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For Indians, Qatar isn’t typically a preferred holiday destination as much as South-East Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Though there’s frequent to and fro for business travelers to this country.
If you’re visiting Qatar, staying connected with your loved ones back in India is expensive with your international roaming bundle pack. Switching over to a local SIM card can reduce your phone bills.
The good news is getting a local SIM is easy and straightforward. And the best news for Indian travelers is there are India-specific international calling plans offered by the major cellphone carriers in Qatar. These plans however, don’t offer sufficient data. In which case you can go for data add-ons. This will bring down your phone bills significantly.
Documents Required
SIM registration requires you to produce your passport. The vendor will quickly scan your passport and activation the SIM in a few minutes.
Availability
The most convenient place for visitors to buy a local SIM is at the airport arrival hall at Doha’s Hamad International airport. At the exit of the terminal, you will find the SIM stand on the right and the left side of the hall. You can also buy a SIM outside the airport. You will find plenty of resellers in Doha offering SIM cards for sale.
Cellphone Carriers in Qatar
There are only two operators in Qatar– Ooredoo and Vodafone. Ooredoo is the largest operator in Qatar. It’s is state-owned and offers various roaming deals across the Middle East. Network coverage is the really good and Internet speed is lightning quick.
Vodafone is cheaper than Ooredoo, and offers economical rates and packages. If you’re planning to visit the main cities, we’d recommend sticking to Vodafone. The network coverage suffers in remote areas.
Please note that there are restrictions and censorship on internet content. A lot of websites are banned, and you must be careful about what you write on social media while you’re in the country.
Best Qatar SIM Card Packages for Indians
| Network | Vodafone | Ooredoo |
| Name of the Product | Vodafone Prepaid Extra India calling pack | Hala Prepaid |
| Price | 90 QR | 60 QR |
| Incoming | Free | Free |
| Outgoing Local | 100 minutes | Unlimited |
| Outgoing India | 1100 minutes | 55 Dhs/minute |
| SMS local | 100 SMS | 30 Dhs/SMS |
| SMS India | Free | 60 Dhs/SMS |
| Data | 1 GB | 250 MB |
| Validity | 28 days | 7 days |
| Notable Info | To activate dial: *200*203# | Subscribe by sending SMS Activation Code to 121. |
Just like Vodafone, if you wish to go for India-specific plan, Ooredoo has one which is very economical, and quite handy for short trips.
| QR | India Minutes | Data MB | Local Minutes | Validty |
| 10 | 100 | 100 | 10 | 30 days |
Qatar SIM card In India
Though tourist SIM cards in Qatar are easily available, you might end up paying more at the airport. Choose a more economical alternative to stay in touch with your loved ones back in India with this SIM card.