Iraq eSIM

It depends on which networks the plan attaches to. Administratively both are the same country, but the operator that performs well in the north is not necessarily the one that performs well in the centre, so quality can change as you cross between regions. Read the plan page before you buy, and if your itinerary covers both, keep a fallback in mind — hotel Wi-Fi, or a second line you can turn on if you need it.

Download the route offline while you are still in the city, save the driver's and the hotel's numbers on the device, and keep copies of your travel documents on the phone, because there are checkpoints along the way where they may be asked for. Carry a power bank too: hours of continuous navigation drains a battery faster than most people expect. And tell whoever is expecting you roughly when you will arrive before you leave, not after.

It usually still works but slows noticeably, because during major observances Najaf and Karbala hold enormous numbers of people in the same few streets and the network carries many times its normal load. The practical answer is to agree a physical meeting point your group can find without a map, fix a time in advance, and save your accommodation address as a note on the phone in case messages will not send during the busiest hours.

Most plans here start when the phone first connects to a network at the destination, so you can install in advance at home and switch it on after landing. Each plan page states its own rule.

No. The eSIM is a second line, so you keep your home number for SMS OTP. Turn off roaming data on the home line and set the eSIM as the data line.