Ashgabat - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
The embassy provides local phones. I was only TDY so kept my home phone; I could send and receive text messages just fine with my US plan. - Jan 2024
We received phones through Embassy. Local calls were cheap- but do not use if you leave the country. Roaming fees were crazy. A few people had unexpected $7,000 bills. - Dec 2020
We kept our home country plan so we could call the States and use it when we are other places in the world. - Jun 2018
Just make sure that it is unlocked so you can use a local SIM card. - Feb 2016
The embassy issued phones to officers and spouses. The local Turkmen company has a monopoly on services (though a Russian company is trying to regin a foothold). If you are going to live there, you need to get a cellphone. Costs are reasonable. - Jul 2014
They are horrible. There are only two companies in Turkmenistan, and they both dont work half the time. There is no voicemail, and expect the towers to be overloaded 23 hours out of the day. - Oct 2012
The embassy will provide one. - Mar 2012
