This guide is for people travelling to South Sudan for work, humanitarian assignments or family visits. As of October 2026, Horizon's South Sudan eSIM plans name one partner network, MTN, on 3G only, and the page lists two plans: 1 GB for 7 days and 3 GB for 15 days. The eSIM is data-only and sits beside your own SIM. Read your government's travel advice first, then install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and switch the line on once you are in South Sudan.
Before you go: official travel advice
Read your own government's official travel advice for South Sudan before you book, and check it again before you leave. The UK government's South Sudan travel advice is one example; your own foreign ministry publishes its own. If you travel for an employer or an aid organisation, follow its security and communication plan as well. A data plan is no substitute for either.
The network the South Sudan plans name
Horizon's South Sudan page names MTN as the partner network, with no 4G or 5G badge: on these plans the line runs on 3G only. That shapes how you use the line. Messages, email, maps and voice calls in messaging apps usually manage on 3G, while large uploads, video calls and cloud backups take longer and may not finish. Which signal your phone finds depends on the device, the location and local conditions, and reception may vary by area, so plan for text first.
Download documents, forms and maps before you travel, set photo backups to wait for Wi-Fi, and keep essential files on the phone rather than in a cloud folder you can only open online.
The South Sudan data plans
As of October 2026, the page lists these plans:
| Data | Validity |
|---|---|
| 1 GB | 7 days |
| 3 GB | 15 days |
Current prices are on the destination page, because they follow the live catalogue. Light use stretches a small allowance a long way: a fortnight of messages, email and occasional maps can fit the 3 GB plan for 15 days. For a longer assignment, a top-up adds a plan to the eSIM already on your phone, so there is no new QR code to scan; the top-up page explains how it works.
Set it up before you fly
Check that your phone supports eSIM on the supported devices page, and that it is not locked to your home carrier. Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi with how to install an eSIM, which covers iPhone and Android. Your installation details are in My eSIMs. Name the line clearly, such as "South Sudan data", and keep it off until you arrive.
Save the QR code and installation instructions securely, somewhere you can access without this phone. Keep the eSIM installed. If you delete it or change phones, contact support before trying to reinstall; reuse of the QR code is not guaranteed.
Validity does not start until your eSIM first connects to a supported mobile network at your destination. Installing the eSIM does not start its validity.
Arriving in Juba
International flights arrive at Juba International Airport. Before you leave, save the agreed pickup, the host's or office's address and entrance, and the contact who will meet you, and ask that contact to confirm the arrangement shortly before departure. Once you are in South Sudan:
- Turn the Horizon line on.
- Choose it as the line for mobile data.
- Turn on data roaming for the Horizon line only.
- Keep mobile data off on your home SIM, unless you accept your home operator's charges.
Hotspot, calls and your own number
Hotspot sharing is free on every Horizon plan. On a small allowance, every device on your hotspot counts, so share it only for the tasks that need a laptop.
The plans include no South Sudanese number. Your home SIM can stay in the phone with your usual number; whether it can make calls or receive texts in South Sudan, and the cost, is set by your home operator. If your organisation or host uses a local number for coordination, agree on that before you travel.
Outside Juba
Travel to Wau, Malakal or other towns usually follows arrangements made locally by an employer, an organisation or family. Away from Juba, reception may vary or be absent for long stretches, so keep each stop's meeting point, contact and next instruction in its own offline note, and follow the communication plan you were given.
South Sudan and Sudan are separate countries. A South Sudan plan covers South Sudan only, and Sudan has its own Sudan eSIM page.
Short answers
Which network do the South Sudan plans name? MTN, on 3G only.
Which plans are on sale? As of October 2026, 1 GB for 7 days and 3 GB for 15 days.
Does the plan work in Sudan? No. Sudan is a separate country, and the plan covers South Sudan only.
Can I install the eSIM before I travel? Yes. Install it at home over Wi-Fi and keep the line off until you arrive. Installing the eSIM does not start its validity.
Do I get a local phone number? No. The plans are data-only, so internet calls and messaging apps use the data allowance.
