Istanbul eSIM
In Istanbul you connect to Turkcell or Vodafone, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The median across the country is 57 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Turkcell and Vodafone
- Real speed in Türkiye
- 57 Mbps median, 16 Mbps for the slowest tenth1,102 travellers across Türkiye, rolling 90 days
- 5G
- 4G only
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Istanbul
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $4.89 | $4.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.63 | $7.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $1.98 | $9.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $11.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $0.99 | $19.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $0.84 | $41.89 |
How Türkiye compares across Middle East
- Speed rank
- 8 of 10 destinations we sell in Middle East
- Regional median
- 75 Mbps
- Consistency
- The slowest tenth still reaches 28 percent of the median
- Upstream networks
- 2, Turkcell, Vodafone
- 5G
- 4G only
- Next fastest nearby
- Oman, 64 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Jordan, 38 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Istanbul, Antalya, Cappadocia, Izmir
- tenth percentile
- 16 Mbps
- Behind these figures
- 1102 travellers, rolling 90 days
Landing at Istanbul Airport (IST)
- Airport
- IST / LTFM
- Distance
- 35 km from the centre of Istanbul
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalOfficially described as 'unlimited and free internet'. Two login routes: 'Login with Mobile' sends a password by SMS, or scan your passport/ID at a terminal kiosk to get an access code and use 'Login with Access Code'.
- SIM on arrival
- SIM counters or vending in the terminalTürk Telekom and Turkcell both have stores on the Arrivals floor, landside; the airport lists the Türk Telekom store as open 24/7.
- Also serves
- Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW)
Getting into Istanbul
- M11 metro, Istanbul Airport Gayrettepe / Halkalı (IST)
- Havaist airport buses (11 routes to the city centre) (IST)
- M4 metro, Sabiha Gökçen Havalimanı Kadıköy (SAW)
- Havaist and İETT express buses to Taksim and Kadıköy (SAW)
Underground and on the metro
Istanbul Metro runs 11 lines. It opened in 1989. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Istanbul
- A phone brought into Türkiye from abroad can be used on a Turkish SIM for 120 days without IMEI registration; after that the device is blocked from Turkish networks. Registration goes through e-Devlet and needs a Turkish ID or a foreigner ID number (YKN), which most short-stay tourists do not have.
- Istanbul Airport's free Wi-Fi will not let you on with a foreign number that cannot receive SMS in that case use the terminal kiosks, which scan your passport and print an access code.
- Istanbul's two airports are on opposite continents: Istanbul Airport (IST) is in Arnavutköy on the European side, while Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is about 32 km south-east of the centre on the Asian side. Transferring between them means crossing the Bosphorus.
- The M11 metro to Istanbul Airport is the one Istanbul metro line not run by Metro Istanbul it is operated by TCDD Taşımacılık. It opened on 22 January 2023 and only reached Gayrettepe on 29 January 2024.
- Türk Telekom's store on the Arrivals floor landside at Istanbul Airport is open 24/7, so a physical SIM can be bought on any arrival regardless of hour.
Sources for this page
Other cities in Türkiye we cover
- Izmir
- 328 km from Istanbul, nearest airport ADB
- Antalya
- 481 km from Istanbul, nearest airport AYT
- Cappadocia
- 567 km from Istanbul, nearest airport NAV