Unitel's Tour SIM, delivered digitally
Unitel's Tour SIM page lists three data packages. At the time of checking, they were 15 GB for 10 days at 25,000 tugrik, 25 GB for 20 days at 40,000 tugrik and 50 GB for 30 days at 70,000 tugrik. The page describes a three-step sign-up in which you choose a package, give your details and specify a VAT type, and says you can get the new number digitally or as a QR code to download to a phone.
The page promotes fast activation by eSIM and nationwide coverage, which are Unitel's own claims. It does not state which identification is checked or whether the QR code can be delivered before travel, so confirm both before relying on it for a late arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport.
Mobicom's free tourist data, and why the date matters
Montsame, the national news agency, reported a Mobicom promotion giving international visitors 1 GB of free data valid for 24 hours on arrival, as a physical SIM or an eSIM QR code, handed out in the international arrivals area at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and at a VIP taxi service area. The report stated that the promotion was valid until 17 September 2025. That date has passed, so do not plan around the free data without checking that Mobicom has renewed it.
The same report listed paid tourist packages bought through Mobicom's website, from 15 GB for 7 days at 20,000 tugrik to 50 GB for 30 days at 60,000 tugrik. Those were the 2025 figures, and Mobicom's tourist top-up page we opened showed only a two-step recharge and payment flow with no prices, so confirm current terms. The report did not describe a formal registration procedure.
5G arrived in 2025, mostly for cities
Inside Mongolia reported that five operators, Unitel, Mobicom, Skytel, GMobile and ONDO, received 5G licences when the commercial launch was announced in mid-May 2025, and that the target is 5G access for 70 per cent of the population by 2027. It noted that Unitel had run pilot networks across all 21 provincial centres since 2023.
That points to where a visitor can expect 5G: Ulaanbaatar and provincial centres first. The rest of the country is a different matter. A licence or a population target says nothing about signal at a ger camp, so treat any 5G claim as relevant to towns only.
The steppe and the Gobi: plan for no signal
The UK Foreign Office says networks function adequately in cities and that Wi-Fi is available in hotels and restaurants, particularly in Ulaanbaatar. It adds that large areas of rural Mongolia have no network coverage and recommends back-up communication devices such as a satellite phone for remote travel. It says only about 10 per cent of roads outside the capital are paved and signposting is minimal, and that the Gobi and steppe see the most extreme weather, from +35 degrees Celsius in summer to -40 in winter.
For a phone, the lesson is to download offline maps, save the tour operator's number and agree check-in times with your driver or camp before leaving the last town. A local data plan is useful in the capital and provincial centres, but it should not be the safety plan for a Gobi trip.
Entry rules and emergency numbers
For British citizens, the Foreign Office says tourism visits of up to 30 days are visa-free until 31 December 2026, that a passport must be valid for six months beyond arrival, and that a longer stay requires registration with the Mongolian Immigration Agency, with a digital residence permit to be carried. Rules vary by nationality, so check your own.
It lists 102 for police, 103 for an ambulance and 101 for fire. The Foreign Office also notes that theft rises around the Tsagaan Sar and Naadam festivals and advises using licensed taxis.
Using an eSIM next to your home number
Apple says an iPhone has to be unlocked to take a travel eSIM and that you need Wi-Fi to install it, with the data line selected in Settings, Cellular. Google says Pixel 3a and later phones can pair a physical SIM with one eSIM, and Pixel 7 and later can hold two eSIMs with carrier support. Samsung describes adding an eSIM in SIM manager. Install the Unitel profile on Wi-Fi at home or in your hotel. Our Mongolia plan page is an alternative for data before landing.
Networks our Mongolia plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Mongolia, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- MobicomLTE
- MobiCom4G
- MobiCom Corporation4G
- Unitel4G