Internet and SIM cards in Uzbekistan
Staying online in Uzbekistan is easy and cheap. A local SIM card with plenty of data costs a few dollars, and most hotels and cafes have Wi-Fi.
Local SIM cards
The main mobile operators are Beeline, Ucell, Mobiuz and Uzmobile. Beeline and Ucell have the widest coverage for travellers. A tourist package with tens of gigabytes of data usually costs just a few dollars.
Where to buy
- At Tashkent airport — operator desks are just after customs.
- In official operator shops in every city. Avoid street kiosks.
You need your passport: the shop registers the SIM card in your name, which takes about 15 minutes.
eSIM
If your phone supports eSIM, you can buy a travel eSIM online before the trip and be online the moment you land. It costs more than a local SIM card but saves time at the airport.
Wi-Fi
Most hotels, guesthouses and cafes in the cities have free Wi-Fi. Speeds vary — fine for messages and maps, slower for video calls. In the desert and the mountains, the signal can disappear for a while.
Useful apps
- Yandex Go — taxis with fixed prices, in all major cities.
- Maps — Google Maps and Yandex Maps both work well; download offline maps for the desert.
- WhatsApp and Telegram — the most popular messengers. You can reach us on both, 24/7.
This page is a short, practical guide. Rules and prices can change — check the official sources before you travel.
Sources