Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory comprising of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha. The island lies almost 1950 kilometers (1200 miles) west of the coast of southwest Africa and 4000 kilometers (2500 miles) from Brazil. As a result, the island ground is grouped together with West Africa, even when it is so far away from mainland Africa.
The island does have a few tourist attractions, but many travelers go there to relax, which is understandable. You are so far away from everyone… the only thing you can do is relax!
As not many operators offer roaming in Saint Helena, your only option to stay connected in Saint Helena is getting a Saint Helenian local SIM card. Roaming can be expensive in many cases, which is why many travelers prefer to buy a local SIM card. In the case of Saint Helena, you do not have much choice.
In this article, I will go over everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in Saint Helena. Let's get started.
Original publication: 16th of March 2020. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
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Telecom Provider in Saint Helena
Saint Helena has 1 telecom provider, and that is Sure Saint Helena. Sure Saint Helena has 2G and 4G/LTE networks throughout the island.
As there is no 3G network, it is essential to know that Sure uses the frequency 1800 MHz (Band 3) for their 4G/LTE network. If your phone does not support this frequency, then you will be limited to 2G speeds, which is extremely slow for data.
Best SIM Card Saint Helena
Sure Saint Helena
Sure Saint Helena, officially called Sure South Atlantic, is the sole operator in Saint Helena. Their coverage is decent throughout Saint Helena.
SIM Card Price – Sure Saint Helena
You can buy a Sure SIM card for 16.50 GBP ($20.30) with 10 GBP in credit in the Sure service center in Jamestown (Bishop’s Room) and Saint Helena Airport. Although the salesperson will often activate your Sure SIM card for you, you may have to dial *170# to activate your SIM card.
- 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)
Sure top-up vouchers are sold in various stores. To recharge, you have to dial *177&VoucherCode#. For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *177*123456#.
Sure has 2 (expensive) data packs:
- 10 GBP: 100 MB. Activation: dial *173*200#
- 20 GBP: 250 MB. Activation: dial *173*200#
In short, you will spend at least 26.50 GBP for 100 MB (16.50 GBP for the SIM card and 10 GBP for the 100 MB pack), which is criminal.
The Best Way to Stay Connected When Traveling in Saint Helena
Getting a SIM card from Sure would be your only option when considering a Saint Helenian SIM card.