Originally Posted by
paperwastage
hence they should be competing on the stuff below. If they don't list the info before, then you're really competing on price
[1] support (some are 24x7, some are "24x7", some are limited hours). You can test by opening a ticket before you buy.
[2] actual network provider support (eg do you only support one of the 4 major carriers or more) - a lot of esim providers list this, but some don't
[3] APN - most don't post the APN anywhere, some provide APN when you buy, some hide the APN in support docs, some put it in the webpage upfront (which is good). It's not ideal if you have to ask support for this (since esim data won't be working)
[4] exit IP - very few post this. Keepgo does (they call it privacy IP). If you know the APN, likely you can infer the underlying carrier and where it exits (3HK , plus/play aka Poland etc) this affects latency, and also website availability (eg tiktok not available in hkg, though vpn could worksaround)
[5] actual MVNO/MNO not just reselling from plus/play/3HK - Ubigi (transactel), Betterroaming (Truphone/1Global), 3HK, 3UK, AIS (Thailand), Orange (France) etc
[6]Do people really need to call? To make restaurant reservations?
If you're meeting with friends/family, you should be already communicating to them via intl borders (so email/Whatsapp/...), unless they only use landlines
[1] I'm most familiar with Redpocket and BNESim. Redpocket has been much more reliable in the US. I've run into deadspots with BNESim. However, Redpocket support is terrible - it can take 30 to 45 minutes to get a chat agent and they are often useless - not knowledgeable, long pauses between responses (seemingly dealing with multiple customers at once), a few times I've had the session time out because the chat agent hadn't responded in time, wasting the previous hour or whatever. BNESim support has been great. Quick and knowledgeable responses. I wish I could get both good network performance and support.
[2] Providers tend to list the underlying carrier. Whether they will actually connect to them (or switch to the best if there's a problem) is another question.
[3] I've always been able to find the APN/setup information quickly for providers I'm interested in. Sometimes they automatically configure a different APN, which then works but is confusing.
[4][5] Good question. How would you determine this?
[6] Typical use case for me is restaurant reservations and connecting with a pre-arranged driver for airport transfers. IME voice can be necessary for restaurants. Airport transfers can usually use whatsapp or email, but not always. Of course Uber, etc, use an app so data is enough.
Anyway, what do you do if you need SMS-type text or voice and don't have a plan that includes them?