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Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Norway

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Majestic glaciers and snow-capped mountains, deep fjords and sprawling forests, Norway is easily one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

It’s also one of the most expensive, with everything from food and activities to transport and accommodation likely to set you back far more than you’re used to. Paying $28 for a burrito is nobody’s idea of a good time.

Free Wi-Fi is common, including on trains, but it’s not everywhere. Given the eye-watering costs of everything else, it’s perhaps no surprise that Norwegian mobile service isn’t exactly cheap either.

Fortunately, there’s an alternative that costs a lot less. Travel eSIMs are noticeably cheaper than even the low-cost providers in Norway, and also avoid the hassle of finding, buying, and registering a physical SIM in the first place.

Whichever approach you go for, here’s what you need to know.

Companies

  • I recommend Lycamobile for most travelers who want a physical SIM
  • An eSIM from aloSIM is the best option if you only need data

There are three cell networks in Norway, operated by Telenor, Telia, and ice.net. Telenor has the best network speeds, while Telia has the widest coverage, but there isn’t much in it either way. Ice doesn’t offer prepaid service.

A few companies resell service from one of those providers. I opted to go with Lycamobile, which uses the Telia network, since it had the best combination of cost and coverage.

Travel eSIM for Norway

The phone I was using in Norway didn’t support eSIMs, so hunting out a physical SIM card was the only option. Now, though, there’s no question: I’d absolutely go for a travel eSIM instead, and suggest that most other visitors do the same.

Of the companies I regularly use, Airalo and aloSIM usually have the best prices. For smaller packs in particular, it’s not unusual to pay half of what you would with even the cheaper local companies like Lyca Mobile.

Of the two, I’ve often had higher speeds with aloSIM, so that’s the one I usually go for when prices are about the same. I’ve never had problems with either, though: they’re both good options.

Like most travel eSIMs, it’s data-only: you don’t get a local number. I use apps for everything from communication to transport these days, so the lack of a local number very rarely matters to me, but you might have different needs.

One thing worth noting: if you’re planning to travel to several European countries within a few weeks, it might be worth looking at some of the regional eSIM packages on offer.

There are too many to list each one separately (and they change all the time), but as a starting point, these are the Europe eSIM options from companies I’d actually consider using:

If you’re new to eSIMs, they offer big benefits to travelers in terms of how quickly, easily, and (often) cheaply you can get connected when you arrive in a new country. Most recent phones support them, and you can read all about them here.

How to Buy a Prepaid SIM Card in Norway

Purchasing was very easy, not least because there was a little foreign exchange store that also sold SIM cards a few metres from my hostel in Oslo.

The vendor spoke good English, and after showing my passport and providing my hostel address, I had a new SIM card in a few minutes. There were no forms to fill out.

Since the card came with no credit, I purchased a top-up card at the same time. The instructions to activate it were in Norwegian, but easy enough to follow, and I received a confirmation SMS immediately.

Activating the data package I wanted required me to send a code shown on the in-store brochure.

The only challenge was finding the correct APN settings. I didn’t get a data connection with the standard settings, and the vendor didn’t know the details. In the end I was able to use my hostel’s Wi-Fi to track the information down, which was:

APN: data.lyca-mobile.no
Username: lmno
Password: plus

Prepaid SIM and eSIM Costs

The card itself was free, and 149 NOK (~$15) gave a small data allowance of 2GB, valid for thirty days.

If that won’t be enough to last your time in the country, Lyca also offers 5GB for 199 NOK, 10GB for 299 NOK, and 20GB for 399 NOK, and 25GB for 499. Double-data promotions are reasonably common on the larger packs.

Unlimited national calls and texts are included, along with a certain number (or unlimited) international calling minutes to a range of countries. Lyca Mobile’s site has more details on all of its current plans.

aloSIM

As I say, you’ll usually pay a lot less for service with aloSIM or Airalo than even the cheapest of local providers in Norway. Good luck getting a useful amount of data for under five bucks there any other way!

They aren’t the only eSIM companies out there, of course: I’ve compared them against many others in the past. Here’s the current pricing for the best options in Norway.

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 15 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 2 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 20 GB

Price (USD)

  • $4.50

  • $7

  • $9.50

  • $13

  • $21

  • $32

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 15 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 2 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 20 GB

Price (USD)

  • $4.50

  • $7

  • $9.50

  • $13

  • $21

  • $32

Validity Period

  • 7 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

  • 30 days

Data Amount

  • 1 GB

  • 3 GB

  • 5 GB

  • 10 GB

  • 15 GB

  • 20 GB

Price (USD)

  • $6

  • $12

  • $14

  • $19

  • $27

  • $33

Topping Up

Lyca Mobile

You can buy top-ups almost anywhere you see a sign for Lyca Mobile. In Oslo, at least, that seemed to be every other block.

Just as when making the initial purchase, you’ll receive a card with a top-up code. First load the credit onto your SIM with the included instructions, and then send the code to renew or activate whichever package you need.

aloSIM

Topping up with aloSIM (or any of the other travel eSIM companies) is done by logging into the website or app. You just select your Norway eSIM, hit the top-up button, and buy the same package again.

The top-up packs have exactly the same pricing and duration as the original eSIMs: there’s little difference between topping up your current eSIM and buying a new one, other than not having to activate it.

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Coverage and Data Speeds

LTE speeds and coverage were both very impressive. Download speeds in Oslo were some of the fastest I’ve seen, well over 100Mbps most the time, and didn’t change much in Bergen.

Although uploads were far slower, they still regularly hit 20Mbps, and were more than fast enough to make video calls to my family without a problem.

The coverage area was far better than expected. I often had full signal even in mountains with no sign of habitation during a cross-country train trip, or on a boat trip through the fjords around Bergen.

EU Roaming

Norway is part of the European Economic Area, so EU/EEA roaming regulations apply. These “roam like at home” rules ended roaming charges across much of Europe in 2017, letting you use a SIM card from any EU or EEA country across all the others at no extra charge.

There are some limits with large data bundles, however, where not all of the data allowance is valid when roaming. In general, you can use all of the data in smaller packs elsewhere in the EU, but double-check the exact details at time of purchase.

Given how much those bundles cost in the first place, though, I’d probably just go for one of the Europe eSIM packs I mentioned earlier.


Check out our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs in 75+ other countries here.

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20 Comments

  1. I live in Oslo, so I just opt for a payment plan, but this is very handy info for when traveling friends are coming to town.
    But $28 burrito? Where the heck did you go? 😛

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      Hahaha — to be fair, the $28 burrito isn’t my story, it’s one I heard from Anthony (another writer on this site). Given that I’d walked past TGI Friday’s about an hour before writing this and seen a $30 chicken burger on the menu, though, it didn’t seem much of a stretch. 🙂

      1. woah, $30 chicken burger!? shite, no wonder tourists think Oslo is expensive! Best burger in town is half that price and beef!

      2. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

        Yeah, there were so many better alternatives, especially in Oslo. It was a bit tougher to find affordable, decent food in Bergen, but we discovered a couple of places.

      3. i think is quite realistic statement, between 25-50$ is normal to spend in Oslo (even for burito) if you go to a restaurant… for fast food between 10-20$… so yeah eating out is expencive in norway (2-3x more than in eu) and its not considered best practice for everyday. I eat and cook at home and same quality food if i go to restaurant is above 30$, rest is crap… now do the math 🙂

  2. Thanks for writing this post. I am going to Norway in a few months and plan to get a SIM card (and data) as well.

  3. Hey Dave,

    Thanks for this short, but helpful article.

    My friend and I are traveling to Norway and taking a roadtrip to fjord-land for 7 days. Super stoked! However, we’re looking into getting a SIM card with data so we don’t get completely lost while driving through Norway.

    Do you have a suggestion on how much data we would need? We’ll only be using it for directions. All the airbnbs we’re staying at have wifi so we can do the heavier stuff when we get there.

    Thanks for any feedback!

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      I’d highly recommend using the offline features of both Google Maps and Here Maps, where you download some or all of the map data for the country ahead of time over Wifi. They both now support driving directions even while offline.

      If you do that, you’ll be able to reduce your data use a lot. You might even be able to get away with no SIM, but if you want one just in case, a few hundred MB of data will be enough for your week if you leave the data connection turned off when you don’t need it.

    2. Hi Jhan,

      How did your mobile phone/navigation work? Did you have enough coverage and data? I’m about to do the same thing (4 days around the Sognefjord). I’m planning on following Dave’s advice and getting one SIM card in Norway, and on our other phone using Google Maps offline.

      Tom

  4. What were some of the places to eat in Bergen that you liked? We will be there next week.

    1. Dave Dean Dave Dean says:

      I love how this SIM card article has gone off on a food tangent! In Bergen I liked Hot Work (Asian fusion meals, inexpensive by Norwegian standards) and a few of the food stalls at the weekend market beside the harbour.

  5. What is the speed in Tromso and Alta? I am planning to visit these two places in November.

  6. Can I use Whatsapp once I get a SIM card for my phone after I arrive in Norway?

    1. Yes, you can. Once you have a data connection, it should work straight away.

  7. Where was the place you bought the lyca sim card? I’m in Norway ad can’t find it anywhere! ?

    1. The foreign exchange store I mentioned was a few doors down from the Anker Hostel in Oslo.

  8. Thank you so much for your informative post! Landing in Bergen and was wondering if we can get a SIM card at the airport in Bergen? Thinking of renting a car and heading straight to Stavanger. Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

    1. I don’t think there’s a mobile phone store at Bergen airport. There may be a kiosk/convenience store that sells SIMs, but I don’t know for sure that there is (or which ones they’d sell). Sorry!

  9. I don’t recommend Lycamobile if you are not a Norwegian citizen. They take over 24 hours to set up your card because they require you to fill out a form and sent a copy of your passport by email. They also only operate in-between 10 and 7. They are almost impossible to contact. You’re best bet is to go into a store and get help setting a SIM card up with a different company. If you are arriving on a Sunday or outside of your hours you won’t have access to a card for a few days.

    1. Maybe things have changed since I was there, but this wasn’t my experience — I’m not a Norwegian citizen, but had a working SIM immediately after purchasing it and adding the data bundle mentioned in the post. The form was filled out and submitted by the person in the shop I bought it from.

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