Kornelijus
Affordable and reliable. Traveled to the US for a trip and used blikst. It was much more affordable than other companies and was very
Kazakhstan
Trust score 4.5
Features
- Coverage: Kazakhstan
- Network Provider: Mobile
- Speed: 3G / 4G
- Tethering / Hotspot: Yes
Plan Details
Device Compatibility: Most modern smartphones are fully compatible with Blikst eSIMs. However, a few exceptions exist. Check our detailed compatibility list to confirm your device works flawlessly with our service..
Activation Policy: Enjoy automatic activation by simply scanning the QR code provided after purchase. Your eSIM will instantly activate upon your arrival at Kazakhstan, ensuring immediate connectivity.
Delivery Time: Receive a confirmation email with your eSIM details right after completing your purchase. Quick and seamless delivery ensures you’re ready to go in minutes.
Description
Kazakhstan is enormous — the ninth-largest country on earth — and travelling between Almaty, Astana, the Altai mountains, and the Caspian coast means long drives, long flights, and long stretches where a local SIM is the difference between a working map and a printed guidebook. A Blikst Kazakhstan eSIM runs on the Mobile network (Kcell's Mobile Telecom-Service brand), with 4G across the major cities and 3G along the steppe corridors that connect them. Install once at home, land connected at Almaty, Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev International (NQZ), or Shymkent, and skip the local registration queue.
Where the Mobile network reaches
Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, Karaganda, Atyrau, and Aktobe all have solid 4G. Along the M-36 between Almaty and Astana you'll move between 4G and 3G as you pass smaller towns; the Charyn Canyon and Big Almaty Lake areas drop to 3G and occasionally edge. The Altai region, Mangystau desert, and the steppe north of Balkhash have thin coverage — usable for messaging near settlements, unreliable on the steppe itself. Don't plan on streaming in Baikonur territory or along the Chinese border.
Cost vs. buying a SIM at the airport
Local Kcell or Beeline SIMs require passport registration at an official store (not the airport kiosk) within a few days of activation — a rule Kazakhstan enforces more strictly than most of the region. Tourists end up paying for the SIM twice: once for the card, once in time. A Blikst eSIM skips the paperwork entirely and sits on the same infrastructure. Against US or EU roaming rates of $10–$15 per day, a 15-day 5 GB plan comes in below two days of those charges.
Landing and first hours
Install the profile before departure over home Wi-Fi. Flights from Istanbul, Frankfurt, Seoul, and Beijing routinely land at ALA (Almaty) and NQZ (Astana) in the small hours — airport Wi-Fi exists but is slow and requires an SMS code to a local number, which defeats the point. With the eSIM pre-installed, switching off airplane mode is the only step. Yandex Go, the dominant ride-hailing app, needs data before the driver can find you at the terminal.
Apps worth knowing
- Yandex Go and inDrive: Both run locally and are cheaper than airport taxis by a wide margin. inDrive lets you negotiate the fare with the driver directly — useful outside the big cities.
- 2GIS: Russia and Central Asia's offline-capable maps app. Works better than Google Maps for building entrances, apartment complexes, and bus routes in Almaty and Astana.
- Kaspi.kz: The super-app locals use for payments, transfers, and bill splitting. Tourists can't fully register without a local ID, but many small cafés and bazaar stalls will show you a QR to pay a friend who then pays you back in tenge.
- Translation: Russian is the lingua franca across the country; Kazakh is gaining ground in government and signage. Google Translate's offline Russian pack is worth downloading before you land.
Plan sizing
A one-week Almaty-and-around trip works on 3–5 GB if you rely on Wi-Fi at your hotel. Two weeks covering Almaty, Astana, and Turkistan with internal flights fits 10 GB comfortably. A three-week overland route through the Altai, Charyn, and the Caspian pushes 15–20 GB because you'll lean on offline maps downloaded over mobile data when you can grab signal. Remote workers based in Almaty for a month should pick 30 GB or higher — co-working spaces have good Wi-Fi, but the walk between them does not.
Install the eSIM before boarding, land at Almaty or Astana with the line already provisioned, and keep your home number live for SMS-based 2FA codes. Kazakhstan runs on data, same as everywhere else, and this keeps you on a working network from the taxi rank to the steppe.
Important Information
- This eSIM plan is only compatible with iPhone, Samsung and Google devices.
- To activate this plan, you will need to provide your IMEI, EID/ICCID and preferred eSim Activation Date.
- On the specified date your eSim will be activated automatically in the USA no QR code needed.
- The plan must be purchased at least 2 days before the activation date to allow time for processing.
Our plans
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How to get your Bliskt eSIM data?
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Confirm that your smartphone or device supports our Blikst eSIM functionality.
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Follow Installation Instructions
Use the provided step-by-step guide to set up and activate your eSIM in few minutes. Then enjoy your trip.
Learn MoreBlikst eSIM Reviews
Marius
Smooth, simple, just works. Use it again.
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Quick activation and stable connection. Super handy 🌟 Used it during my trip in Madeira.
James
Lovely support, got an esim for UK. Had no issues.
Capone
I used to have 3 mobile but the internet connection was not the best, that’s why I started to use Blikst and I find it very useful
eSIM FAQ
The Blikst Kazakhstan eSIM runs on the Mobile network, which is Kcell's Mobile Telecom-Service brand. You get 4G across the major cities and 3G along the steppe corridors that connect them. So in the big urban centres you'll have proper LTE for maps, ride-hailing and video calls, while on the long drives between towns the connection steps down to 3G as you pass through smaller settlements.
Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, Karaganda, Atyrau and Aktobe all have solid 4G. Along the M-36 between Almaty and Astana you'll move between 4G and 3G as you pass smaller towns, and Charyn Canyon and Big Almaty Lake drop to 3G and occasionally edge. Be honest with your expectations in the Altai region, the Mangystau desert and the steppe north of Balkhash — coverage is thin there, usable for messaging near settlements but unreliable on the open steppe. Don't plan on streaming around Baikonur or along the Chinese border.
Right after you buy, you'll get a confirmation email with your eSIM details, so delivery takes minutes. Install the profile at home over Wi-Fi by scanning the QR code provided — on most phones you just add a data plan in settings and point the camera at the code. Activation is automatic: the eSIM instantly activates when you arrive in Kazakhstan, so at Almaty (ALA) or Astana (NQZ) you simply switch off airplane mode and you're connected, skipping the local registration queue.
Most modern smartphones are fully compatible with Blikst eSIMs, though a few exceptions exist, so it's worth checking our detailed compatibility list to confirm your device works flawlessly. Generally you need a fairly recent, carrier-unlocked phone. On an iPhone you can confirm eSIM support under Settings, General, About, where you'll see an EID number; on Android, look in the network or SIM settings. If in doubt, check before you buy.
It depends on your trip. A one-week Almaty-and-around visit works on 3 to 5 GB if you lean on hotel Wi-Fi. Two weeks covering Almaty, Astana and Turkistan with internal flights fits 10 GB comfortably. A three-week overland route through the Altai, Charyn and the Caspian pushes 15 to 20 GB, because you'll download offline maps over mobile data whenever you grab signal. Remote workers based in Almaty for a month should pick 30 GB or higher.
Yes, tethering and hotspot are supported, so you can share your connection with a laptop or a travel companion's phone. This is genuinely useful in Kazakhstan, where co-working spaces have good Wi-Fi but the walk between them does not. Bear in mind that hotspot use eats data faster than browsing on the phone alone, and on 3G stretches across the steppe speeds will be slower, so keep an eye on your allowance if several devices are sharing.
This is a data-only plan, so it doesn't come with a local phone number for traditional calls or SMS. You can still call and message over the internet using apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram or Yandex Go's in-app chat, which all run on data. Because the eSIM is a separate digital line, your physical home SIM stays in the phone, so you can keep your usual number live for SMS-based two-factor codes while travelling.
For most travellers, yes. Local Kcell or Beeline SIMs require passport registration at an official store within a few days of activation — a rule Kazakhstan enforces more strictly than most of the region — so tourists end up paying twice, once for the card and once in time. A Blikst eSIM skips that paperwork and sits on the same infrastructure. Against US or EU roaming rates of $10 to $15 a day, a 15-day 5 GB plan comes in below two days of those charges.