Sudan’s mobile market is served by three operators — Zain Sudan (the largest), MTN Sudan and Sudani — but the civil war that erupted in April 2023 has devastated connectivity. Sudan has suffered repeated, prolonged network and internet blackouts: a nationwide shutdown beginning in February 2024 cut off roughly 30 million people for more than a month, and large areas — especially RSF-controlled parts of Darfur and Khartoum — have remained offline for extended periods. Where the army-controlled “safe states” have restored service, 3G/4G works again, but availability changes constantly with the front lines. Reliable foreign travel eSIMs are essentially nonexistent, and Sudan is a “do not travel” destination for nearly every government — check your current travel advisory before any trip.
Networks & coverage
Before the war, Zain, MTN and Sudani provided 3G and 4G across the main cities. The conflict has destroyed towers and fibre, and both sides have deliberately cut power and connectivity in areas they do not control. Coverage today is fragmented: some regions have restored 3G/4G, others have none. Many residents have turned to Starlink satellite terminals because the cellular networks are so unreliable.
eSIM or physical SIM?
The major travel brands (Airalo, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi) offer Sudan only as part of regional Africa bundles — for example Airalo’s “Hello Africa” pack — rather than a dedicated, dependable Sudan plan, and even these roam on networks that may be down. There is no reliable single-country travel eSIM. A local physical SIM works only where the network is up and is hard to obtain or use amid the conflict. Satellite (Starlink) is the realistic fallback for sustained connectivity.
Data, calls & messaging
When networks are functioning, local SIMs carry voice, SMS and data; regional travel eSIMs are data-only and inherit whatever local coverage exists. During blackouts, none of these work and calls, SMS and apps all fail. Plan for extended periods with no service at all.
How much data do you need?
Because blackouts are frequent, do not rely on mobile data as a primary line. If you obtain any plan, a small 1–3 GB regional allowance is enough for the windows when the network is up. Pre-download everything essential and arrange a satellite-based backup if continuous connectivity is genuinely required.