Comparison verification and summary of convenient travel eSIM when staying in Indonesia.
This article is a hands-on review article that compares and verifies multiple local prepaid eSIMs that can be used when traveling in Indonesia .
The number of eSIMs that we have actually tested is still limited, but we plan to add and update information from time to time.
There are many more eSIMs available for travelers in Indonesia than the ones covered in this article. Also, new travel eSIM services are appearing frequently these days, so this article is just for reference, and when you actually choose one, be sure to check the whole thing on .
In addition, although it is introduced as a supplement at the end of the article, if you bring a terminal from another country and use a local SIM card in Indonesia, you may need to register IMEI . I feel that there are advantages to using prepaid eSIMs more than other countries, as it takes a little more cost and effort here.
The advantages and disadvantages of eSIM from the perspective of travelers have been summarized in detail in the following article.
[Use for overseas travel] I thought about the merits and demerits of eSIM from my own experience
Based on my experience of actually using nearly 30 eSIMs so far, I tried to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of eSIM as an option for Internet use at overseas travel destinations.
*Since I am an iPhone user, this article is based on information from my iPhone.
Local network situation in Indonesia
There are three major mobile carriers in Indonesia: Telkomsel (TSEL), XL Axiata, and Indosat Ooredoo (commonly known as Indosat), as well as carriers such as 3 (Tri). The largest of these is Telkomsel (TSEL), a state-owned company , and is said to have the best coverage (available area).
Indosat and 3 officially announced a merger in 2022 , but the mobile networks themselves are separate and it seems that there is no particular aggregation.
For the time being, it is best if you are connected to TSEL in Indonesia. In urban areas such as Jakarta and Bali, XL, Indosat, and 3 seem to have almost no problem. If you go to a rural area, he should check the area in advance if it is other than TSEL.
From here, I will introduce the eSIMs that I actually tried one by one.
table of contents
- Nomad
- Mobi Matter
- Airalo
Nomad
*Verification date: March 2023
Nomad is a highly comprehensive eSIM service that combines both convenience and cost performance . From around the latter half of 2022, I have the impression that the fees have been steadily lowered, and the plans are becoming more abundant.
There are many countries where it can be used at a low price, not just Indonesia, so there may be many people who have used it, but for those who are new to it, I will introduce how to purchase and install an eSIM with Nomad below. .
How to purchase and install Nomad eSIM
Comprehensive explanation from purchase to installation of Nomad eSIM.
At the moment, only English is supported, but it should be usable without problems because of its high design.
I've used it myself several times in the past, and it's very easy to use.
Nomad Indonesia plan price
*The information below is correct at the time of writing. Please check the Nomad official website for the latest prices and plans .
From Nomad official website
Even if you focus only on Indonesia country plans, there are currently 10 plans.
- 1GB / 3 days : $4
- 3GB / 5 days : $9
- 5GB / 10 days : $13
- 10GB / 15 days : $22
- 15GB / 30 days : $28
- 20GB / 30 days : $34
- 30GB / 30 days : $80
- 40GB / 30 days : $110
- 50GB / 30 days : $125
- 100GB / 60 days : $240
from here,
💡
$3 off with promo code " 3 "
It will be (limited to the first time).
If you use the discount code above, the price will be affordable at $10 for the 5GB plan and $19 for the 10GB plan. For stays of less than a week, many people may settle for GB around here.
Nomad offers multiple large capacity plans of 15GB or more, but please be aware that plans of 30GB or more are extremely cost-effective .
Nomad communication quality in Jakarta
The settings required when using Nomad's eSIM locally are
- data roaming enabled
- Assign to cellular data settings
that's all.
When I arrived at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, I made the above settings and was immediately connected. (This is the most relaxing moment.)
Nomad's eSIM connects to 4G from Telkomsel ( TSEL ) in Indonesia.
Connect to TSEL 4G in Indonesia
As a connection destination network, it is the No. 1 share in the country, so you can rest assured. In fact, there was no problem at all during my stay in Jakarta without being out of range. (However, the signal is still weak on the upper floors of the building.)
communication quality
As a rough impression, it was relatively stable and usable . For reference, here are the speed test results, from left to right: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Central Jakarta, and Kota Area (North Jakarta).
Nomad eSIM communication speed in Jakarta
Because there were many people around, it was comfortable only at Soekarno Hatta International Airport at the beginning, and the rest was a little late. Other than that, I didn't have to worry about it, and it worked without any problems.
This Nomad eSIM is provided by a Hong Kong carrier and roams through Hong Kong. So Ping is about 100 milliseconds.
It doesn't seem like the data is blocked due to packet clogging. Of course, it's not as comfortable as you would normally use it in Japan.
Tethering (Internet sharing) is also available.
App manageable
All Nomad eSIMs have a web app or mobile app that allows you to check your data balance and purchase additional data. The price is the same as the original data plan price.
Summary of Nomad
✅ Good design and easy to use
✅ There are plenty of plans and the cost performance is reasonable, and you can get $3 off by using the promo code " 3"
✅ Connected to TSEL 4G, acceptable speed
Mobi Matter
*Verification date: March 2023
MobiMatter has a wide variety of eSIMs , but I found an eSIM for Indonesia provided by 3HK (a telecommunications company in Hong Kong) at a very good price, so I chose it this time.
To start with the conclusion, it worked better than I expected and it was very good. Personally, I think that it can be said that it is the most promising candidate for eSIM for Indonesia at the moment.
eSIM for Indonesia provided by 3HK
*The information below is correct at the time of writing. Please check MobiMatter official website > Indonesia for the latest prices .
This 3-offer eSIM comes in two variants, a 15GB plan and a 30GB plan.
- 15GB / 30 days : $11.99
- 30GB / 30 days : $15.99
Both are valid for 30 days, so the only difference is the data capacity. This time I purchased the 15GB plan . These are currently " PROMOTION ", so it may be a special price, but for the time being, both are quite cheap .
Even Nomad's 15GB plan is $28, so less than half the price.
Moreover, when you register an account with MobiMatter, you can choose either 10% point back or 3% discount as member benefits (Member's Benefits), so it's actually more profitable than the above price.
Details of member benefits and the procedure for purchasing MobiMatter's eSIM are summarized below.
MobiMatter eSIM purchase method and member benefits
Explains the flow of purchasing MobiMatter's prepaid eSIM and the benefits of creating an account.
Latest Travel eSIM News | Blog
By the way, the reason why this eSIM is so cheap is that the Hong Kong group company called 3HK, which provides this, has a network called 3 (Tri) in Indonesia, and you can use your own (group) line. Inevitably, this eSIM can only be used with the 3 (Tri) network, which is the fourth largest network in Indonesia in terms of the number of contracted lines.
Usage and communication quality in Jakarta
These 3 eSIMs also use roaming, so data roaming must be turned on.
And if you set it to mobile data communication, you should be able to use it in Indonesia, but no matter how many times you try at the airport, you can't connect.
After all, when I checked various things in the hotel room, it was not possible to connect with the INDOSAT network that was originally automatically connected, and I had to manually select 3 .
(Since it is an eSIM provided by 3, I thought that it would automatically connect to 3 in Indonesia, but it seems that is not the case.)
Tap "Network selection" from mobile communication and turn off the automatic setting . After waiting for a while, a list of detected networks will be displayed as shown below, so select "3".
Manual network selection on iPhone
I am finally able to connect now.
💡
The email sent from MobiMatter at the time of purchase describes the APN settings, but in my case, I was able to use the default APN just by manually selecting the network.
3 The display at the time of connection was a long name, and it was LTE.
connecting to 3
The biggest bottleneck of this eSIM is that it can only connect to 3, but in the area I moved to during my stay in Jakarta, I didn't get out of range surprisingly, so there was no problem.
There were many times when the antenna pictogram became one or two, but it did not go out of range and endured . There was no problem at all at the very end of T3 at the airport (near Gate 1).
However, there were several occasions when the data did not pass, such as packet jams. And the scene where the radio wave suddenly disappears for a moment. Waiting about 1 minute or turning flight mode ON -> OFF solved it, but it seems better to think that there are times when it is a little unstable.
communication speed
Regarding the speed, which is important, my experience is basically very good and there are many times when it is reasonably fast, but sometimes it drops a little .
Below are the speed test results, from left to right: Central Jakarta (around Monas), Kota area (North Jakarta), Soekarno-Hatta International Airport T3.
Of course, there are variations, but in terms of speed comfort, I think these 3 eSIMs were the most decent this time. Even if it falls, it will not be as slow as 1 Mbps.
Ping is also within the permissible range of around 80 mm via Hong Kong.
Personally, I honestly didn't expect that much, but I was surprised that it worked quite well.
Internet sharing (tethering)
I think it's probably a problem on the iOS side that affects the previous settings, but I couldn't use Internet sharing at first.
Can't turn on internet sharing
After all, I solved it by troubleshooting " Restart the terminal with WiFi turned off ", and I was able to use it safely, but I am not sure if this will solve it 100%. In the worst case, you may need to do a "reset network settings".
By the way, it's a personal prediction, but in the case of Android, there shouldn't be such a problem.
Data remaining check and data addition
You can check the remaining amount of data and Top Up from the MobiMatter website or mobile app. However, you will need to register for an account (or log in) at the time of purchase.
The remaining amount of data is only displayed in sentences, so it is a little difficult to understand.
By the way, the WiFi connection at the hotel I stayed at this time was frequently disconnected, so I used this MobiMatter eSIM all the time in the hotel, so I used more than 8GB during my stay for several days.
MobiMatter's (3 Offers) eSIM Roundup
✅ Overwhelming cospa
✅ The connection destination network is only 3 (Tri), but surprisingly there is no problem in the area in the Jakarta metropolitan area (however, manual network selection is required)
✅ Very comfortable when the speed is over 80%
✅ Packet clogging and radio wave loss may occur on rare occasions, but it will be restored in about 1 minute.
Airalo
*Verification date: March 2023
Airalo used to boast top-class cost performance in eSIM for Indonesia . However, recently there have been an increase in the number of low-priced products, and although it is true that the price alone is not attractive, the stability and ease of use are still good, so just a small amount of GB for comparison with the previous time. I bought it and tried it.
The last time is June 2022, as summarized in the article below.
I tried using Airalo's eSIM in Indonesia [Jakarta edition review]
I used Airalo's eSIM in Jakarta, Indonesia. The cost performance is good and the communication is stable, so I can recommend it.
Latest Travel eSIM News | Blog
So it's been about 9 months. And to start with the conclusion, the roaming network has changed. I will explain later.
Airalo Indonesia plan price
*The information below is correct at the time of writing. Please check the Airalo official website for the latest information .
The price of the Indonesia plan named Indotel has not changed since last time, but the 2GB and 20GB plans have increased, making a total of 6 plans.
- 1GB / 7 days : $5.5 ( $5.5/GB )
- 2GB / 15 days : $8 ( $4/GB )
- 3GB / 30 days : $11 ( $3.67/GB )
- 5GB / 30 days : $16.5 ( $3.3/GB )
- 10GB / 30 days : $24.75 ( $2.475/GB )
- 20GB / 30 days : $40 ( $2/GB )
Since I was planning to use multiple eSIMs this time, I purchased the 2GB plan for Airalo. However, as you can see from the GB unit price in the parentheses above, 5GB or more seems to be good if you want a certain amount of cost performance.
Also, the discount code below is still available, so if you haven't yet, please check it out.
💡
10% discount with promo code " 10 "
Use this discount code to save $15 on the 5GB plan and just over $22 on the 10GB plan.
The following article summarizes how to purchase Airalo's eSIM and how to use the above promo code.
How to buy and install Airalo's eSIM
A comprehensive explanation of how to purchase an Airalo eSIM data plan and how to activate it.
Latest Travel eSIM News | Blog
Airalo communication quality in Jakarta
The settings required when actually performing mobile data communication locally
- Enable data roaming
- Assign line (eSIM) to "Mobile data communication"
only.
This time too, Airalo's eSIM was connected as soon as I arrived at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and made the above settings.
The network is Telkomsel ( TSEL ) 4G .
Actually, last time in June 2022, Airalo's eSIM was provided by StarHub, a major telecommunications company in Singapore, but this time it was changed to that of Singtel, a different telecommunications company in the same Singapore. So, the APN setting that was necessary before is unnecessary, and the connection destination was Indosat or XL before, but now he has changed to TSEL alone.
I stayed only in the so-called urban area of Jakarta this time, so there was no problem at all in terms of area , but Telkomsel seems to be able to expect to some extent in rural areas.
communication speed
Last time I used Airalo without any problems, but unfortunately this time it was unstable and not so satisfying .
The results of several speed tests for each area are as follows. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Central Jakarta, Kota area from the left.
Numerical values also vary depending on location and time of day. Basically, it can be used without any problems, but sometimes I feel that it is quite slow, and sometimes the downlink drops suddenly and the Ping goes up a lot.
As for Ping, 80-100 milliseconds is standard for roaming via Singapore.
I set Twitter to play videos automatically even with mobile data communication, but with Airlao's eSIM, the video playback did not start at all , which was quite disappointing.
Except for the occasional delay mentioned above, I was able to use it without any problems, but compared to other eSIMs I tested this time, the communication quality is slightly inferior.
Airalo Summary
✅ Easy to use website and app, easy to buy.
✅ It's not the cheapest price, but you can get 10% off by using the discount code " 10".
✅ Connects to TSEL 4G in Indonesia.
✅ Communication speed is not good. But what can be used can be used.
Local SIM rates and IMEI registration in Indonesia
Starting in 2020, Indonesia will basically require IMEI registration (so-called terminal number registration) when bringing in a terminal (smartphone or tablet) purchased overseas and using a local SIM.
However, this seems to apply to expatriates who stay for more than 90 days, but recently there is information that even short-term travelers need to register IMEI when using a local SIM card . In fact, some people said that the local SIM did not work even for a short stay without IMEI registration, and some people said that they could use it without registration.
Personally, I think that it is not necessary for short-term stays, but when I asked a staff member who sells local SIM cards at the airport in Jakarta, he said, "IMEI registration is required . It's necessary, but it's included in the price of the SIM card ." So, for short-term travelers and business travelers, the flow may be for the shop staff to register when buying a local SIM.
I didn't buy one this time, but here is the price of the local SIM card sold at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Indonesia local SIM card price list
(I'm sorry that it's hard to see due to some reflections.)
Around 2,000 to 3,000 yen. To be honest, the price is higher compared to local SIMs in other Southeast Asian countries . Is this also because the IMEI registration fee is included?
In addition, there is information that after 90 days of IMEI registration, it is no longer possible to register with the same IMEI (terminal) again (or it costs money), and there is information that re-registration (extension) is possible up to 2 times, For the time being, this IMEI registration seems to be a demon in Indonesia.
However, this is all about using a local SIM . For the roaming eSIM covered in this article , you don't need to worry about IMEI registration at all (for now).
There is no need to line up, wait, or pay cash to purchase a local SIM. .
And when choosing an eSIM when traveling abroad, try using the eSIM search and comparison site " ".
eSIM search and comparison site for overseas travelers |
You can search for travel eSIMs and data plans all at once from the country or region of your travel destination. Check out the cheapest plan, read word of mouth and reviews to find the recommended prepaid eSIM!
Supplement: Rakuten Mobile's overseas roaming in Indonesia
Actually, I tried Rakuten Mobile's overseas roaming in Jakarta, so the contents are posted in the article below.
This article also summarizes all experiences in countries other than Indonesia.