Is there phone signal on the Everest Base Camp trek? Yes to Namche, patchy to Dingboche, then mostly Wi-Fi only

Yes, but only on the lower half. Ncell and Nepal Telecom (NTC) both give 3G/4G from Lukla to Namche Bazaar. From Tengboche the signal gets patchy, NTC usually lasts longer than Ncell up to Dingboche, and from Lobuche to Everest Base Camp expect no usable mobile data. Up there you get online through paid lodge Wi-Fi (Everest Link or Airlink), at about NPR 600 to 1,500 (£3 to £7.50) per day.

There are two mobile networks in the Khumbu: Ncell and Nepal Telecom, also called NTC or NT Mobile. Neither publishes a trail-level coverage map, so the table below combines what six trekking operators wrote in 2026 and 2026. They agree on the shape (good low, gone high) and disagree on the details of the top three stops, which we flag. Nepal's own telecom press says the same: in May 2025 Nepali Congress general secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma asked for a tower at Kala Patthar because coverage "deteriorates" towards base camp and the Gorak Shep tower is "only good to take selfies" (Nepalitelecom, 29 May 2025). We found no report that the Kala Patthar tower was built.

Signal village by village, Lukla to Kala Patthar

Stop (altitude)	Ncell	NTC (Nepal Telecom)	Wi-Fi up here	Wi-Fi price reported
Lukla (2,840 m)	Good, 3G/4G	Good, 3G/4G	Lodge Wi-Fi and Everest Link	NPR 200-500 per day
Phakding (2,610 m)	3G, variable	3G, variable	Wi-Fi at some lodges	NPR 300-500
Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)	Strong 4G, best on the trek	Strong 4G	Lodge Wi-Fi, Everest Link, shops sell cards	NPR 200-600 per day
Tengboche (3,860 m)	Rare or patchy	Patchy, often a bit better	Everest Link at lodges	NPR 300-800
Dingboche (4,410 m)	Weak to none	Spotty 2G, texts and calls more likely than data	Everest Link / Airlink	NPR 400-1,000
Lobuche (4,910 m)	None	Occasional voice call only, no data	Everest Link / Airlink	NPR 500-1,000
Gorak Shep (5,164 m)	None, though one traveler reported Ncell working	Sometimes voice only, data not reliable	Everest Link / Airlink, slow	NPR 600-1,500 per day
Everest Base Camp (5,364 m)	No reliable coverage	No reliable coverage	No lodges; Airlink signal "minimal to nonexistent"	n/a
Kala Patthar (5,643 m)	Sources disagree: none, or brief signal	Sources disagree: none, or brief signal	None	n/a

How to read it: "voice only" means a call or SMS may get through, not WhatsApp. Wi-Fi codes are usually per lodge, so a code from one teahouse may not work at the next (Everest Trekking Company, updated 29 Oct 2026).

Bigger Wi-Fi bundles, as reported by operators:

• Everest Link card, 10 GB for 30 days: about $20 (£15). 20 GB for 30 days: about $30 (£22). Lodge day vouchers NPR 500 to 1,500. "Prices confirmed as of early 2026" (Mosaic Adventure, 11 Mar 2026).
• Airlink at Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorak Shep: NPR 1,500 for 24 hours and 10 GB, NPR 2,000 for 48 hours unlimited (about £7.50 and £10) (Ace the Himalaya, 16 Sep 2026).

Everest Link's own site says its cards are sold in "100+" shops and lodges on the route but lists no prices (everestlink.com.np, checked 11 Nov 2026).

What NomadGB uses here

NomadGB's Nepal eSIM runs on Ncell and NT Mobile (Nepal Telecom), the same two networks in the table. An eSIM does not add towers: where both networks are dead, NomadGB is dead too. Its use on this trek is to have data from the moment you land in Kathmandu and on the Lukla to Namche section without queuing for a local SIM.

Plan	Price (USD)	About (GBP)
7 days, 1 GB	$3.49	£2.61
15 days, 2 GB	$5.49	£4.11
30 days, 3 GB	$8.49	£6.35
30 days, 5 GB	$11.99	£8.97
30 days, 10 GB	$23.49	£17.57
30 days, 20 GB	$43.99	£32.91
Day pass, 1 GB/day then 512 kbps	$3.49 per day	£2.61
Day pass, 2 GB/day then 512 kbps	$6.99 per day	£5.23

All fixed plans can be topped up. Data only, no local number. Prices checked 11 November 2026 on the Nepal eSIM page. GBP at 1 USD = 0.748 GBP (11 Nov 2026).

To be fair: for a two-week trek where you are offline half the time, a 3 GB or 5 GB plan is enough, and the Wi-Fi cards above are what you will pay for higher up. The Everest Link card is also cheaper per gigabyte than NomadGB's 10 GB plan (about $20 against $23.49), but it only works on Everest Link Wi-Fi in the villages, so the two do different jobs. Several operators suggest carrying both an Ncell and an NTC SIM, because one sometimes holds where the other drops (Mosaic Adventure, Nepal Vision Treks, 29 Jan 2026). A local NTC SIM bought in Kathmandu is an option if you want an NTC voice line for calls above Dingboche. For the rest of Nepal, see best eSIM for Nepal.

What this means for you

• Do your calls, bank codes and uploads in Namche. It is the last place with reliable 4G on both networks.
• Above Namche, if you only carry one network, NTC is the one most often reported to hold on longer for calls and texts.
• Tell family to expect little or no contact from Dingboche or Lobuche until you come back down.
• Budget roughly NPR 2,500 to 7,500 (£12 to £37) for Wi-Fi over the top 4-5 nights at the day prices above, or buy one larger Everest Link card.
• Download offline maps, permits and your insurer's emergency number before leaving Namche.
• Wi-Fi at altitude is slow and shared: messages work, video calls often do not.
• If you trek without a guide, mobile signal is not a safety plan above Dingboche. See satellite messenger vs phone signal on EBC.

Sources: Ace the Himalaya (16 Sep 2026), Highland Expeditions (30 Jun 2025, updated 6 Oct 2026), Mosaic Adventure (11 Mar 2026), Everest Trekking Company (updated 29 Oct 2026), Nepal Vision Treks (29 Jan 2026), Heaven Himalaya, traveler reports (updated 16 Sep 2026), Nepalitelecom (29 May 2025), Everest Link. These are trekking operator and press reports, not official coverage maps. Checked 11 November 2026.