Maldives SIM 2026: Dhiraagu vs Ooredoo for tourists

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

The Maldives has two mobile operators, Dhiraagu and Ooredoo, and both sell tourist packs as a physical SIM or an eSIM. They carry far more data than most travel eSIMs, but buying one means an identity check online or a stop at the airport counter. We read Ooredoo's tourist pages and online shop on 22 October 2026, tried Dhiraagu's (which blocked automated reading that day), and set both against Opensignal's measurements.

Here is what each operator offers a visitor, how the purchase works at Velana airport and online, and when a travel eSIM is still the better choice.

Dhiraagu and Ooredoo: who is who?

Dhiraagu is the historic operator; Ooredoo arrived in 2005 and is its only competitor. Dhiraagu began operating on 1 October 1988. Bahrain's Batelco holds 52% of it, the Maldivian government 41.8% and the public 6.2%. It launched 4G LTE in 2013 and LTE Advanced in 2015.

Ooredoo Maldives received its licence in February 2005 as Wataniya Maldives and took the name of its parent, the Qatari Ooredoo Group, in December 2013. Before it arrived, Dhiraagu had been the only operator for 17 years.

The distinction matters for eSIM buyers because nearly all travel eSIMs ride on Dhiraagu. Airalo, Holafly, Nomad and aloSIM name it on their Maldives pages, and none of the sellers we read named Ooredoo. If you want Ooredoo's network, you buy Ooredoo's own tourist SIM or eSIM. Our comparison of Maldives eSIMs sets out the travel plans.

Which network is faster in the Maldives?

Dhiraagu on download, Ooredoo on upload, with little between them on video and games. The most recent independent report is Opensignal's Maldives Mobile Network Experience Report of November 2024, based on data collected from users' phones between 1 August and 29 October 2024. It is the latest Maldives report on Opensignal's site.

Opensignal shows confidence intervals around each figure, so small gaps, such as on video, may not be significant. For 5G, Ookla named Dhiraagu the "Fastest 5G Network" and "Best 5G Network" in the Maldives for the first half of 2025, as The Maldives Standard reported; the article gives no speeds. Ooredoo calls its own 5G network "the widest 5G network in the Maldives", a claim we could not verify.

Either network is fast enough for a holiday. Speed should not decide your choice; price, data allowance and convenience should.

Which network covers resort islands and atolls better?

Opensignal gives Ooredoo the better coverage score, while Dhiraagu users spent slightly more time connected. In the November 2024 report, Ooredoo scored 8.1 out of 10 for Coverage Experience against 6.7 for Dhiraagu. Availability, the share of time users had a 3G, 4G or 5G connection, was 99.5% on Dhiraagu and 98.9% on Ooredoo. Both figures are measured where Opensignal users actually went, mostly on inhabited islands.

Neither operator publishes a coverage map by atoll that we could read, and the nPerf coverage map for the Maldives lists both networks without statistics. Ooredoo's tourist FAQ states that its network "covers all major islands, resorts, local islands, and guesthouses across Maldives". Dhiraagu's site could not be read.

Between islands, coverage thins out. Holafly, whose eSIM runs on Dhiraagu, warns that coverage "may be weaker or less stable on small or remote islands and during boat or seaplane journeys between atolls" and in "maritime areas far from inhabited islands". That applies to any network: on a seaplane transfer or a liveaboard cruise, plan on being offline for stretches and download what you need in Malé.

What does Ooredoo's tourist SIM include?

One online pack at $50 with 100 GB and 300 minutes, and a $100 pack with a MiFi router sold only at the airport. On 22 October 2026, Ooredoo's online shop listed a single tourist plan, "Tourist Pack $50", with 100 GB of data and 300 minutes. Its tourist page gives the details:

The 70 GB of social data covers apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Viber and TikTok, according to Ooredoo's tourist plan page. The 30 GB of general data is what counts for maps, browsing and uploads. International calls are charged at pay-as-you-go rates. Data and calls start automatically once you insert the SIM or download the eSIM, Ooredoo says.

Neither Ooredoo page we read stated how many days the tourist packs last. Check the validity at checkout or at the counter before paying.

What does Dhiraagu's Traveler SIM include?

We could not read Dhiraagu's current offer: its tourist SIM page blocked automated access on 22 October 2026. The figures below come from the last archived copy of that page, dated 17 January 2026. They may have changed since, so treat them as a guide and check at the counter.

At that date, the page stated that rates included 8% GST and that "Dhiraagu Traveler SIMs are only eligible for tourists". Lite and Premium were marked as promotional offers and could be bought as an eSIM or a physical SIM. Tourist eSIM plans were non-refundable, and the page set a "Fair Usage Allowance (FUA) of 500GB" for unlimited data.

On paper, Dhiraagu's $50 Premium and Ooredoo's $50 pack are almost the same deal: 30 GB of general data, 70 GB for social apps and 300 minutes. Dhiraagu's archived page stated a 30-day validity; Ooredoo's pages did not state one.

Buying a SIM at Velana airport: what to expect

Both operators sell at the airport, but bring your passport and know which pack you want. Velana International Airport sits on Hulhulé Island next to Malé, with an international terminal, a domestic terminal and a seaplane terminal; its new passenger terminal officially opened in July 2025.

• Ooredoo: its tourist page says you can get a SIM "in minutes at Velana Airport Terminals 1 & 2", from its airport shop or a self-service kiosk there. Its $100 pack with a MiFi router is sold only at the airport shop.
• Dhiraagu: in January 2026, its archived page described collecting physical SIMs ordered online at the "Dhiraagu Airport Business Centre", on presentation of the order confirmation email and your passport.

We found no official source for opening hours at the airport counters, nor for the free SIM machines some travel blogs describe, so we leave those out. Resort transfers often leave soon after landing, by speedboat or from the seaplane terminal: if your transfer is tight, buy online before you fly or keep a small travel eSIM for the first hours.

Ooredoo also sells tourist SIMs through partner hotels and guesthouses, and has Experience centres in Malé and Hulhumalé, which helps if you skip the airport counter.

Buying a tourist eSIM online before you fly

Both operators let you order a tourist eSIM online, with an identity step. In Ooredoo's shop, you choose "Buy Tourist" and then "I want an eSIM"; the shop says eSIM details are "sent via email" and can be downloaded to your device. After you pick the $50 pack, an account verification form appears with an "I am a Foreigner" option, an ID number field, your country and your email address.

Dhiraagu's archived page offered the same choice in January 2026: "buy your eSIM online", or buy a physical SIM online and collect it at the airport. Orders for physical SIMs stayed valid for 30 days from the confirmation email and expired if not collected.

Before you order, check that your phone supports eSIM on our list of compatible phones and that it is unlocked. If an operator asks for your EID, see where to find the EID number.

Local tourist eSIM or travel eSIM: which costs less?

For more than about 20 GB, the local packs win; for a few gigabytes or a short stay, a small travel eSIM costs less. The comparison, on prices of 22 October 2026 (Dhiraagu: archived January 2026):

If you only need maps, messages and a few photos between stretches of resort Wi-Fi, Yesim's 3 GB for €18 costs less than half a tourist pack. If you will stream, upload video or hotspot a laptop, Ooredoo's or Dhiraagu's $50 pack gives the most data. Airalo's 20 GB sits in between, with no identity check and no counter.

Running out of data: top-ups and add-ons

A local line lets you add data in rufiyaa; travel eSIMs make you buy another plan. Ooredoo's tourist plan page lists data packs under "Do more with tourist plans", all valid 30 days: 25 GB for MVR 699 (about €40.46) and 40 GB for MVR 1,100 (about €63.66), among others. The page also lists packs of 18 GB for MVR 660, 25 GB for MVR 880 and 35 GB for MVR 500; the 35 GB pack is listed for less than the 18 GB one, so check the amount before you confirm.

Dhiraagu's archived page of January 2026 listed two add-ons for its tourist plans: 100 GB for 7 days at MVR 225 (about €13.02), activated with the keyword 7D100GB, and 100 GB for 15 days at MVR 400 (about €23.15), keyword 15D100GB, both with free calls to Dhiraagu numbers. If those prices still apply, they are the cheapest data we found in the Maldives by far.

Rufiyaa amounts are converted at the Maldives Monetary Authority reference rate of 30 September 2026, 15.42 rufiyaa to the dollar, then at the ECB rate of 22 October 2026, 1.1205 dollars to the euro.

How do you set up a local or travel eSIM?

Install it before you fly, keep your home line for SMS codes, and turn on roaming for the eSIM on arrival.

• Unlocked phone: a phone locked to your home operator will refuse a Maldivian profile; read do you need an unlocked phone for a travel eSIM.
• Activation: on Android, follow our step-by-step eSIM activation guide.
• Two lines: set the Maldivian eSIM for data and keep your home number for calls and texts; our guide to running two eSIMs at the same time shows how.
• Problems: if the eSIM shows no service on arrival, work through 10 fixes for a travel eSIM not working abroad.

If your trip continues to Sri Lanka, a common pairing, see our Sri Lanka eSIM guide: Maldivian tourist packs and the travel plans we compared cover the Maldives only. For other islands in the region, see our Seychelles and Mauritius guides.

How we checked

We read Ooredoo's tourist plan page, its tourist landing page and its online shop on 22 October 2026, following the order flow up to the verification form without paying. Dhiraagu's live site and its tourist kit site blocked automated reading that day, so its figures come from the Wayback Machine copy of 17 January 2026, which we flag wherever we use it. Operator background comes from Wikipedia.

Speed and coverage figures come from Opensignal's November 2024 Maldives report and from Ookla's awards as reported by The Maldives Standard. We found no quality-of-service report from the regulator, the Communications Authority of Maldives. Travel eSIM prices come from the sellers' own pages on 22 October 2026. We did not buy SIMs or measure speeds in the Maldives. Prices change often, so check the operator's page before you buy. All our Maldives articles are gathered in the Maldives eSIM guide.