Key facts
- COVERAGE
- Indonesia
- NETWORKS
- Telkomsel
- PLAN TYPE
- Data only
- IP ADDRESS LOCATION
- United Kingdom
- DELIVERY
- QR code by email
How it works
- 1Choose a plan and pay.
- 2Scan the QR code we email you. You can install it before you fly.
- 3When you land in Indonesia, turn on data roaming for the Spidot line.
Questions about the Indonesia eSIM
Which networks does it use?
Do I get a local phone number?
Can I use it outside Indonesia?
How do I install it?
Will my phone work with an eSIM?
Do I need to register my phone's IMEI to use a travel eSIM in Indonesia?
Will I have signal on a Komodo boat trip?
Can I use Grab or Gojek without a local number?
What happens to mobile data on Nyepi in Bali?
Is one plan enough for a couple sharing a scooter?
Is mobile data good enough for video calls in Bali?
Indonesia eSIM guide: data for Bali, Java, the Gilis, Komodo and island hopping
Indonesia stretches across thousands of islands, from Sumatra in the west to Papua in the east, and most visitors see only a small part of it. A typical trip might combine Bali's beaches and rice terraces with the temples of Yogyakarta on Java, a fast boat to the Gili Islands or Lombok, or a flight to Labuan Bajo to see Komodo National Park. Mobile data is how you book scooters and cars, order food, check ferry times, find villas tucked down unmarked roads and keep in touch at home.
This guide explains how a Indonesia eSIM from Spidot compares with roaming and a local SIM, how much data different trips tend to use, what to do when you land in Bali or Jakarta, and what coverage is like in the cities, on smaller islands, at sea and in the mountains. It also covers ride-hailing apps, payments and onward trips to Malaysia and Singapore.
Your options for mobile data in Indonesia
Visitors usually choose between roaming, a local SIM bought on arrival, and a travel eSIM installed before the trip. Each works; the trade-offs are cost, convenience and how much time you want to spend sorting it out at the airport.
Roaming on your home SIM
Roaming is easy but can be expensive in Indonesia, especially over a two-week beach holiday with plenty of photo and video uploads. Check your provider's daily fee or per-megabyte rate before you go.
A local prepaid SIM
Local SIMs are widely sold at airports, mobile shops and convenience stores, and SIM registration requires an identity document, so expect to show your passport. Indonesia also has rules about registering phones brought from abroad (by their IMEI number) for use on local networks over longer periods. These rules change, so long-stay visitors should check current guidance. A local SIM can suit people staying for months who want an Indonesian number.
A Spidot eSIM
With a travel eSIM you buy a plan online, receive a QR code by email and install it at home, so you are connected when you land and do not need to queue at an airport counter. Plans for Indonesia start from $3.90. Your own SIM stays active for calls and texts. The plans are data-only unless you choose Data + calls; villas, drivers, dive centres and tour operators in Indonesia mostly communicate through WhatsApp, so a data-only plan covers most needs.
How much data a trip to Indonesia uses
Holidays in Indonesia are often long and photo-heavy, and many visitors work remotely from cafés and co-working spaces in Bali. Usage varies widely. The figures below are rough estimates for planning, not exact measurements.
- Maps and navigation, including on a scooter: roughly 5 to 10 MB an hour.
- Ride-hailing and food delivery apps: light, but used many times a day.
- Messaging with photos and voice notes: often 50 to 200 MB a day.
- Uploading photos and short videos to social media: from a few MB per photo to hundreds of MB for longer videos.
- Video calls home or work calls: roughly 500 MB to 1 GB an hour.
- Streaming video: often 1 to 3 GB an hour in HD.
Choosing a plan
A week in Bali with maps, ride-hailing and messaging is usually covered by a mid-sized fixed data plan. For longer trips, heavy social media use or remote work, an unlimited plan priced by the day means you do not have to ration data; speed may slow after heavy use. Frequent visitors can use a no-expiry plan so unused data carries over. See the prices page for current options.
Install the eSIM before you fly
Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi so you are online as soon as you land. Make sure your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked; dialling *#06# shows an EID on most eSIM phones. Then follow the install guide for iPhone, Samsung or Pixel.
- Label the new line Indonesia or Travel.
- Set the Spidot line for mobile data and keep your home SIM for calls and texts.
- Turn off data roaming on your home SIM.
- Download offline maps of Bali, Lombok or whichever islands you will visit.
- Download an offline Indonesian language pack for your translation app.
- Save villa addresses with a map pin, as many are on small lanes without clear street numbers.
Arriving in Bali or Jakarta
Most international visitors arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, near Denpasar and Kuta, or at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport serving Jakarta. Other international gateways include airports in Surabaya, Medan, Lombok and Yogyakarta, depending on the route.
- Turn off flight mode after landing.
- Turn on data roaming for the Spidot line; the data roaming guide shows where the setting is.
- Wait a moment for the phone to find a network, and restart it once if nothing happens.
- Check that data works before you leave the terminal so you can book a car or message your driver.
Leaving the airport
In Bali, many hotels and villas arrange a driver, and app-based cars are available with designated pick-up points at the airport. Traffic between the airport and areas such as Ubud, Canggu or Uluwatu can be heavy, so allow extra time. In Jakarta, an airport rail link runs into the city, and app-based taxis and official taxi ranks are both common.
Coverage across the islands
Coverage is generally good in cities and popular tourist areas and much more variable on remote islands, in mountains and at sea. Your eSIM uses local partner networks; for this plan they are Telkomsel. The phone chooses automatically.
Bali
The south of the island, including Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Uluwatu, and the Ubud area are well covered. Signal can weaken in the central highlands, around Mount Batur and Munduk, on the north and east coasts and on some secluded beaches below cliffs. The Nusa islands (Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan) have coverage in their villages, with gaps at some remote viewpoints.
Java, Lombok and the Gilis
Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung and Surabaya are well connected. Day trips to Borobudur and Prambanan are usually fine, while volcano trips such as Bromo and Ijen start in the dark in high, remote areas where signal is limited. Lombok's main towns and the south coast around Kuta have coverage, and the three Gili Islands are generally connected, though speeds can vary in busy periods.
Komodo, Flores, Raja Ampat and remote areas
Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park, has coverage in town, but boat trips around the park pass through areas with little or none. The same is true of liveaboard dive trips and much of Raja Ampat in West Papua, parts of Sumatra's jungle, Borneo's interior and Sulawesi's highlands. On these trips, expect to be offline for long periods and plan accordingly.
Ferries, fast boats and road trips
Island hopping is part of most Indonesian trips. Fast boats run from Bali to the Nusa islands, the Gilis and Lombok, and public ferries cross between Java and Bali and between Bali and Lombok. Domestic flights connect the larger islands.
- Book fast boats through reputable operators and keep the confirmation saved offline.
- Signal at sea comes and goes; you will usually reconnect as you approach land.
- Keep your phone in a waterproof pouch on boats and at the beach.
- On road trips with a driver, one phone's hotspot can serve the car, but each person's apps add to the total.
- Weather and sea conditions can change schedules, so check before you set off and keep data available for updates.
Ride-hailing, payments and useful apps
Grab and Gojek are the two main super-apps in Indonesia. They offer cars, motorbike taxis, food delivery and more, and are widely used in cities and in Bali. In some areas, local transport associations restrict app pick-ups, so you may see signs asking you to use local taxis or drivers instead.
- Currency: the Indonesian rupiah. Notes come in large denominations, so double-check the number of zeros when paying.
- Cards are accepted in many hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist areas, but cash is still needed in small warungs, markets and rural areas.
- QR code payments are very common locally; whether you can use them depends on your bank and the app.
- Use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres where possible.
- Bali has local customs and ceremonies, including Nyepi, the Day of Silence, when the island largely shuts down, the airport closes and mobile data has in some years been limited. Check the date if you travel around March.
Hotspot use, remote work and public Wi-Fi
Many visitors to Bali work from cafés and co-working spaces. Wi-Fi in these places is often good, but it is shared and can be slow at busy times. Mobile data makes a useful backup for calls. Turn on Personal Hotspot (iPhone) or Mobile Hotspot (Android) to connect a laptop, and pause cloud sync and automatic updates while tethered.
- Use mobile data rather than public Wi-Fi for banking and payments.
- Check the network name with staff before connecting.
- Turn off auto-join for open networks.
- Avoid entering passwords on pages without https.
Combining Indonesia with other countries
Indonesia is often combined with Singapore and Malaysia, both a short flight from Jakarta or Bali, and sometimes with Thailand, Vietnam or Australia. A Indonesia plan is designed for use in Indonesia, so for a multi-country trip the simplest approach is one eSIM per country. You can install several before you leave and switch the active data line as you travel.
Keeping track of your data
You can check how much data is left whenever you like and add more data to the same eSIM. If you are heading to a remote island or on a boat trip, top up before you leave town, while you still have a signal. To make data last, set photo backup to Wi-Fi only and download entertainment at your hotel.
If data stops working, check that data roaming is on for the Spidot line and restart the phone. For other problems, email support@spidot.com with the email address you used to order.