Buy a Togo eSIM Online

Mobile internet, 4G and 5G in Togo

Togo has two operators, YAS Togo (the former Togocom / Togo Cellulaire, now rebranded) and Moov Africa Togo, both named in regulator ARCEP Togo's quarterly report. That report, for the third quarter of 2025, marks a milestone: for the first time ever, mobile penetration passed 100%, reaching 100.31%, with 8,697,587 active numbers — up 5% on the quarter and 17% on the year. Moov Africa Togo holds 43% of the market, YAS Togo the remaining 57%. Mobile data subscriptions (2G/3G/4G) stand at 6,218,838, a penetration of 71.72%; mobile broadband (3G/4G) alone counts 4,927,608 subscriptions, a penetration of 56.83% and still growing (+5% on the quarter), while 2G subscriptions are shrinking (-6% on the quarter). Mobile money counts 4,957,338 subscribers, a penetration of 57.17%, up 21% on the year.

Togo also has a striking 5G history: Togocom (now YAS Togo) activated a commercial 5G network on 27 November 2020, built with Nokia — making Togo the first country in West Africa and the third in Africa to have commercial 5G. Caution is still warranted, though: per the same coverage, only around 1% of active devices in Togo were 5G-compatible in late 2025. ARCEP itself publishes the breakdown of devices actually in use: 45% still 2G-only, 15% 3G, 39% 4G and 1% 5G — a device mix, not network coverage. In December 2025, YAS Togo and Nokia announced a further expansion, with over 500 new 5G-ready sites (roughly a 45% increase in site count) and a 6G pilot, explicitly aiming for an economically viable 5G ecosystem between 2026 and 2030. Plan on 4G as the real baseline for now.

Roaming in Togo without an eSIM

Togo is outside the EU and the EEA, so 'Roam Like at Home' does not apply. That arrangement covers the EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, along with Moldova and Ukraine — Togo is not among them. Your Belgian or Dutch bundle therefore stays behind: your operator bills every megabyte at its own out-of-bundle roaming tariff, without the EU price caps. Check that tariff with your provider before you go.

Buying a local SIM in Togo

Togo has a notably clear SIM rule. Its legal basis is Decree No 2011-120 of 6 July 2011 (the identification obligation) and an Order of 29 April 2021 (the SIM-limitation rule), both on regulator ARCEP Togo's own site. Accepted identity documents: a national ID card, a passport, a driving licence or a voter card. The source draws no distinction between Togolese nationals and foreigners — it applies to 'natural persons' generally, and a passport is explicitly on the list.

The cap is three SIM cards per operator, per subscriber. This rule describes which documents count and how many cards are allowed; it does not describe a separate biometric step (fingerprints, photographs) the way Rwanda's or Guinea's rules do, so we do not invent one here. Anyone who would still rather avoid it altogether needs to show no document at all with the Ariya eSIM: it is already active before departure.