Do you need to register your phone at Hurghada airport to use a local Egyptian SIM card?

One traveler brings both an old and a new phone: according to info from mobile staff, phones already registered before 2025 don't need to be re-registered and will keep working with a local SIM.

If your phone was registered at Hurghada airport last August but you plan to travel with a new, unregistered device, a local SIM may not work on the new phone until it's registered on arrival.

A common tip is to carry a second, already-registered old phone to stay connected, or use a pocket wifi router as an alternative to a local SIM.

Some travelers plan to sort out the SIM issue only after getting a new phone (e.g. as a birthday gift in October), understanding that registering a new device is a separate step.

One question raised was whether it's possible to travel with an old phone to stay connected, instead of buying a new device just for the local SIM.