Hello Greenland: what it is and how it works
Tusass describes Hello Greenland as a prepaid mobile plan designed especially for tourists, with a local Greenlandic number, mobile data, calls and SMS. It is available as a physical SIM, collected at Tusass locations in Nuuk, Sisimiut and Ilulissat, or as an eSIM, for which a QR code is sent by email after purchase. The tourist board calls it the first Greenlandic eSIM solution designed for tourists and says it can be activated in three steps.
Tusass says plans have fixed validity periods, for example 7 or 14 days, starting when you activate in Greenland, so you can buy months earlier and choose the start. It is a one-time prepaid product with no auto-renewal, extra data top-ups are available, and the data balance can be checked by texting Data to 1800. The company states that premium SMS and shortcode services are not supported, apart from that balance check. Customer service is on +299 80 80 80 on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00.
The limits: no roaming, eSIM-capable handsets only
Tusass says plainly that there is no roaming support with Hello Greenland, so the plan works only inside Greenland. If you are connecting through Copenhagen or Reykjavik, plan your data separately for those legs. For the eSIM, Tusass lists iPhones from the XS onwards and recent Android devices from Samsung, Google Pixel, Huawei, Motorola, Xiaomi and Sony, and tells users to look for Add eSIM or Add mobile plan in settings.
We could not find a price list on the pages we opened, only the statement that you choose the data option that suits your stay, so confirm prices and data allowances on the Tusass site before buying. Visit Greenland also says visitors can check roaming agreements through their current provider as an alternative to a local profile.
5G: ten towns, with Ericsson
Tusass says it is building the Greenland 5G network in collaboration with Ericsson, and that 5G is available in ten towns: Nuuk, Maniitsoq, Narsaq, Qaqortoq, Paamiut, Nanortalik, Qasigiannguit, Aasiaat, Ilulissat and Sisimiut. The page states no launch date and says the company keeps working to expand the network, with the note that a home modem change is needed for its home 5G service.
The tourist board says the mobile system uses 4G and 5G and that there is coverage in almost all settlements. For a traveller the ten-town list suggests that 5G is most likely in the main hubs on the west and south coasts. Whether a visitor profile uses 5G depends on the plan and the handset, and the Tusass pages we opened do not say, so treat 4G as the baseline.
Beyond the last house: satellite devices and itineraries
Visit Greenland says mobile coverage exists only near settlements and that, in wilderness regions, it is mostly unavailable. It recommends buying a local SIM from Tusass or bringing satellite devices such as a Garmin InReach for remote travel, and always telling someone your itinerary and expected return. It mentions Iridium satellite phones for remote hiking as an option, though expensive, and notes that most major hotels have Wi-Fi, with internet at libraries in larger towns and many tourist offices.
The same hazards page lists glacier calving that can cause tsunami waves, rockfalls, avalanches on slopes steeper than 30 degrees, wildfires and rapidly changing weather. A phone network is not a substitute for a local guide in those conditions. Download offline maps, carry a power bank and agree check-in times with your host.
Emergency numbers
Visit Greenland lists 112 as the primary emergency number, with the police on +299 70 14 48 and the fire brigade on 113. For emergencies at sea, its FAQ refers to search and rescue operations via mayday calls rather than a phone line.
Hello Greenland is described as including calls and SMS within Greenland, so confirm with Tusass that voice is enabled on your profile, and test it while you are still in a town.
Using Hello Greenland beside your home SIM
Apple says an iPhone must be unlocked to use a travel eSIM, that Wi-Fi is needed to install it and that the data line is chosen in Settings, Cellular, with iMessage and FaceTime on the home number. Google says Pixel 3a and later phones can pair a physical SIM and an eSIM. Samsung describes SIM manager for eSIM setup. Because the eSIM can be bought long before the trip and activated in Greenland, install it at home and activate it on arrival. Our Greenland plan page is another way to arrange data before you fly.
Networks our Greenland plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Greenland, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- TELE Greenland4G
- TELE Greenland A/S4G
- Tusass4G