Mobile Communication and Internet in Kazakhstan

You need a passport and a phone. The process is quick and straightforward. At the airport, there’s usually a kiosk where a staff member will handle everything for you when purchasing a SIM card.

Hello everyone!
I strongly advise against choosing Activ (Kcell). It’s the worst mobile operator I’ve ever dealt with:

1. Poor Network Quality: In major cities like Almaty and Astana, it’s manageable, but in other regions, you’ll encounter frequent dead zones.
2. Unstable Network Registration: Sometimes, the network just disconnects randomly. You’ll see full signal bars, but neither mobile data nor calls will work because the registration fails. For instance, after riding the metro in Almaty, I surfaced only to find that the network remained unavailable for another 30 minutes.
3. Horrible Roaming: The operator’s app often fails to work because it rejects requests from foreign IPs. Sometimes it works with a VPN set to Canada, for example, but registration in local networks abroad is unreliable. This creates a major issue—bank SMS messages fail to arrive.

My brother switched to Beeline, and it’s a dream in comparison—everything works perfectly.

Let me share my recent experience with getting an eSIM in Kazakhstan:

• I have a phone with eSIM support.
• My bank card is foreign (Emirati).

I wanted to sort out the eSIM in advance to avoid dealing with it after a late-night flight.

Based on recommendations here, I first tried Beeline. After entering all the necessary information, scanning my passport, and choosing a number, the app encountered an error during the 200 KZT activation payment. I tried all my cards, but nothing worked.

I then switched to Tele2 and successfully registered my number (for free) and linked the IMEI. However, I ran into the same issue when trying to top up my balance. Their support team informed me that balance replenishment is only possible with a Kazakhstani card or cash via a terminal.

I had no choice but to deal with it in person.

When I landed in Almaty, I found a Tele2 stand in the terminal. After confirming the same information with them, I withdrew cash from an ATM and used a nearby terminal to top up my balance (with a small fee). Finally, I was connected.

For those who don’t want the hassle of setting up an eSIM in advance, you can now purchase a Tele2 SIM card directly at the terminal (I didn’t ask about pricing).

I want to share my experience with Tele2 KZ.

I strongly discourage using this operator if you plan to be in Almaty!

We got our SIM cards in Astana in 2023, and they worked flawlessly—great internet speeds. However, in Almaty, the coverage is terrible. It only works reliably in the city center, and even then, the connection is inconsistent. A few steps in any direction, and it drops to 2G (E), and sometimes you can’t even make calls—only SMS messages go through consistently.

We stayed in various parts of the city, but the situation was the same on two different phones with two different SIM cards.

I love Almaty!!!