Key facts
- COVERAGE
- Mongolia
- NETWORKS
- Mobicom, Skytel
- PLAN TYPE
- Data only
- IP ADDRESS LOCATION
- United Kingdom
- DELIVERY
- QR code by email
How it works
- 1Choose a plan and pay.
- 2Scan the QR code we email you. You can install it before you fly.
- 3When you land in Mongolia, turn on data roaming for the Spidot line.
Questions about the Mongolia eSIM
Which networks does it use?
Do I get a local phone number?
Can I use it outside Mongolia?
How do I install it?
Will my phone work with an eSIM?
Will I have signal in the Gobi Desert?
Can I use the eSIM on the Trans-Mongolian train?
My data seemed to disappear quickly after a few days offline. Why?
Does the plan validity pause while I have no signal?
Can I share data with my tour group?
Can I message home from a ger camp without signal?
Will cold weather affect my phone?
Is it worth buying data for a short stay in Ulaanbaatar?
Mongolia eSIM guide: mobile data for travellers
Mongolia is a land of enormous open spaces: grassland steppe, the Gobi Desert in the south, forested mountains and lakes in the north and the snow-capped Altai in the far west. Most journeys begin in Ulaanbaatar, a fast-changing capital that is home to a large share of the country's people, and then head out by road to places such as Terelj National Park, the old capital of Kharkhorin and the Erdene Zuu monastery, the Orkhon Valley, the dunes and cliffs of the Gobi, and Khövsgöl Lake near the Russian border. Many visitors time their trip for the Naadam festival in summer.
Mobile data is genuinely useful in Mongolia, but expectations matter: outside towns you can drive for hours without a settlement. A Spidot eSIM gives you data in Mongolia wherever there is coverage, while your own SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts. This guide explains how to choose a plan, set it up, and prepare for the long stretches where you will be offline.
eSIM, roaming or a local SIM in Mongolia
Each option has trade-offs, and in a country where you may be offline for days, the details matter less than having a working connection when you reach a town.
Roaming with your home SIM
Mongolia is rarely included in standard roaming bundles, so roaming with a SIM from Europe, North America, Australia or elsewhere can be costly. Prices depend entirely on your operator, so check its terms for Mongolia before you go and switch off data roaming on your home SIM if you do not want to use it.
A Mongolian prepaid SIM
Prepaid SIMs are sold in Ulaanbaatar, including at operator shops and in some places at the airport, and registration normally requires a passport. A local SIM is a reasonable choice for a long stay. For a typical two- or three-week trip it means an errand after a long flight, and removing your home SIM, which you may need for bank codes.
A Spidot eSIM for Mongolia
With Spidot you buy a Mongolia plan online, receive the QR code by email straight after payment and install it before you travel. Plans start from $17.90. Your home SIM keeps your number for calls and texts, and the Spidot line handles data. Most plans are data-only; if you need to call local tour operators or ger camps, see our Data + calls plans.
How much data to plan for
Data usage in Mongolia tends to be uneven: heavy in Ulaanbaatar and in towns, then very little on long drives through the countryside. Approximate usage:
- Maps and navigation: a few megabytes per hour, but use offline maps on overland trips.
- Messaging: light; useful for keeping in touch with your tour company and family.
- Photo uploads: moderate to heavy. Many travellers save uploads for evenings in towns or camps with Wi-Fi.
- Video calls: several hundred megabytes per hour, and only realistic where signal is good.
- Streaming: heavy, often more than a gigabyte per hour in high definition.
Typical choices
For a short stay in Ulaanbaatar plus a trip to Terelj, a small fixed data plan is usually enough. For a two- or three-week overland tour, you may use less data per day than you expect, but choose a plan with validity that covers the whole trip and a mid-sized allowance for catching up when you reach towns.
If you are based in Ulaanbaatar for work, an unlimited plan may suit you better, keeping in mind that speed may slow after heavy use. A no-expiry plan is useful if you are not sure how much you will use. You can check how much data is left and add more data when you have signal.
Before you go
Install the eSIM at home, because you need an internet connection to do it. First check your phone supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked, then follow the install guide for iPhone, Samsung or Pixel.
Preparation is more important here than in most countries:
- Install the eSIM one or two days before departure and label it "Mongolia".
- Download offline maps of the whole country, plus detailed areas such as the Gobi, Orkhon Valley and Khövsgöl.
- Save your itinerary, tour operator contacts and accommodation details offline.
- Download music, podcasts and films for long drives; streaming will not be practical.
- Pack a large power bank and a car charger, as power in ger camps can be limited.
- Turn off data roaming on your home SIM.
Arriving in Mongolia
International flights land at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, about an hour's drive south of Ulaanbaatar. When you land, turn off flight mode, choose the Spidot line for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it. Our data roaming guide shows where to find the setting. With data, you can message your driver, check the traffic into the city or book a taxi.
Arriving by train
Some travellers arrive on the Trans-Mongolian railway, which links Ulaanbaatar with Beijing to the south and with Russia to the north. Coverage on the train is intermittent and disappears in long stretches of open country. Make sure your Mongolia plan is installed before you board, and switch your data line after crossing the border.
Coverage in Ulaanbaatar and the countryside
Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, and that shapes coverage. Your Spidot plan connects through Mobicom and Skytel. Expect good service in the capital and in provincial centres, and a very different picture in between.
Ulaanbaatar and towns
Ulaanbaatar is well covered, as are aimag (provincial) centres and many soum (district) centres. Your phone will often pick up signal again as you approach a settlement, which is when it catches up on messages.
Steppe, desert and mountains
Between towns, in the Gobi, in the Altai and around remote lakes, expect long periods without signal. Some popular tourist areas and ger camps have coverage nearby, others do not. Treat the countryside as offline by default and be pleasantly surprised when signal appears.
Safety when out of range
Travel with an experienced driver or guide, agree check-in times with someone at home and do not rely on mobile data as your only safety tool. On independent or remote expeditions, many travellers carry a satellite messenger.
Data on road trips, flights and trains
Most travellers explore Mongolia on organised overland tours in four-wheel-drive vehicles, often following tracks rather than paved roads. Domestic flights connect Ulaanbaatar with the Gobi and the far west, and long-distance buses link the capital with provincial centres. In Ulaanbaatar itself, traffic is heavy and taxi apps or arranged drivers are the easiest option.
On a tour
Your driver will usually navigate by experience, but your offline map lets you follow the route and see where you are. When you pass through a town with signal, use the moment to send updates, check the weather and download anything you need for the next stretch.
Sharing data with a hotspot
You can usually share your Spidot data with another device through your phone's personal hotspot. On group tours, one phone sharing data with others can work well in towns. All devices use the same allowance, so turn off automatic photo backups and app updates, which can quietly use a lot of data as soon as a connection appears.
Using public Wi-Fi safely
Hotels, cafés and many guesthouses in Ulaanbaatar offer Wi-Fi, and some ger camps offer limited Wi-Fi in a central building. Use it with care:
- Use mobile data for banking and payments where possible.
- Confirm the network name with staff before connecting.
- Avoid entering passwords on sites without a padlock.
- Turn off automatic connection to open networks.
- Postpone large uploads until you are on a trusted network.
Practical tips for Mongolia
A few points help you get the most from your trip:
- Money: the currency is the tögrög (MNT). Cards are accepted in many places in Ulaanbaatar, but cash is essential in the countryside.
- Language: Mongolian is written in Cyrillic script. Download an offline translation pack and save key addresses in Cyrillic to show taxi drivers.
- Weather: Mongolia has extreme seasons. Cold winters drain phone batteries fast; keep your phone in an inside pocket.
- Charging: some ger camps charge devices only at certain times or from solar panels. A power bank is essential.
- Naadam: around the festival in July, accommodation and transport in Ulaanbaatar are busy, so book in advance.
Mongolia on a multi-country trip
Mongolia is often combined with China, especially by travellers on the Trans-Mongolian railway, and sometimes with Central Asia or Korea by air. Spidot does not sell a regional plan for Asia, so use one eSIM per country. Most eSIM phones can store several eSIMs and switch the data line in settings.
See our plans for China, South Korea, Japan and Kazakhstan. Note that some international apps and websites may be blocked in mainland China, so prepare accordingly if your route continues there. Install all plans on Wi-Fi at home before you leave.