Abu Dhabi eSIM

In Abu Dhabi you connect to Etisalat or du, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The median across the country is 96 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.

Networks: Etisalat and du
Real speed in United Arab Emirates: 96 Mbps median, 31 Mbps for the slowest tenth962 travellers across United Arab Emirates, rolling 90 days
5G: yes, standalone and non standalone
Throttle: None on metered plans
Tethering: Allowed on every plan

Plans that cover Abu Dhabi

Data plans for United Arab Emirates
Data	Validity	Price per GB	Price
1 GB	Never expires	$8.89	$8.89
3 GB	Never expires	$5.96	$17.89
5 GBMost travellers	Never expires	$5.18	$25.89
10 GB	Never expires	$4.19	$41.89
20 GB	Never expires	$3.54	$70.89

A single carrier provider cannot make this move.

All United Arab Emirates plans Middle East regional plan United Arab Emirates coverage No service after landing

How United Arab Emirates compares across Middle East

Speed rank: 2 of 11 destinations we have measured in Middle East
Regional median: 72 Mbps
Consistency: The slowest tenth still reaches 32 percent of the median
Upstream networks: 2, Etisalat, du
5G: Yes, standalone and non standalone
Next fastest nearby: Qatar, 101 Mbps
Next slowest nearby: Kuwait, 86 Mbps
Cities with their own page: 2: Dubai, Abu Dhabi
tenth percentile: 31 Mbps
Behind these figures: 962 travellers, rolling 90 days

Landing at Zayed International Airport (AUH)

Airport: AUH / OMAA
Distance: 31 km from the centre of Abu Dhabi
Wifi on arrival: Free wifi in the terminalFree Wi-Fi anywhere in the airport; connect to the network named "Zayed International Airport Free Wifi".
SIM on arrival: SIM counters or vending in the terminale& (Etisalat) and du are present in arrivals; since November 2025 Abu Dhabi Airports and e& give arriving international visitors a free SIM with 10GB valid for 24 hours.

Getting into Abu Dhabi

A1 airport bus (Zayed International Airport Terminal A - Al Zahiyah, Abu Dhabi) (AUH)
Etihad Rail passenger service from Mohamed bin Zayed City station, Abu Dhabi, about 105 minutes
Etihad Rail, Mohammed Bin Zayed City station to Dubai Al Yalayis, about 57 minutes

Worth knowing about Abu Dhabi

Arriving international visitors at Zayed International Airport get a free e& SIM with 10GB of data valid for 24 hours, a partnership between Abu Dhabi Airports and e& launched in November 2025.
Zayed International Airport offers free Wi-Fi anywhere in the airport under the network name "Zayed International Airport Free Wifi".
Abu Dhabi has no metro or urban rail; the airport is about 31 km east of the city centre and is reached by road, taxi or the A1 city bus from Terminal A.
Etihad Rail began intercity passenger service on 30 June 2026 from Abu Dhabi's new Mohamed bin Zayed City station to Al Hilal City in Fujairah, a journey of about 105 minutes.
Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Transport runs Hala Wi-Fi, a free public network on public buses, on beaches and in parks, covering 19 parks in Abu Dhabi, 11 in Al Ain and 14 in Al Dhafra Region.
Buses in Abu Dhabi are paid with a Hafilat smart card, tapped on boarding and again on alighting. The anonymous version costs AED 10, needs no paperwork and is sold at ticket machines, Lulu Hypermarket branches and customer offices at bus stations and the airport.
A standard bus fare in Abu Dhabi is AED 2 to board plus 5 fils per kilometre. Tapping onto another bus within 60 minutes of tapping off avoids a second boarding fee, up to two transfers, and children aged 10 and under ride free.
Abu Dhabi Mobility points bus riders to the Darbi app and Google Maps for timetables and live arrivals, and its customer line for bus questions is 800850.
Abu Dhabi Link is an on-demand bus booked in its own app for trips within Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Khalifa City and the Al Shahama area. It runs 06:00 to 23:00 every day and costs AED 2 per boarding on a Hafilat card.
The Automated Rapid Transit is a trackless electric vehicle carrying up to 200 passengers on a roughly 27 km route across Abu Dhabi island between Reem Mall and Marina Mall. It runs hourly, Monday to Friday only, first leaving Reem Mall at 10:00 and last leaving Marina Mall at 19:50.
Intercity buses to Dubai, routes E100, E101 and E102, leave from Abu Dhabi Main Bus Station. The ticket is AED 25, bought at the customer office inside the station, and Sharjah services 117 and 118 cost AED 30.
Licensed Abu Dhabi taxis can be booked through the Abu Dhabi Taxi app or the call centre on 600 53 53 53. From a phone outside the UAE, the booking number is +971 2 4186000.
Driverless rides are already on the road in Abu Dhabi: WeRide's autonomous vehicles are booked through Uber and TXAI rides through TXAI's own app, with 69 autonomous vehicles in the registered commercial fleet.
Driving a rental car through a Darb toll gate on the Abu Dhabi island bridges costs AED 4 per crossing between 07:00 and 09:00 and between 15:00 and 19:00, but not on Sundays or public holidays. Licensed Abu Dhabi taxis and public buses are exempt.
Two newer Darb gates have charged AED 4 around the clock, seven days a week, since 4 May 2026: Al Qurm, on Wahat Al Karama Street at Sheikh Zayed Street, and Ghantoot, on Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Street.
Hotel bills in Abu Dhabi carry a 4 percent tourism fee and a 4 percent municipality fee on the invoice value. The old AED 15 per room per night charge was scrapped on 1 September 2023.
Two city buses serve the Etihad Rail station at Mohamed Bin Zayed City: MR1 from Abu Dhabi Bus Station in Al Nahyan and MR2 from Al Zahiyah Bus Station. Bus A10 links the airport with MBZ City Bus Station.

Sources for this page

Other cities in United Arab Emirates we cover

Dubai: 115 km from Abu Dhabi, nearest airport DXB