Mauritania sometimes gets confused with Mauritius. While Mauritania is a large country in North Africa (or Northwest Africa), Mauritius is a small island nation in East Africa in the Indian Ocean.
What can you actually do in Mauritania? Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, has many markets and beautiful beaches. Chinguetti has challenging hiking trails, and Nouadhibou is a hub for kite surfers. As you can see, there are plenty of things to do in Mauritania.
You probably want to stay connected when traveling in Mauritania (which is why you searched for Buying a SIM card in Mauritania). Getting a local SIM card is almost always the cheapest way to stay connected when traveling abroad, especially when compared to roaming with your provider because roaming can be expensive in many cases.
Mobile data rates are low in Mauritania, compared to the world average, which is a good reason alone to get a Mauritanian SIM card. However, there is much more to learn about mobile data in this country.
In this guide, I will go over everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in Mauritania. Let’s go.
Original publication: 16th of June 2020. Last updated: 30th of January 2021.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators, Networks, and Frequencies in Mauritania
Mauritania has 3 mobile operators:
- Mauritel
- Chinguitel
- Mattel (La Mauritano-Tunisienne des Télécommunications)
All operators have 2G and 3G networks. 4G/LTE is not available in Mauritania.
The following frequencies are used by the Mauritanian operators:
- 2G: 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
- 3G: 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
UPDATE: the operators in Mauritania have finally been awarded 4G/LTE licenses in October 2020. It is unknown when 4G/LTE sites will be deployed.
The Best SIM Card in Mauritania
If you want to buy a SIM card in Mauritania, then Mauritel is the best because they have the best coverage.
SIM Card Registration Regulations in Mauritania
Like most countries in North Africa, and Africa in general, you have to register your SIM card with your passport details when buying a SIM card in Mauritania.
The State of the Mauritanian Telecom Market
Do note that the network quality of all Mauritanian operators is poor. In fact, the telecom operator, ARE, fined the 3 operators in early 2020 for “failure to maintain adequate quality of service (QoS) on their respective networks.” Moreover, internet speeds are slow too. One should not expect speeds higher than 1 Mbps, which says enough about the state of the network (and broadband speeds are not much faster either).
Since 2018, the Mauritanian government has been planning on awarding 4G/LTE licenses to the incumbent operators and potentially new players. The government reopened bids in 2019 because nobody placed bids, including the 3 incumbent operators. In 2020, no update related to the 4G/LTE licenses could be found, meaning that it can take years before mobile data speeds can become manageable in Mauritania.
Currency in Mauritania
Mauritania uses the Mauritanian Ouguiya with the symbol MRU (which will be used throughout this article). Prices in Mauritania are listed in UM. Sometimes, you will see “N-UM” and “A-UM.” A-UM (MRO) refers to the old version of the Mauritanian Ouguiya, which is pegged 10:1 to the new version (10 A-UM (Old) = 1 N-UM (New)).
Although the old version of the currency should have been out of circulation in mid-2018, it is still actively advertised. If, for example, a Mauritanian site solely states “UM,” you can assume the site is referring to the new version of the currency. In this article, only the new version of the Mauritanian Ouguiya will be used to minimize confusion.
For reference, below are some exchange rates between MRU and USD (US Dollars):
- 1 MRU = 0.02 USD
- 10 MRU = 0.25 USD
- 100 MRU = 2.50 USD
- 1000 MRU = 25.10 USD
- 10 000 MRU = 251.30 USD
For up-to-date MRU:USD exchange rates, search MRU to USD on Google, or replace USD with the currency you use.
Mauritanian Prepaid SIM Cards
Below, I will guide you through Mauritel, Chinguitel, and Mattel 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 Mauritania has to offer to us.
Mauritel
Mauritel is the largest operator in Mauritania. Mauritel has the best coverage throughout Mauritania, covering 90% of the population.
Getting a Mauritel SIM Card & Topping Up
You can get a Mauritel SIM card, called El Jawal, for 50 MRU in Mauritel stores. You can also get your SIM card Nouakchott International Airport after leaving the customs area. Recharge cards are sold from 10 MRU to 1000 MRU, which are widely available.
Mauritel Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers
Mauritel has several combo plans and data-only plans, which are:
- Les Forfaits GratiPlus
- Grati-FLEX
- Pass Confort
- Grati-Media
- Les Forfaits Grati-Net
Let’s go through each of them.
Mauritel Les Forfaits GratiPlus
The Forfaits GratiPlus are combo plans that come with data, minutes, and SMS for all-net use. The following 4 options are available:
| Price | Data | Minutes | SMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 MRU | 10 MB | 10 minutes | 10 SMS |
| 20 MRU | 20 MB | 20 minutes | 20 SMS |
| 30 MRU | 30 MB | 30 minutes | 30 SMS |
| 50 MRU | 60 MB | 60 minutes | 60 SMS |
GratiPlus plans can be activated with a GratiPlus recharge card. To activate a GratiPlus plan, dial *123*VoucherCode*1#. For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *123*123456*1#.
Mauritel Grati-FLEX
The Grati-FLEX combi plans are monthly plans that come with data and minutes for all-net use and international use. There are 4 variants:
- 200 MRU: 200 MB and 4 hours of airtime
- 300 MRU: 300 MB and 6 hours of airtime
- 500 MRU: 500 MB and 10 hours of airtime
- 1000 MRU: 1 GB and 20 hours of airtime
If you want to call internationally, you have to be aware of the following 7 zones:
- Zone 1:
- Gulf Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar & the United Arab Emirates)
- Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine & Turkey)
- North America (Canada & the United States)
- West Europe (unspecified & with exceptions)
- Zone 2:
- Asia Pacific (Unspecified & with exceptions)
- East Europe (Unspecified & with exceptions)
- Latin America (Unspecified & with exceptions)
- Zone 3:
- Africa (Unspecified & with exceptions)
- Zone 4:
- Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Switzerland, and Zambia
- Zone 5:
- Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Gambia, Latvia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Tunisia, and Vanuatu
- Zone 6:
- Thuraya (Satellite)
- Zone 7:
- The Cook Islands, Lithuania, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, Satellites (except for Thuraya), and Tonga
Grati-FLEX plans can be activated with a Grati-FLEX recharge card. To activate a Grati-FLEX plan, dial *123*VoucherCode*3#. For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *123*123456*3#.
Mauritel Pass Confort
The Pass Confort passes are data-only passes. They come in 5 variants, which can be activated by calling 154:
- 500 MRU: 500 MB for 3 days
- 1000 MRU: 1 GB for 7 days
- 3000 MRU: 3 GB for 30 days
- 10 000 MRU: 15 GB for 60 days
- 20 000 MRU: 45 GB for 90 days
Mauritel Grati-Media
The Grati-Media plans are social media plans with unlimited for WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They come in 3 versions:
- 20 MRU: Unlimited social media data for 2 days
- 30 MRU: Unlimited social media data for 4 days
- 50 MRU: Unlimited social media data for 6 days
Grati-Media plans can be activated with a Grati-Media recharge card. To activate a Grati-Media plan, dial *123*VoucherCode*5#. For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *123*123456*5#.
Mauritel Les Forfaits Grati-Net
The Forfaits Grati-Net are data-only plans. You get double the data amount from Fridays to Sundays. For example, if you buy a 1 GB data plan, you can use 1 GB from Monday to Thursday, and 2 GB from Friday to Sunday. The following 10 Grati-Net plans are available:
| Price | Data (Monday-Thursday) | Data (Friday-Sunday) | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 MRU | 100 MB | 200 MB | Until midnight |
| 20 MRU | 200 MB | 400 MB | 1 day |
| 30 MRU | 300 MB | 600 MB | 2 days |
| 50 MRU | 500 MB | 1 GB | 3 days |
| 100 MRU | 1 GB | 2 GB | 7 days |
| 200 MRU | 2 GB | 4 GB | 20 days |
| 300 MRU | 3 GB | 6 GB | 30 days |
| 500 MRU | 5 GB | 10 GB | 30 days |
| 1000 MRU | 15 GB | 30 GB | 60 days |
| 2000 MRU | 45 GB | 90 GB | 90 days |
Grati-Net plans can be activated with a Grati-Net recharge card. To activate a Grati-Net plan, dial *123*VoucherCode*2#. For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *123*123456*2#.
Mauritel 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):
- APN: web.mauritel
Chinguitel
Chinguitel is the second-largest operator in Mauritania. They have good coverage throughout the country.
Getting a Chinguitel SIM Card & Topping Up
You can get a Chinguitel SIM card, called Mauritani, for 500 MRU in Chinguitel stores. Recharge cards are widely available. To top-up, dial *222*VoucherCode#. For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *222*123456#. Dial *222# to check your Chinguitel balance.
Make sure NOT to get the Zaki SIM card because that SIM card works only with CMDA phones (almost all phones are GSM phones nowadays, which Mauritani supports).
Chinguitel Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers
Chinguitel has several data plans, called Offres 3G Mobile – Maurinet, which can all be activated by dialing *2#:
- 5 MRU: 20 MB until midnight
- 10 MRU: 100 MB for 1 day
- 20 MRU: 200 MB for 2 days
- 50 MRU: 500 MB for 5 days
- 100 MRU: 1 GB for 10 days
- 200 MRU: 2 GB for 18 days
- 300 MRU: 3 GB for 30 days
- 500 MRU: 6 GB for 30 days
- 1000 MRU: 12 GB for 30 days
Chinguitel 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):
- APN: internet3g.chinguitel.mr
Mattel
Mattel is the oldest operator in Mauritania, but they are now the smallest operator. They have decent coverage throughout Mauritania.
Getting a Mattel SIM Card
You can get a Mattel SIM card, called Alèze, for 200 MRU in Mattel stores.
Mattel Internet Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers
Mattel has several combo plans and data plans, which are
- Forfaits Max Plus
- Forfaits Max Net
- Les Forfaits Internet
Let’s go through each of them.
Mattel Forfaits Max Plus
The Forfaits Max Plus plans are short-term combo plans with data, minutes, and SMS. They come in 4 variants:
| Price | Data | Minutes | SMS | Validity | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 MRU | 10 MB | 10 minutes | 10 SMS | 24 hours | *167*1# |
| 20 MRU | 20 MB | 20 minutes | 20 SMS | 24 hours | *167*2# |
| 30 MRU | 30 MB | 30 minutes | 30 SMS | 2 days | *167*3# |
| 50 MRU | 60 MB | 60 minutes | 60 SMS | 3 days | *167*4# |
You can check your Forfait Max Plus balance by dialing *167*0#
Mattel Forfaits Max Net
The Forfaits Max Net plans are combo plans with data and minutes. They come in 4 versions:
| Price | Data | Minutes | Validity | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 MRU | 1 GB | 60 minutes | 3 days | *168*1# |
| 200 MRU | 2 GB | 120 minutes | 7 days | *168*2# |
| 300 MRU | 3 GB | 180 minutes | 15 days | *168*3# |
| 400 MRU | 4 GB | 240 minutes | 30 days | *168*4# |
You can check your Forfait Max Net balance by dialing *168*0#
Mattel Les Forfaits Internet
The Forfaits Internet plans are data-only plans. The following 6 Forfaits Internet plans are available:
| Price | Data | Validity | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 MRU | 100 MB | 24 hours | *160*1# |
| 20 MRU | 200 MB | 48 hours | *160*2# |
| 50 MRU | 500 MB | 5 days | *160*3# |
| 100 MRU | 1 GB | 10 days | *160*4# |
| 300 MRU | 3 GB | 30 days | *160*5# |
| 1000 MRU | 10 GB | 60 days | *160*6# |
You can check your Forfait Internet usage by dialing *160*0#
Mattel 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):
- APN: web.mattel
Other Ways to Get Online When Traveling in Mauritania
Being redone.
The Preferred Way to Stay Connected When Traveling in Mauritania
Getting a SIM card from Mauritel (best coverage) would do you well when considering a Mauritanian SIM card.
Local Prepaid SIM Card in Other African Countries
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