India SIM cards advice
 

Any recent advice on the best SIM card brand(s) for reliable and decent data speed service for individuals traveling in the Golden Triangle and Varanasi region of India? Airtel and Vodafone? One tend to be much more affordable or more streamlined with foreigners at DEL airport for fast processing time/activation? Are all vendors AFTER immigration or are some within T3 prior to immigration?

i use airtel & am very satisfied with the network....

jio is another option that is cheap & reliable....

The guys at the airport know how to handle foreigners application. Airtel is very aggressive on prepaid nowadays and offers massive 1GB/day for nearly no money. Which leads to their network being overloaded though... jio is only LTE and rather nice.

I've used Vodafone and have been satisfied with their service (Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur and other parts of Rajasthan, Ahmedabad, Mysore, some rural parts of Karnataka...). No personal experience with Agra or Varanasi, I'm afraid.

I'll add that the only operator about whom I have heard negative comments is BSNL - they appear not to be at all competitive in their pricing, and there are reports that roaming within India is sometimes problematic with them.

Thanks for the advice about Airtel. I am unsure if Jio has sufficient coverage across my area of travel if only LTE. Wouldn't that be limiting? Typically, despite LTE increasing battery life and providing higher speeds, I find it often doesn't work as well in "weak signal" areas, unlike 3G services, which may continue to maintain a steady connection even if slower. Wouldn't there be lots of gaps in coverage with Jio as a result outside the main cities or in weak signal areas, if totally dependent on LTE service?

As for LTE, do Airtel and Vodafone have about the same level of LTE coverage?

If that is the case about Jio (see above) and it is back to choosing between Vodafone and Airtel, is it felt Airtel's network is overtaxed more so than Vodafone with Vodafone having fewer low performance/reliability issues across a wide geographical area (since less popular and less overused than Airtel's towers I assume)?

What has your experience been with Jio outside Delhi in the areas I mentioned? Do you feel Airtel's network is overtaxed based on your travels in that region of India based on recent experience? Thanks

airtel has pretty decent coverage in all the regions you mentioned....so does jio....you can't go wrong with either....

Does Jio allow foreigners who do not have an Aadhar card to get a SIM and have pre-paid access for a limited time?

You can use Trabug's Facility. It has a v.good network signal. Jio is also good, but might lead to network problems at times.

I'm in the south, and recently bought that Rp 199 bundle from an Airtel office. It's a stunning deal: for four weeks you get 1.4GB/day of data, unlimited calls to all India, and 100SMS/day.

They only needed a passport copy and a photo and somehow took care of all the other information on the form. Total cost was Rp 250, including the SIM card.

4G seems to work fine, with no slowdown I can see.

Yes, I saw a newspaper story the other day saying the authorities were about to attack predatory pricing by telecoms operators.

It was right next to another story about Aircel filing for bankruptcy.

Wireline service has predatory pricing? It sure seems mobile pricing is very competitive based on the low prices I observed while there.

The story was talking about mobile telecoms operators.

Has anyone had recent experience in purchasing a pre-paid eSIM from Airtel, specifically at Delhi airport? Based on this link it seems that Airtel does allow pre-paid customers to purchase eSIMs (unlike most other carriers), but aside from those instructions I can't find any definitive information.

Hello - I'm bumping this thread back up. I am having problems getting a SIM card in India as a foreigner and was wondering if anyone has any advice?

I went into a Vodafone showroom last week with all of the necessary paperwork (Passport, OCI card, photos, etc) and had my application rejected twice. The first time the guy got confused because my current passport didn't have an Indian visa page in it. I tried to explain that the government did away with Indian visas for OCI, but he didn't seem to understand. Fortunately I had a copy of my old passport with the U-visa page. This caused confusion because the expiration date said "LIFELONG". The Vodafone people took pictures of everything and sent it in for activation, but it was rejected. Apparently foreigners can get the SIM activated on Vodafone but their system requires that a valid end date of a visa be entered. OCI cards do not have an expiration date, so the system seems to reject them. Instead of trying to work with me, they rejected my application twice. After spending nearly 6 hours with these idiots I just gave up. They kept asking for me to provide Indian ID to activate the SIM.

Any OCIs have experience in getting SIM activated while in India?

A Mumbai acquaintance describes this as a typical Indian snowball of bureaucracy. A relatively simple process gathers layers of complexity as it rolls through the system, until participants lose sight of the goal.

There may, or may not be some truth in that observation. But even those visitors who would like to follow regulations find themselves asking friends to get a SIM for them, or finding a phone repair shop that will do pretty much he same thing..

Visitors will not easily get a SIM from the stores of the majors who follow the protocol. Since they simplified the process for residents via the Aadhar card all they ask for is the card and have no clue how to handle the exceptions. Don't bother and ask a resident friend to help out.

Get an aadhaar card (if you do not already have one) and show that. There is no need to even mention that you are an OCI, or show your visa/passport. The call center folks are just following a script and get hopelessly confused when asked to veer off that script.

If you are not resident in India you should not get an aadhar card...!

OCI Cardholders who stay in India for over 182 days in the 12 months immediately preceding the date of application for Aadhaar and have an Indian address can also enroll for an Aadhaar Card in India. But others shouldn't be doing so. That said, there are lots of Indian-residential-property-owning OCIs in the US and Europe who have gotten Aadhaar despite not formally meeting such kind of 182-days-in-12-months Indian residency qualification at any points since Aadhaar came into existence.

OCIs shouldn't need Aadhaar to be able to sign up for or retain mobile service in India, but perhaps there are still retail outlets around that aren't familiar with how the Indian Department of Telecom has formally approved an exemption/alternative for OCIs/PIOs and NRIs a few years back.

I did look into getting Aadhar. Need to show formal proof of address. I have relatives who could help, but the regulations state that Aadhar is only for those who are residents of India. I'm an OCI and although I visit frequently, I'm not a resident.

Shameful that they make it so difficult to get a simple SIM card in India.

NY India embassy has this posted on their website. This one pager has general information about Aadhaar card for OCI/NRIs and the below paragraph relating to mobile connection. There is a hyper link to the "placed here" that takes you to the actual DOT communication to the service providers for verification for OCI/NRIs relating to mobile connection transaction. Since I just opened my Flyer talk account I cannot post a link to the external websites. It is available on the indiainnewyork dot gov dot in website; you can also Google search it. Dont know how much this will help but thought of posting this here. Maybe carrying a printout could help??Overseas Indians Don’t Need Aadhaar for Mobile Connections

Department of Telecom (DoT), Government of India has exempted overseas Indians from linking Aadhaar with their Indian mobile connections and has issued suitable advisory to telecom service providers. DoT has issued a letter dated 01.12.2017 to all mobile phone service licensees to use alternative method to re-verify existing customers belonging to certain categories including foreigners (covering PIOs and OCI cardholders) and NRIs. Procedure and format for this purpose has been prescribed. A copy of DoT letter No.800-26/2016-AS.II dated 01.12.2017 is placed here.

NY India embassy has this posted on their website. This one pager has general information about Aadhaar card for OCI/NRIs and the below paragraph relating to mobile connection. There is a hyper link to the "placed here" that takes you to the actual DOT communication to the service providers for verification for OCI/NRIs relating to mobile connection transaction. Since I just opened my Flyer talk account I cannot post a link to the external websites. It is available on the indiainnewyork dot gov dot in website; you can also Google search it. Dont know how much this will help but thought of posting this here. Maybe carrying a printout could help??

Overseas Indians Don’t Need Aadhaar for Mobile Connections
Department of Telecom (DoT), Government of India has exempted overseas Indians from linking Aadhaar with their Indian mobile connections and has issued suitable advisory to telecom service providers. DoT has issued a letter dated 01.12.2017 to all mobile phone service licensees to use alternative method to re-verify existing customers belonging to certain categories including foreigners (covering PIOs and OCI cardholders) and NRIs. Procedure and format for this purpose has been prescribed. A copy of DoT letter No.800-26/2016-AS.II dated 01.12.2017 is placed here.

Has any non-Indian, with or without an OCI card, had any recent experience of signing up for a new SIM card and mobile phone number after arriving at the International terminal in DEL? If so, how long did the process take and the steepest hurdles that you had to face? Was the SIM activated then and there? If not, how long did the activation take?

I know I have seen articles saying you can get a pre-paid SIM on arrival at DEL and BOM airports - is there the ability to get this on arrival in Chennai (MAA) as well? Flying from SIN, if that makes a difference.

also, if available, are there multiple or just a single vendor for this. Where we are going (village in S. India), BNSL is really the most reliable carrier, so hoping we can get a SIM from there. Apparently Airtel is available in the area too, but less as reliable, so that could be an option as well.

I do not know about Chennai, but will relate my experience after arrival in DEL. The arrivals area AirTel shop (run by a franchisee no doubt) demanded Rs 660 for a 28-day connection. Luckily I smelt a rat and walked away; got a prepaid taxi at the airport to my hotel (the yellow Delhi Police prepaid taxi counter 30 feet away across the road from the exit door) was substantially cheaper than the two prepaid taxi counters) and then got a SIM from town for about Rs 280, activated in a couple of hours!

Do they still do the aadhar drama?

No, I did not face the Aadhar fuss - but I did have an OCI card. However, I have a feeling it would have been OK even without the OCI.

I have an OCI card but no aadhar, getting a sim from a normal mobile operator was near impossible.

Another thread---> https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trav...sim-india.html (very old)
From---> https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trav...i-country.html

Very old threads are not useful, since India's rules have changed multiple times.

Also the enforcement of rules varies, so anecdotal reports should not be taken as gospel. Of course an aadhar makes the transaction very easy for the seller, but I am not sure it is absolutely essential everywhere. Of course my own SIM long predates these requirements, so I have no experience.

If you try to get an AirTel SIM in Calcutta, avoid the AirTel store at the crossing of Park Street & Free School Street - I think it is run by a franchisee and they routinely gouge visitors. It is better to approach the AirTel store on the south side of Park Street (between a Godrej showroom and the offices of Warren Tea / ICICI Bank) - that is a company store and you will get proper prices though service depends on who you encounter!

Only Jio insists on Aadhaar - not surprising, considering the Ambani - Modi nexus

No stress, I still have my mothers old vodafone SIM and use it when in India. Airtel has crap (data) coverage in the areas I usually go to (fathers village). My friend got me a Jio SIM on his name when Jio was up and coming and giving away hotspots for nearly nothing. I hit the aadhar roadblock when I wanted to move the vodafone number to my name. Since it was not possible, I retain the old account which meets every definition of benami now, but what can I do :p

Quite right. The aadhar demand is the laziest and easiest form of KYC that stores use to sell SIMs. Since i refuse to use aadhar on account of my data privacy concerns I always present other ID (Passport, Voters ID, bank passbook with photo) and that has always worked - as recently as a few months ago.

For those residing in India but without Indian Government ID it's hard though not impossible. The company stores are normally helpful and generally require the passport as well as some kind of residence proof - which is quite generous and includes bank statements, credit card statements, etc.

Piling onto this old thread since it's the same topic.

Wondering what the options are for Foreign Passport Holders to acquire a SIM card for their duration of their holiday in India ?
Last i checked, it was the usual rigmarole of having to give one's local ID (Passport, Adhaar card) and it take a few hours to get activated.

Any suggestions on a quick fix for this at any of the Arrival airports such as DEL or BOM ?

Tourist SIMs are available at both the airports you mention. (Sales agents elsewhere may not be willing or able to do the necessary nonstandard paperwork.) These SIMs do not need local ID, but they have finite life (3mo?) and cannot be renewed. I am not sure but it may need a few hours to be activated and possibly also a second verification process (others will have first-hand experience).

You will pay a larger initial fee than Indian residents do, but data in India is very cheap so it is usually worth it (compared to, say, Google Fi, which works well in India with no hassle but costs $10/GB.)

This being 2023, there are now also data-only eSIMs. (You can still call via WhatsApp, Google Voice, etc.) These offer the convenience of purchase over the internet, and electronic delivery, but have higher costs---still cheaper than Google Fi and far from the biggest travel expense. See airalo or mobimatter for examples. One does not necessarily need a lot of GB for a vacation if staying in hotels that have wifi. (I just got back from a 10-day trip to Europe, with a 5GB eSIM from mobimatter, but I used only about 1.5GB.)

No personal experience, but I've heard getting a SIM on arrival at BOM is generally the easiest for tourists / non-residents, but it still means showing documentation and waiting for activation - I don't think you'll be able to avoid those challenges anywhere. At the airport they are likely to be more familiar with dealing with the documentation from a visitor (i.e., foreign passport, hotel reservation, etc.) and it may be more of a struggle at a shop in town.

This page seems to have been updated recently and talks about the Airtel booth at BOM:
https://mountainsandmahals.com/india...umbai-airport/

Thanks for the info..