Can using an Egyptian SIM card get your phone blocked in Egypt, and how can you avoid it?
Based on 1 discussion with 3 participants · Last activity: 8 days ago
TL;DR
Travelers report that an older phone which had been used in Egypt for around six years was recently blocked. To avoid putting a local SIM in your main phone, use a spare handset or a pocket Wi‑Fi router.
What the community said
In one reported case, inserting an Egyptian SIM led to the phone itself being blocked from any mobile connection while in Egypt, not just the SIM number — it was the first and last time that phone could connect there.
23 days ago Device-level mobile connection block
Rather than inserting an Egyptian SIM into your primary phone, use a dedicated pocket Wi‑Fi router and connect your phone over Wi‑Fi.
26 days ago Pocket Wi‑Fi router
Another option is to put the Egyptian SIM in a spare phone that has not previously used a local SIM, while keeping your main handset SIM-free.
26 days ago Spare phone
There are reports of a phone being blocked after long-term use in Egypt: one handset had worked there for about six years before being blocked. If the phone is important, do not assume that long-standing local SIM use guarantees there will be no issue.
31 days ago About 6 years of use