Using mobile phones in Libya

Libya has 2 Mobile network providers, which offer basically the same thing, so you'll be able to use your phone here.

There are loads of mobile phone shops everywhere, you never see anyone here without at least 1 or 2 mobile phones so getting a handset or fixing it is easy and quite cheap too.

That's it for the good news lol, now the bad news:

First of all mobile phones in Libya means only one thing: PAYG (pay as you go), there is no options to get a monthly contract, so you buy some credit in 5 or 10 LD (Libyan Dinars) and use it to make phone calls and send text messages. What about the rest? There is no such thing as Internet allowance, Push emails or any of those cool things many people can't live without so you use WIFI to get online on your phone and do as best you can.

Getting a SIM card in Libya still requires a formal contract with a network and a valid passport so you get 1 SIM card and that's it. There are ways to get hold of a SIM on the black market but that's not always easy.

Now for the really bad news ... well it's only bad if you're a Iphone or even worse, Blackberry lover (like me). The most popular phone in Libya are Samsung and Nokia! For the rest don't count too much on finding the handset you really want. They do have a few HTC and the Iphone can always be found somewhere but Blackberry??? seems like they really don't like it here. In Zawia, there is only 1 shop which has 3 models of Blackberry and that's it. I've been told you can find them in Tripoli but i haven't had the time to check if this is true yet. It's the same for fixing phones, a Nokia or Samsung can be sorted out anywhere, for the rest you may never find anyone who can help you.

If you plan to live in Libya you may have to rethink the way you use your phone because even if you bring your favourite smartphone with you, the networks will not allow you to use them to its full potential. It's like going back to a time when phones were just phones whether that's a good thing or a bad thing...