Two cities, a railway, and a rainforest behind them
The Republic of the Congo — usually called Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from its larger eastern neighbour — covers about 342,000 km² and holds roughly 6 million people, the bulk of them along the rail and road corridor between Brazzaville (the inland capital, on the Congo River across from Kinshasa) and Pointe-Noire (the Atlantic oil and shipping city). Most foreign visitors are oil-and-gas business travelers in those two cities, NGO staff, regional diplomatic staff, or the rare adventure traveler heading north into the Odzala-Kokoua and Nouabalé-Ndoki forests for lowland gorillas. The cellular network covers the corridor workably and thins out in the rainforest interior.
Roamzy charges $5.73 per gigabyte in Congo-Brazzaville. That's $0.0056 per megabyte, billed in real time on Congolese networks. No subscription, no expiry, no minimum bundle. One per-MB rate across 192 countries.
How much will Roamzy actually cost on this trip?
A typical visitor uses 0.4–0.6 GB per day on cellular, with hotel and lodge Wi-Fi handling the heavier work: maps in Brazzaville, the WhatsApp to a driver or guide, the camera-translator on a French menu, voice notes home. Call it 0.5 GB/day:
| Trip length | Roamzy ($5.73/GB) | Tourist roaming pass | Local SIM at Brazzaville |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days (~1.5 GB) | $8.60 | $25–60 | $5–15 + KYC and a passport scan |
| 1 week (~3.5 GB) | $20.07 | $50–110 | $10–25 + paperwork |
| 2 weeks (~7 GB) | $40.14 | $100–220 (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 Congolese SIM at Maya-Maya (BZV) or Pointe-Noire (PNR) is workable for a long stay. For a typical 1–2 week visit, the eSIM is the simpler answer.
Where does Roamzy work in this country?
- Brazzaville — 4G across the working capital; signal along the Congo River corniche, on the road in from Maya-Maya, and on the ferry terminal area opposite Kinshasa
- Pointe-Noire — strong LTE in the Atlantic oil city and along the coast road south toward the border
- The Brazzaville–Pointe-Noire corridor (CFCO railway and road) — LTE through Dolisie and the populated towns; gaps in long forested stretches
- Odzala-Kokoua, Nouabalé-Ndoki — 3G at lodges; nothing in the rainforest interior where the gorillas actually are
- Northern districts (Ouesso) — 4G in the regional town, sparse on the river-and-road access
- Border zones — last few kilometres before Gabon, the DRC, or Cabinda often pull toward neighbouring networks
How do I install my Roamzy eSIM?
| Plug type | Voltage | Frequency | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type C, E | 230 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
- The counter starts when you land at Brazzaville Maya-Maya (BZV) or Pointe-Noire (PNR)
Supported stablecoins and common setup errors are in the FAQ. The dashboard handles top-ups in USDT.
What are Roamzy's honest limitations?
- 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 — first GB and the tenth both cost $0.0056/MB.
- No auto-renewal. Balance runs out, the eSIM stops.
It's not a marketing gimmick — it's an engineering decision born from indifference to gimmicks. You can't make a tariff cheaper than no fine-print and no expiry — so we don't.
What if my route continues across Central Africa?
- Gabon — north along the Atlantic coast, separate country rate
- DR Congo — across the river from Brazzaville, common rotation
- If you want the underlying mechanics — how roaming actually gets priced and why it hurts