Could someone please tell me if it is practical to get a sim card/phone credit for use during a 10 day trip around Madagascar, and would I be able to use my phone to check email where there is wifi?
Thanks very much!
kirisuchina
1
parisii
It's easy to buy a local SIM card at the airport and top-up cards are available all over the country. Telma and Orange are two of the operators and have pretty good coverage. Don't see why you wouldn't be able to use your phone for wifi but I wouldn't rely on finding it regularly. Bigger towns will have internet cafes but they're often quite slow connections.
2
fircst
Very easy to get a SIM card with very cheap price,
but the network sucks... Telma and Airtel can never get the internet on my two mobile phones (BB9700 & WM)
You can find WIFI in good hotels and restaurants in major towns,Tana,Antsirabe,Fianar.
3
carafa
Like other posters said, very easy. I brought an unlocked phone, got a a sim card for a really cheap price of 2000 ariary or something... and then you can buy phone top ups everywhere. I wouldn't recommend Telma, as service is poor. I sent texts back to Canada and UK no problem. You can also buy mobile phones on every street corner. It is worth it because on some of the trips I went on, I could text the guides I had booked trips with and let them know I was on my way and they texted me to le me know if there were any changes.
4
travelbug7467
This is what I did - got a local sim card (I went with Orange as I have an unlocked iPhone and there were advertisment everywhere in Tana for Orange & iPhones) for 10000Ar (which is expensive) but then I just surf the net on the 3G network. Getting top up cards were simple - easy to buy on the streets. For mobile internet - 2500Ar for the day, or 12000 for 30 days. I had no issues with texting to USA & Canada. As expected, little to no reception inside the parks. Wifi can only be found in the cities.
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