eSIM for Åland Islands

Viasimo's Åland Islands eSIM starts at $1.79 for 500 MB over 1 day, running on Ålcom with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Works everywhere in Åland Islands

Ålands landsbygd
Ålands skärgård
Mariehamn

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Duration

Quantity

Unlimited data · 3 Days$12.99

Unlimited data · 3 Days ×1

$12.99

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Network

Which networks does the Åland Islands eSIM use?

Host networks: Ålcom

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

Data: 500 MB – 20 GB or unlimited
Validity: 1–180 days
Speed: 4G LTE / 5G
Hotspot / tethering: Supported on most devices
Activation: Starts when you first connect in your destination
Speed management: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
Top-ups: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
Text messages (SMS): Data only: use an app for verification codes
Unused validity: 180 days before it must be installed

Setting up Buy, scan the QR code we email you, and switch on the travel line when you land. How it works

Choosing a plan

How much data do you need?

The allowances below are our sizing recommendations, not measurements. The plan beside each one is the cheapest option on this page that covers it.

Recommended data allowances matched to the plans sold for this destination
You are	Plan for	Cheapest plan that covers it
LightMaps, messaging and the occasional lookup	About 1 GB a week	$2.791 GB, 7 days
TypicalMaps, social, photos and some browsing	About 3 to 7 GB a week	$9.005 GB, 30 days
HeavyVideo streaming, video calls and uploads	10 GB a week or more	$17.0010 GB, 30 days
Working or sharingTethering a laptop, calls and cloud sync	20 GB a week or more	$25.00Unlimited, 7 days

Work it out from your own habits

What a week abroad costs

eSIM, local SIM or roaming?

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A SIM at the airport

$1.79

Viasimo, one bundle

Only the Viasimo figure is a price: it comes from today’s live catalog. The other two rows are directional, not quoted rates.

About this eSIM

The Åland Islands are an autonomous, Swedish-speaking region of Finland scattered across thousands of islands and skerries in the middle of the Baltic, and that geography is the whole story for your phone. Coverage here rides on Ålcom, the islands' own mobile network, which serves the main island and Mariehamn perfectly well and gets progressively thinner as you hop east or west across open water. An eSIM set up before you travel means you step off the ferry already connected, which matters a lot in a place where the next boat may not leave for six hours and the timetable lives online.

Getting online when you land

Almost nobody flies here; most people arrive by ferry from Finland or Sweden, or on the small link from Helsinki and Turku. Install the profile at home beforehand and leave it dormant, because installing anything mid-crossing is unpleasant.

Switch it on as you approach Mariehamn or whichever harbour you are landing at, and give it a few minutes. Set it as your data line and keep your home SIM on voice only so your usual number still works. One thing to watch on a crossing: mid-channel your handset can wander onto whichever mast is strongest, and out here that can mean a network on the other side of the water entirely, which is not what your plan covers. Check which network you are registered to once you are ashore, and if it looks wrong, toggle airplane mode to force a fresh selection.

The networks you'll be on

You will be on Ålcom, Åland's own mobile operator, and around Mariehamn and the populated parts of Fasta Åland that means a modern, fast connection that handles video calls, navigation and tethering without complaint.

What changes as you go out into the archipelago is not the technology but the density of masts. Fewer people means fewer sites, and on the outer islands you may find the phone drops to an older, slower connection or loses service altogether between one bay and the next. It comes back. Plan around the gaps rather than treating them as faults.

Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Mariehamn is solid throughout: the two harbours, the town centre, the museum quarter and the residential streets. The main island holds up well along the roads, so Jomala, Finström, Sund, Eckerö and the drive out to Kastelholm and Bomarsund are all fine.

Head east through the bridged and ferried islands and it becomes patchy. Föglö and Vårdö are reasonable; Sottunga, Kökar, Kumlinge and Brändö are where you should expect real gaps, particularly away from the main village and the harbour. Open water is the weakest link of all, so a long inter-island crossing may run largely without service. The same applies if you are sailing: guest harbours are generally covered, but the passages between them are not somewhere to depend on a live forecast.

Dense forest and the low granite hills of the interior can also swallow a signal on a cycle route, though rarely for long.

What you'll actually use data for here

Ferry timetables, more than anything. The inter-island boats run to schedules that are sparse and seasonal, and missing one can reshape your day; being able to check a departure while standing on a jetty is the practical justification for having data here at all.

After that it is cycling navigation, since the islands are best seen by bike and the small roads are a maze of dead ends and headlands. You will also want it for booking cottages and cabins, checking whether the one shop on an island is open, looking up wind and weather before a paddle or a sail, and reading up on what you are looking at when you reach a ruined fortress with no interpretation board.

Before you fly

Download offline maps of the whole archipelago, not just the main island, and download the current ferry timetables as files rather than bookmarks. Bookmarks need a connection; a saved PDF does not.

Bring a power bank. Days here are long in summer, you will be outdoors and away from sockets for most of them, and cabin accommodation is not always generously supplied with charging points.

Install and label the eSIM before you leave home, and make sure your handset is carrier unlocked. Save your accommodation details and any host phone numbers as screenshots. And if your trip includes both Sweden and Finland alongside Åland, be clear in your own mind which plan covers which leg, because the crossings pass close enough to both that the phone will happily register somewhere you did not intend.

Unlimited runs at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continues slower.

Before you buy

Important to know

This is a data-only eSIM. It carries no calls or SMS on its own number.
Your existing number stays on your primary SIM, so calls and verification texts keep working.
Your phone must support eSIM, and some carrier-locked phones cannot install one.
Signal varies with location, terrain, congestion and your handset. Dense urban areas are consistently better served than remote ones.
5G only works where the host network has deployed it and your phone supports it. Everywhere else it falls back to 4G LTE.
The eSIM selects a host network automatically. You cannot pick or switch between them.
Unlimited plans run at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continue at a reduced speed. Read the fair usage policy

Looking for more information?

Frequently asked questions

Does an eSIM work in Åland Islands?

Yes. Your Åland Islands eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Ålcom. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

Do I get 5G in Åland Islands?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on Ålcom in Åland Islands, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

Which mobile network will I use in the Åland Islands?

You'll be on Ålcom, the locally owned operator based in Mariehamn. It runs 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G on Åland. Its 5G uses 700 MHz for wide-area coverage across the main island and ferry harbours, and 3500 MHz for higher speeds, which was only live in central Mariehamn at the time of Ålcom's latest public network report.

Will my phone connect to the ship's network on the ferry to Åland?

It can, if your home SIM has data roaming switched on. Ferries such as Viking Line and Tallink Silja carry satellite-linked onboard networks, and EU roaming rules don't cover them, so charges can be several euros per megabyte. Turn roaming off on your home SIM before you board. Your eSIM won't use the ship's network, but you also won't have its signal mid-crossing.

Is there mobile signal on the ferries to Kökar and Sottunga?

Near the harbours, generally yes; out on open water it is patchier. Ålcom's network report listed sea coverage between Mariehamn and Kökar and between Långnäs and Kökar as a 700 MHz 5G build-out planned for 2026. Until that is complete across the route, download your ferry tickets and timetable before you leave the jetty.

Can I book Åland's inter-island ferries without data?

You can turn up for the Föglö ferry from Svinö, which runs many times a day and can't be booked. For the Northern and Southern lines Ålandstrafiken recommends booking ahead on its website, and paying online is cheaper than paying on board. Having data on the main island makes it easy to book, change or cancel a crossing the day before.

How much data do I need for 7 days in Åland Islands?

For 7 days in Åland Islands, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $2.79 and unlimited data for $25.00. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

Installing, keeping your number, topping up and hotspot work the same everywhere: see how it works →

Know before you go

Åland Islands: what to know before you land

In Åland your eSIM connects to Ålcom, the islands' own operator, which runs 4G and 5G across the main island and along the key ferry harbours. The fastest 5G is limited to central Mariehamn, and the biggest cost risk is not on land at all but on the Baltic ferries, where phones can latch onto expensive shipboard networks.

Emergency: 112
Plugs: CF 230V
Currency: Euro (EUR)

Main airports

MHQ Mariehamn Airport

Apps worth having Google MapsWhatsAppViking LineMobilePay

Ålcom's 5G: fast in Mariehamn, wider but slower elsewhere

Ålcom is a small Mariehamn-based telecoms company founded in 1989, and it runs every generation of mobile network on the islands, from 2G to 5G. Its 5G comes in two layers. The 700 MHz layer is the one that reaches rural Fasta Åland and the main ferry harbours such as Långnäs and Eckerö; it travels a long way but is not dramatically faster than good 4G. The 3500 MHz layer, which delivers the headline speeds, was only switched on in the Mariehamn city centre area according to Ålcom's own network report.

In practice, your phone will show 5G in many places but the real step up in speed happens in town. Measurements Ålcom published around harbours including Västerhamn, Svinö and Långnäs showed download averages from roughly 70 to over 500 Mbit/s, so even the outer sites are perfectly usable for maps and video calls. Upload was the weak point at one site, Herrö, where only the 800 MHz 4G band was serving. If you need to send large photo or video files, do it from Mariehamn.

Viking Line, Tallink Silja and the shipboard network trap

Most visitors reach Åland on the large ferries: Viking Line and Tallink Silja from Stockholm, Turku and Helsinki, Eckerö Linjen from Grisslehamn to Eckerö, and Finnlines between Kapellskär and Naantali via Långnäs. These ships carry their own onboard mobile network, connected by satellite. When the ship is out of range of masts on land, a phone set to roam can attach to it automatically.

The European Consumer Centre in the Netherlands warns that EU roaming rules do not apply to these maritime networks and that charges can run to several euros per megabyte. That applies to your home SIM as much as anything else. The safe routine is:

Before boarding, switch data roaming off on your home SIM.
If you buy the ship's wifi, keep roaming off so a wifi drop doesn't push you onto the satellite network.
Check which network you're registered to once you dock, and toggle airplane mode if it isn't Ålcom.

Your eSIM only works on the network it is set up for, so it won't run up a shipboard bill, but it also won't give you a signal mid-crossing.

Booking Ålandstrafiken's archipelago ferries on your phone

Ålandstrafiken runs the small public ferries that link the main island to the archipelago municipalities. The Northern line leaves Hummelvik on Vårdö for Kumlinge and Brändö, the Southern line runs from Långnäs to Sottunga and Kökar, and the Föglö ferry shuttles from Svinö many times a day. There are also crossings that continue on to the Finnish side of the archipelago, from Brändö to Osnäs and from Kökar to Galtby on Korpo.

This is where mobile data earns its keep. Bookings are made on the Ålandstrafiken website, which does not have a dedicated app, and paying online is cheaper than paying on board. Advance booking is recommended on the longer routes, while the busy Föglö shuttle can't be booked at all, so you simply turn up. Cancel any booking you won't use, because no-shows can be charged.

On the main island, Ålandstrafiken's rural buses run five routes along the four main roads, and a ticket covers two hours of transfers. On many smaller islands a local taxi meets the ferry, and you'll usually need to phone ahead, which you'll do on your home SIM.

Landing at Mariehamn Airport (MHQ)

If you fly, you'll arrive at Mariehamn Airport, a small Finavia-run field about 3 km north-west of the town centre. Finnair flies from Helsinki, and a smaller carrier has been flying from Stockholm Arlanda and Turku; the airport handled just over 42,000 passengers in 2025, more than half of them on international flights.

Because the terminal is tiny and the town is close, you'll be within Ålcom's strongest coverage from the moment you land. Switch on your eSIM as you taxi in and it should register within a minute or two. If it's still searching after you collect your bags, turn airplane mode on and off once.

Åland is part of Finland and the EU, uses the euro and Finnish-style C and F plugs at 230V, and 112 is the emergency number. One local oddity is worth knowing: Åland sits outside the EU tax area, which is why the ferries calling here can sell tax-free goods, but that doesn't change anything about how your phone works ashore.

Researched October 2026 · 6 sources

5g-admo.turkuamk.fi Ålcom network measurements and future network development (5G-ADMO, Turku UAS)
en.wikipedia.org Ålcom – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org Mariehamn Airport – Wikipedia
eccnederland.nl Prevent high costs when using your mobile device at sea – ECC Netherlands
aland.com Discover Åland with Ålandstrafiken – aland.com
aland.com Getting to Åland – aland.com

7-day itinerary

Seven days in Åland: Mariehamn, Kastelholm, Eckerö, Föglö and Kökar

A slow island week for cyclists and drivers: three days on Fasta Åland's castles, fortress ruins and western coast, a day trip to Föglö, then two nights out on Kökar in the southern archipelago before returning to Mariehamn.

Length: 7 days
Bases: 2

When to go June to August brings long daylight, the fullest ferry timetables and open museums; May and September are quieter and cooler, while many island services shut down from October to April.

Day 1 Mariehamn

Mariehamn: harbours and the Maritime Quarter

Arrive by ferry from Stockholm, Turku or Helsinki into the West Harbour, or fly into Mariehamn Airport, about 3 km from the centre.

Start in the West Harbour, where the four-masted barque Pommern is moored beside the Åland Maritime Museum; allow a couple of hours for both. Walk along the tree-lined Esplanade to the town centre, then cross to the East Harbour for the Maritime Quarter, with its working boatyard, smithy and small museum. Finish on the shore path to Lilla Holmen park and pick up a bike for the coming days.

Signal Central Mariehamn is the only place where Ålcom's faster 3500 MHz 5G is switched on, so this is the day for big uploads and app downloads. Keep roaming off on your home SIM during the ferry crossing in.
Day 2 Mariehamn

Kastelholm Castle and Bomarsund

About 30 minutes by car or Ålandstrafiken bus from Mariehamn to Kastelholm; Bomarsund is a further 15 minutes east. It is a full day by bike.

Head north to Kastelholm Castle in Sund, a medieval stronghold you can explore inside in summer, then walk next door to Jan Karlsgården open-air museum with its farm buildings and windmills. Continue east to the ruins of the Russian-built Bomarsund fortress, destroyed in the Crimean War, and the small visitor centre at Prästö across the bridge. Return to Mariehamn for the evening.

Signal Ålcom's 700 MHz 5G covers the main roads across Sund, so maps and streaming audio guides work, but speeds drop to roughly good-4G levels outside town.
Day 3 Mariehamn

Western Åland: Eckerö and Geta

Mariehamn to Eckerö is about 40 km, roughly 35 minutes by car; Eckerö to Geta is another 30 minutes.

Drive or cycle west to Eckerö and the Post and Customs House in Storby, a grand Empire-style building from the era when the mail route to Sweden crossed here. Walk down to Käringsund harbour with its red boathouses. In the afternoon head north to Geta and climb to the Getabergen viewpoint for views over the northern archipelago, or follow the marked trail past the boulder caves below.

Signal Rural 5G on 700 MHz along the main road to Eckerö is usually fine for navigation. Expect weaker signal in the forested parts of Geta and down at sea level in the coves.
Day 4 Mariehamn

Day trip to Föglö

Mariehamn to Svinö is about 30 minutes by car. The Föglö ferry cannot be booked: just turn up.

Ride or drive to Svinö in Lumparland and take the frequent car ferry across to Föglö. Spend the day in Degerby, an old customs and pilot village of wooden houses facing the water, then cycle the quiet roads that link Föglö's islands by causeway. Head back on an afternoon ferry, leaving time to check the Southern line timetable and book tomorrow's crossing to Kökar.

Signal Signal is solid at Svinö harbour, where Ålcom measured healthy 5G speeds, and generally usable on Föglö near Degerby. Book the Kökar ferry on the Ålandstrafiken website while you are still in good coverage.
Day 5 Kökar

Southern line ferry to Kökar

Långnäs is about 30 minutes by car or bus from Mariehamn. The ferry takes roughly 2 hours 45 minutes.

Take the morning Southern line ferry from Långnäs, which stops at Sottunga before reaching Kökar's Harparnäs harbour after about two and three-quarter hours. Foot passengers and bikes travel easily; cars must be booked. Cycle the short road to Karlby, the main village and the place to stock up, and spend the evening walking the bare granite shoreline nearby.

Signal Expect signal to fade between the islands: Ålcom's planned 5G sea coverage on the Kökar routes was still being built out in 2026. Download the return timetable and your booking before boarding.
Day 6 Kökar

Kökar: Hamnö monastery and seal-hunting history

Cycle to Hamnö to see the ruins of the 15th-century Franciscan monastery and the church built on the same site in 1748, with a small exhibition in a separate building. Stop at Otterböte, the remains of a Bronze Age seal-hunters' camp, then visit the island museum in the old school at Österbygge, which covers fishing and seal hunting. There is no public transport, so a bike is the way to go.

Signal Coverage is generally available around Karlby and along the main road, but it can thin out on exposed points and outlying skerries. Keep offline maps of Kökar downloaded.
Day 7 Mariehamn

Back to Mariehamn

About 2 hours 45 minutes by ferry to Långnäs, then 30 minutes to Mariehamn.

Catch a morning ferry back to Långnäs and return to Mariehamn. If you have time before your ferry or flight, visit the Åland Museum and Åland Art Museum, which share a building near the Esplanade and explain the islands' history and demilitarised, Swedish-speaking autonomy. Alternatively, travellers heading for Finland can take the ferry from Kökar on to Galtby on Korpo.

Signal Patchy on the crossing, then strong 5G again once you reach central Mariehamn. On the big ferry home, keep your home SIM's roaming off to avoid the ship's satellite network.

Staying connected on this route

Book Southern line ferries to Kökar on the Ålandstrafiken website before leaving Mariehamn; there is no dedicated app and signal mid-crossing is unreliable.
Switch data roaming off on your home SIM before boarding Viking Line, Tallink Silja or Eckerö Linjen ships, which carry satellite networks outside EU roaming rules.
Download offline maps of Föglö and Kökar, where road signs are sparse and coverage thins on the outer islands.
Do large photo or video uploads in central Mariehamn, the only area with Ålcom's high-speed 3500 MHz 5G.

Itinerary sources · 5

en.wikivoyage.org Åland – Wikivoyage
en.wikivoyage.org Kökar – Wikivoyage
aland.com Discover Åland with Ålandstrafiken – aland.com
5g-admo.turkuamk.fi Ålcom network measurements and future network development (5G-ADMO, Turku UAS)
kokar.ax Kökar monastery ruins and Hamnö – Kökar municipality

Where this comes from

Information and verification

Each block below says what was checked and when. Anything we cannot date, we do not claim.

Prices and plans: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in.; Verified November 3, 2026
Host networks: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM.; Verified November 3, 2026