One capital, the rest is country
The Central African Republic is 622,000 km² of mostly low-density land, with a population of around 5 million people and one substantial city: Bangui, on the Ubangi River, where most of the foreign arrivals land at M'Poko airport. Beyond Bangui, the country fans out into rainforest in the south, savanna in the centre, and the long border zones with Chad and Sudan to the north. The cellular footprint follows the population — solid in Bangui, workable in the regional towns, sparse to absent in the bush. The connection question is shaped by that geography, not by tariff.
Roamzy charges $5.73 per gigabyte in the CAR. That's $0.0056 per megabyte, billed in real time on Central African networks. No subscription, no expiry, no minimum bundle. One per-MB rate across 192 countries — the figure on the invoice, not a marketing line.
How much will Roamzy actually cost on this trip?
Cellular use is usually limited on a CAR posting: maps in Bangui, WhatsApp with a fixer, voice notes home, the camera-translator on a French sign, occasional bank-app pushes. Most heavy lifting happens on guesthouse, office, or NGO Wi-Fi. Plan on 0.3–0.5 GB/day:
| Trip length | Roamzy ($5.73/GB) | Tourist roaming pass | Local SIM at M'Poko |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days (~1.2 GB) | $6.88 | $25–55 | $5–15 + KYC |
| 1 week (~2.8 GB) | $16.06 | $45–90 | $8–20 + paperwork |
| 2 weeks (~5.6 GB) | $32.11 | $80–180 (often two passes) | $15–35 + 30-day cap |
Competitor prices in columns 3 and 4 are 2025 ranges based on typical offerings; many home carriers either don't list the CAR in tourist packs or charge open roaming. Roamzy's rate in column 2 is our actual published rate from the pricing page.
A local SIM at M'Poko is workable for an extended posting; for a one- or two-week visit, the registration time eats the morning that the eSIM saves you.
Where it works, where it doesn't
- Bangui (Centre-ville, Sica, Galabadja) — 4G across the working city; signal along the Ubangi waterfront and around M'Poko
- Berbérati, Bouar, Bambari, Bangassou — workable LTE in town centers, weakening on the inter-city tracks
- Dzanga-Sangha, Manovo-Gounda St. Floris — the protected areas have signal at lodges and entry posts only; nothing in the forest itself
- The road north toward Chad — sparse signal, long quiet stretches; satellite communication territory
- Border zones — the last few kilometers before the DRC, Cameroon, Chad, or Sudan often have signal pulled toward neighboring networks
Offline-cached maps and a satellite messenger are baseline kit for anything outside Bangui and the trunk roads. The eSIM is for when you're back on the network.
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 (on home Wi-Fi before flying)
- The counter starts when you land at Bangui M'Poko (BGF)
Supported stablecoins and common setup errors are in the FAQ. The dashboard handles top-ups in USDT regardless of where you're standing.
What are Roamzy's honest limitations?
We won't paint the country a solid green on a map. The cellular network covers Bangui and the regional centers, and the rest is geography that no eSIM cures. We sell access to the same networks Central Africans use, billed by the megabyte:
- 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.
- No auto-renewal. Balance runs out, the eSIM stops.
What if my route continues across Central Africa?
- Chad — overland north, separate country rate
- DR Congo — south across the Ubangi, common rotation
- If you want the underlying mechanics — how roaming actually gets priced and why it hurts