Reduce your roaming charges with a local SIM card.
Wallis and Futuna is the name of a group of islands that form a French overseas collectivity in the South Pacific. The islands are home to some 12,000 residents. If you are traveling to Wallis and Futuna, you can reduce the cost of your stay by investing in a prepaid SIM card from a local merchant.
You can buy a prepaid SIM card that comes with XPF3,000 credit along with 10 domestic SMS for XPF5,000 (US$49.99). This will cut down roaming expenses from your home network. Finder.com offers the following guide to the Wallis and Futuna mobile network market.
Prices last updated: November 2017The mobile network operator in Wallis and Futuna
There is only one mobile network operator in Wallis and Futuna: Manuia.
Wallis and Futuna was the last French territory to begin mobile services, and it didn’t commence until 2015.
Manuia
Manuia is a product of the Service des Postes et des Télécommunications (SPT). Its 3G network is on 900MHz and is built for voice and text. There is a 4G/LTE network for data, but the frequency isn’t public knowledge. There’s only one place to buy Manuia’s starter package – at the lone SPT shop on Wallis Island. It’s open until 2:30pm Monday thru Friday.
The SIM card costs XPF5,000 and comes with XPF3,000 preloaded plus 10 domestic SMS. The credit and SMS are good for 90 days. When you want to recharge your account, you can buy a scratch voucher good for 1-6 months of validity. Different top-ups have different functions including voice and SMS, SMS only and data only. To check your available balance, text the word “solde” to 444.
The standard data rate is XPF10 per MB, but there are more affordable packages listed below, available through special vouchers known as Recharges 4G.
| Price | Data Volume | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| XPF1,000 | 300MB | 3 weeks |
| XPF3,000 | 800MB | 4 weeks |
| XPF5,000 | 2GB | 6 weeks |
Website (in French): http://spt.wf.555-DSY.html
An additional question about prepaid SIM cards in Wallis and Futuna
Q: Are Wallis and Futuna part of the EU’s Roam-Like-at-Home policy?
A: No. Wallis and Futuna is designated as a special collectivity of France which means it has its own local autonomy and government – not the same laws as France.
Pros and cons of Wallis and Futuna’s top SIM card operator
Wallis and Futuna has just one mobile network operator. Here are the pros and cons of Manuia.
Pros
- Starter card has XPF3,000 credit and 10 free SMS preloaded.
Cons
- The 4G/LTE data network does not work on all 4G phones.
- If you get to Wallis and Futuna on the weekend, you’ll have to wait until Monday morning to buy a SIM card.