Review: How Airalo Mitura eSIM works in Sri Lanka

I have to admit that this year, I came up with a somewhat crazy plan and visited four countries in a week. One of them was Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, I only spent a few hours there, but that was enough to try the Airalo Mitura eSIM.

Disclaimer: Some links in this article contain affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase any service, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Sri Lanka is a country that I definitely want to return to and spend at least a week or two there. This time, I flew Sri Lankan Airlines. Who knows how long they will continue to operate, as there is talk of their bankruptcy.

If you want to compare Airalo Mitura eSIM with other eSIM, you can find my reviews here:

Reviews: eSIM in Sri Lanka

Airalo Discover eSIM

Airalo Miturá eSIM (this article)

Nomad Sri Lanka Travel eSIM

More about eSIM technology and other companies is in this article. In this blogpost, you will find advice on choosing a suitable product for a trip abroad.

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Airalo Discount Code

If you use my Airalo code SANDRA4293 you can get $3 off or 15% discount (link to the discount here) on your first eSIM.

$3 discount

15% discount

If you already have an existing account you can get 10% discount on eSIMs US$10+ using this link.

Airalo Applications

Airalo has apps where you can buy new plans or track the usage of your existing plans. Below are the links where you can download them:

For Google Play click here.

For Apple Store click here.

Airalo’s products for Sri Lanka

Like many other countries, Airalo offers three types of products for Sri Lanka. The first product is Airalo Mitura, a data plan specifically for use in Sri Lanka.

The second product type is Airalo Asialink, which can be used in 18 Asian countries.

The third product is the global product Airalo Discover, which is intended for 127 countries.

Detailed instructions on creating an account and buying a data package can be found in this article.

Price

In February 2024, when I bought my eSIM, Airalo offered six Mitura products. Each product provided a different amount of mobile data – from 1GB (for $4.5) to 20 GB (for $32). The validity of the packages was from 7 to 30 days.

What phones support eSIM?

With this technology’s growing popularity, more and more phones and tablets are on the market that support it. When buying a phone, you should ask the seller if the phone supports eSIM. Airalo regularly updates the list of supported devices, so it is better to check their official support page.

Mobile operators in Sri Lanka and connection type

Sri Lanka has four mobile operators: Airtel, Dialog, Hutchison, and Mobitel. Airalo Mitura eSIMs can be used on the Dialog and Hutchison networks. Each mobile carrier has different coverage, so I recommend checking out nperf.com. Especially outside the capital, there are many areas without coverage.

Connection type

Airalo lists LTE for all three mobile operators on its website. More and more operators are launching 5G networks, so you may see a 5G icon on your phone.

eSIM Activation

The data package’s activation and validity period will start as soon as the eSIM is connected to one of the supported networks in Sri Lanka, in this case Dialog or Hutchison.

My Airalo Mitura experience

My data plan

For my trip to Colombo, I bought Airalo Mitura eSIM with 1GB of data and a validity period of 7 days. The package cost $4.50, but after applying the discount code, it is possible to have this package for $1.50.

Network registration

Before departure, I always set my phone as follows: I turn off mobile data and enable eSIM. Once Airalo Mitura eSIM was enabled, I turned on the flight mode.

After landing in Colombo, I turned the flight mode off. My UK SIM card registered into the Hutchison network, and Airalo eSIM chose the Dialog mobile network.

When I saw that the Airalo Mitura eSIM successfully logged in to the network (I saw the name of the mobile operator), I enabled the data. Soon, the LTE icon appeared, and the data started.

Forget expensive roaming, try Nomad eSIM!

Functionality

I used the Airalo Mitura eSIM only at the airport and in the city. I didn’t plan to visit other places as I didn’t have time.

As soon as I enabled the data, a lot of notifications appeared. So I checked my emails, read the news and looked at the news on social networks.

The most essential application, Google Maps, worked without any problems.

Speed

After my experience in Bologna (review in this article), I did not want to test the speed immediately after landing. As I had only 1GB of data, I was worried I would be without it when needed.

I knew I would fly back to Europe via Colombo in six days. I plan to test the speed later. However, my flight from Jakarta to Colombo was delayed, so my transfer time in Colombo was shortened. Speed test was the last thing on my mind, so I totally forgot about it.

Top-ups

Buying additional data is relatively simple. After clicking on “My eSIM” and “Mitura” I saw the offer of these packages. After payment, there is no need to install the eSIM again. The data is automatically added to the existing eSIM. Quite simple, isn’t it?

Application

I used the Airalo application to install Mitura eSIM. It meant that I didn’t have to scan the QR code to install the eSIM. I went to “My eSIM” and “Mitura” and followed the installation instructions.

Conclusion

Airalo Mitura eSIM met my expectations. The data package with 1GB and a validity period of 7 days was ideal for a short stay in the country. I rate the experience with Airalo Mitura eSIM positively. There were no issues during use, and the apps worked for me as they were supposed to.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Three options – local Mitura, regional Asialink and global Discover eSIM	No Unlimited Data bundle
Different sizes of data offered – from 1GB to 20GB
Different validity periods of data plans – from 7 to 30 days
Simple process for top-ups
Two supported operators- Dialog and Hutchison