In this article, we will explore Holafly’s eSIM service in Indonesia. Unlike its competitors, Holafly offers unlimited data products. Be prepared that data roaming charges can be quite high if you plan to use your home plan in Indonesia. Holafly eSIM products provide a cost-effective alternative.
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I visited several places in Indonesia. In addition, I tried several eSIM products, which you can read about in these articles.
Reviews: eSIM for Indonesia
This article discusses eSIM technology and other companies in detail. In this article, you will find advice on choosing a suitable product for a trip abroad. All eSIM reviews are available here.
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Holafly Products for Indonesia
Unlike competitors, Holafly offers unlimited data. However, the data speed can drop significantly after a certain amount of data has been consumed. This speed reduction is mentioned in the product description (Speed reduction: if necessary. Some carriers may reserve the right to apply a Fair Usage Policy).
There are two types of eSIM products available in Indonesia.
The first product is named exactly like the country – Indonesia.
The second product is intended for Asia and is therefore called – Asia. This eSIM can be used in 11 countries on the Asian continent. These include the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Price
The price of data flat rates starts from €6 (or $7) and increases with the number of days. The maximum number of days is 90, and the price is around €129.
What phones support eSIM?
With this technology’s growing popularity, more and more phones and tablets that support it are on the market. When buying a phone, you should ask the seller if the phone supports eSIM. The Holafly team regularly updates the list of supported devices. The list is displayed by clicking on “Check compatibility”. Then click your device type (Apple, Samsung, Google or Other).
Mobile Operators in Indonesia and Connection Type
Four mobile operators are in Indonesia: Indosat or IOH (Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison), Smartfen, Telkomsel and XL Axiata. Holafly Indonesia eSIM can be used in the network of only one of them, Telkomsel. Indonesia has many islands. Many islands have many areas without coverage. I recommend checking out nperf.com.
Connection Type
Holafly lists on its website that its eSIM supports 3G/4G/LTE/5G. More and more operators are launching 5G networks, so you may see a 5G icon on your phone more often. However, it is not always 100% guaranteed, as all operators are still rolling out 5G.
Activation
The activation and validity period of the data plan starts as soon as the eSIM is connected to a supported network.
My experience with Holafly United Kingdom
My Data Plan
I was delighted to find that Holafly offers a one-day data package, as many providers require a minimum of 5 days. I purchased a 1-day data package for €6 for this test.
Network Registration
I enabled the Holafly Indonesia eSIM in the phone settings. After about three minutes, the eSIM was registered on the Telkomsel network. Once I enabled the data, the 4G+ icon appeared, and I was able to access the Internet.
Behaviour
I didn’t encounter any issues at the airport. I used the Flightradar24 app to check our flight status and received regular updates. I used the Grab app to hail a taxi.
On the way to the hotel, I used Google Maps to follow the route. I experienced an unstable internet connection and lost signal multiple times.
During the day in Jakarta, I noticed that my data connection was slow. I often saw only an upward arrow next to the 4G icon, indicating that my phone was trying to send data, but the mobile network was not responding.
I also checked the APN settings and found that my phone displayed the APN of the Belgian operator Proximus. This meant that all my data was being sent from Indonesia to Belgium.
Initially, I purchased a Holafly Indonesia eSIM, valid for 24 hours. I decided to extend it for an additional day. The following morning, I had trouble loading Instagram posts and browsing popular websites.
I discovered that Holafly and Airalo use the same operator. When I used the Airalo eSIM, I did not experience any issues. This led me to believe that the problem was not with Telkomsel but with Proximus.
Speed
The benefit of having unlimited data is that I could test the speed whenever I wanted without worrying about running out of data.
The initial attempt failed miserably, with such a slow speed that Speedtest didn’t even start.
The second attempt was better, with the data download speed reaching 7.82 Mbps.
Top-ups
All Holafly products for Indonesia have unlimited data. Thus, there is no need to buy additional data. However, when the plan’s validity expires, you can buy an extension for a day or more.
Conclusion
I was disappointed with the Holafly Indonesia eSIM. I had high hopes for unlimited data and the ability to try different applications and experience fast transfer speeds. However, the data was extremely slow, making it pointless to use streaming services like YouTube, Netflix, or Twitch.
I can’t recommend Holafly Indonesia eSIM based on my experience.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Three options – local Indotel, regional Asialink and global Discover eSIM | Slow speed |
| Unlimited data | Unstable data connection |
| Short and longer-term validity period of packages – from 1 to 90 days | No plans for low data consumption (e.g. 1GB plan) |
| Simple process for top-up | Relatively high price if data usage is low |
What is your experience with eSIM in the Indonesia? Do you have a favourite one?
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