FairSIM eSIM for Israel
Israel is a small country you cross quickly and a country you constantly look things up in. Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is under an hour by train, Jerusalem to the Dead Sea about the same by road, and Eilat sits four hours further south. Between those points you are checking Moovit for the next bus, calling a Gett, reading opening hours for a site that closes early on Friday, and sending photos home. Data is not a luxury here, it is how the day runs.
A FairSIM eSIM roams onto Partner, Pelephone or Hot Mobile, all three running 5G in the populated centre of the country and 4G LTE almost everywhere else. You install it over Wi-Fi before you fly, switch the line on when you land at Ben Gurion, and skip the counter entirely. Local SIMs are sold to tourists, but they involve passport registration and a queue you do not need after a long-haul flight and a security line.
The local rule to plan around is Shabbat. From Friday afternoon until Saturday after dark, most trains and buses stop, many shops and restaurants close in Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv runs on a partial schedule. Shared sherut taxis and ride apps keep working, and that is exactly when you want a phone with data rather than a hotel Wi-Fi signal you left behind. Jewish holidays follow the same pattern, and Yom Kippur shuts the roads almost completely.
- CarriersHot Mobile, Partner, Pelephone
- CompatibilityCheck if eSIM is available on your phone
- No days lostPurchase now, data will start when you arrive
Israel eSIM plans
Plan starts: On first data use
Coverage in Israel
- 4G LTE5G
Partner
One of the three large national networks, with 5G across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and the coastal corridor. Shares radio infrastructure with Hot Mobile, which widens the 4G and 5G footprint on both.
- 4G LTE5G
Pelephone
The oldest Israeli mobile operator, with broad national 4G and 5G including the Negev, the Dead Sea road and Eilat.
- 4G LTE5G
Hot Mobile
The challenger network, 5G in the cities and 4G nationally, sharing towers with Partner outside the dense centre.
5G in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be'er Sheva and most of the coastal strip, with 4G LTE as the fallback everywhere else
Typical speed: Mobile data is fast and consistent in the centre of the country. Expect comfortable video streaming and hotspot work in the cities, and steady 4G on the highways.
Coverage follows the population: the Tel Aviv metro area, Jerusalem, Haifa, the Highway 6 and Highway 1 corridors, the Dead Sea hotel strip and Eilat are all well served. Signal thins in the Judean desert wadis, the Negev craters, parts of the Golan and inside the older stone alleys of Jerusalem's Old City. Download offline maps before a desert hike.
How much data do you need in Israel?
It depends on how you travel. Find your trip below, then pick the plan that matches. You can always top up in the app.
Tel Aviv city break
Beach mornings, Carmel Market, Jaffa at sunset and long dinners.
Why data matters: Google Maps on foot, Gett for late nights, Wolt deliveries, restaurant bookings and a lot of photo uploading. Shabbat planning happens on your phone.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Jerusalem and holy sites
The Old City quarters, Yad Vashem, Bethlehem day trips and Galilee churches.
Why data matters: Navigating the Old City alleys, timed entry tickets, guide contact on WhatsApp, and audio guides or scripture apps that stream as you walk.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Dead Sea, Masada and Negev road trip
A rental car south through the desert to Mitzpe Ramon and Ein Gedi.
Why data matters: Waze for the descent to the Dead Sea, fuel and parking apps, weather and flash flood warnings, and hotel check-ins from the road. Signal fades in the wadis, so cache maps.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Eilat and Red Sea diving
Coral Beach, Timna Park and a border hop to Petra.
Why data matters: Dive centre bookings, tide and weather checks, video uploads from the reef, and cross-border arrangements confirmed by message.
- 7 days
- 3 GB
- 14 days
- 5 GB
- 30 days
- 10 GB
Tech and business trip
Meetings in Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Ramat Gan.
Why data matters: Zoom and Teams between offices, Personal Hotspot for the laptop in taxis and cafés, calendar syncing and large file transfers.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
What your home carrier charges in Israel
Daily roaming passes look small until you multiply them by the length of the trip. FairSIM plans for Israel start at $5.99 and never bill per day.
| Carrier | Roaming charge | FairSIM |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T International Day Pass (US) | $12 per day per line, $6 for each additional line, charged only on the days you use it | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Verizon TravelPass (US) | $12 per line per day, 5 GB of high-speed data per day then slower speeds | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| EE (UK) | £6 per day, £30 for 7 days or £50 for 15 days, using your UK allowance | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Vodafone UK | £8 per day, £6 on plans started before 11 August 2021 | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Telekom (Germany) | No per-MB data: a Travel & Surf pass from €5.95 for 2 days or €49.95 for 4 weeks, unless your MagentaMobil plan's yearly non-EU allowance covers the trip | from $5.99, no daily fee |
| Telstra International Day Pass (Australia) | A$10 per day with 2 GB of data | from $5.99, no daily fee |
Carrier prices as published on their roaming pages at the time of writing. They change often; check your own plan before you fly.
How FairSIM works
Three steps between you and the internet abroad. Nothing to pick up at the airport.
Pick a destination and a plan
Choose the country or region and the data you need. The price you see is the price you pay.
Tap install
On iPhone (iOS 17.4+) the eSIM installs in one tap, no QR code. Do it at home while you still have Wi-Fi.
Land and connect
Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you arrive. Your plan starts when it first connects.
Connectivity tips for Israel
Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and turn on the line plus data roaming once you land. Arrivals at Ben Gurion is not where you want to be troubleshooting.
Plan around Shabbat: trains and most buses stop Friday afternoon and restart Saturday after dark. Sherut shared taxis and ride apps keep running.
Buy or load a Rav-Kav card at the airport train station or any central station; buses do not take cash in most cities.
Keep the blue entry card you get instead of a passport stamp, and store a photo of it on your phone. Hotels and border crossings ask for it.
Expect security questions at the airport on departure, and arrive three hours early. Keep devices charged, as screens may be checked.
Download offline maps for the Negev, the Judean desert and the Golan. Coverage is good on the highways and patchy in the canyons.
Heat drains batteries fast at the Dead Sea and in Eilat. Carry a power bank and keep the phone out of direct sun.
Continuing to Jordan or Egypt overland? Buy the next plan in the app before you reach the border, since crossings can be slow and offline.
Can you rely on free Wi-Fi?
Free Wi-Fi is widespread. Ben Gurion Airport, most hotels and hostels, cafés, shopping centres and many Tel Aviv buses and public squares offer it, and the city runs free hotspots along parts of the beachfront. Quality varies and open networks are open networks, so use a VPN for anything sensitive and do not rely on Wi-Fi for navigation between sites, on desert roads, or on Shabbat when you are standing on a street corner trying to find a sherut.
Local SIM card or eSIM in Israel?
Tourist SIMs are easy to find in Israel. Partner, Pelephone, Cellcom and Hot Mobile all have stores in city centres, and resellers run counters in Ben Gurion arrivals and in the malls. Packages are usually sold in 30-day blocks with generous data, and airport counters typically charge more than the same package in town. You register with your passport, and after a long flight and the arrivals process that is another queue and another wallet transaction before you reach the train.
A FairSIM eSIM is installed at home over Wi-Fi, activates when you land, and roams on Partner, Pelephone or Hot Mobile, the same towers a local plan uses. There is no ID registration, no plastic to swap, and your home number stays on the phone for bank codes and airline messages. If your trip is a week or two rather than a relocation, the eSIM is the simpler trade. If you need an Israeli phone number for local deliveries or verification codes, a local SIM still has that one advantage.
Israel eSIM questions
Does eSIM work in Israel?
Yes. Any unlocked eSIM phone connects to Partner, Pelephone or Hot Mobile. On iPhone that means XS, XR or newer, and most recent Pixel, Samsung Galaxy and Motorola models support eSIM too.
Which network will my Israel eSIM use?
Partner, Pelephone or Hot Mobile, depending on the plan and on which signal is strongest where you are. The app shows the network for each plan before you buy.
Is there 5G in Israel?
Yes. All three host networks run 5G across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Be'er Sheva and much of the coastal corridor, with 4G LTE elsewhere. Your phone needs 5G support to use it.
Do WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work in Israel?
Yes. Israel does not restrict internet calling, so WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram and Zoom calls work normally on mobile data and on Wi-Fi.
Can I use Personal Hotspot in Israel?
Yes. Every FairSIM plan supports Personal Hotspot with no separate cap, which is useful for a laptop in a café or a hotel room with weak Wi-Fi.
Should I install the eSIM before or after landing?
Install it before you fly, over home Wi-Fi. Then turn the line and data roaming on at Ben Gurion. Validity usually starts at the first connection to an Israeli network, not at purchase.
Will my eSIM work in Jerusalem's Old City and at the Dead Sea?
In most places, yes. The Old City has good outdoor coverage, though thick stone and underground passages weaken it. The Dead Sea hotel strip and the main road are covered; the side wadis and canyon trails are not reliable.
How much data do I need for a week in Israel?
Around 5 GB for a typical week of maps, messaging, social media and a few uploads. Ten to 20 GB if you stream, work from the phone or share video daily.
Local SIM or eSIM for Israel?
A local SIM gives you an Israeli number but needs passport registration and a store visit, and airport counters charge a premium. A FairSIM eSIM is set up before you fly, uses the same Partner, Pelephone or Hot Mobile towers, and leaves your home number active.
What is an eSIM?
A SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic chip, you download a profile. Every iPhone since the XS has one next to the physical SIM slot, so your home number stays put while FairSIM supplies the data.
Is my phone compatible?
FairSIM works with eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked iPhones: the XS, XR and everything newer, on iOS 17.4 or later for the one-tap install with no QR code. iPhones bought in mainland China do not support eSIM at all, even when unlocked. Not sure yours is unlocked? Check Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock, or ask your carrier. The full list is on the How it works page.
When should I install my eSIM?
Before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Installing does not start your plan; the validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.
Do FairSIM eSIMs come with a phone number?
No. FairSIM eSIMs are data-only by design, which keeps costs low. For calls and texts, your physical SIM stays active so you keep your existing number, and WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over data.
