eSIM Nepal
Nepal eSIM from 9,95€ on the Nepal Telecom and Ncell networks, 1–3 GB prepaid with no contract and no registration – scan the QR code and you are online as you land in Kathmandu.
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 Nepal?
Get connected in under 2 minutes
Set it up at home
The eSIM arrives by email: a link to tap, plus a QR code and the details to type in by hand. Set it up on WiFi before you fly, while you still have internet. After that it sits quietly on your phone and uses nothing.
Switch it on in Nepal
After landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu – where almost every international flight arrives – turn on the Simbye line and enable data roaming for it. Connecting usually takes one to two minutes. If you cross overland from India, do the same once you are past the border.
Validity and topping up
Validity starts with your first connection in Nepal, not when you buy. When your data runs low you top up online, in the app or on the website. The eSIM stays the same – nothing to set up again, no new code to scan.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in Nepal?
In Nepal your phone switches between Nepal Telecom and Ncell on its own – there is no operator for you to pick.
The Simbye eSIM uses 2 networks in Nepal: Nepal Telecom · Ncell.
The eSIM is registered on both Nepal Telecom and Ncell. When you switch it on, your phone automatically takes whichever network comes in strongest where you are, and it changes over on its own as you travel. You never pick an operator and you set nothing by hand. If nothing arrives after you land at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, two things fix it almost every time: turn airplane mode on for ten seconds and off again, and check in your settings that data roaming is switched on for the Simbye line. Without that switch the connection stays empty.
The network is fastest where people actually live: the Kathmandu Valley with Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, Pokhara on Phewa Lake, plus Chitwan and Sauraha, Lumbini and Bhairahawa, Butwal, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Dharan, and along the overland route from Kathmandu to Pokhara. On the trekking routes 4G reaches higher than most people expect: Lukla and Namche Bazaar in the Everest region are well covered, and so are Ghorepani and Manang in the Annapurna region. Above Namche it thins out honestly – around Tengboche, Dingboche and Lobuche often only a text message gets through, and at Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp you should plan for no signal at all. Nepal Telecom is usually the one still there at altitude, while Ncell plays to its strength down in the cities. That is exactly why it helps that this eSIM knows both networks.
eSIM or a local SIM card in Nepal?
eSIM, unless you need a Nepali number: you are online in the Kathmandu arrivals hall while others queue with passport, visa copy and a photo, and your phone picks whichever of Nepal Telecom or Ncell is stronger.
| Compared | Simbye eSIM | Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Nothing to register – the line is registered abroad | Required by law: original passport, a copy of your visa page or entry stamp, and a passport photo |
| When you get online | The moment you land, still in the arrivals hall in Kathmandu | Only after immigration, at the Ncell or Nepal Telecom counter, with a queue and paperwork |
| Nepali phone number | No – data only, no number | Yes, you get a Nepali +977 number |
| Calls and texts | Not over the network; calls over WhatsApp, Signal or FaceTime work normally | Calls and SMS on the Nepali network are included |
| Paying | In advance from home, with the card you already use | Cash in Nepali rupees – change money first or withdraw at an ATM, which charges a flat fee per withdrawal |
| Network choice | Nepal Telecom and Ncell, the phone takes whichever is better | You commit to one of the two when you buy and stay on it |
| Topping up | Online any time, the eSIM stays the same | Top-up codes in a shop or through a Nepali wallet, which needs a +977 number again |
| SIM slot | Your home number stays in and reachable for calls | You have to take your SIM card out and keep it safe for the whole trip |
What roaming on your home plan costs in Nepal
Wherever you travel from, Nepal usually sits at the far end of your operator's roaming table. Your plan is built for the country you live in, so the moment you land in Kathmandu your data runs over a foreign network and gets passed on to you, often per megabyte and without you seeing where you stand while it happens.
What costs you is rarely the data you use on purpose, it is the data you never notice. A phone quietly backing up photos, fetching mail and reloading maps gets through more in a few days than you would guess. Some contracts sell day passes for travel, but the cheap ones tend to cover neighbouring countries, and Nepal is often left out of them.
In practice: before you travel, open your operator's price list and look up what Nepal costs there – that is the line item this eSIM replaces. Then, as soon as the Simbye line is running, switch data roaming off for your home line. Your own number stays reachable for calls and texts, while all data goes through the eSIM, on an amount you bought in advance and cannot overrun.
Where the networks in Nepal actually reach
Nepal's mobile coverage is not split between city and countryside, it is split by altitude. In the Kathmandu Valley with Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and in Pokhara on Phewa Lake, 4G is the standard and it is fast enough for maps, messengers and video calls. The same holds for Chitwan and Sauraha, for Lumbini and Bhairahawa, for Butwal, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Dharan, for the overland route from Kathmandu to Pokhara, and for day-trip spots like Nagarkot and Bandipur.
On the trekking routes the network reaches higher than most people expect. Lukla and Namche Bazaar in the Everest region have usable 4G, and so do Ghorepani and Manang in the Annapurna region. Nepal Telecom even switched on 4G at Machhapuchhre Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp in 2024, and upgraded the route to Makalu Base Camp in 2026.
Above Namche it gets honestly thin. Around Tengboche, Dingboche and Lobuche usually just enough gets through for a text message to leave; at Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp you should plan for no signal at all. The lodges up there sell satellite WiFi per device and per day instead. Wherever something does arrive, Nepal Telecom reaches further at altitude while Ncell is faster down in the cities. Your eSIM knows both networks and takes whichever one is actually there.
How much data do you need in Nepal?
So you can work it out instead of guessing: how much an hour costs in the apps you actually use on holiday.
The Netflix and Spotify figures come from the providers themselves (Netflix Help Center, Spotify Support, retrieved 28 Aug 2026). The rest are network-operator estimates (o2, Vodafone, EE) and vary with picture quality and reception.
Registration duty: it applies to the local SIM card, not to this eSIM
In Nepal, registering a mobile line is required by law. Anyone picking up a Nepali SIM card at the airport or in a shop hands over their original passport, a copy of the visa page or entry stamp, and a passport photo. None of that applies to this eSIM: it is registered abroad and joins the Nepali networks as a guest. Nothing to show, no counter to queue at.
The honest trade-off: you get no Nepali phone number. Nepali services that send an SMS code to a +977 number cannot be set up with it – above all the payment wallets eSewa and Khalti, which people here use by QR code everywhere. With Pathao and inDrive you can enter your own number for the confirmation code – whether a foreign number is accepted varies from app to app. For shops, taxis and teahouses, plan on carrying cash in Nepali rupees.
What does an eSIM for Nepal cost?
Simbye offers 2 plans for Nepal from €9,95 to €13,95 — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for Nepal range from 1 GB to 3 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 15 days and starts with your first connection in Nepal.
| Plan | Validity | Price | Per travel day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days | €9,95 | €1,42 |
| 3 GB | 15 days | €13,95 | €0,93 |
- Networks
- Nepal Telecom + Ncell
- 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 Nepal eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
