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Can I use my mobile phone in Sri Lanka?

Mobile/cell phone reception in Sri Lanka is generally very good in cities and towns, though coverage may be patchy in rural areas. Travellers can either purchase a local SIM or use their own, but they must have activated global roaming before leaving their home country.

Purchasing a local SIM card

If you wish to purchase a local SIM on arrival in Sri Lanka, you’ll need to first make sure that your phone is unlocked. There are many mobile providers in Sri Lanka but we recommend Dialog and Mobitel. Both of these providers offer tourist SIM packages with good 4G coverage in cities and major towns, which are valid for 30 days.

These SIMs come preloaded with credit and local calls in Sri Lanka are very cheap, usually around USD 0.01 per minute. The SIMs also come with either 1.5 or 3GB of data – see our page on internet access in Sri Lanka for more information.

Want to learn more about Sri Lanka? Return to Sri Lanka FAQs

Our tours in Sri Lanka