Armenia is a small country in Western Asia. There are three SIM cards available in the country – Viva-MTS, Beeline, and Ucom. Both SIM cards and data bundles are quite cheap in Armenia. You can obtain a Viva-MTS, Beeline, or Ucom SIM card either for free or by shelling out just 100 AMD (Armenian Dram) which equals 0.20 USD. But do remember that you need to buy a plan of at least 1000 AMD on the spot to get the SIM card activated. If we talk about the data packs, 1 GB of data for 30 days is available for as low as 700 AMD. Getting an Armenian SIM card is also quite easy without many restrictions. But you need to follow the SIM card registration procedure to get your SIM card.
SIM cards are available in the official stores of the telecom companies and authorized resellers. Besides, the local supermarkets, kiosks, retail stores, etc. also sell SIM cards. If you are a tourist, it is better to get your SIM card from the official stores because they are well versed with the registration process using your passport details. SIM cards are available at the international airport of Armenia as well. Remember to use only GSM phones (the ones with SIM card slots) in Armenia as CDMA technology isn’t used here. All three operators provide 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE frequencies. 5G NR technology isn’t yet available in the country, nor is there any indication of launching it anytime soon.
Armenia is neither a part of the EU nor the EEA, so roaming isn’t free on European SIM cards in this country. But who cares about roaming when the local SIM and plans are so cheap and affordable. The average price for 1 GB of data in the country is only 0.78 USD, which is far less than the global average of 4.07 USD. With cheap data rates, it also offers reasonable data speed too. The average mobile download speed here is 33 Mbps. Yes, it is less than the global average but still, it is not bad. With all that being said, rest assured that you will have a smooth network experience in Armenia. For more information, let’s talk about each SIM card in detail, one by one.
1. Viva-MTS Armenia
Viva-MTS Armenia, or call it just Viva-MTS, is the largest wireless carrier in Armenia, providing the best network coverage to its subscribers. It is slightly more expensive than the other two operators. MTS is a Russian telecom giant operating in Belarus and Russia apart from Armenia. Its SIM card is available for free or for 100 AMD with a minimum top-up recharge of 1000 AMD (giving 900 AMD in credit). Top-up vouchers are available for 500 AMD, 1000 AMD, and 2000 AMD with a validity of 12 days, 20 days, and 45 days respectively. There are many more top-ups available online.
Viva-MTS offers 6 data-featured packs namely (i) Super Couple [combo], (ii) X,Y,Z Tariff Plans [combo], (iii) Viva Plans [combo], (iv) Bit [data], (v) Super Bit [data], (vi) +Internet Add-ons [data and social media].
2. Beeline Armenia
Beeline Armenia is officially known as Telecom Armenia, but it is popularly known as Beeline. It is the second-largest carrier in the country. The company also operates in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. Its coverage is extensive across the country, but its 4G/LTE is available only in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. Beeline’s top-up vouchers are sold for 1000 AMD, 2500 AMD, 5000 AMD, 10000 AMD, and 20000 AMD.
Beeline offers 5 data-featured plans namely (i) BeeFree (combo), (ii) Smart (combo), (iii) Mega (data), (iv) Giga (data), (v) 3 GB Add On (data add-on). BeeFree Combo as the name implies is a combo of minutes, SMS, and data worth 1900 AMD to 7900 AMD. Smart plan’s price is between 990 AMD and 15000 AMD. Mega is a data-only plan worth 100 AMD (300 MB of data for 1 day), and 150 AMD (500 MB of data for 1 day). Giga again is a data-only plan ranging between 700 AMD to 5000 AMD, all with the validity of 30 days. 3 GB Add-on is a data add-on plan sold for 500 AMD in which you get 3 GB of data, and it is valid until your main plan expires.
3. Ucom
Ucom was formerly known as Orange Armenia. It is the smallest, latest, and cheapest carrier in Armenia. Though it is a small carrier as compared to the other two carriers, it provides extensive coverage with a fairly reliable 4G/LTE reception throughout Armenia. Its SIM card is available ubiquitously in the country, and even its eSIM is also available for free. However, eSIM only works with some eligible devices like iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max, iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max, and many more such devices.
Its SIM cards remain active for up to 5 days to 6 months (depending on your last top-up). After the expiry of its active period, it will enter into the inactive period for the next 6 months. In these inactive months, you will still be able to receive calls and texts but can’t make calls or send any SMS. After the inactive period expires, the SIM will go through the suspended period, which is 31 days. If you don’t recharge even during the suspended period, then your SIM will be permanently deactivated/disabled, and you will lose your number forever.
Ucom top-up vouchers are sold between 100 AMD and 5000 AMD. Apart from that, there are 4 data-featured plans available in Ucom i.e. Level Up (combo), uDaily (data), uDrift (data), and Internet Bundles (data). The price of Level Up is between 1700 AMD and 8700 AMD, uDaily is between 250 AMD and 3000 AMD. uDrift bundles cost 2900 AMD (10 GB for 30 days), and 4900 AMD (30 GB for 30 days). Internet Bundles range between 100 AMD to 6500 AMD.