Sudan: Buy the Best SIM Cards | 2024 Guide

Sudan is the third-largest country in Africa, behind Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sudan would still have been the largest African nation if South Sudan did not become a separate country. Then, Sudan would have a landmass of 2.5 million km2 compared to Algeria's 2.4 million km2.

Although being a large country with many tourist attractions, Sudan is not a popular tourist attraction. Domestic conflicts do not help with creating a positive destination image, but it can be fun and safe in Sudan, especially in the North.

Lake Nasser is a reservoir which is excellent for fishing. Kartoum has museums, markets, and camels wandering around. Wadi Halfa has deserts and lakes, and Port Sudan is good for Scuba Diving. In short, there is no reason to be bored in Sudan.

You probably want ot share your Sudan experiences with your friends and family on social media. Roaming can be expensive in many cases, especially in Sudan, so you would be better off getting a Sudani SIM card.

In this article, I will go over everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in Sudan. Let's go.

Original publication: 8th of May 2020. Last updated: 29th of August 2023.

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Table of Contents

Mobile Operators, Networks & Frequencies in Sudan

Sudan has three mobile operators offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:

• Zain Sudan
• Sudani by Sudatel
• MTN Sudan

The following frequencies are used in Sudan:

Best SIM Card in Sudan

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SIM Card Registration in Sudan

Just like most countries in Africa, you have to show your passport when buying a Sudani SIM card. Also, bring copies of your passport (2) and passport-sized photos (2). When at the operator store, you will have to fill in a form. Once that has been processed, you get the option to top-up or buy a package, you will receive your SIM card, and you will be ready to go.

VAT in Sudan

All prices are advertised without the 31% government tax (such an incredible high tax). I will mention the price with the tax where relevant in brackets.

Internet Censorship in Sudan

The internet in Sudan is subject to censorship. Various websites have been blocked, which are considered to be blasphemous or immoral by the Sudani government. Moreover, internet traffic is monitored too.

That is I would recommend using a VPN to browse the web in peace. I use NordVPN because I get high speeds with their servers. They have around 5800 servers in 59 countries. They have servers in South Africa and Sudan (there are many more, but these are the closest to Sudan). You can get up to 70% off your NordVPN subscription if you get yours today!

Sudan Prepaid SIM Cards

Below, I will guide you through the Sudani operators and go through:

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

With that said, let's see what Sudan has to offer to us.

Zain Sudan

Zain Sudan, just Zain, is the largest operator in Sudan. 2G can be found in populated areas, 3G is available in most towns, and 4G/LTE can be found in cities like, but not limited to, Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, Port Sudan, Madani, and El Obeid.

SIM Card Price – Zain Sudan

You can buy Zain SIM cards in Zain stores for 7 SDG ($0.13). Zain offers 3 types of prepaid SIM cards: Zain Shabab, Zain eeZee, and Zain class. It does not matter which SIM card you get if you plan on buying data packages.

Zain advertises their data plan prices without the 31% tax. I will add the price with the tax in brackets. All the listed data plans are 3G data plans unless stated otherwise.

Zain Daily Plans

Zain has 4 plans that last 1 day:

• 1 SDG (1.31 SDG): 25 MB
• 1.5 SDG (1.97 SDG): 40 MB
• 3.5 SDG (4.59 SDG): 100 MB
• 8 SDG (10.48 SDG): 250 MB

Zain Weekly Plans

Need a plan that will last you for a week? Consider one of these 4 week plans:

• 6.5 SDG (8.52 SDG): 200 MB
• 9.5 SDG (12.45 SDG): 300 MB
• 15.5 SDG (20.31 SDG): 500 MB
• 30.5 SDG (39.96 SDG): 1 GB

Zain Monthly Plans

Staying in Sudan for a month? Then the Zain monthly plans will be interesting:

• 45.5 SDG (59.61 SDG): 1.5 GB
• 59 SDG (77.29 SDG): 2 GB
• 140 SDG (183.40 SDG): 5 GB
• 200 SDG (262 SDG): 10 GB

Zain 4G Plan (Month)

If you are in an area where Zain has 4G/LTE coverage, then you can consider getting the 400 SGD (524 SDG) plan that comes with 16 GB for 1 month.

Sudani

Sudani is the mobile brand of Sudatel. They are the second-largest operator in Sudan, and their 2G and 3G coverage is almost the same as Zain. 4G/LTE is limited to the cities and major towns only.

SIM Card Price – Sudani

Sudani SIM cards can be bought in Sudani stores for 7 SDG. Top-up vouchers can be purchased there too, but they are sold in many stores throughout Sudan.

Just like with Zain, which will apply to MTN too, prices are advertised without tax. The price with tax will be mentioned in brackets.

Sudani Connect Plans

Sudani has 6 Sudani Connect plans, which are their data plans that use their 3G network. All plans, except the 7 SDG one, are valid for 30 days, while the 7 SDG one is valid for 14 days. The following Sudani Connect plans are available:

• 7 SDG (9.17 SDG): 120 MB. Activation: dial *4*5#
• 12.5 SDG (16.38 SDG): 500 MB. Activation: dial *4*6#
• 22 SDG (28.82 SDG): 1 GB. Activation: dial *4*7#
• 80 SDG (104.80 SDG): 5 GB. Activation: dial *4*8#
• 100 SDG (131 SDG): 10 GB. Activation: dial *4*9#
• 230 SDG (301 SDG): 25 GB. Activation: dial *4*10#

Sudani 4G Advance Plans

If you are in an area where Sudani has 4G/LTE coverage, then you can consider getting one of their 6 4G Advance plans:

• 40 SDG (52.40 SDG): 2 GB for 7 days. Activation: dial *4*102#
• 100 SDG (131 SDG): 5 GB for 15 days. Activation: dial *4*105#
• 250 SDG (327.50 SDG): 15 GB for 15 days. Activation: dial *4*115#
• 400 SDG (524 SDG): 30 GB for 30 days. Activation: dial *4*130#
• 550 SDG (720.50 SDG): 50 GB for 30 days. Activation: dial *4*150#
• 900 SDG (1179 SDG): 100 GB for 30 days. Activation: dial *4*1100#

MTN Sudan

MTN Sudan, just MTN, is the smallest operator in Sudan. Their coverage is worse than the ones of Zain and Sudani. However, one of their main selling is that they offer unlimited internet packages while the other operators do not.

SIM Card Price – Sudani

You can get your MTN SIM card for 7 SDG in many MTN stores throughout the country.

MTN Unlimited Internet Packages

The following 6 unlimited internet packages are available. The price with the tax is shown in brackets. Speed restrictions apply with these unlimited internet packages, which will be mentioned as well:

• 0.6 SDG (0.79 SDG): unlimited data at max. 42 Mbps for 1 hour. Activation: dial *123*13#
• 1 SDG (1.31 SDG): unlimited data at max. 1 Mbps for 1 day. Activation: dial *123*1#
• 4.5 SDG (6.90 SDG): unlimited data at max. 10 Mbps for 1 day. Activation: dial *123*34#
• 6 SDG (7.86 SDG): unlimited data at max. 1 Mbps for 7 days. Activation: dial *123*7#
• 25 SDG (32.75 SDG): unlimited data at max. 1 Mbps for 30 days. Activation: dial *123*30#
• 95 SDH (124.45 SDG): unlimited data at max. 42 Mbps for 30 days. Activation: dial *123*35#

MTN Internet Packages

You can also get one of the 10 MTN regular data packs:

• 0.76 SDG (100 SDG): 20 MB for 24 hours. Activation: dial *123*20#
• 1.5 SDG (1.97 SDG): 45 MB for 24 hours. Activation: dial *123*45#
• 3 SDG (3.93 SDG): 95 MB for 24 hours. Activation: dial *123*95#
• 8 SDG (10.48 SDG): 250 MB for 7 days. Activation: dial *123*250#
• 15 SDG (19.65 SDG): 500 MB for 10 days. Activation: dial *123*500#
• 30 SDG (39.30 SDG): 1 GB for 30 days. Activation: dial *123*1024#
• 80 SDG (104.80 SDG): 3 GB for 30 days. Activation: dial *123*3072#
• 130 SDG (170.30 SDG): 5 GB for 60 days. Activation: dial *123*5120#
• 250 SDG (327.50 SDG): 10 GB for 60 days. Activation: dial *123*10240#
• 470 SDG (615.70 SDG): 20 GB for 90 days. Activation: dial *123*20480#

The Preferred Way to Stay Connected When Traveling in Sudan

Getting a SIM card from MTN or Sudani would do you well when considering an Sudani SIM card.