Staying connected

Coverage is fair to good in cities and thin in rural areas. Foreigners can now buy an ordinary local line, which is much cheaper than the packages resellers offer at the airport.

• A regular Syriatel or MTN line is registered against your passport; expect roughly $15–25 for the SIM and a first data bundle
• Buy at an official branch; airport fixers and hotel desks quoting $45 or more are resellers
• MTN's licence is being re-tendered and its customers are due to move to a new operator, so ask which network a branch represents; the big international eSIM brands generally do not sell a working Syria plan
• Hotel wifi is slow and drops with the power; a power bank is genuinely essential
• Bringing a satellite phone requires government approval and is not worth improvising