Bhutan Tourist SIM & eSIM at Paro Airport: TashiCell vs Bhutan Telecom (2026 Prices)

Land at Paro International Airport, clear customs, and the first thing you’ll see past the baggage carousel is two telecom counters side by side — TashiCell (Tashi Infocomm) on one side, Bhutan Telecom (BT) on the other, both under the same ornately carved wooden archway. This guide documents exactly what each one sells, based on photos taken at that arrivals hall on October 10, 2026 — not a reseller’s price list, the actual counter signage.

That distinction matters here: several existing guides to Bhutan SIM cards are out of date or contradict each other. One widely-cited source claims TashiCell “does not sell tourist SIM cards” — the photos below show a TashiCell banner reading “TOURIST SIM AVAILABLE HERE” with a four-tier tourist package menu. Carriers update what they offer at the counter faster than most guides get updated.

TashiCell’s tourist SIM & eSIM prices

Evidence type: on-site photograph, dated 2026-10-10.

Package	Data	Talktime	Validity	Price
Unlimited 1	Unlimited	Nu. 50	7 days	Nu. 1,100
Unlimited 2	Unlimited	Nu. 50	14 days	Nu. 1,900
Package 1	2,048 MB	Nu. 100	14 days	Nu. 300
Package 2	3,072 MB	Nu. 200	30 days	Nu. 500

TashiCell’s own in-store reference sheet (also photographed) lists the same four tiers with the self-service USSD codes: dial *770# to check your balance, *2# to check your own Bhutanese number, and the country code for Bhutan is +975.

Bhutan Telecom’s (B-Mobile) tourist SIM & eSIM prices

Bhutan Telecom’s prepaid service is branded B-Mobile — the two names refer to the same operator and the same counter, so if you’ve seen “B-Mobile SIM” mentioned elsewhere, it’s this one.

Evidence type: on-site photograph, dated 2026-10-10.

Plan	Data	Talktime/SMS	Validity	Price
Plan Nu. 1900	Unlimited	Nu. 50	14 days	Nu. 1,900
Plan Nu. 1100	Unlimited	Nu. 50	7 days	Nu. 1,100
Plan Nu. 500	3,072 MB	Nu. 200	1 month	Nu. 500
Plan Nu. 300	2,048 MB	Nu. 100	14 days	Nu. 300
Plan Nu. 200	1,024 MB	Nu. 100	7 days	Nu. 200
Plan Nu. 100	Pay-per-use	Nu. 100	1 month	Nu. 100

Bhutan Telecom’s banner (branded “A DHI Company,” signed “Best Connectivity Options for Tourists”) lists its own support line as 1600 and its site as www.bt.bt. Notably, BT has a bottom tier (Nu. 100, talktime-only with pay-as-you-go data) that TashiCell’s displayed menu doesn’t include — worth knowing if you just want a local number and minimal data.

The eSIM-only-on-unlimited-plans rule

This is the detail that’s easy to miss and that we haven’t seen documented anywhere else: at the Paro Airport counters, only the top-tier Unlimited plans are available as an eSIM. The cheaper fixed-data packages (Nu. 200–500 on both carriers) are sold at the airport as a physical SIM only. If you want one of those cheaper, smaller-data packages as an eSIM instead of a physical card, you can get it once you’re in Thimphu or another town — just not at the airport kiosk itself.

Evidence type: field observation, confirmed with both counter staff, 2026-10-10.

Every tier, physical or eSIM, requires your passport for registration before the counter will activate it — standard practice at both desks, and something several existing guides to Bhutan SIM cards don’t clearly spell out for a first-time visitor.

Is it worth buying locally vs. an international eSIM?

If you’d rather install something before you fly, third-party international eSIM marketplaces do sell Bhutan plans — but the data allowances are thin for the price. Shopping those marketplaces today turns up offers like 1GB for 7 days around $9.50–$14.50. Compare that to TashiCell’s or Bhutan Telecom’s own 7-day Unlimited tier at the airport counter (Nu. 1,100, roughly $13 at typical exchange rates) — same price range, unlimited data instead of a single gigabyte. The trade-off is the obvious one: the local counter needs your passport and a few minutes in a queue; a pre-installed international eSIM needs neither, just more money per gigabyte.

Practical tips

• The Ngultrum (Nu.) is pegged 1:1 to the Indian Rupee, so Indian Rupee cash works interchangeably at most counters and shops.
• Bank of Bhutan’s “goBOB” digital wallet was being promoted at the same arrivals desk, with a card-linked QR top-up option — useful context if you’d rather not carry much cash.
• Both counters are in the arrivals hall, past baggage claim, before you reach the exit — there’s no need to look for them in town if you’d rather sort connectivity immediately on landing.

How we checked this

All pricing and the eSIM/physical-SIM distinction above come from photographs taken directly at the TashiCell and Bhutan Telecom counters in Paro International Airport’s arrivals hall on October 10, 2026, cross-checked verbally with counter staff at the time. We don’t currently sell a Bhutan eSIM ourselves — this guide is purely informational, written because the existing English-language guides to this specific airport counter were thin, outdated, or in direct conflict with what’s actually on sale.

What we couldn’t verify: whether either carrier’s airport pricing or tier structure changes seasonally or has changed since this visit — treat the figures above as a dated snapshot, not a permanent price list, and expect carriers to revise these from time to time. We also saw references elsewhere to additional named plans (TashiCell plans nicknamed “777” and “Late Night Unlimited,” a Bhutan Telecom/B-Mobile “Plan 55”) that weren’t on the signage we photographed — these may exist as app-only or in-town offers; we’re only reporting what was physically on display at the Paro arrivals counters.