Ask five people in Sarajevo which mobile operator to use and you'll get five different answers, and none of them will mention that two of those "operators" don't own a single antenna. Bosnia and Herzegovina has three physical networks: BH Telecom, m:tel, and HT Eronet. Haloo and Novotel are virtual operators (MVNOs) that rent capacity on those networks and repackage it, usually simpler, sometimes cheaper.
Knowing which is which changes how you should shop. Picking "Novotel" because a friend recommended it means nothing if you're heading to Herzegovina, since Novotel actually runs on m:tel's towers, not its own.
Who owns what?
BH Telecom is state-owned and the largest of the three real networks, historically the strongest performer in Sarajevo and along major roads nationwide. m:tel is the dominant network in Republika Srpska and a solid second choice elsewhere. HT Eronet, headquartered in Mostar and partly owned by Croatia's Hrvatski Telekom, leads in Herzegovina and along routes toward the Croatian coast.
Haloo runs on HT Eronet's infrastructure, so its coverage map is identical to Eronet's wherever you go. Novotel runs on m:tel's network the same way. Neither MVNO builds its own towers. What they offer instead is simpler pricing and a smaller, more casual retail presence.
Price and package comparison, confirmed at the source.
These prices come directly from each operator's own site, checked in September 2026. Operators change pricing without much notice, so confirm on the official page before buying if it's been more than a few weeks since this was published.
| Operator | Network | Entry-level SIM | Tourist / short-term package | Longer-term data add-on |
| BH Telecom | Own (largest) | Ultra Start, 5 KM | Tourist 1: 31.70 KM, 40GB, 10 days | Tourist 2: 51.70 KM, 100GB, 30 days; Unlimited: 111.70 KM, 500GB, 30 days |
| HT Eronet | Own | !hej, from ~5 KM | !hej Tourist: 20 KM | Internet2GO top-ups from 3 KM to 50 KM depending on GB |
| haloo (MVNO on Eronet) | HT Eronet | ~4 KM | haloo Tourist: 20 KM, 15 days, auto-renews | Additional DATA options via USSD if depleted early |
| m:tel | Own | Dopuna prepaid, from ~4-5 KM | No dedicated "tourist" branding found on m:tel.ba; standard prepaid works for short stays | 20GB/30 days for 20 KM; smaller add-ons from 150MB/2KM up |
| Novotel (MVNO on m:tel) | m:tel | Starter pack ~5 KM | 3GB, 500 in-network minutes, 1 week (per third-party reporting, not independently confirmed on novotel.ba at time of writing) | Not confirmed at time of writing |
Two things stand out once you compare the official numbers side by side. First, BH Telecom's Tourist 1 and HT Eronet's !hej Tourist look similar on data (40GB vs. roughly comparable Eronet bundles) but BH Telecom is nearly 12 KM more expensive at the entry tier, which tracks with its stronger nationwide coverage. Second, m:tel doesn't market a dedicated "tourist" package the way BH Telecom and HT Eronet do, it's built around ongoing prepaid ("Dopuna") plans instead, so a short-term visitor buys the same product a resident would.
Which one to actually pick
If you're based in Sarajevo or splitting time between the capital and day trips, BH Telecom remains the safest default. If Banja Luka is your base, m:tel or its MVNO Novotel make more sense given the regional coverage strength, though Novotel's thinner official presence online is worth noting before you commit.
If Mostar, Trebinje, or the Herzegovina route is the plan, HT Eronet or haloo track the same coverage, and haloo's flat 20 KM tourist pack is competitive if you don't need the largest data allowance. None of these operators include meaningful EU roaming, so if your trip crosses into Croatia, Montenegro, or Serbia, budget for a separate roaming top-up.
