Where will you actually have signal in Burkina Faso?
That's the question worth asking before you book. The answer: Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, yes; the trunk roads between regional capitals, mostly; the Sahel scrub between settlements, sparingly. Burkina Faso is a 274,000 km² landlocked country with a population concentrated in the south and the two largest cities. The cellular network covers the populated corridors decently. Between them is real, dry country where signal can drop for thirty or forty minutes at a stretch. No eSIM cures that. What helps is an honest map in your head before the drive starts.
Anyone promising blanket coverage from Bobo to Dori is selling you something. We're not.
How is Roamzy's price calculated?
Roamzy charges $5.73 per gigabyte in Burkina Faso. That's $0.0056 per megabyte, billed in real time as your phone uses data on Burkinabé networks. No subscription, no expiry, no minimum bundle. One per-MB rate across 192 countries — the figure on the invoice, not a marketing line.
A typical visitor uses 0.4–0.8 GB per day on cellular, with hotel and office Wi-Fi handling the rest: maps, the camera-translator on French menus and signs, WhatsApp with a driver and a fixer, the rare voice call out, a bank-app push for the contactless payment that occasionally works. Call it 0.6 GB/day:
| Trip length | Roamzy ($5.73/GB) | Tourist roaming pass | Local SIM at Ouagadougou |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days (~2 GB) | $11.47 | $25–55 | $5–15 + KYC and a passport scan |
| 1 week (~4 GB) | $22.94 | $45–90 | $8–20 + paperwork |
| 2 weeks (~8 GB) | $45.88 | $80–180 (often two passes) | $15–35 + 30-day cap |
Competitor prices in columns 3 and 4 are 2025 ranges based on typical offerings; exact figures depend on your home carrier and the airport store you visit. Roamzy's rate in column 2 is our actual published rate from the pricing page.
A local SIM at Ouagadougou airport is sold to foreigners but the registration is paperwork-heavy and the resulting bundle is sized for residents on monthly contracts. The eSIM is attached when you land and starts billing the first byte.
Where is Roamzy reliable, and where isn't it?
- Ouagadougou (Ouaga 2000, Patte d'Oie, Zone du Bois) — 4G across the working city, dense LTE on the road in from the airport
- Bobo-Dioulasso — solid 4G in the city; the road between Ouaga and Bobo has signal across most of its length, gaps in the long inter-village stretches
- Koudougou, Banfora, Ouahigouya — workable LTE in the regional centers
- Sindou peaks, Karfiguéla falls, Banfora area — 4G at the visitor settlements, weaker on the access tracks
- Sahelian north (Dori, Djibo region) — patchy in the towns, expect nothing on the empty roads between
- The W and Arli protected areas — 3G at lodges and entry posts; nothing in the bush itself
Security advisories shape the routes most travelers actually drive — the cellular map roughly tracks the safer corridors. Offline-cached maps and a satellite messenger are baseline kit on any northern trip.
How do I install my Roamzy eSIM?
| Plug type | Voltage | Frequency | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type C, E | 220 V | 50 Hz | iPhone XS+ | Pixel 3+, Galaxy S20+ |
- Sign in to Roamzy via Telegram or Google
- Top up with a minimum of 20 USDT — stablecoins, no cards, no banks, no FX surcharges
- The QR code appears in the dashboard once payment confirms
- Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → scan QR (do this on home Wi-Fi before you fly)
- The counter starts when you land at Ouagadougou (OUA)
Supported stablecoins and common setup errors are in the FAQ.
What are Roamzy's honest limitations?
The most useful thing we can tell you about Burkina Faso is where you won't have signal. The cellular network covers the cities and the trunk roads — the Sahel and the bush are sparse by design, not by tariff. We sell access to the same networks Burkinabés use, billed by the megabyte, balance carries.
- No welcome promo that flips on the second top-up. Top-up #1 and top-up #20 cost the same per megabyte.
- No fine-print throttling. One rate, full speed where there's signal — first GB and the tenth cost $0.0056/MB.
- No auto-renewal. Balance runs out, the eSIM stops.
What if my route continues across the Sahel?
- Mali — overland through the western border, separate country rate
- Niger — east toward Niamey, the eSIM hands over at the crossing
- If you want the underlying mechanics — how roaming actually gets priced and why it hurts