Magticom vs Silknet vs Beeline, Tbilisi Old Town and Kazbegi coverage, why Ushguli is the one village that goes quiet, and how much data a Caucasus road trip actually needs. Spoiler: less than you'd think, until you hit the mountains.
Networks
Magticom · Silknet · Beeline
Best network
Magticom — widest mountain reach
Currency
GEL (Georgian Lari)
EU roaming
Not applicable — Georgia isn't in the EU/EEA
Quick note: which Georgia?
Quick disambiguation: this is the country wedged between the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountains, not the US state. Georgia-the-country has been having a moment — cheap flights through Kutaisi, a visa-free stay so long that half of Tbilisi's cafés seem permanently colonized by laptops, and a wine region that was making qvevri wine in clay vessels while most of Europe was still figuring out grapes.
Nobody gets EU roaming here — not even EU citizens
Georgia sits outside both the EU and the EEA. No "Roam Like at Home" safety net like the one that saves travelers money in Croatia or Portugal. A French visitor pays exactly the same punishing roaming rate as an American here — which, oddly, makes the advice simpler: everyone needs a local SIM or eSIM, no exceptions carved out for Europeans this time.
Magticom vs Silknet vs Beeline
Network
Strengths
Best for
Magticom
Georgia's oldest and most widely spread network; best reach into Svaneti, the Georgian Military Highway, and mountain regions; the carrier most international eSIM providers use
Full Georgia trips including Svaneti and Kazbegi
Silknet
Strong and fast in Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi; heavy recent infrastructure investment; competitive fixed-line-plus-mobile bundling for locals
City and coastal trips, Tbilisi-Kakheti wine circuit
Beeline Georgia
Budget-friendly, decent urban coverage, part of the wider VEON group
Local prepaid SIMs for budget travelers staying mainly in cities
Coverage by destination
Tbilisi
Excellent 4G everywhere, including the Old Town's narrow lanes around Abanotubani (the sulfur bathhouse district) and up the cable car to Narikala Fortress. The metro has coverage on the platforms, spotty inside moving trains.
Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) & Gergeti Trinity Church
The town itself has solid 4G, mostly Magticom. The 4x4 track up to Gergeti Trinity Church keeps some signal most of the way; the final approach on foot can drop out depending on cloud cover — which, fittingly, is also when Mount Kazbek itself likes to disappear.
Svaneti (Mestia)
Mestia town: decent 4G, good enough for maps and messages. The surrounding Ushba and Tetnuldi views from the ski lift area: coverage holds reasonably well. This is the last reliably-connected point before things get remote.
Ushguli
This is the one place in the guide where I'd just tell you to switch your phone to airplane mode and enjoy it. One of the highest permanently inhabited settlements in Europe, and the signal knows it — 2G if you're lucky, nothing if you're not, depending on weather and which tower is having a good day. The drive up from Mestia takes 2.5 hours through dead zones. Download the maps before you leave town.
Batumi & the Black Sea coast
Batumi's boulevard, Old Town, and the casino strip: full 4G. The coast road south toward the Turkish border stays connected. Botanical Garden grounds a little further out: mostly fine, occasional dips near the cliffs.
Kakheti wine region
Telavi, Sighnaghi, and the main wine-road villages (Kvareli, Tsinandali) have good coverage. Between wineries on the back roads, signal is present but can slow to 3G — rarely an issue unless you're trying to upload video from a cellar tasting.
Vardzia cave monastery
The town of Aspindza nearby has 4G. The cave complex itself, carved into a cliff face in the 12th century, holds signal reasonably well since it's not that remote — more of a detour than a wilderness trek.
How much data do you need in Georgia?
Tbilisi barely needs mobile data, honestly — guesthouses, wine bars, even the khinkali joint on the corner all have Wi-Fi, and nobody asks for a password. What actually eats your data: Bolt, which is how everyone gets around since Tbilisi taxis are otherwise a negotiation, Google Translate pointed at a menu written in Georgian script (unreadable if you don't know the alphabet, and you probably don't), and maps the moment you drive past Kakheti.
If Svaneti or Kazbegi is on your route, download offline maps in Tbilisi before you set off — the Georgian Military Highway and the road to Mestia both run through valleys where signal comes and goes with the terrain, not with the network you picked.
Frequently asked questions
Does eSIM work in Georgia (the country)?
Yes. Magticom, Silknet, and Beeline all support eSIM. Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi have strong 4G. Coverage gets patchy in high Svaneti villages like Ushguli and on remote stretches of mountain highways.
Does EU roaming apply in Georgia?
No. Georgia isn't in the EU or the EEA, so nobody gets "Roam Like at Home" pricing here — not even EU citizens. A Georgia travel eSIM is useful for essentially every foreign visitor.
Magticom or Silknet — which should I pick?
Magticom has better reach into Svaneti and the mountain highways. Silknet is very competitive in Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi. For a mostly-urban trip either is fine; for Svaneti or Kazbegi, Magticom is the safer choice.
Is there signal in Svaneti?
Mestia town has decent 4G. Ushguli, higher up and more remote, drops to patchy 2G/3G or nothing at all in places. Download offline maps before the drive up from Mestia.
How's coverage in Tbilisi Old Town?
Excellent — full 4G through Abanotubani, up to Narikala Fortress, and across the Bridge of Peace. One of the better-covered old towns you'll find in the region.