 hours. You can activate the Tsena Ka Coin plan by dialing *148#.

Orange All My Internet

The All My Internet bundles are data-only bundles. The following All My Internet bundles are available, which can be activated by dialing *148#:

PriceDataValidity
2 BWP20 MB1 day
5 BWP100 MB1 day
10 BWP480 MB1 day
18 BWP1 GB1 day
20 BWP1 GB2 days
40 BWP950 MB7 days
60 BWP1.5 GB7 days
80 BWP2 GB14 days
90 BWP3 GB30 days
120 BWP6 GB30 days
220 BWP12 GB30 days
500 BWP30 GB30 days
Orange All My Internet Plus

The All My Internet Plus bundles are data-only bundles that come with night bonus data that can be used between 23:00-5:59 (11 PM-5:59 AM). You get the same anytime data allowance at night. For example, if you get a 1 GB data plan, you will get an additional 1 GB at night, making your total data allowance 2 GB.

These All My Internet Plus bundles are available, which you can activate by dialing *148#:

PriceDataNight BonusValidity
6 BWP40 MB40 MB1 day
12 BWP120 MB120 MB1 day
25 BWP300 MB300 MB2 days
50 BWP650 MB650 MB7 days
75 BWP1 GB1 GB7 days
95 BWP1500 MB1500 MB14 days
125 BWP2 GB2 GB30 days
240 BWP4 GB4 GB30 days
Orange Mega Bundles

The Mega Bundles are long-term data-only bundles. The following Mega Bundles are available, which you can purchase by dialing *148#:

PriceDataValidity
9.50 BWP15 MB15 days
18 BWP30 MB15 days
45 BWP75 MB15 days
85 BWP150 MB15 days
170 BWP300 MB15 days
299 BWP550 MB30 days
399 BWP2 GB60 days
799 BWP5 GB60 days
1399 BWP10 GB60 days

Orange Botswana APN Settings

In most cases, your phone will retrieve the correct APN settings automatically. If you need to enter it manually, then you need the following details (do not add anything not mentioned below):

  • Name: Orange
  • APN: internet.orange.co.bw

BTC Mobile

BTC Mobile Logo

BTC Mobile is the smallest operator in Botswana. They used to be a state-owned company, but they have been privatized for a long time. For a while, BTC Mobile had the best 4G/LTE coverage, but the other two operators caught up on BTC Mobile already.

SIM Card Price – BTC

You can get a BTC SIM card for 10 BWP in BTC stores. Top-up vouchers are available in many establishments.

  • Find out how much SIM cards cost in every country, including data-only SIM cards and tourist SIM cards, offered by each mobile operator + information about starter benefits (lookup tool)
SIM Card Prices Worldwide Tool by Phone Travel Wiz

BTC Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers

BTC Mobile has several combo plans and data-only plans, which are:

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

BTC Mobile Voice & Data Bundles

The Voice & Data Bundles are combo bundles with data, unlimited on-net minutes, and cross-net minutes. There are following options are available, which can be purchased by dialing *180#:

PriceDataOn-Net MinutesCross-Net MinutesValidity
15 BWP75 MBUnlimited on-net minutes15 cross-net minutes1 day
30 BWP200 MBUnlimited on-net minutes30 cross-net minutes7 day
100 BWP1 GBUnlimited on-net minutes50 cross-net minutes30 days
BTC Mobile TurnUp Bundles

The TurnUp bundles are data-only bundles. The following TurnUp Bundles can be bought by dialing *180#:

PriceDataValidity
2 BWP20 MB1 day
5 BWP100 MB1 day
10 BWP500 MB1 day
15 BWP250 MB7 days
20 BWP1 GB1 day
30 BWP500 MB7 days
60 BWP1 GB7 days
65 BWP1 GB14 days
75 BWP2 GB14 days
75 BWP1 GB30 days
85 BWP3 GB14 days
90 BWP3 GB30 days
110 BWP5 GB30 days
220 BWP10 GB30 days
300 BWP15 GB30 days
BTC Mobile Night Riders

The Night Riders bundle is an unlimited data bundle that can be used as 00:00-5:00 (12 AM-5AM). The Night Riders bundle costs 10 BWP and can be activated by dialing *180#:

BTC Mobile Live Social

The Live Social bundles are social media data bundles with 500 MB/day for Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram combined. The following Live Social bundles are available, which can be activated by *180#:

PriceData for Social Media AppsValidity
5 BWP500 MB1 day
15 BWP500 MB/day7 days
60 BWP500 MB/day30 days
BTC Mobile Video Bundles

The Video Bundles are monthly data bundles for the DStv Now App, which is a popular streaming service in Africa. The following Video Bundles are available:

PriceDataValidity
49 BWP5 GB30 days
69 BWP10 GB30 days
119 BWP20 GB30 days

BTC Mobile APN Settings

In most cases, your phone will retrieve the correct APN settings automatically. If you need to enter it manually, then you need the following details (do not add anything not mentioned below):

  • Name: BTC Mobile
  • APN: internet.be

Other Ways to Get Online When Traveling in Botswana

Being redone.

The Preferred Way to Stay Online When Traveling in Botswana

Getting a SIM card from Mascom (best coverage) or BTC Mobile (cheapest) would do you well when considering a Botswanan SIM card.