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Internet on a trip: roaming, a local SIM or an eSIM

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September 8, 2026 · 19 min

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There are three ways to get online on a trip: your own operator's roaming, a local SIM card, or an eSIM. The choice between them is usually explained by geography — “Europe is expensive, the CIS is cheaper”. On the price lists of Uzbek operators that is not how it works.

The price is set by the network the phone ends up on, not by the country. Within a single country a megabyte costs 1,450 UZS on one partner and 71,576 on another — a gap of forty-nine times, and the subscriber does not choose it: the phone registers itself. That is where preparing for a trip should start.

the gap in the price of a megabyte within one country, the UAE

49times

a megabyte in the UAE on Etisalat with Mobiuz

1,450UZS

the same megabyte in the UAE on du

71,576UZS

The price is set by the network, not the country

In roaming the price is determined not by the country but by the network your phone registered on — and the gap within one country can be fiftyfold. With Mobiuz a megabyte in Germany costs 1,450 UZS on Vodafone and 63,155 UZS on T-Mobile; in the UAE it is 1,450 on Etisalat and 71,576 on du; in Kazakhstan 1,450 on K Cell and Tele2 and 50,524 on Kar-Tel. With Ucell in Russia a megabyte on MegaFon costs 2,000 UZS, and on “other operators” 80,000. The phone picks the network itself, so the first thing to do after landing is to open the settings, switch off automatic network selection and pick, by hand, the one named in your operator's tariff.

The price of one megabyte in Mobiuz roaming: two networks in one country

Country	Cheap partner network	Expensive partner network	Gap
UAE	Etisalat — 1,450 UZS	du — 71,575.95 UZS	49×
Germany	Vodafone — 1,450 UZS	T-Mobile — 63,155.25 UZS	44×
Kazakhstan	K Cell and Tele2 — 1,450 UZS	Kar-Tel — 50,524.2 UZS	35×
Turkey	Vodafone — 1,450 UZS	Avea — 2,450 UZS	1.7×
Russia	MTS, TMT, MegaFon, Tele2 — 1,450 UZS	—	no gap

Mobiuz GPRS rates as of 9 September 2026.

The price of one megabyte on the cheap and on the expensive partner network within one country — In one and the same country a megabyte costs different amounts depending on the network the phone connected to

The phone picks the network itself. In the UAE that accident costs either 1,450 UZS a megabyte or 71,576.

Automatic network selection is the most expensive setting on the phone

The price gap opens not between countries but between partners inside one country, and one setting closes it: switch off automatic network selection and pick, by hand, the operator named in your network's tariff. With Ucell that is MegaFon in Russia (code 25002) and Turkcell in Turkey (28601); with Mobiuz it is Etisalat in the UAE and Vodafone in Germany. Anything not on the list is billed as “other operators”.

Three options, and who each one is for

Your own operator's roaming

The number keeps working: bank SMS and incoming calls arrive as usual. Suits short trips and places where there is a package for your country and network. Without a package the price follows the partner's rate card.

A local SIM

Gives you a local number and local prices. Makes sense for a long trip and heavy use. Your home number then either sits on the second line or gets switched off — and bank SMS with it.

An eSIM

Installed before departure, over Wi-Fi, and runs as a second line: the home number stays on for SMS while the internet goes through the eSIM. UZTELECOM's Travel eSIM carries data only — it has no calls or SMS on partner networks.

Packages: price and geography

In money it looks like this: without a package a gigabyte comes to 1.5 million UZS on Mobiuz's “cheap” partner network and almost 65 million on the expensive one; with Humans, which charges a single rate everywhere, it is 300 UZS a megabyte in Russia, Turkey and Germany and 400 in Kazakhstan and the UAE — that is 307,000 to 410,000 UZS a gigabyte. For comparison: a monthly tariff with 100 gigabytes inside the country costs 70,000 UZS.

Mobiuz and UZTELECOM roaming packages

Operator	Package	What is included	Price	Validity
Mobiuz	RoNET 2000	2,000 MB in roaming; voice and SMS not included	65,000 UZS	3 days
Mobiuz	RoNET 10 000	10,000 MB in roaming; voice and SMS not included	275,000 UZS	10 days
UZTELECOM	1 + 5 GB	1 GB in roaming and 5 GB of domestic traffic	150,000 UZS	30 days
UZTELECOM	2 + 10 GB	2 GB in roaming and 10 GB of domestic traffic	200,000 UZS	30 days
UZTELECOM	5 + 20 GB	5 GB in roaming and 20 GB of domestic traffic	400,000 UZS	30 days
UZTELECOM	10 + 20 GB	10 GB in roaming and 20 GB of domestic traffic	600,000 UZS	30 days
UZTELECOM	20 + 30 GB	20 GB in roaming and 30 GB of domestic traffic	900,000 UZS	30 days

Operator prices as of 9 September 2026; UZTELECOM rates include all taxes.

The price of a gigabyte inside the roaming packages of different operators — Inside a package a gigabyte costs several times less than the same gigabyte without one

A package is almost always cheaper — but it comes with a geography, printed in small type. The Mobiuz RoNET roaming packages (2 GB for 65,000 UZS over 3 days, 10 GB for 275,000 over 10 days) work on just eleven networks in eleven countries, and neither Turkey nor Germany nor Russia is among them. Ucell's packages for Russia and Turkey are tied to a specific partner: 10 GB on MegaFon or 20 GB on t2 for 150,000 UZS, and “Holidays in Turkey” only on Turkcell. UZTELECOM sells roaming and domestic traffic as a bundle: 1 GB in roaming plus 5 GB at home for 150,000 UZS over 30 days, 5 and 20 GB for 400,000, activated through *188# or the app, and only with the “International roaming” service switched on.

A package has a map, and your country may not be on it

RoNET works on the networks of eleven operators: Altan in Mexico, China Unicom in China, Etisalat in the UAE, Ooredoo in Kuwait, AWN in Thailand, PT Indosat in Indonesia, Life in Belarus, T-Mobile in the USA, Kcell in Kazakhstan, Babilon in Tajikistan and Magticom in Georgia. Outside that list traffic is billed at the roaming partner's rates — the rate card in the table above. UZTELECOM's packages only work with the “International roaming” service switched on, and buying a second package of the same type neither adds up the traffic nor extends it.

eSIM: what it changes and where the trap is

A word specifically about eSIM: UZTELECOM's Travel eSIM carries internet only — “calls and SMS on foreign partner networks are not supported” — and the package's validity starts not at purchase but at the first connection to a network in the destination country. An eSIM should be installed in advance and over Wi-Fi: Apple requires an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or newer and a Wi-Fi connection to activate, but in return lets you keep two eSIMs active at once and store eight or more.

It is set up in the MyUZTELECOM app: country, package, card payment, installation from a QR code. Inside Uzbekistan such an eSIM may need a VPN to work, and the balance is checked with 1001#.

What makes the bill large

Five reasons a trip costs more than the estimate

The phone joined a network automatically and landed on an expensive partner — a megabyte 49 times dearer
A package was bought, but the country or the network is not in its geography — traffic is billed at the partner's rates
The package is active but the roaming service is not switched on: with UZTELECOM that is mandatory
Calls are rounded up to a whole minute and billed from the first second
A second package of the same type was bought on top of the first: the traffic is neither added up nor extended
Background updates and photo uploads work in roaming exactly as they do at home — but at the partner's price

How to work out what a trip will cost

Count the days and the gigabytes

Take the number of days and your usual daily use. A week away rarely needs more than a couple of gigabytes, as long as you are not watching video in high quality.

Check the package's geography

A package has a list of countries and a list of networks. RoNET covers eleven networks in eleven countries; Ucell's packages for Russia and Turkey only work on one specific partner. If your country is not on the list, the package is useless.

Work out the price of a gigabyte inside the package

Divide the price by the volume. For RoNET 2000 that is 32,500 UZS a gigabyte, for RoNET 10 000 it is 27,500, and for Ucell's “Holidays in Turkey” 15,000. That is how packages compare with each other, rather than by the headline volume.

Compare it with the partner network's rate card

Without a package a gigabyte costs around 1.5 million UZS on Mobiuz's cheap network and almost 65 million on the expensive one; with Humans, on its single rate, 307,000 to 410,000. The difference from a package is large enough to be worth working out before departure.

Decide whether you need a working number

If bank and government codes come to that number, the home line has to stay switched on. The internet then comes from a separate line — an eSIM or a local SIM.

What to do the moment you land

Four things to do before the internet comes on

1Do not leave aeroplane mode straight away
While the phone is in aeroplane mode it does not register on a network and spends no traffic. The settings are easier to change before the connection comes on.
2Switch off automatic network selection
Picking the partner named in the tariff by hand is the difference between 1,450 and 71,576 UZS a megabyte in one and the same country.
3Check which line has data switched on
If the internet runs through an eSIM, data roaming on the home line goes off: it stays only for incoming SMS and calls.
4Make sure the package has activated
With UZTELECOM's Travel eSIM the clock starts at the first connection to a network inside the coverage area. The balance is checked with *100*1#.

What to do before departure

Switch on the roaming service with your operator — without it the package will not activate
Buy the package and check that your country and network are in its geography
Install the eSIM over Wi-Fi in advance: Apple requires a Wi-Fi connection to activate it
Check that the phone supports eSIM: with Apple that means iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and newer
Write down the code of the partner network you need — with Ucell that is MegaFon 25002 in Russia and Turkcell 28601 in Turkey
Switch off background app refresh and photo uploads to the cloud
Save the eSIM QR code and the support contacts offline
Check which line will keep receiving SMS from your bank and from government services

Frequently asked questions

How much does roaming internet cost without a package?

It depends on the network the phone ended up on. With Mobiuz a megabyte costs 1,450 UZS on MTS, TMT, MegaFon and Tele2 in Russia, on K Cell and Tele2 in Kazakhstan, on Vodafone in Germany and on Etisalat in the UAE — and 50,524.2 on Kar-Tel, 63,155.25 on T-Mobile, 71,575.95 on du. Per gigabyte that runs from 1.5 million to almost 65 million UZS. Humans charges a single rate: 300 UZS a megabyte in Russia, Turkey and Germany, 400 in Kazakhstan and the UAE.

Which is cheaper: a package, a local SIM or an eSIM?

What to compare is the price of a gigabyte. Your own operator's package works out at 15,000 to 32,500 UZS a gigabyte — but only if your country and network are in its geography. Without a package the rate card starts at 307,000 UZS a gigabyte with Humans and runs into the millions with the rest. A local SIM gives you local prices and a local number.

How do I avoid ending up on an expensive partner?

Switch off automatic network selection and pick the operator by hand. Your operator names the network you need in the tariff: with Ucell it is MegaFon in Russia (code 25002) and Turkcell in Turkey (28601); with Mobiuz the cheap partner is Etisalat in the UAE and Vodafone in Germany. Everything else is billed as “other operators”.

Will SMS from my bank still arrive?

If the home line is switched on, yes — incoming SMS work. The trap is elsewhere: UZTELECOM's Travel eSIM does not support calls or SMS on foreign partner networks, where only the internet is available. So the usual arrangement is this: the home number stays on and receives SMS, the internet comes from a separate line, and data roaming on the home line is switched off.

What phone do I need for an eSIM?

With Apple the line runs at the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR and newer — plus an operator that supports eSIM. Two eSIMs can be active at the same time, and the phone can store eight or more. Activation requires a Wi-Fi connection, so an eSIM has to be installed before departure, not at the arrival airport.

How much do calls cost in roaming?

With Mobiuz in Russia an outgoing call to Uzbekistan costs 5,950 UZS a minute, a call within the country you are in and an incoming call 4,950 each, and an SMS 700. In Turkey on Vodafone it is 7,450 to Uzbekistan and 9,950 for an incoming call, and on Avea 14,950 and 9,950. All calls are billed from the first second and rounded up to a whole minute.

Which countries and networks does a roaming package work in?

Each package has its own list. Mobiuz's RoNET works on the networks of eleven operators: Altan in Mexico, China Unicom in China, Etisalat in the UAE, Ooredoo in Kuwait, AWN in Thailand, PT Indosat in Indonesia, Life in Belarus, T-Mobile in the USA, Kcell in Kazakhstan, Babilon in Tajikistan and Magticom in Georgia — Turkey, Germany and Russia are not among them. Ucell's packages for Russia and Turkey are tied to a single partner: MegaFon or t2 in Russia, Turkcell in Turkey. Outside the list traffic is billed at the roaming partner's rates.

Does the roaming service have to be switched on separately?

Yes, and it is worth doing before departure. UZTELECOM's packages only work with the “International roaming” service switched on — without it the package will not activate, however it was paid for. Activation goes through *188# or the app, and buying a second package of the same type neither adds the traffic together nor extends the term.

What to read alongside

How much internet you need a month

How to turn habits into gigabytes — the same arithmetic works for a trip.

A tariff priced by what you use

What makes up the monthly cost of a connection and where the extras hide.

Switching operator and keeping your number

The price of a port, the timing, the grounds for refusal and what happens to the balance.

Coverage and speed: how to check

What to measure yourself, and how to separate the network's effect from the tariff's.

What speed you need at home

Why the top shelf of tariffs is usually surplus, and how to read the terms.

Compare roaming terms before you fly

Packages, per-megabyte prices and the geography of partner networks in one place, together with the tariffs those packages attach to.

Roaming and eSIM Mobile tariffs

Operator prices as of 9 September 2026.

Rates and terms come from the operators' official pages: Mobiuz roaming, Mobiuz packages, UZTELECOM Travel eSIM, Humans roaming, Apple's eSIM support page. Checked on 9 September 2026.

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