Asia-Pacific 15 countries

Staying connected in Asia-Pacific 15 countries

This 15-country Asia-Pacific plan is built for long or multi-stop journeys: Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in one trip, several weeks backpacking around South-East Asia, or a stretch of Asia followed by Australia and New Zealand. Frequent business travellers in the region also avoid buying a separate eSIM for each country.

You need data most the moment you land somewhere new: booking a ride, finding your hotel and checking your next flight. The best seasons vary widely, especially between North-East Asia and the southern-hemisphere stops in Australia and New Zealand, so check each country on your route against the plan's country list before buying.

Coverage and networks

This plan covers the destinations listed below, as published in the plan information (15 in total). Check every stop on your route against the table before buying.

Signal and speed depend on where you are, your device and network conditions, and can differ between plans.

Choosing a data allowance

eSIM plans for Asia-Pacific 15 countries currently last 1 to 30 days and come in these types:

• Daily data (500MB, 1GB, 2GB and 3GB per day): suits a steady routine. Check when the daily allowance resets and what happens once it is used.
• Total data (3GB to 50GB): one allowance for the whole trip, handy when some days are heavier than others.
• Unlimited: always read the fair-use policy; after a set amount, speed may be reduced.

Suggestions for this trip

• Add up the total days of the whole journey, including connecting flight days, and choose a plan at least that long: ten days across three countries needs a 10-day plan, a month a 30-day plan.
• Typical sightseeing: 1GB of daily data; for regular video calls or video posting, choose 2GB or 3GB a day.
• Use that varies by country, with good hotel Wi-Fi in some places and constant travel in others: 20GB, 30GB or 50GB of total data for the whole trip is easier to manage; remote workers can look at an unlimited plan (fair-use policy applies).

Count your arrival and departure days. Before paying, check the exact plan for when validity starts, how days are counted, and whether hotspot, calls or SMS are included; these differ between plans.

Before you go

• Local apps: Each country favours different ride-hailing and map apps, such as Grab in South-East Asia, Kakao T and Naver Map in South Korea and GO in Japan; install them all before you fly.
• Mainland China: Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube are blocked on domestic networks and Wi-Fi there; if China is on your route, ask Simtel how this plan handles international services before you buy.
• Payments: One contactless international card works in most of these countries; add WeChat Pay or Alipay for China and a little cash for markets in South-East Asia.
• Sparse areas: In remote Australia, on New Zealand's mountain roads and on small South-East Asian islands, mobile service is generally thin, so keep directions, tickets and bookings saved on your phone.
• eSIM setup: Before buying, make sure your phone supports eSIM and is not carrier-locked. Install the eSIM before you fly, on a stable Wi-Fi connection, following the instructions sent with your plan.
• On arrival: Set the travel eSIM as your mobile data line and follow its roaming instructions. Turn off data roaming on your home SIM to avoid unexpected charges.