Does Algeria have good internet and mobile coverage?
In the north, yes — 4G is widespread in cities and along the populated corridor, and a local SIM is cheap and easy to buy with your passport. Coverage thins fast heading south, and in the deep Sahara there is no signal at all, which is why operators carry satellite communications.
Connectivity in Algeria maps almost exactly onto population, which means it is good where nearly everyone lives and absent where you will most want to tell someone about it.
In the north — Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Annaba, the coastal strip and the main inland towns — 4G is widespread and generally fast enough for calls, maps and social media. Hotel and café wifi exists and is variable; mobile data is usually the more reliable option.
A local SIM is the sensible move. The three operators are Djezzy, Mobilis and Ooredoo; a tourist SIM with a data bundle costs very little, is sold in operator shops and at the airport, and requires your passport to register. Buy it in the city rather than counting on finding a shop later. Roaming on a foreign SIM works but is expensive.
Heading south, coverage thins. The oasis towns — Ghardaïa, Timimoun, Adrar, Djanet, Tamanrasset — have signal in and around town. Between them, and across the desert routes, there is nothing at all. In the Tassili, the Tadrart and the Hoggar you will be entirely offline for days.
That is not a gap in the plan; it is the plan. Licensed desert operators carry satellite communications precisely because there is no network, and that is one of the things you are paying for. Download offline maps, tell people at home you will be uncontactable, and enjoy it.
See our SIM and internet guide for the current options.
Key facts
| Northern cities | Good 4G, widely available |
| Local SIM | Cheap; buy with your passport |
| Operators | Djezzy, Mobilis, Ooredoo |
| Deep Sahara | No coverage — satellite only |