3G plans, speed and coverage in southern Bali (mobile internet)

QuestionMark

Thank you, very useful reply! I would probably get 2 sim cards anyway, one for me gf and one for me. I'm not actually against post paid, just not sure of the requirements, I'm in Thailand right now where most ask for a working permit for example. I also don't want to open an indonesian bank account if I can avoid it. Finally, how long are those contracts? Since I will be staying only 6 months most likely, I really wouldn't want to sign a 24 month contract and then have to pay a huge cancellation fee. Would you mind telling me your average and/or top speed you get with them? Can you stream YouTube for example? Thanks again!

ronb

Yes, pre-paid would have advantages for you. Start with a pre-paid, see how good it is, then decide whether you want the bother of post-paid. The plans can be seen atPaket Telkomsel Flash - Telkomsel

QuestionMark

Hello. I'm thinking of taking an extended vacation to Bali either May or July, for probably about 6 months and I want to have a reliable and fast as possible internet connection. I've read all recent threads on that topic and it seems 3G is faster than DSL or other "static" options? The area I'm interested in is probably limited to the south of Bali, once I'm there I will look into houses or apartments which already have internet installed and check out their connection but those just vary too much so it doesn't make much sense for me to ask about them here. So I'm mostly interested in any info about 3G right now, like which are the best providers, what are the costs (I use about 10gb a month), how fast are they on average and how stable and also if the coverage is restricted to certain areas. I would prefer GSM over CDMA since I already own a tablet and a smartphone, can (and do right now) use them as a 3G modem, also prefer pre- over post paid because of the flexibility to switch providers etc. Thank you very much in advance for any help!

ronb

I have only used Telkomsel, and while overall 3G coverage is impressive, it is still patchy. The other day I was about 1Km north of Carrefour in Denpasar, and my phone was indicating that 3G reception was poor. So I don't believe anyone can give you useful summaries like "company X has excellent coverage in the south". My impression of Internet connection via 3G is that, while it is pretty good and I use it all the time now, it is not as reliable (in the sense of always up and able to operate at the advertised speed) as ADSL (Telkom Speedy). What I mean is that 3G may be providing good transfer rates and then just drops for maybe 10 minutes of more where there is little activity, and then just resumes. It does not do this very often - but it does happen. Your prefer pre-paid, but Telkomsel offers 2 advantages to post-paid customers (at the high end): 1. the top plan offers 8GB at high speed per month on postpaid, but only 4 on prepaid 2. the top plan on post paid drops back to 128K speed after you have exceeded the limit, while pre-paid plans drop back to 64K You say you need 10 GB, but the top plan only has 8GB at Rp400,000 per month. I want more than 8GB, so I have 2 SIM cards - so that is an option you can consider.

donfuego

Hi Ron, Telkomsel says that the 8 GB is a promotion that ends March 31. The normal volume is just 6 GB, which is kind of pricey for 400k a month. Is it just me or has prices on 3G internet gone up rapidly the past 12 months? This time last year you could get Axis 5 GB packet for 150k / month and it was very reliable too. Now everything looks more and more expensive...

ronb

Telkomsel prices have remained the same for over 12 months now. This "promotion" that gave you 8 gb instead of 6 started at least a year ago, and the cut-off date just keeps moving ahead. I expect it to continue - but I could be wrong.

donfuego

That's good to know. I see that XL currently has something called HotRod 3G+ , 6 GB for 199k monthly. Might be interesting for some. Paket Internet Still, 3G internet was cheaper (and faster?) 1 year ago. Oversubscription or simply too many 3G devices online now?