Belize eSIM

Staying connected in Belize

Install a travel eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land at BZE or step off a cruise tender. AirOva sells Belize plans from $13.99, with a fixed amount of data or unlimited, all data only, with no calls, SMS or local phone number. GB plans run on DigiCell, and unlimited plans on Belize Telecom; the DigiCell and Belize Telecom labels mean the same network, and each plan card shows whether it is listed as 4G or 5G.

Which Belize plan to choose

GB plans suit most trips, since maps, messaging and booking apps take little data. Unlimited plans give unlimited data with no data cap and no fair-usage limit; you only choose the number of days, which suits long stays, remote work and video calls home.

DigiCell, Belize Telecom and Smart

The DigiCell and Belize Telecom labels name one company. Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), called Belize Telecommunications Limited until 2007, runs the DigiCell network, now marketed as Digi, so a plan card that says DigiCell or Belize Telecom means BTL's network. Smart, Belize's other mobile network, run by Speednet, is not on our plans.

Arriving by air or by cruise ship

Philip S. W. Goldson International (BZE), the country's busiest airport, is in Ladyville, about 30 minutes' drive from central Belize City, with domestic flights on to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and Placencia. Cruise passengers calling at Belize City come ashore by tender at the Fort Street Tourism Village; Norwegian Cruise Line ships dock at Harvest Caye in the south. UK travel advice says to take only registered taxis with green licence plates. After landing, turn off airplane mode, switch the eSIM line on, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming for that line; the plan is prepaid, so roaming adds no charge.

Borders, the cayes and the interior

Belize borders Mexico to the north, where the road from Belize City continues to Chetumal, and Guatemala to the west and south; heading west, travellers cross at Benque Viejo del Carmen, 13 km from San Ignacio. Before you cross, check on the plan card whether your plan covers the next country. Our Central America overland guide rates coverage on the coast and the cayes as reasonable, and in the interior and at jungle lodges as thin.

Tip: download offline maps before heading inland to jungle lodges and Maya sites. On a cruise, switch to airplane mode with Wi-Fi on once the ship sails, and keep your home SIM in for bank codes with its data roaming off.