eSIM Madagascar
Madagascar from 4,95€ runs on the Airtel and Orange networks: a data eSIM with 1 to 3 GB, prepaid and contract-free, set up with a QR code — you are online when you land at Ivato.
Your Selection
Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for Madagascar?
Set it up before you fly
After the purchase you get an email with a link and a QR code. One tap on the link, or one scan with the camera, and the eSIM sits in your phone next to your usual card. Nothing starts counting yet.
Switch it on after landing
Whether you arrive at Ivato near Antananarivo or at Fascene on Nosy Be: set the eSIM as your data line and leave data roaming on. Your phone attaches to Airtel or Orange, usually within a few minutes.
Let it run, top it up
Validity starts with that first connection. You can watch your usage in the Simbye app, and when it gets tight you top up in seconds — no new eSIM, no new QR code.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in Madagascar?
You never pick a network — your phone takes whichever one is actually standing where you are.
The Simbye eSIM uses 2 networks in Madagascar: Airtel · Orange.
| Networks | Download | Upload | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 10Mbit/s | 6Mbit/s | 88ms |
 | 57Mbit/s | 17Mbit/s | 44ms |
Source: nPerf averages, 01.04.2025 – 31.03.2026.
The eSIM is registered on Airtel and Orange at the same time. When you switch it on, your phone picks whichever signal is stronger, and falls back to the other one if that signal drops. There is nothing to configure, no access point to type in and no number to register. One thing matters: data roaming has to stay switched on, or the connection stays silent even though everything else is set up correctly.
The masts stand thickest in Antananarivo and around Ivato airport, plus Toamasina, Mahajanga, Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa, Toliara and Antsiranana. On Nosy Be you have coverage in Hell-Ville, Ambatoloaka and along the hotel beaches, and the same holds in Morondava and in the village of Andasibe. Along the RN7 between Antananarivo and Toliara the signal drops out repeatedly between the stopover towns, and on the trails of the national parks — Isalo, Ranomafana, Tsingy de Bemaraha, Andringitra, Masoala — you usually have nothing at all. Download your maps, bookings and music while you are still in town. That is where two networks pay off: the eSIM uses both Airtel and Orange, so where one has nothing the other often still does — turn off automatic network selection and pick the other one by hand. A single local SIM gives you only one shot.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Madagascar?
Madagascar leans eSIM: the airport counter photographs your passport and entry stamp and wants ariary from scarce ATMs, while yours is set up at home and switches between Airtel and Orange by itself. Mobile money needs the local number.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID requirement | No registration, no passport, no form | Mandatory: the counter photographs your passport and entry stamp |
| When you get online | Set up at home, connected as you taxi to the gate | Only after the queue at the arrivals hall counter |
| Opening hours | Around the clock, night flights included | The Ivato kiosks are not open for every late arrival |
| Paying | In advance from home, with the card you already use | Cash in ariary — which you need to find first, ATMs are scarce |
| Local phone number | None — this is a data-only plan | Yes, a Malagasy number for calls and texts |
| Mobile money | Not usable, because there is no local number | MVola, Orange Money or Airtel Money are switched on |
| Network | Airtel and Orange, the phone switches on its own | One network, chosen for you at the counter |
| Topping up | Any time from the app, no new eSIM | Buy a scratch card or top up by mobile money |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in Madagascar?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for Madagascar cost?
from 4,95€
2 plans · 7–15 days
Simbye offers 2 plans for Madagascar from 4,95€ to 23,95€ — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Madagascar range from 1 GB to 3 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 15 days and starts with your first connection in Madagascar.
Data plans
- 1 GB 7 days 4,95€ 0,70€ per travel day
- 3 GB 15 days 23,95€ 1,59€ per travel day
Good to know
- Networks
- Airtel + Orange
- Setting it up
- A link in your email, or the QR code — one tap is enough
- Network technology
- 4G/LTE — and 5G where the network already offers it
- APN and settings
- Nothing to set. The eSIM brings everything with it
- Hotspot
- Allowed — for a laptop, tablet or a travel companion
- Adding more data
- Top up any time, without setting anything up again
- Calls and texts
- Not included — WhatsApp calls run over the data
- Your own number
- Stays in the phone and stays reachable
- Contract
- None. The plan ends by itself
- Worth knowing
- Roaming on your home contract gets billed here — this eSIM is prepaid, so nothing is added afterwards
Frequently Asked Questions about Madagascar eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
An eSIM for Madagascar covers mobile data on the Airtel and Orange networks: maps, messages, bookings, plus hotspot for a laptop or camera. What it cannot do is make calls or send texts over the network. You get no Malagasy phone number. For calls you use WhatsApp or any other service that runs on data.
Yes, this is an Airtel eSIM for Madagascar, and it runs on Orange too. The eSIM is registered on Airtel and Orange, and your phone automatically takes whichever network comes through better where you are. Nothing to switch, and no need to commit to one of them in advance.
No, you don't have to register anything in Madagascar for this eSIM. Buy a SIM card locally and it has to be registered against your passport — that is part of the purchase there and it takes time at the counter. The eSIM you book from home beforehand, with no form and no ID.
No, you can't use MVola or Orange Money with this eSIM. Mobile money in Madagascar is tied to a local number registered against your passport, and a data-only eSIM does not have one. Budget for cash in ariary, especially outside Antananarivo and Nosy Be.
Coverage usually reaches Madagascar's national parks only at the towns and park gates. On the trails themselves, almost never. Treat Isalo, Ranomafana, Tsingy de Bemaraha, Andringitra and Masoala as no-signal zones and download your maps first.
You can buy an eSIM for Madagascar online before you leave — choose a plan on this page, pay, and your QR code arrives by email within minutes. There is no shipping and no shop to find on arrival. Scan the code while you still have Wi-Fi at home, then turn the line on after you land in Antananarivo.
Yes, an eSIM for Madagascar is a travel data plan that connects to the country's mobile networks like an ordinary SIM. Data works in Antananarivo, Nosy Be, Toamasina, Morondava and along the main road corridors, while remote rainforest and southern stretches stay patchy for every operator. Your phone just has to support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked.
An eSIM for Madagascar starts at 4,95€; the exact price depends on the data volume and number of days you book, and the price table above on this page shows each plan with its current rate. Two weeks of park hopping with offline maps needs less data than daily video calls home, so pick the bundle that matches how you travel.
How much data you need for Madagascar comes down to modest use: the sizes here run 1 to 3 GB. Maps, messaging and email in Antananarivo or on Nosy Be cost roughly 100-200 MB a day, so 1 GB suits a short stay and 3 GB a two-week circuit. Photo uploads eat a day fast, and video or hotspot use drains 3 GB within days.
The eSIM that is best for Madagascar depends on where you travel and how much you need. Coverage matters most here: this eSIM sits on Airtel and Orange at once, strong in Antananarivo, Nosy Be, Toamasina and the bigger towns, thin on remote roads and in the parks. It runs 1 to 3 GB, data only, no local number. Enough for maps and messaging, not for streaming.
Ready for Madagascar?
Pick a plan, tap the link in your email — you are online from the moment you land.
Choose a planPrepaid, no contract. The plan simply ends on its own.
