Cuba SIM 2026: Cubacel Tur, eSIM or roaming

Part of our Cuba eSIM guide: all articles and key facts →

In Cuba, every SIM, eSIM and roaming line ends up on the same network: ETECSA's, sold under the Cubacel brand. The real choice for a visitor is between ETECSA's tourist SIM, Cubacel Tur, a travel eSIM bought before leaving, and the roaming offer of your home operator, which ranges from a reasonable pass to several euros per megabyte.

We read ETECSA's pages, the official Cubacel Tur site and the price documents of French, Spanish and German operators on 22 October 2026. Here is what each option costs, where to collect a Cubacel Tur SIM, how to pay for it, and what the power cuts of 2026 mean for your connection.

What are your options for mobile data in Cuba?

Three: ETECSA's Cubacel Tur tourist SIM, a travel eSIM, or your home operator's roaming. All three run on the same network, because ETECSA is the only telecom operator in Cuba; Cubacel is the brand of its mobile service. The choice is about price, convenience and what your phone and home operator allow.

Cubacel Tur wins on price; a travel eSIM or an operator pass wins on convenience, because it works as you land. Our comparison of the travel eSIMs that sell Cuba covers the second option; this guide covers the local SIM, operator roaming and Wi-Fi.

What does Cubacel Tur include and cost?

Two packages: 4 GB for 7 days, or 10 GB for 30 days, both with minutes and SMS. ETECSA's Cubacel Tur page lists the contents, read on 22 October 2026:

ETECSA's page shows no prices. The prices above come from SuenaCuba, one of the two sellers recommended on the official Cubacel Tur site, cubaceltur.com, which ETECSA's own website links to. The Básico Plus adds unlimited WhatsApp and Facebook, at any time of day, for as long as the package is valid. The minutes and SMS work for national and international calls.

When the data runs out, you can buy more. The Cubacel Tur site lists 10 GB for $20, 20 GB for $30 and 50 GB for $50, plus 20 minutes for $10 and 30 minutes for $15. ETECSA's rules are worth reading closely:

• Extra data takes the validity of your package: 50 GB added to a Básico still expires with the 7-day package.
• Each extra purchase extends the line by 7 days (Básico) or 30 days (Básico Plus).
• The line is temporary and cannot last more than 90 days in total.

The Cubacel Tur site also sets two limits: users must be 18 or over, and one passport can hold up to three lines.

Where do you collect a Cubacel Tur SIM?

At a CubacelTur desk in seven airports, or at any ETECSA commercial office. ETECSA lists these pickup points on arrival:

• Havana, José Martí: terminal 3, room C (CubacelTur point), and terminal 2 (ETECSA "Minipunto").
• Varadero, Juan Gualberto Gómez.
• Santa Clara, Abel Santamaría.
• Cayo Coco international airport.
• Camagüey, Ignacio Agramonte.
• Holguín, Frank País.
• Santiago de Cuba, Antonio Maceo.

The Cubacel Tur site says the airport desks are open 24 hours. SuenaCuba gives more detail for Havana: terminal 3 around the clock, terminal 2 from 8am to 7pm, and ETECSA offices from 8am to 7pm. Take your passport, since orders are made in the name and passport number of the person who will use the line.

Cubacel Tur is a physical SIM: the Cubacel Tur site states plainly that it is not an eSIM, and ETECSA's pages for visitors mention no eSIM at all. Your phone needs a free SIM slot, or you will have to take out your home SIM and keep it safe. If your phone is locked to your home operator, the Cuban SIM will not work: check before you leave with our guide do you need an unlocked phone for a travel eSIM.

How do you order and pay for Cubacel Tur?

Most visitors order online before leaving, because ETECSA's offices accept only UnionPay and Mir cards. ETECSA's page says the packages can be bought in its commercial offices by paying with those two international card networks, and through three international distributors: DT One, Global Digital and Novela Cuba, which sell their own set of packages rather than the offers above.

The official Cubacel Tur site sends buyers to two online sellers, SuenaCuba and CubaCalls. SuenaCuba's order form asks for the passport number, nationality, first and last names and the pickup date, and you pay by card online. You then collect the SIM in Cuba. SuenaCuba is a private seller, not ETECSA: its site says it was developed by a company called Get On Domain LLC.

Once you have a Cuban number (53 followed by eight digits), you can buy add-ons on the Cubacel Tur site using that number. ETECSA adds that its additional packages are otherwise sold only in its offices.

A practical timeline:

1. A week or so before departure, order the package online and choose your arrival airport and date.
2. Install a small travel eSIM as a backup for the first hours, in case the desk is closed or the queue is long.
3. On arrival, collect the SIM with your passport, insert it and check that data works before leaving the desk.

Does your French operator work in Cuba?

All four French operators roam in Cuba, but only Orange and Sosh sell a pass that includes it at a reasonable price; Bouygues has a world data pass; SFR and Free bill by the megabyte. ETECSA's roaming partner list, updated on 15 October 2026, shows Bouygues Telecom, SFR, Free Mobile and Orange France with GSM, GPRS and 3G, but no LTE.

Orange and Sosh: Pass Voyage 5

The Pass Voyage 5 covers 27 destinations including Cuba, for 31 consecutive days, with 20 minutes of calls and 50 SMS: 1 GB for €29.99, 3 GB for €39.99 or 5 GB for €49.99. It is reserved for Orange and Sosh customers (the 5 GB version is not available on Mobicarte). You choose the activation date when you buy, and Orange advises activating it the day before you arrive. At €10 per GB for the 5 GB pass, it costs less per gigabyte than most travel eSIMs, and you keep your own number.

Bouygues Telecom: Pass internet voyage Monde

Bouygues's price guide from 3 August 2026 lists a Pass internet voyage Monde of 3 GB for €30, usable in 123 destinations including Cuba, to be used within two months and valid 30 days from first use. It covers data only. Without it, internet from Cuba costs €14 per MB on Bouygues and B&You plans, with a default block at €60 of usage outside Europe.

SFR: no pack for Cuba

SFR's travel guide of 20 May 2026 puts Cuba in its "Reste du monde" zone, which no Pack Séjour covers (the Latin America pack lists other countries). Cuba is also flagged as unavailable for SFR plans with a blocking option and for SFR La Carte. Internet outside Europe costs €13.20 to €18.48 per MB depending on the zone, so do not use mobile data on an SFR line in Cuba.

Free Mobile: €9.70 per MB

Free's price brochure from 21 July 2026 prices data from Cuba at €9.70 per MB on every plan, and Cuba is not among the destinations included in Free Max's 35 GB roaming allowance. A hundred megabytes, a few minutes of maps and photos, would cost €970. Turn data roaming off and use a local SIM or an eSIM.

And Spanish or German operators?

Roaming is possible but expensive, and we found no Cuba pass at the operators we could check.

Spain

Orange España places Cuba in its "rest of the world" roaming zone: data costs €12 per MB, calls €4 per minute plus a €2 connection charge, and no bono covers the zone. Orange caps monthly roaming data spending at €60.50 including VAT. We could not read a Cuba rate on Movistar's or Vodafone España's pages on 22 October 2026, so check your own operator's app before you leave.

Germany

• Telekom: its foreign price list of 8 September 2026 puts Cuba (Kuba) in country group 3, where no data is used unless you book a Travel & Surf pass, so roaming data cannot run up a bill by accident. The passes available in a country are offered when you start using data there; Telekom advertises passes from €5.95, but we could not read the Cuba prices.
• Vodafone: its ReisePaket Data document of August 2026 places Cuba in zone 3, where private customers can buy 10 MB for 24 hours at €29.99.
• o2: Cuba is in zone 4 ("rest of the world") and is not among the countries of o2 Roaming Plus World, the 2 GB pass at €14.99 a month.

For Spanish and German travellers, then, Cubacel Tur or a travel eSIM is the realistic choice. Our roaming charges checklist explains how to make sure data roaming stays off on your home line.

Can you rely on Wi-Fi and Nauta cards instead?

As a backup, yes; as your only connection, it is restrictive. ETECSA sells a temporary Nauta account for visitors: non-rechargeable prepaid cards of 30 minutes, 1 hour or 5 hours, at 25 Cuban pesos (CUP) per hour. The account stays active for 30 days from the first connection. ETECSA says the cards are sold in its commercial units, in hotel internet rooms, at airports and in tourist facilities.

The cards give access to ETECSA's Wi-Fi zones and to hotel networks that use them, so you connect only where there is a hotspot, and you log in and out to save minutes. They are useful during long blackouts too, if a hotel or venue has its own generator.

ETECSA also said in September 2026 that it was no longer viable to keep expanding its access network, Wi-Fi sites included, without a power backup. Do not assume a public Wi-Fi zone will be running when you need it.

How do power cuts affect the mobile network?

Heavily: when the power goes, many base stations go with it, whatever SIM or eSIM you use. In an article published by the state outlet Cubadebate on 24 September 2026, reported by Directorio Cubano the next day, ETECSA said that the availability of its mobile and fixed services had fallen over recent months. Numerous sites switch off when electricity is lacking, which can leave communities without mobile coverage, and the base stations still running then become congested.

During the latest collapse of the national grid, ETECSA said, more than 80% of its base station sites and practically 70% of its cabinets were interrupted, and internet traffic fell by up to 58% compared with similar periods. The company says it is installing new batteries in Havana base stations to add several hours of autonomy, and solar panels to back up its main municipal sites.

Users confirm the picture. On 14 October 2026, Infobae reported Cubans losing Cubacel coverage during blackouts and instability after power returned, including a repeater in Havana's Alamar district that had been without electricity for more than three months; ETECSA had not responded.

What it means for a visitor:

• Coverage can vanish for hours in a neighbourhood, then return. A travel eSIM is no better than Cubacel Tur here, since both use the same base stations.
• Your package keeps running during outages, so prefer a 30-day validity to a 7-day one.
• Carry a power bank, download offline maps and keep your accommodation's details offline.

Cubacel Tur, eSIM or roaming: what should you choose?

It depends on your trip and your home operator. On prices read on 22 October 2026:

• A week or more, and you land at a major airport: Cubacel Tur. The Básico Plus ($34.99 for 10 GB, 100 minutes and 100 SMS over 30 days) costs less than any 5 GB travel eSIM we verified.
• A short stay, a cruise stop or no time for a desk: a travel eSIM. Roamless sells 1 GB for $16.95 and 5 GB for $64.95, Nomad 3 GB for $49, all valid 30 days. Our Cuba eSIM comparison lists all five verified sellers.
• Orange or Sosh customers: the Pass Voyage 5 (3 GB for €39.99, 5 GB for €49.99, 31 days) keeps your number and needs no swap.
• Bouygues customers: the Pass internet voyage Monde (3 GB for €30) is reasonable for light use.
• SFR, Free, Orange España, Vodafone or o2 customers: turn data roaming off and use Cubacel Tur or an eSIM.

Many travellers combine two: a travel eSIM or operator pass for the arrival, then Cubacel Tur once the SIM is collected. If your trip continues to Punta Cana or Santo Domingo, see our Dominican Republic eSIM guide: no plan we found covers both countries.

What should you do before you fly?

Sort out the phone at home, where Wi-Fi is free and fast.

• Compatibility: for a travel eSIM, find your model on our list of eSIM-compatible phones; for Cubacel Tur, check that your phone has a physical SIM slot (some recent iPhones sold in the United States do not).
• Unlocked: a phone locked to your home operator refuses foreign SIMs and eSIMs. Read do you need an unlocked phone for a travel eSIM.
• Installation: on Android, follow our eSIM activation guide; if a seller asks for your EID, here is where to find it.
• Roaming settings: turn data roaming off on your home line, and on for the eSIM line once in Cuba.

If the line does not connect on arrival, work through 10 fixes for a travel eSIM not working abroad, and remember that a local power cut can be the cause.

How we checked

We read ETECSA's pages for visitors (Cubacel Tur, the temporary Nauta account and the roaming partner list, all marked as updated on 15 October 2026), the official Cubacel Tur site that ETECSA links to, and SuenaCuba's order page on 22 October 2026. Cubacel Tur's contents and pickup points come from ETECSA; its package prices from SuenaCuba; its add-on prices from the Cubacel Tur site.

Operator roaming figures come from each operator's own page or price document: Orange France's Pass Voyage 5 page, Bouygues Telecom's price guide from 3 August 2026, Free's brochure from 21 July 2026, SFR's travel guide of 20 May 2026, Orange España's roaming page, Telekom's foreign price list of 8 September 2026, Vodafone's ReisePaket Data document of August 2026 and o2's Roaming Plus World page. We could not read a Cuba rate for Movistar or Vodafone España.

Network and power figures come from ETECSA's statements published by Cubadebate on 24 September 2026, and user reports from Infobae on 14 October 2026. We found no independent speed survey for Cuba. We did not buy the products or test them in Cuba. Prices change, so check before you pay, and see our Cuba eSIM guide for the other articles.