Of course it is super convenient to use your phone anywhere. So you can easily find something, check a recommended restaurant or stay easily accessible and in contact with the home front. In Cape Verde they have good wireless internet connections (WiFi). Most restaurants, cafes and hotels offer their customers free wireless internet. If you do not want to depend on WiFi, a local SIM card or eSIM is the cheapest solution. Below you can read which providers there are, what the coverage is like and what mobile internet costs.
In short
- WiFi is available in most hotels, restaurants and cafés
- Using your own SIM abroad is expensive; turn data roaming off
- There are two providers: Alou (formerly CV Móvel and CV Telecom) and Unitel T+
- 4G covers the towns and the coast; 5G only runs as a trial in Praia
- You buy a SIM card at the airport or in a provider’s shop; bring your passport
- With a compatible phone you can buy the Morabeza eSIM from Unitel T+ in advance
How can you make cheap calls and use mobile internet in Cape Verde?
If you use your mobile phone abroad, you pay double costs. You pay for the costs of your own provider and for the costs of the provider in Cape Verde. Cape Verde is outside the EU, so European roaming rules do not apply here. In order not to receive a huge bill afterwards, you can switch off data roaming (using a network other than your own provider) on your telephone. This way your phone does not connect with the mobile network. You can, however, still use free WiFi connections that are often available at the airport, your hotel or at restaurants.
You do not want to be dependent on WiFi connections? Then a prepaid SIM card from a Cape Verdean provider is the solution. Such a SIM card works on all the Cape Verde islands and you call and use the internet at local rates. For a prepaid SIM card you do need a SIM lock free phone.
Which providers are there?
Cape Verde has two mobile networks: Alou and Unitel T+. Alou is the brand name of CV Telecom, which absorbed CV Móvel in 2023. Since October 2023 its shops, SIM cards and bundles are called Alou. On older signs and in guidebooks you may still see the CV Móvel logo; it is the same network. Unitel T+ is the second provider and belongs to the Angolan Unitel group.
What is the coverage like?
You have 4G in the towns and along the coast, which is also where most hotels and villages are. In the mountains and in deep valleys the signal can be weaker or drop out. 5G only exists as a trial: since April 2026 a pilot has been running at the TechPark in Praia (Santiago), for businesses only for now. As a traveller you cannot use it yet.
On the remote islands Alou is the safest choice. Its own coverage map shows 4G on all nine inhabited islands, from Santo Antão to Brava. Unitel T+ does not publish an overview per island. If you stay on Sal, Boa Vista, Santiago or São Vicente, the choice makes little difference in practice.
Where do you buy a SIM card?
Travellers report desks of Alou and Unitel T+ in the arrivals hall of the airports of Sal and Praia, where you can buy a prepaid SIM card with a data bundle. The providers do not mention this on their websites, so do not count on it blindly. Bring your passport for the registration of the SIM card. The Alou and Unitel T+ shops in the larger towns also sell SIM cards.
What does mobile internet cost?
You add a data bundle to your prepaid number. Prices are in Cape Verdean escudos (CVE); the escudo is pegged to the euro at 110.265 CVE per euro. These are the 30-day bundles as the providers list them on their own websites in October 2026:
| Provider | Data | Valid | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alou (Netmóvel) | 3 GB | 30 days | 850 CVE (about 8 euros) |
| Alou (Netmóvel) | 6 GB | 30 days | 1,650 CVE (about 15 euros) |
| Alou (Netmóvel) | 10 GB | 30 days | 2,500 CVE (about 23 euros) |
| Unitel T+ | 10 GB | 30 days | 2,500 CVE (about 23 euros) |
| Unitel T+ | 20 GB | 30 days | 3,500 CVE (about 32 euros) |
| Unitel T+ | 50 GB | 30 days | 4,299 CVE (about 39 euros) |
If you need less, Unitel T+ also has a monthly bundle of 1 GB for 500 CVE. The providers do not list the price of the SIM card itself on their websites; you will hear it at the desk.
eSIM: Morabeza from Unitel T+
If your phone supports eSIM, you can sort out your data before you leave and skip the queue at the airport. Unitel T+ sells its own Morabeza eSIM for this at esim.uniteltmais.cv. You create an account, pay online and receive a QR code by email. The eSIM becomes active as soon as you arrive in Cape Verde, and you have to activate it within 45 days of purchase. Every bundle includes 30 minutes of calls within Cape Verde.
| Bundle | Data | Valid | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morabeza 10 | 10 GB | 10 days | 10 euros (1,100 CVE) |
| Morabeza 15 | 15 GB | 15 days | 15 euros (1,650 CVE) |
| Morabeza 25 | 25 GB | 15 days | 25 euros (2,750 CVE) |
| Morabeza ilimitado 10 | unlimited | 1 day | 10 euros (1,100 CVE) |
| Morabeza ilimitado 20 | unlimited | 3 days | 20 euros (2,200 CVE) |
| Morabeza ilimitado 30 | unlimited | 8 days | 30 euros (3,300 CVE) |
| Morabeza ilimitado 45 | unlimited | 15 days | 45 euros (5,000 CVE) |
The website shows the prices in euros or in escudos, whichever you choose. Your phone must support eSIM and be SIM lock free. If in doubt, dial *#06#: if an EID number appears, your phone can take an eSIM.
Monitor data usage
It may be useful to see how much data you have used from your bundle and how much are left. This way you can upgrade your bundle in time. Your phone automatically records how much data you have used. After placing your prepaid SIM card, it may be useful to reset the data usage counter to zero, so that you have a good overview. The data usage counter can be found via the settings of your telephone. For an Android phone this is usually via: Settings> Connections> Data usage. For an iOS this is via: Settings> Mobile network> Reset data (at the very bottom). You can then follow the data usage via Settings> Mobile network