There are 2 telecommunication providers in Ethiopia – Ethio Telecom, and Safaricom.

Getting a local SIM is cheap and highly recommended for travel in Ethiopia.

SIMs can be bought in the morning (Mon-Sat) from any Ethio Telecom, and Safaricom shop in any major city.

Take your passport and some ETB to pay for the SIM, as well as to put credit on your phone via the voucher system used here.

Data, call and SMS packages can be bought on a daily, weekend, weekly, or monthly basis by dialing *999# on your handset.

*804# can be dialed to check your balance in Ethio Telecom, and *777# for Safaricom.

Make sure to get your SIM registered (required by the government here) and your hotspot established.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS & SIM CARDS