Baku eSIM
In Baku you connect to Azercell or Bakcell, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 39 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Azercell and Bakcell
- Typical speed in Azerbaijan
- 39 Mbps typical, 9 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- 4G only
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Baku
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $8.89 | $8.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $5.96 | $17.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $4.98 | $24.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $4.09 | $40.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $3.49 | $69.89 |
How Azerbaijan compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Azercell, Bakcell
- 5G
- 4G only
- Next fastest nearby
- Moldova, 41 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Belarus, 31 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 1: Baku
Landing at Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD)
- Airport
- GYD / UBBB
- Distance
- 20 km from the centre of Baku
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalOperator lists a free network named "Baku-Airport-Free-WiFi" in all public areas, cafes, shops and business lounges, with no registration step described.
- SIM on arrival
- SIM counters or vending in the terminalOperator lists "Local SIM card" as a service at Terminal 1, 1st floor, offering bundles from several Azerbaijani operators.
Getting into Baku
- Aero Express (airport to 28 May Metro Station) (GYD), about 30 minutes
- Official airport taxi from the Terminal 1 pick-up area (GYD)
Underground and on the metro
Baku Metro runs 3 lines. It opened in 1967. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Baku
- Azerbaijan requires the IMEI of a phone used with a local SIM to be registered within 30 days of first connecting to the network, but the rule explicitly does not apply to foreign visitors roaming on a foreign operator's SIM.
- Airport wifi is open: the operator describes connecting simply by selecting the "Baku-Airport-Free-WiFi" network, with no SMS code or account needed.
- The Aero Express bus runs around the clock and takes 30 minutes from the airport to its last stop, so a late arrival is not stranded.
- No metro line reaches the airport; the Aero Express bus terminates at 28 May metro station, where the Baku Metro is joined.
- Azercell says its 4G network covers 24 Baku Metro stations and the tunnels between them, so mobile data keeps working while the train is moving, not only on the platforms. The list includes 28 May, Icherisheher, Sahil, Koroglu and Hazi Aslanov.
- Bakcell describes itself as the first mobile operator to switch on 4G in the Baku Metro, and says its 4G reaches all of Baku and the Absheron peninsula as well as more than 30 regional towns, including Ganja, Sheki, Gabala and Guba.
- The Aeroexpress leaves from both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and calls at the Surakhani bridge and Koroglu metro station on its way to Baku Railway Station. It runs every 20 minutes from 06:00 to 23:15 and every 45 minutes overnight, and the airport warns that weather and traffic can lengthen the ride.
- Buses, the Aeroexpress and the metro all take the BakuCard, sold from machines beside the bus stops outside the terminal exits. The airport notes that one card can be shared by a whole group and never expires; you simply load money onto it.
- The official BakiKart app can top up a plastic BakuCard and pay fares directly on the Baku Metro and on the city's regular bus routes.
- The national tourism board gives metro hours of 6am to midnight, with trains every two to three minutes. Baku Taxi Company and 189 Taxi are the best-known licensed firms, and Uber and Bolt also operate in the city.
- Free wifi is common in Baku cafes, parks and restaurants, the tourism board says, while some of the larger hotels charge for it. Direct trains from the capital run to Shaki, Ganja, Gabala, Lankaran and Shamkir, and tickets can be bought online.
- Free public wifi was switched on in 2017 along Baku Boulevard, at State Flag Square and in Icherisheher. You select the Baktelekom network, open a browser, enter a mobile number and receive the access code by SMS.