When you pass through passport control at Bishkek Airport, you can’t miss the counters for Kyrgyzstan’s main mobile operators: MegaCom, Beeline, and O!.
You can pay for SIM cards in Kyrgyz som if you’ve already exchanged currency, or even in Russian rubles at a fair exchange rate.
We were in Kyrgyzstan for 10 days and needed mobile internet along with the ability to make calls—just in case we had to contact hotels or local services. Since we use MegaFon back in Russia, we went with MegaCom (the branding suggests they might be connected).
We chose a plan with unlimited internet (including hotspot sharing) and call options for about 500 som, give or take. The vendor activated the SIM quickly, but later, we realized that enabling hotspot sharing required some additional configuration. My advice? Check everything before you leave the counter! I had to come back and was fortunate that the customs area wasn’t far, and the staff was still there between flights.
Later, I found out there wasn’t enough credit for calls, but topping up is simple—you can use payment terminals in most supermarkets.
In the end, the unlimited internet worked fine (where there was coverage), and calls were hassle-free.
I picked up a SIM card from O! upon arrival. I opted for their cheapest plan, which costs 145 som per week and includes 16GB of internet. It’s more than enough for my needs.
I looked into the plans from all three main operators—MegaCom, Beeline, and O!—and they all offer a similar weekly plan for 145 som with 16GB of data. The choice ultimately comes down to personal preference.
I also have a Magti SIM card from Georgia in my second SIM slot. Interestingly, in some areas, the Magti card provided better reception, as it connected to MegaCom. This was particularly noticeable on the road from Manas Airport to Bishkek—just a few kilometers where O! struggled with coverage, and the internet didn’t work. That said, O! is generally regarded as having the best coverage in the country, according to what I’ve read online.
A small note: I got my SIM card activated at an O! office, and the staff reloaded my balance directly at a payment terminal before handing me the card. The amount I handed over (150 som) was fully credited to my account—there were no extra fees for activation, unlike my experience with Ucell in Uzbekistan.