Staying connected in Angola: SIM cards, eSIM and mobile data

The easiest way online in Angola is a local line from Unitel or Africell, which between them held 99 of every 100 active SIMs in 2025¹. Africell’s network reaches only six of the 21 provinces² in 2026, while Unitel says it operates in every province³, so your route through Angola decides which one suits you.

The three operators

Unitel has been state-owned since a 2022 nationalisation². Of every 100 SIMs on Angola’s mobile networks in 2025, 73 were Unitel’s, 26 Africell’s and 1 Movicel’s¹.

Africell broke the old two-operator market when it launched commercial mobile services in Luanda on 7 April 2022⁴. In 2026 it covers Luanda, Icolo e Bengo, Benguela, Huíla, Huambo and Cuanza-Sul², a strategy the company describes as a deliberate focus on urban centres and economic corridors⁵.

Movicel, which opened Angola’s first mobile service in the late 1990s as a unit of Angola Telecom, lost about 25,000 subscribers a month on average over six years and was left with 302,579 at the end of 2025. Expansão blames mismanagement for the gradual decline, says Africell’s arrival worsened and sped it up, and ties Movicel’s poor state to a lack of investment in modernising and maintaining its network¹.

Mobile speed depends on whose test you trust

The French speed-test platform nPerf ranked Africell first for mobile internet between April 2025 and March 2026, with a download speed of 15.82 Mb/s and latency of 53.3 milliseconds⁵. Expansão’s report on that ranking cited experts who put congestion on Unitel’s network down to new customers arriving faster than investment in infrastructure².

Unitel rejects that reading. In its reply it calls the claim of under-investment factually incorrect and points out that Ookla gave it the Speedtest Award as Angola’s best mobile network in November 2025, with Ookla’s data for the same period showing Unitel more than 30% ahead on download and 80% ahead on upload³.

Coverage and how many people are online

The Internet Society reports that in 2025 70% had access to at least one 4G device and 13% to at least one 5G device. Its 2026 figures put the average mobile download at 16.66 Mbps, and it rates the choice of internet providers in Angola as very poor⁶.

At the end of 2025 fewer than half of Angolans used the internet. GSMA Intelligence counted 30.6 million mobile connections in Angola then, while DataReportal reported 17.6 million internet users at the end of 2025, a penetration rate of 44.8 percent⁷.

Getting an eSIM or SIM

Africell sells an eSIM in its shops, and you need an identity card, passport or driving licence to get one. Before you go in, dial *#06#⁸ to check whether your phone supports eSIM.

Its plans start with the eSIM Básico at Kz 1,500 for 2 GB and 60 minutes, valid 7 days. For data only, a 5 GB package costs Kz 3,300 and 20 GB costs Kz 13,200, each valid 30 days⁸ from subscription.

Home broadband for longer stays

If you are renting for a while, nPerf’s fixed-line ranking puts ZAP first, TV Cabo second and Paratus Angola third². The Internet Society measured an average fixed broadband download of 21.19 Mbps in 2026⁶.

Practical tips

• Take your passport to the shop: it is one of the documents Africell accepts for its eSIM⁸.
• If your route leaves Luanda, Icolo e Bengo, Benguela, Huíla, Huambo and Cuanza-Sul², ask about coverage on your route before you choose an operator.
• Keep your home SIM in a dual-SIM phone for bank and verification texts, and use the local line for data.
• Download offline maps and anything you need to read before long drives between provinces.

What to check before you go

1. Whether your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM.
2. Which provinces your route crosses, and which network serves them.
3. The current bundle prices on the operator’s website.
4. Your home operator’s roaming rate for Angola, as a fallback for the first hours after landing.