The 2016 law and registering a prepaid SIM
Orange Botswana's support page says that under the law of 16 December 2016 you must identify yourself with a valid identity document when buying a new prepaid SIM. A national identity card is accepted for citizens, and a passport for foreign nationals. A sales assistant at an Orange shop registers and activates the number.
The consequences of skipping it are spelled out. Orange says that if registration is not completed it will suspend the line within 14 days and cancel it after 30 days, and that until registration is complete you cannot make or receive calls, use data or use email on that line. A visitor should therefore not accept an unregistered SIM from a street seller, since it is the kind of line the registration rules are designed to cut off.
Mascom: online KYC, shop eSIM and the MyMix bundles
Mascom runs an online SIM registration page. Its steps are to enter the number and either an OTP, for an existing SIM, or the PUK for a new one, then scan an identification document, record a selfie video and complete know-your-customer details. The page accepts a Botswana ID or a non-Botswana passport number, so a visitor can use it with a passport.
Mascom's eSIM costs P10.00. The eSIM page says to visit a Mascom shop for the QR code and scan it on an eSIM-capable phone, and to make sure the KYC details are updated at a shop. It says only one mobile number can be active per SIM, eSIM or physical, and that Apple phones can have at most two active eSIMs while other brands allow one.
For data, Mascom's MyMix page lists prepaid bundles. At the time of checking, 1 GB plus 1.5 GB of bonus data cost P18 for one day, 1.5 GB cost P39 for seven days, 3.5 GB cost P85 for 14 days, and monthly bundles ranged from 2 GB for P69 to 100 GB plus 100 GB bonus for P990. Prices include VAT and apply to prepaid customers only. A short safari will rarely need more than the smaller monthly bundles.
Orange: eSIM at any store, and the pay-per-MB trap
Orange Botswana's eSIM page says an eSIM costs BWP 10.00 and is available at any Orange store, with a passport as the required ID for foreign nationals. The customer receives a QR code or activation code. It tells users to dial *#06# to find the EID and see whether the phone supports eSIM, and says the SIM lifecycle spans one year from the last recharge.
Orange's basic prepaid tariff page lists data at P0.99 per MB throughout the day, and calls at P1.37 per minute in peak hours (7 am to 9 pm), with local SMS at P0.25. At P0.99 per MB, a few minutes of map use can drain a small balance, so buy a bundle straight after activating rather than leaving the line on pay-as-you-go. We did not open Orange's bundle pages, so check them on the operator's site.
What the regulator publishes, and what it does not
The Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority publishes a telecom statistics page with categories for mobile telephony, mobile broadband, fixed broadband, prepaid and postpaid subscriptions and mobile money, listed as at March 2024 when we checked. The numbers sit in charts that we could not read in text form, so we do not quote subscriber figures.
Nothing on the pages we opened gives a map of where signal reaches in the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi pans or the Kalahari. Treat a lodge's own advice about connectivity as the best source, and ask what is available in the room, not just at reception.
Remote trips: what the UK Foreign Office advises
For isolated regions the UK Foreign Office advises arranging transport and lodging beforehand, getting local security guidance, carrying emergency supplies including water and fuel, and travelling in convoy or with satellite phones. It warns about wildlife and livestock on roads outside towns, especially at night, and says flooding in the rainy season from November to March can affect roads and border crossings.
The point for a phone is simple. A SIM is not a safety plan in the delta or on a long gravel road. Tell the lodge your route and arrival time, and download maps and the lodge's contact details before leaving the last town with a reliable signal.
Emergency numbers and keeping the home line
The UK Foreign Office lists 999 for police, 997 for an ambulance and 998 for fire in Botswana.
Apple says a travel eSIM needs an unlocked iPhone and Wi-Fi to install, with the data line chosen in Settings, Cellular. Google says Pixel 3a and later phones can pair one physical SIM with one eSIM. Samsung describes SIM manager for adding an eSIM. Because both operators issue the eSIM through a shop, check the handset against the list before you go. Our Botswana plan page is an option for data before arrival.
Networks our Botswana plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Botswana, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- beMobile4G
- Mascom3G
- MASCOM4G
- Mascom Wireless Botswana (Pty) Limited4G
- Orange4G