Eswatini: 2 Best Prepaid SIM Cards Buying Guide (2023)

To save yourself a lot of money when traveling in Eswatini, it is best to buy yourself a Swazi SIM card and take advantage of local packages to keep costs low.

You can buy a Swazi SIM card for as little as 10 SZL (0.60 USD) and get a data package with 1 GB of data for 70 SZL (4 USD) – that is quite cheap for African standards.

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a landlocked country with Mozambique and South Africa as their neighbors, while Lesotho is almost in the middle of South Africa.

Even if you visit Eswatini from South Africa, or Mozambique for that matter, you would want to get a Swazi SIM card because roaming with a Mozambican or South African provider in Eswatini is relatively expensive, let alone if your provider is from another country in Africa or elsewhere in the world.

Mobile data rates are a bit more expensive in Eswatini compared to South African standards (not just South Africa as the country, but South Africa as a region). However, they are still low compared to the world average, so you should definitely take advantage of the local rates.

In this guide, I will go over everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in Eswatini. Let’s do this.

Original publication: 20th of June 2020. Last updated: 17th of February 2023.

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Can I Use my Phone in Eswatini?

Eswatini has GSM networks utilizing frequencies used in many regions around the world (such as Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania – ITU Regions 1 & 3), but not in the Americas (North-, Central-, and South America + the Caribbean – ITU Region 2).

If you purchased your phone in the Americas, if your device has not been unlocked, or the phone does not support Eswatini's frequencies, then you cannot use your phone in Eswatini.

Mobile Operators, Networks, and Frequencies in Eswatini

Eswatini has 2 mobile operators offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:

• MTN Eswatini
• Eswatini Mobile

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

The following frequencies are used by the Swazi operators:

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

Again, make sure your phone is unlocked. Otherwise, you will not be able to use any SIM card except the one from your home operator (meaning you have to roam internationally or buy another unlocked phone that does support the frequencies listed above).

If you want to learn how international roaming works, this guide explains it in-depth. If you wonder why it is often so expensive to roam, this article explains the hidden reason they do not want you to know.

Best SIM Card in Eswatini

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Best eSIM in Eswatini

Unfortunately, none of the mobile operators offer eSIM (to prepaid customers) in Eswatini yet.

However, you can get travel eSIMs from Airalo.

Airalo has the Eswatini Communications eSIMs:

You have three options:

1. Eswatini/Eswatini Communications 1 GB eSIM for 7 days

1. Eswatini/Eswatini Communications 3 GB eSIM for 30 days

1. Eswatini/Eswatini Communications 5 GB eSIM for 7 days

For Airalo eSIMs, the links above and below will automatically get you the Phone Travel Wiz exclusive offers available – a code is not necessary.

For an in-depth analysis of the Airalo Eswatini Communications eSIMs (covering pros and cons as well), check out my Eswatini eSIMs Compared guide.

With this eSIM, you can skip Eswatini's SIM card registration scheme entirely and use it immediately upon arriving in Eswatini!

• Find out about the best local eSIMs, travel eSIMs & travel SIM cards for every country (lookup tool)

TIP: check out my Best Eswatini eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison of several eSIMs for Eswatini.

SIM Card Registration Regulations in Eswatini

SIM card registration with your passport information is mandatory in Eswatini. It will be done at the point of purchase.

The State of the Swazi Telecom Market

(If you just want to know what the Swazi operators have to offer, click here to jump to the video guide, and click here to jump to the first operator (MTN Eswatini))

Eswatini is a landlocked country, which often means that (mobile) internet rates are higher compared to countries next to seas and oceans. Eswatini relies on neighboring countries for internet bandwidth.

Before Eswatini Mobile entered the Swazi telecom market, many locals were upset by the high rates charged by MTN Eswatini. Since then, with a combination of a drop in internet bandwidth rates, internet prices have dropped in Eswatini.

Surprisingly, MTN Eswatini is the cheaper option in the country at the moment when adding up the total GB offered with their data-only packs (Volume-Based Data Bundles for MTN Eswatini, Data Bundles for Eswatini Mobile) divided by the sum of charges for data.

It is understood that this excludes many of the other types of bundles, like the combo bundles. It may not be an accurate representation of the average price charged by the Swazi operators. Still, it does give a quick snapshot of the price difference between the two operators.

However, it is expected that Eswatini Mobile will lower its prices once they have finished their 5-year investment plan in 2022.

Currency in Eswatini

Eswatini uses the Swazi Lilangeni with the symbol SZL (which will be used throughout this guide). Prices in Eswatini are listed in E. For example, 25 SZL is E25. For reference, below are some exchange rates between SZL and USD (US Dollars – Rounded):

• 1 SZL = 0.06 USD
• 10 SZL = 0.60 USD
• 100 SZL = 5.75 USD
• 1000 SZL = 57.55 USD
• 10 000 SZL = 575.70 USD

Do note that the Swazi Lilangeni is pegged 1:1 to the South African Rand (ZAR). Moreover, you can use ZAR in Eswatini (although you will get change back in SZL), but SZL is barely accepted in South Africa.

Swazi Prepaid SIM Cards

Below, I will guide you through MTN Eswatini and Eswatini 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 MTN Eswatini and Eswatini Mobile have to offer to us.

MTN Eswatini

MTN Eswatini, also known as MTN Swazi but will be referred to as only “MTN,” is the largest operator in Eswatini. They also have the best coverage in the country.

MTN Eswatini Coverage

MTN has the best coverage in Eswatini, mainly because they have been operating as a monopoly for a long time.

MTN does not have a coverage map on their website, so I will use a map produced by the Speedtest App, which quite a reliable source.

SIM Card Price – MTN Eswatini

MTN SIM cards, called MTN Pay As You Go, are sold for 10 SZL in MTN stores.

Recharging your MTN Eswatini SIM Card

MTN top-up vouchers are widely available throughout Eswatini. To top-up, dial *141*VoucherCode#.

For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *141*123456#. Dial either *556# or *557# to check your MTN balance.

MTN Eswatini Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers

MTN has several types of combo bundles and data-only bundles:

• Saver Combos (combo plans)
• Pulse (youth-focused data-only plans)
• Time-Based Data Bundles (short-term data-only plans)
• Volume Based Data Bundles (standard data-only plans)
• Social Data (app-specific data-only add-ons)
• Tourist Pack (tourist packages)

Let’s go through each of them. Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

MTN Eswatini Saver Combos

The Saver Combos are combo plans that come with data, minutes, and SMS. Saver Combos can be activated by dialing *686#.

You have the following eight options:

Price	Data	Minutes	SMS	Validity
55 SZL	150 MB	30 minutes	10 SMS	7 days
115 SZL	450 MB	60 minutes	20 SMS	7 days
160 SZL	1 GB	100 minutes	30 SMS	30 days
180 SZL	800 MB	100 minutes	30 SMS	7 days
220 SZL	1 GB	150 minutes	50 SMS	30 days
250 SZL	1.5 GB	100 minutes	50 SMS	30 days
360 SZL	3 GB	300 minutes	100 SMS	30 days
650 SZL	5 GB	500 minutes	200 SMS	30 days

MTN Eswatini Pulse

The Pulse plans are combo plans targeting those to up to 25 years old.

Those who are 16 years old or younger can take advantage of mPulse, which comes with 5 free minutes for a day or week, depending on the type of Pulse package they buy (so you need to buy a bundle before you get free minutes).

Young adults between 17 and 25 years old can take advantage of Pulse, which comes with free Twitter for a day or a week, depending on the type of Pulse package they buy.

There is also something called Pulse Pro, but that is available to postpaid customers only, which will not be discussed in this guide.

The following eight Pulse bundles are available, which can be activated by dialing *411#:

Price	Data	Minutes	Validity
5 SZL	10 MB	20 minutes	1 day
5 SZL	25 MB	5 minutes	1 day
10 SZL	20 MB	40 minutes	1 day
10 SZL	50 MB	15 minutes	1 day
15 SZL	50 MB	60 minutes	7 days
15 SZL	100 MB	30 minutes	7 days
20 SZL	80 MB	90 minutes	7 days
50 SZL	500 MB	50 minutes	30 days

MTN Eswatini Time-Based Data Bundles

Time-Based Bundles are short-term data-only bundles. They are known as Rush Hour Bundles, which are hourly data bundles, and Loloma Bundles, which are unlimited data bundles for an hour up to 4 hours between 23:00 and 5:00 (11 PM – 5 AM).

MTN Eswatini Rush Hour Bundles

There are four Rush Hour Bundles available, which can be activated by dialing *686*1*4#:

Price	Data	Validity
1 SZL	2 MB	1 hour
2.50 SZL	10 MB	1 hour
10 SZL	45 MB	1 hour
20 SZL	100 MB	1 hour

MTN Eswatini Loloma Bundles

There are four Loloma Bundles available, which can be activated by dialing *686*1*4#:

Price	Data	Validity	Time frame
10 SZL	Unlimited	1 hour	23:00-5:00 (11 PM-5 AM)
25 SZL	Unlimited	2 hours	23:00-5:00 (11 PM-5 AM)
30 SZL	Unlimited	3 hours	23:00-5:00 (11 PM-5 AM)
40 SZL	Unlimited	4 hours	23:00-5:00 (11 PM-5 AM)

MTN Eswatini Volume Data Bundles

The Volume Data Bundles are standard data-only bundles. They come in daily, weekly, and monthly variants. You get the same data allowance that can be used at night between 23:00 and 5:00 (11 PM – 5 AM).

For example, if you get a 1 GB data plan, you will get an additional 1 GB allowance for at night, making your total data allowance 2 GB.

All Volume Data Bundles can be activated by dialing *66*1*1#.

The following Volume Data Bundles are available:

Price	Data	Night Data Bonus	Validity
2 SZL	8 MB	8 MB	1 day
5 SZL	23 MB	23 MB	1 day
10 SZL	47 MB	47 MB	1 day
17 SZL	185 MB	185 MB	7 days
25 SZL	500 MB	500 MB	7 days
40 SZL	200 MB	200 MB	30 days
60 SZL	350 MB	350 MB	30 days
70 SZL	1 GB	1 GB	7 days
80 SZL	500 MB	500 MB	30 days
150 SZL	1 GB	1 GB	30 days
250 SZL	2 GB	2 GB	30 days
350 SZL	3 GB	3 GB	30 days
450 SZL	5 GB	5 GB	30 days
550 SZL	7 GB	7 GB	30 days
750 SZL	10 GB	10 GB	30 days
1000 SZL	1.5 GB/day (45 GB in total)	None	30 days
1100 SZL	15 GB	15 GB	30 days
1250 SZL	20 GB	20 GB	30 days
1500 SZL	25 GB	25 GB	30 days

MTN Eswatini Social Data Bundles (WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube & Study)

The Social Data Bundles are data bundles for WhatsApp only, Facebook only, YouTube only, or a bunch of study-related websites.

All Social Data Bundles can be activated by dialing *686*1*2#.

The following Social Data Bundles are available:

Price	Data	App	Validity
5 SZL	30 MB	WhatsApp	1 day
5 SZL	30 MB	Facebook	1 day
10 SZL	500 MB	Study	1 day
10 SZL	1.5 GB	YouTube	1 day
20 SZL	150 MB	WhatsApp	7 days
20 SZL	150 MB	Facebook	7 days
20 SZL	1 GB	Study	7 days
20 SZL	3 GB	YouTube	7 days
40 SZL	360 MB	WhatsApp	30 days
40 SZL	360 MB	Facebook	30 days
50 SZL	3 GB	Study	30 days
65 SZL	5 GB	YouTube	30 days

The following sites fall under your Study Data Bundle data allowance:

The study bundles may not be useful for tourists and travelers. However, they can be helpful for exchange students, which is why I still mention them in this guide.

MTN Eswatini Tourist Pack

The Tourist Pack is MTN's SIM card targeting tourists visiting Eswatini. The Tourist Pack costs 99 SZL and comes with 1 GB, 45 on-net minutes, and 15 international minutes, and they are sold at MTN stores at border entry points.

The Tourist Pack has three weekly bundles available:

Price	Data	On-Net Minutes	International Minutes
99 SZL	1 GB	45 minutes	15 minutes
150 SZL	2 GB	50 minutes	15 minutes
299 SZL	5GB	50 minutes	30 minutes

It is not entirely clear whether one can buy one of the regular data bundles with a tourist SIM card. MTN claims that “[…] the customer (tourist) must have bought the preloaded starter pack that has the 99 SZL value of tourist bundle” and later states that “The bundles are as below,“ which are the bundles listed above.

MTN Eswatini APN Settings

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

• Name: MTN Swaziland
• APN: mymtn.co.sz

Eswatini Mobile

Eswatini Mobile, which was known as Swazi Mobile before the country changed names, is the newest operator in the country. Eswatini Mobile was awarded a license to break up MTN’s monopoly. Initially, Eswatini Mobile used MTN’s towers before building their own network, but they now have their own network.

Eswatini Mobile Coverage

Eswatini has a list of towns they cover, which is more than 85 towns.

However, showing you a table of towns you have never heard of or will not visit would not be helpful.

Instead, I will show you a coverage map provided with the Network Checker on the Speedtest app.

SIM Card Price – Eswatini Mobile

You can buy Eswatini Mobile SIM cards for 50 SZL in Eswatini Mobile stores. The SIM cards come with 50 SZL in credit.

Recharging your Eswatini Mobile SIM Card

Eswatini Mobile recharge vouchers are sold everywhere throughout Eswatini. To top-up, dial *200*VoucherCode*.

For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *200*123456#. Dial *202# to check your Eswatini Mobile balance.

Eswatini Mobile Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers

Eswatini has several types of combo plans and data-only plans, which are:

• No Frills Contracts (combo plans)
• Prepaid Plans (combo plans)
• Data Bundles (data-only plans)
• YouTube Bundles (app-specific plans/add-ons)

Let’s go through each of them. Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Eswatini Mobile No Frills Contracts

The No Frills Contracts are combo bundles. Although the name includes contract, it is a prepaid bundle.

Unlike the Prepaid Plans mentioned later, No Frills Contracts expire at the end of the month, not the usual 28-31 days. This means that if you buy a No Frills Contract on the 25th of the month, you can use your allowance for only 3-6 days, depending on the length of the month.

The following four No Frills Contracts are available, which can be activated by dialing *222#:

Price	Data	On-Net Minutes	Off-Net Minutes	Local SMS	Unlimited Calls
50 SZL	500 MB	250 on-net minutes	50 off-net minutes	50 SMS	On Saturdays
100 SZL	1 GB	300 on-net minutes	60 off-net minutes	60 SMS	On Saturdays & Sundays
195 SZL	2 GB	600 on-net minutes	120 off-net minutes	120 SMS	On Sundays between 6:00-18:00 (6 AM-6PM)
295 SZL	8 GB	Unlimited on-net minutes	150 off-net minutes	150 SMS	N/A

No Frills Contracts auto-renew. To cancel auto-renewal, dial *241*PackageAmount#.

For example, if you purchased the 100 SZL package and want to cancel it, you would dial *241*100#.

Eswatini Mobile Prepaid Plans

Prepaid Plans are combo plans that come with data, on-net minutes, off-net minutes, and SMS.

The following seven Prepaid Plans are available:

Price	Data	On-Net Minutes	Off-Net Minutes	Local SMS	Validity
5 SZL	5 MB	30 on-net minutes	5 off-net minutes	5 SMS	24 hours
10 SZL	10 MB	70 on-net minutes	10 off-net minutes	10 SMS	24 hours
50 SZL	50 MB	250 on-net minutes	50 off-net minutes	50 SMS	7 days
195 SZL	1 GB	500 on-net minutes	100 off-net minutes	50 SMS	30 days
240 SZL	60 MB	60 on-net minutes	N/A	60 SMS	Allowance renewed every 30 days, the plan expires after 365 days
295 SZL	2 GB	750 on-net minutes	200 off-net minutes	75 SMS	30 days
495 SZL	4 GB	1000 on-net minutes	400 off-net minutes	100 SMS	30 days

Eswatini Mobile Data Bundles

The Data Bundles are data-only bundles.

Besides data you can use whenever you want, you get a 50% data bonus to be used at night (unknown timeframe).

For example, if you get a 10 MB data plan, you will get an additional 5 MB to be used at night, making your total data allowance 15 MB.

The following 16 Data Bundles are available, which are all valid for 30 days:

Price	Data	Night Data
2 SZL	7 MB	3.5 MB
5 SZL	20 MB	10 MB
10 SZL	30 MB	15 MB
20 SZL	40 MB	20 MB
25 SZL	70 MB	35 MB
30 SZL	100 MB	50 MB
35 SZL	130 MB	65 MB
50 SZL	200 MB	100 MB
90 SZL	400 MB	200 MB
100 SZL	512 MB	256 MB
150 SZL	1 GB	512 MB
295 SZL	2.5 GB	1.25 GB
500 SZL	5 GB	2.5 GB
700 SZL	7.5 GB	3.75 GB
800 SZL	10 GB	5 GB
1000 SZL	Unlimited	Unlimited

YouTube Bundles

You can also get a YouTube Bundle in addition to your Data Bundle so that you do not exhaust your data bundle allowance. You could call them add-ons.

You have the following three options:

Price	Data	Validity
10 SZL	1 GB	1 day
20 SZL	2.5 GB	1 day
35 SZL	5 GB	1 day

Eswatini Mobile APN Settings

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

• Name: Swazi Mobile
• APN: internet

The Preferred Way to Stay Online When Traveling in Eswatini

Getting a SIM card from MTN (best coverage and lower prices) would do you well when considering a Swazi SIM card.