eSIM Plans for Kenya

Yes. Buying and installing your Telisco eSIM doesn't start the clock - for most plans, the validity period begins when the eSIM first connects to a network in Kenya. Install it while you still have Wi-Fi at home, then just turn on data roaming when you land.

Right after checkout we email your eSIM and installation instructions. You install it by tapping the link in that email, then turn on data roaming for that eSIM once you arrive in Kenya. You can also find it any time in My account.

Your Telisco eSIM uses local partner networks in Kenya, and your phone decides which one it sits on. The networks each plan uses are listed on the plan itself, under Plan details. Usually the phone chooses well, but if data feels slow you can pick a network yourself: on iPhone go to Settings > Cellular > your Telisco line > Network Selection and turn Automatic off, then choose from the list; on Android it is Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > your eSIM > Automatically select network.

Start by turning Airplane mode on for 10 seconds and back off, and check that Data Roaming is on for the Telisco line and any VPN is off. If it is still slow, the usual cause is the phone sitting on a slower local network, so choose one by hand instead of leaving it on Automatic (iPhone: Settings > Cellular > your Telisco line > Network Selection; Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > your eSIM > Automatically select network). Also check you are not locked to 3G: set Voice & Data to 5G Auto or LTE. Wait about 30 seconds after each change before testing. Please do not delete the eSIM, it will not help and most plans can only be installed once. If every network is slow it is the coverage where you are standing rather than the eSIM, and our team will troubleshoot it with the operator if you contact us.

Your phone needs to be eSIM-compatible and carrier-unlocked. Most phones from the last few years qualify, including iPhone XS and newer, Google Pixel 3 and newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy models. On iPhone, check Settings → General → About for an EID number - if you see one, it supports eSIM.

Yes, with a Calls + SMS + Data plan. Choose it with the toggle above the plan list: you get UK number (+44), calls and SMS as listed on the plan, and mobile data on the same eSIM. Data-only plans keep your regular number active for calls and SMS on your primary SIM.

Unlike data-only plans, a Calls + SMS + Data plan starts the moment you buy it, because the phone number is assigned at purchase. Buy it on your travel day, or the day before. These plans cannot be refunded once issued.

The same way as at home: data, calls and SMS come out of the one plan in every country on its coverage list, Kenya included, with no roaming charge. The number's country only decides what the number looks like to people who call you.

Yes. Callers dial your number and pay their normal rate for calling that number's country. Incoming SMS, including verification codes for WhatsApp or your bank, are included on every Calls + SMS + Data plan.

The eSIM has no service there. Buy a Telisco plan for that country and keep this one for when you are back inside its coverage. The coverage list is on every plan before you buy.

Not to buy or to use it during the plan. Where the network asks for identity verification, it is only to keep the number beyond the plan period, and the plan details say so before you pay.

You can top up your existing eSIM in seconds from My account - no need to install a new one. The extra data is added to the same eSIM and available right away.