Bring a passport for an identified local line
Guinea's telecom regulator ARPT says operators must identify subscribers before activating a number or internet service. Its identification instructions, published in March 2021, specify a passport for non-nationals, with a national identity or consular card exceptionally accepted for citizens of the Economic Community of West African States. The same instructions limit a person to three SIM cards per document per operator. Take the original passport to an authorised shop and allow time for its details to be recorded before expecting the line to work.
The same 2021 announcement said systematic deactivation of unidentified numbers would begin from 2 May 2021, so confirm current practice in the shop. Test calls, SMS and data in the shop, even when a reseller hands over a packaged card. Keep the receipt and number. A phone that needs a local number for calls or messages requires a voice-and-SMS capable offer.
The regulator's 2023 audit named Orange, MTN and Cellcom as the mobile networks it assessed. Areeba is the brand currently presented on the former MTN Guinea operator's own customer site. Avoid choosing a network from an older name alone; check the sign and the live network displayed on the handset.
Match Areeba's pass to the length of the stay
Areeba's mobile-offer page divides data passes into 24-hour allowances of 55 to 800 MB, 48-hour allowances of 130 to 900 MB, seven-day allowances of 750 MB to 3.7 GB, and 30-day allowances of 5.55 to 55 GB. It advertises starting prices of 1,000, 3,000, 10,000 and 46,000 Guinean francs respectively, at the time of checking. Its MoMo page instead starts the 48-hour range at 2,000 francs. Compare the exact volume, expiry and price on the live purchase menu.
The operator gives *100*3# as the internet-pass menu and *223*20# to check the data balance. Its ComJAIM range instead combines credit for calls, messages and internet, while Boss bundles specify separate minutes, SMS and data. A traveller who must telephone a driver or accommodation should compare these mixed packages with a data pass rather than assuming internet credit covers ordinary voice calls.
Areeba also publishes a KDO table for gifting passes. It lists 1.8 GB valid seven days for 15,000 francs and 5.5 GB valid 30 days for 46,000 francs at the time of checking. Ask whether the purchase is a normal pass or a transfer to another number. Keep the confirmation message until the balance appears.
Arrange the first recharge while still in Conakry
Areeba lists customer support at 8800 and a Conakry contact in Coleah on the route du Niger in Matam. Its roaming page names Almamya and Coleyah boutiques for postpaid arrangements. A location listing does not confirm SIM stock. Contact support or use a staffed boutique for registration and ask the agent to show the data-pass menu.
For later purchases, Areeba says the mobile offers can be bought through its USSD menu or MoMo. Its MoMo page identifies *440# as the main mobile-money menu and describes cash deposits at authorised agents, bill payments and merchant payments. It also gives *111# options 4 or 5 to locate a MoMo agent. A visitor should check whether they can open and fund a MoMo account with their own documents; the data-pass dialling menu is the more direct fallback when only prepaid credit is available.
Areeba's out-of-bundle table lists internet charged by the kilobyte. Turn off background updates until a pass is active. When recharging in a regional town, check the number and that credit has become a data pass.
Read ARPT's atlas before travelling beyond Conakry
ARPT's public atlas lets users inspect mobile coverage and quality by area. Its quick regional choices include Conakry, Boké, Faranah, Kankan, Labé, Mamou and Nzérékoré. Search the actual prefecture before deciding that a line which works in the capital will serve a journey inland. The atlas is a planning tool, not a guarantee for a particular building, vehicle or valley.
In its 2023 national audit announcement, ARPT says it tested Orange, MTN and Cellcom for 2G, 3G and 4G voice, messages and data across 49 localities and 43 road axes. That is more relevant to a road itinerary than a national coverage headline, though the announcement does not promise an individual speed on a particular trip. ARPT's quality-control page points back to the atlas for prefecture-level inspection.
For a journey towards Kankan or the forest region, ask the operator and host about each overnight stop. Save the address and route offline. UK travel advice notes poor roads and document checks at roadblocks, adding reasons to keep a callable number and offline directions.
Separate a Guinean roaming offer from a visitor's eSIM
Areeba's roaming page describes how its own customers use their Guinea number abroad. It says roaming is enabled by default for prepaid users with credit, while postpaid users arrange service through a commercial team or boutique. It lists more than 130 partner countries as an operator claim but publishes no full price table on that page. This outbound offer does not establish the price or network for a foreign subscriber arriving in Guinea. Ask a home provider whether Guinea is included, the partner network and the data rate before turning roaming on.
The public Areeba pages checked describe physical-line purchases, passes and roaming, but do not publish a clear domestic visitor eSIM activation route. Do not assume a shop can convert a local prepaid line to eSIM merely because a handset supports the format. Ask the operator directly if a local number on eSIM is essential. A travel data eSIM can be arranged separately and paired with a home voice line on compatible unlocked phones.
Apple advises checking that an iPhone is unlocked before using another carrier's eSIM and explains how its two-line settings work while abroad. Install a purchased profile while connected to reliable internet, label the Guinea data line, and confirm which line is selected for data and which will receive calls or authentication messages.
Make an arrival plan that still works without mobile data
UK travel advice recommends arranging a transfer before arrival if flying into Conakry after dark. Save the driver's contact, destination address and a map before take-off, and keep enough battery to show them without mobile service. A registration queue, an unsuccessful top-up or a weak connection need not then prevent the first transfer. If buying locally, keep the passport and the chosen operator's support details ready for the shop.
The same UK advice says roadblocks can involve checks of vehicle and passenger documents. Keep required identity documents accessible and save the number of the accommodation or organiser for an ordinary call. For travel outside the capital, share the planned route and the next contact point before departing. The ARPT atlas can identify areas worth asking about but cannot replace a direct check with the host.
Our Guinea plan page is one data option to compare with a locally registered SIM. If an existing home line must remain reachable, inspect its roaming charges and turn off its data roaming before choosing the Guinea data line.
Keep clinic and help contacts available offline
The UK government's Guinea help page says there is no general emergency-services system to rely on. For urgent medical assistance it lists Conakry clinics, including Clinique Pasteur and Clinique Ambroise Paré, with telephone numbers. Its health page gives additional clinic contacts and notes that in remote areas a patient may have to arrange transport locally. Save current clinic and insurer contacts for the places being visited rather than expecting a single emergency number to dispatch help nationwide.
Keep a voice-capable line, a charged handset, address and a way to contact the host or driver if internet messaging fails. Before setting off, verify that the relevant clinic number still answers; an online directory cannot confirm real-time availability.
Networks our Guinea plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Guinea, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- MTN Areeba Guinea4G
- Orange4G
- Orange Guinee4G