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The move and your first month

Internet, Mobile and Utilities in Mauritius

By Rory Phillips · Published 30 October 2026

A mobile SIM in Mauritius must be registered under the Information and Communication Technologies (Registration of SIM) Regulations 2023: a resident non-citizen shows a passport, a Unique Identification Number, a residence or occupation permit and proof of address. The state suppliers are the Central Electricity Board (CEB) for power and the Central Water Authority (CWA) for water. From 1 May 2026 the CEB’s tariff 110 charges Rs 3.63 a unit for the first 25 kWh, a Rs 750 connection fee applies, and a tenant needs the landlord’s written authorisation.

This guide to internet, mobile and utilities in Mauritius is for people setting up a phone, broadband, electricity and water, usually in the first weeks after arrival. It uses only the regulator’s and the suppliers’ own pages, read on 30 October 2026, and where those pages are silent it says so rather than guessing. It names no mobile or internet company as a recommendation, and prices from company price lists are in our cost of living guide.

Registering a mobile SIM

Every SIM must be registered. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) says the rules are the Information and Communication Technologies (Registration of SIM) Regulations 2023, in force from 31 October 2023, and that registration is done by the operator when you buy. The documents depend on your status.

In both cases the operator photographs you and checks the photo against the passport or travel document. Giving false or misleading information is an offence, with a fine of up to Rs 50,000, up to one year in prison, or both. The FAQ says there is no limit on how many SIMs a person can re-register, and it does not state a limit for new registrations. It says nothing about eSIMs or about holders of a Premium Visa, which is the visa many remote workers arrive on (see our Premium Visa guide). Ask the operator which documents it will accept for your status before you queue.

Who is licensed, and how to check

ICTA publishes a register of licences issued, by category. At our reading it lists three holders of a Public Land Mobile Network licence: Cellplus Mobile Communications Ltd, Emtel Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone (Mauritius) Ltd. It lists nine Internet Service Provider licences and two fixed telephone (PSTN) licences. The register gives company names, not brand names, so check a trading name against the licence holder on the ICTA page. We do not rank or recommend operators, and the register does not compare quality or price.

Broadband: what the official statistics say

We found no official page that compares home internet speeds or prices by area. What Statistics Mauritius does publish is a set of national indicators. Its “Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) statistics, Year 2025”, updated on 10 July 2026, gives 173.6 mobile cellular subscriptions and 180.5 internet subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2025, against 176.4 and 178.1 in 2024.

Those ratios exceed 100 because many people hold more than one subscription, so they are not the share of people online. They also say nothing about the quality of a connection at a particular address.

Electricity from the CEB

The CEB is the supplier, so there is no choice of company. Its residential supply page says new connections and most service requests can be made through the MoKouran eServices portal, in person or in writing. The CEB advises contacting it early so that supply is ready when you need it. Its connection applications page adds that a Customer Service Centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and gives [email protected] as an email address.

For a domestic connection the CEB lists a National Identity Card or passport, a copy of the title deed (or a lease for State Land, or a transcription), a Building and Land Use Permit where applicable, and a list of the domestic appliances to be connected, in watts or kilowatts. A tenant is told that the landlord’s authorisation is required, with a copy of the landlord’s identity card and title deed. The CEB’s pages that we read describe no change of name or tenant transfer, so if you are moving into a home that already has a meter, ask the CEB and the landlord how the account is moved into your name.

Domestic tariffs from 1 May 2026

The CEB’s tariff page says its domestic tariffs apply from 1 May 2026, replacing a schedule that ran from 1 February 2023. Tariffs 110, 120 and 140 share the same energy charges, billed in blocks, so the price per unit rises as monthly use rises. They differ in the minimum monthly charge and the security deposit. The page does not define the three categories; a “definition of consumer categories” document is linked from it, which we did not read.

The page also lists a residential social tariff, 110A, with lower rates and a Rs 31.00 monthly minimum, and refers to the CEB website for who is eligible. Meter rental is charged separately under a 2023 schedule that the page links to but does not print, and VAT is not mentioned. These energy rates match the ones in our cost of living guide, which took them from the Government Gazette, where they are called temporary tariffs; the CEB page itself does not use that word. For worked totals at 300 and 500 kWh, see the cost of living guide.

Voltage and plugs

The Ministry of Tourism says the electrical supply is 220 V AC at 50 Hz, and that most hotels use three-pin plugs, with two-pin plugs also in use. We found no official page that names the socket type for homes, and the CEB’s domestic pages do not give a voltage. Check the rating plate and plug on each appliance before you ship it, as our first 30 days checklist also says.

When the power goes off

The CEB’s power outage page separates planned works, for maintenance and network works, from unplanned outages caused by faults. It says planned works may be postponed in bad weather and that restoration can come slightly before or after the stated time. Its customer services page gives a fault line of 130, available 24 hours a day, and there is a “Report a fault” page. The outage page does not mention cyclones; for what the weather service says to do when a warning is in force, including disconnecting appliances, see our cyclone season guide.

Water from the CWA

The CWA is the supplier of piped water. Its FAQ says a request to transfer a water account to a new name is made in person at a Customer Care Office, with the title deed, an authorisation letter from the previous owner or other party, a copy of the previous owner’s ID and their CWA bill. All arrears must be cleared, and the administration fee is Rs 200. For a new supply, the FAQ says to apply at a Customer Care Office (St Paul, Rose Hill, Mahebourg, Souillac, Rose Belle, Flacq, Pamplemousses or Port Louis Mutual Aid) or by email to [email protected]. It lists no documents or fee for a new supply, so ask what the Authority needs.

Other items on the FAQ that matter to a tenant: a customer account number has nine digits and is printed at the top of the bill; disconnection needs a copy of your ID and your account number; a meter test costs Rs 500, refunded if the meter is found faulty and replaced; and reopening a supply costs Rs 550 at the meter, Rs 2,000 at the road reserve or Rs 2,750 at the main.

Domestic water tariff

The CWA tariff page lists, per month, the figures below. It refers to amendment regulations of 2026 but carries no effective date of its own, as in our cost of living guide.

A Rs 500 swimming pool fee applies to a domestic consumer with a pool who uses more than 50 m³ a month. The page does not show how the Rs 45.00 charge combines with the bands, nor meter rent, sewerage or VAT, so we have built no sample bill.

Cuts and problems

The CWA FAQ gives 170 as the hotline for no water, leaks and complaints, and 601 5000 as the general line. We found no CWA page that sets out guidance on planned water interruptions, so the questions about a continuous supply, storage tank and pump in our renting guide are worth putting to a landlord.

Sewerage, waste and cooking gas

We did not confirm any sewerage charge, connection fee or application route from a Wastewater Management Authority page, and we found no official guidance on household waste collection that we could cite, so we leave both out.

For cooking gas, the State Trading Corporation’s page of commodity prices lists, with effect from 28 March 2026, Rs 105.00 for a 5 kg cylinder, Rs 125.00 for 6 kg and Rs 250.00 for a 12 kg cylinder, the same in Mauritius and Rodrigues. The page does not say which body sets the price. The 12 kg figure matches the Statistics Mauritius file used in our cost of living guide.

Where this fits in your first weeks

Ask for recent electricity and water bills before you sign a lease, register a SIM in week one, and put the water and electricity accounts in hand early, because the landlord’s papers are needed for both. The wider setup is in the first 30 days checklist, and day-to-day life by area is in living in Mauritius.

Frequently asked questions

Page history. First published 30 October 2026, with every source checked that day. Corrections are listed here with their date and what changed.

Sources, checked 30 October 2026

Pages from ICTA, Statistics Mauritius, the Central Electricity Board, the Central Water Authority, the State Trading Corporation and the Ministry of Tourism.

• Frequently asked questions (Information and Communication Technologies Authority): SIM registration documents, the 2023 Regulations, penalties and the silence on eSIMs.
• Licences issued (Information and Communication Technologies Authority): holders of mobile, fixed and ISP licences.
• ICT statistics, Year 2025 (Statistics Mauritius): subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, updated 10 July 2026.
• Residential supply (Central Electricity Board): how to apply, the documents and the tenant rule.
• Applications for connection (Central Electricity Board): the portal, the Customer Service Centre hours and the checklist.
• Tariffs (Central Electricity Board): domestic energy charges, minimum charges, deposits and connection fee from 1 May 2026.
• Power outage information and customer services (Central Electricity Board): planned and unplanned outages and the fault line.
• Tariffs and charges (Central Water Authority): domestic water tariffs and the swimming pool fee. The page is undated.
• FAQs (Central Water Authority): transfer of name, applications, fees, hotline numbers and leaks.
• Prices of commodities (State Trading Corporation): LPG cylinder prices from 28 March 2026.
• Information for visitors (Ministry of Tourism): the electricity supply and plug wording.

General information only, not immigration, tax, legal or financial advice. Mauritius often changes these rules in its June Budget, so check the official pages above before you act, and ask a qualified professional about anything that affects your tax or residence.