SIM card in Indonesia: all the options to access the Internet | April 2024

How much does Internet cost in Indonesia?

If you have everything ready for your trip, you may have only one thing left: to get internet access in Indonesia. Don't worry, because you have a wide range of possibilities, which we will detail with all their prices, advantages and disadvantages.

It's perfectly normal to want mobile data abroad, because it offers all kinds of conveniences. After all, you want to keep in touch with your family and friends, share your trip via social networks or book a hotel room or a table in a restaurant from your mobile.

Before explaining each of your options, we leave you with this table in which you can quickly and easily check the most viable alternatives to access the Internet in Indonesia. You'll see that the SIM card is not the only way:

How much does Internet cost in Indonesia?
Service	Price/Days	Data
eSIM Indonesia Holafly	From £19/5 days	Unlimited
Indonesia SIM card	From £13,50/month	20GB
Wifi in Indonesia: Portable Public	From £4/day Free	2GB/day Unlimited
Roaming in Indonesia: EE O2 Three	From £44/30 days From £6/day From £3/day	8GB 1MB 1MB

Buy a SIM card in Indonesia

One of the most common ways to get Internet is with a SIM card in Indonesia. They still offer a good service and do not oblige you to commit to any carrier beyond your trip.

If you don't know where to buy your SIM card, you can buy it online. It is a very convenient option, although you will have to wait to receive it at home before taking the flight.

You can also get the best SIM card with a simple search upon arrival in Indonesia. You will be able to find it in any supermarket or specialty store, so it won't take you long.

Here are the main operators from which you can buy a SIM card in Indonesia:

• Telkomsel Indonesia SIM card: It’s the main operator in the Asian country, so its coverage is the widest in the whole territory. Admittedly, it is the most expensive option of all.
• Indonesia XL Axiata SIM card: It reaches all major cities in Indonesia, although the coverage is not as powerful as the previous one.
• IM3 Indosat SIM card for Indonesia: It’s the most recommended operator for cities such as Sumatra, Borneo, Java or Sulawesi. If you are traveling to any of these cities, this is your SIM card.

eSIM Indonesia: unlimited data at the best price

You can see that the range to get Internet is very wide, but there is one modality that stands out above the rest: the eSIM. It is a virtual card that you receive by e-mail as soon as you pay for it. The great advantage is that you can activate it conveniently from your cell phone once you arrive at the airport.

One of the reasons why these digital products are gaining ground over the usual SIM cards ⁽¹⁾ is convenience. In addition, they are much cheaper than other options for Internet access in Indonesia. Of course, you have to know which company to go with.

The market offers more and more alternatives to get this type of products. This is the case of brands such as Airalo, Up or Ubigi, among others. But, at Roams, we believe that none offers prices and plans like those of Holafly's eSIM Indonesia. Mainly because its data is unlimited.

• Advantages of signing up for an eSIM to travel to Indonesia with Holafly
• As soon as you arrive at the airport, you can activate it from your cell phone with a simple QR code.
• You can call and send messages at no cost.
• Their customer service will assist you whenever you need it.
• You will have access to the Internet as much as you want, since your data is unlimited.
• You wont have to remove your usual SIM card.
• In adittion, you will receive the eSIM in your email as soon as you pay for it.
• It's one of the cheapest options to access the Internet.

• Disadvantages of the Holafly Indonesia eSIM card
• You will not be able to make calls or send messages from your regular number, but you will be able to do all that via WhatsApp.
• You will not be able to share your unlimited data with other devices.

Honestly, we think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, so we assure you that Holafly is your best choice for Internet connection in Indonesia. If you still have any doubts, here you have all the plans and prices offered by the company for the Asian country:

eSIM Holafly Indonesia: all data plans
Plan	Price	Data
5 days	£19	Unlimited
10 days	£29	Unlimited
15 days	£44	Unlimited
20 days	£49	Unlimited
30 days	£59	Unlimited
60 days	£77	Unlimited
90 days	£87	Unlimited

Since you are traveling to Indonesia, you may be thinking of visiting other countries in Southeast Asia. In that case, you may want to check the conditions of Holafly's eSIM Asia to have mobile data throughout the subcontinent.

Connect to a wifi network in Indonesia

You may not want to buy a SIM card in Indonesia. In that case, you should know that you can connect to a public wifi network in some establishment in the country. And it would not be a bad option, since it’s convenient and, above all, free. But you should know that this type of connection has its drawbacks.

They will get you out of trouble when you need to contact with your family or find out the weather that afternoon. But we don’t recommend you to make any important arrangement in this type of networks.

Pocket wifi with mobile Internet in Indonesia

What you could do is to access the Internet through a portable wifi or MiFi. This is a device that you can rent from a company that will give you mobile data wherever you are. These are some of the companies from which you can hire this service:

• WifiVox: Paying £6.25/day, you will have 1GB daily at maximum speed with the possibility of connecting up to five devices.
• MioWifi: This operator offers you a 4G network with mobile data from £4,50/day.
• Klook Wifi: You can choose between 500Mb, 1GB, 2GB, 3GB or 4GB of mobile data from £6/day.
• XOXO Wifi: If you are looking for a good amount of data, their plans go up to 10GB of data per day.

Activate roaming in Indonesia

Another service used by some travelers is roaming of telephone companies. It can be convenient, since you have to do practically nothing, but be warned that you will have to pay quite a lot of money.

Here are the roaming plans of the main companies operating in the UK:

• EE roaming in Indonesia: If your trip is not going to be very long, you can play as you go for Internet access abroad.
• Roaming with O2 in Indonesia: This operator also gives you the possibility to contract short term plans, even for 24 hours.
• Three roaming for Indonesia: Its main advantage is that you will be able to call and send messages to UK numbers. Of course, to have mobile data, you will have to pay.
• Vodafone roaming for Indonesia: Their plans are not the most economical. Especially when you travel outside Europe. Even so, it offers a good variety of plans to choose from.

Average Internet speed in Indonesia

The truth is that Indonesia is lagging behind in the expansion of broadband internet connections. Only 62% of the population has access to the network, while only 5% have their own fast connection ⁽²⁾ .

Although it has experienced a significant rise in the last 15 years, the average download speed for broadband internet in Indonesia is only 20.85Mbit/second ⁽³⁾ . Despite this, you will have no problem connecting to the internet during your trip in the Asian country.

Why you should have Internet in Indonesia?

You may want to keep in touch with your family and friends or share your adventures on social media, but there are many other reasons why you might want the Internet in Indonesia:

• Buy a boat ticket: The Asian country is made up of many islands. It is convenient to buy boat tickets online to move from one to another.
• Orient yourself with Google Maps: Maybe you are one of those who can find your way around easily. If not, Google Maps will be your best friend for any short trip in the city..
• Make calls via WhatsApp: You probably can't make calls with your usual number. But, if you have internet access, you can make them from WhatsApp without paying a euro.
• Check the weather: This is something you will appreciate on any trip, but even more so in Indonesia. Keep in mind that you will be visiting a wide variety of islands, so the weather can be very changeable.
• Book hotels and restaurants: If you can do this from your phone, you will save valuable time that you can invest in enjoying your trip.

If you have never traveled to Indonesia, you will discover a wide offer for tourists. You will be able to move to Bali, known as the Island of the Gods, to see orangutans in the National Park of Tanjung Puting or to visit the temples of Prambanan and Borobudur. Organize yourself well, because it will hardly give you time to visit all its wonders in a single trip.

Tips before traveling to Indonesia

Indonesia is a very exotic country, but also very particular. You may want to take into account a series of recommendations before embarking on your journey:

• Mosquito repellent: These insects can be very uncomfortable, so we recommend you to be prepared.
• Avoid drinking tap water: You will find drinking water points throughout the country where you can refill your bottle or canteen.
• Seismic and volcanic activity: No need to alarm you, but Indonesia is located within the Pacific Ring of Fire. Keep this in mind to follow the usual advice in case of an earthquake, such as staying away from walls, windows and trees and going to open places.
• Power adapter: Please note that the plugs in Indonesia are different from those in the UK. Electrical appliances use type C and F plugs, so we recommend you to get an adapter.
• Vaccinations: If you don’t know which diseases you should protect yourself against, we recommend you to go to the International Vaccination Center. They will explain you all the recommendations.