Your Sim Card Cell Phones
and Mobile Tech
South Africa FAQ

SIM card FAQ -- with affordable cell phone technology we all take keeping in touch for granted these days even when we are travelling.

Here are some of the Frequently Asked Questions posed by travelers to South Africa, along with the all-important answers.

What kinds of phone work in South Africa? Can I bring my own mobile/cell phone to use while I am travelling in SA?


• Yes, as long as your phone is a tri-band or fourband phone, is unlocked and takes a SIM card



What do you mean ‘unlocked’?

• In the US some cell phone frequencies on your phone may be locked by your service provider to prevent using the phone with a different service. If that is the case, you need to get it unlocked.



Is it easy to obtain a South African SIM card for my mobile?

• Yes – you can buy at the airport, any supermarket and many other outlets all over the country.



What does it cost to buy a SIM card in South Africa?

• A SIM card starter pack costs R5 – R10



Are there different networks/ service providers/ mobile companies?

• Yes, there are three/four – MTN, Vodacom, CellC and Virgin. Virgin actually piggy backs on CellC, so they can be counted as one provider.
  

  Which network offers the best coverage?

• MTN and Vodacom have the most extensive networks and I recommend them if you are going to more rural areas.
  (For example, we have found Vodacom coverage better on the Wild Coast while in rural Kwa Zulu Natal, MTN was better!)
  Around the cities and more populous areas, there’s not much to choose between the four.



Where can I buy an unlocked cell phone in Cape Town or Johannesburg?

• Phones are all unlocked in SA - there's a law preventing mobile locking here. You can buy a Pay As You Go phone at any cellphone outlet and you’ll easily find an outlet at the airports or any shopping mall.



Can I rent a phone for use while I am in South Africa?

• If you are renting a car, most hire companies will rent also rent you a phone (and a GPS if you want one!). Even if you are not renting a car, you will find phone rental booths at the airports. However, buying a cheap prepay phone may well work out cheaper.



I don’t want to just chuck my phone away when I leave SA. How can I sell my prepaid phone before I leave South Africa?

• You can sell it to a Cash Crusaders or Cash Converters store when you leave



Will my Aussie mobile phone work in SA with a local SIM card?

• If it’s a GSM phone that works on the 900 GSM frequency and it is not network locked, yes.



Will a US phone work in South Africa if it is unlocked and a chip is bought in SA for it?

• Your US phone will work in SA if it is a triband or fourband phone, as most new ones are. An older single band US phone will probably not work in SA



What does it cost to call internationally on a cell phone from South Africa?

• prices vary – and are always moving, usually upwards! It will cost you about $1 per minute to call (say) the US. A good idea would be to purchase a phone card and program it into your home phone in the US so your loved ones can call you back at a cheaper rate.



How do I dial an SA cell phone number from a landline outside the country?

• Drop the zero from the beginning of the cell phone number. Dial 00 (international code) then 27 (SA country code) then the remaining 7 digits of the mobile/cell number.



How do I make cheap international calls from SA?

• Set up a Skype account. Calling ‘Skype to Skype’ or ‘Skype to Landline’ both work fine from SA. If you want to be computer-free, buying an international phone card from the Post Office also offers good rates.