Quarterly eSIMMarket Report · Q4 2026
The external market, destination differences and provider coverage in a frozen 12-destination benchmark. The first official V2 baseline for the DriftAsia Data Index.
Executive summary
Travel-eSIM pricing varies by destination and volume band. In the Q4 panel, the median of external destination medians is $1.78/GB at 10 GB and $1.49/GB at 20 GB. These are separate cross-sectional benchmarks, not a change in prices over time.
The 10 GB and 20 GB tiers support comparisons across all 12 destinations. Large-volume availability is narrower: the 50 GB own-brand comparison is eligible in only one destination and stays secondary.
Median of 12 destination competitor medians, USD/GB.
Median of 12 destination competitor medians, USD/GB.
Asia and Middle East panel; equal destination weight.
DriftAsia is excluded from competitor medians.
State of the market
The benchmark describes the retained public travel-eSIM offers in two main volume bands. There is no universal regional price: each destination has its own competitor median and coverage. The larger tier has a lower regional price-per-GB benchmark in this cross-section, but that does not establish a time trend or equal service conditions.
Network quality, actual speeds, local SIM prices and customer support are outside this Price/GB dataset. Specialised field and connectivity studies remain separate publications.
10 GB: the external market
The median of the 12 destination competitor medians is $1.78/GB in the 10–<20 GB tier. Destination medians range from $1.10/GB in Thailand to $2.25/GB in India.
Eligible competitor counts range from 9 to 10 per destination. A destination median and a provider’s regional median answer different questions; neither establishes a best-provider ranking.
Common scale: $0 to $2.50 per GB
- China
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
| Destination | Competitors eligible | Competitor median USD/GB |
|---|---|---|
| China | 10 | $1.80 |
| Hong Kong | 10 | $1.55 |
| India | 10 | $2.25 |
| Indonesia | 10 | $1.85 |
| Japan | 9 | $1.65 |
| Malaysia | 9 | $1.60 |
| Philippines | 9 | $1.90 |
| Saudi Arabia | 10 | $2.10 |
| Singapore | 9 | $1.60 |
| South Korea | 10 | $1.75 |
| Thailand | 10 | $1.10 |
| United Arab Emirates | 10 | $2.00 |
20 GB: the external market
The median of the 12 destination competitor medians is $1.49/GB in the 20–<50 GB tier. Destination medians range from $0.94/GB in Thailand to $1.85/GB in India.
Eligible competitor counts range from 8 to 10 per destination. A destination median and a provider’s regional median answer different questions; neither establishes a best-provider ranking.
Common scale: $0 to $2.00 per GB
- China
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
| Destination | Competitors eligible | Competitor median USD/GB |
|---|---|---|
| China | 10 | $1.54 |
| Hong Kong | 9 | $1.32 |
| India | 8 | $1.85 |
| Indonesia | 9 | $1.65 |
| Japan | 9 | $1.25 |
| Malaysia | 8 | $1.29 |
| Philippines | 8 | $1.48 |
| Saudi Arabia | 9 | $1.82 |
| Singapore | 8 | $1.10 |
| South Korea | 9 | $1.50 |
| Thailand | 10 | $0.94 |
| United Arab Emirates | 9 | $1.70 |
50 GB: availability and limits
50 GB is a secondary indicator. The 50–100 GB tier, including 100 GB, requires at least four eligible external competitors and an eligible own-brand offer per destination.
DriftAsia’s comparable own-brand coverage is 1/12: only Thailand supports the comparison. Its gap is +146.4%. A single comparable destination cannot describe the wider regional market.
| Destination | Competitors | Market USD/GB | DriftAsia USD/GB | Gap | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 3 | $0.70 | $1.02 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Hong Kong | 3 | $0.98 | $0.70 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| India | 3 | $0.86 | $1.74 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Indonesia | 3 | $0.82 | $0.70 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Japan | 3 | $0.70 | $0.70 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Malaysia | 2 | $0.72 | $0.70 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Philippines | 4 | $0.93 | Unknown | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | $1.02 | $2.40 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Singapore | 3 | $0.62 | $0.70 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| South Korea | 3 | $0.78 | $0.70 | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
| Thailand | 4 | $0.50 | $1.24 | +146.4% | Included |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | $1.06 | Unknown | Unknown | Outside aggregate |
Destination differences
The fixed panel covers Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines. It is a defined regional research panel, not a census of Asian destinations.
The destination is the unit of regional aggregation: each contributes one gap, regardless of the number of qualifying offers. A regional median does not mean every destination has the same result.
| Destination | 10 GB market USD/GB | 20 GB market USD/GB |
|---|---|---|
| China | $1.80 | $1.54 |
| Hong Kong | $1.55 | $1.32 |
| India | $2.25 | $1.85 |
| Indonesia | $1.85 | $1.65 |
| Japan | $1.65 | $1.25 |
| Malaysia | $1.60 | $1.29 |
| Philippines | $1.90 | $1.48 |
| Saudi Arabia | $2.10 | $1.82 |
| Singapore | $1.60 | $1.10 |
| South Korea | $1.75 | $1.50 |
| Thailand | $1.10 | $0.94 |
| United Arab Emirates | $2.00 | $1.70 |
Provider coverage
Ten external providers form the competitive panel: Airalo, Nomad, Saily, Ubigi, Yesim, Jetpac, BNESIM, aloSIM, GigSky, Airhub. Coverage varies by tier. Provider medians describe the destinations with a retained qualifying observation; incomplete coverage changes the sub-panel.
These figures are not a provider ranking. The observations retained in the validated Q4 inputs do not establish that a complete catalogue was audited. The external destination median remains the benchmark.
| External provider | 10 GB USD/GB | Coverage | 20 GB USD/GB | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | $1.95 | 12/12 | $1.55 | 12/12 |
| Nomad | $1.70 | 12/12 | $1.35 | 12/12 |
| Saily | $2.00 | 12/12 | $1.80 | 12/12 |
| Ubigi | $1.55 | 12/12 | $1.27 | 12/12 |
| Yesim | $1.92 | 12/12 | $1.43 | 12/12 |
| Jetpac | $1.70 | 9/12 | $1.75 | 10/12 |
| BNESIM | $0.71 | 12/12 | $0.60 | 12/12 |
| aloSIM | $1.95 | 12/12 | $1.55 | 12/12 |
| GigSky | $1.81 | 12/12 | $1.83 | 2/12 |
| Airhub | $1.38 | 11/12 | $0.89 | 10/12 |
DriftAsia position
The median destination gap for DriftAsia is −35.0% at 10 GB and −27.5% at 20 GB. The own brand sits below the competitor median in 10/12 and 9/12 destinations respectively.
Positive gaps remain visible. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are above the competitor median in both primary tiers. India is below the median at 10 GB and above it at 20 GB.
| Destination | 10 GB gap | Classification | DriftAsia 10 GB USD/GB | 20 GB gap | Classification | DriftAsia 20 GB USD/GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | −33.9% | Below median | $1.19 | −31.9% | Below median | $1.05 |
| Hong Kong | −36.1% | Below median | $0.99 | −36.0% | Below median | $0.85 |
| India | −2.7% | Below median | $2.19 | +2.5% | Above median | $1.90 |
| Indonesia | −46.5% | Below median | $0.99 | −48.8% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Japan | −40.0% | Below median | $0.99 | −32.4% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Malaysia | −38.1% | Below median | $0.99 | −34.2% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Philippines | −26.8% | Below median | $1.39 | −8.9% | Below median | $1.35 |
| Saudi Arabia | +13.8% | Above median | $2.39 | +9.8% | Above median | $1.99 |
| Singapore | −38.1% | Below median | $0.99 | −23.2% | Below median | $0.85 |
| South Korea | −43.4% | Below median | $0.99 | −43.6% | Below median | $0.85 |
| Thailand | −10.0% | Below median | $0.99 | −9.9% | Below median | $0.85 |
| United Arab Emirates | +49.5% | Above median | $2.99 | +55.6% | Above median | $2.65 |
How the gap works: (own-brand USD/GB ÷ destination competitor median USD/GB − 1) × 100. A negative gap means below the competitor median; a positive gap means above. Regional results are the median of unrounded destination gaps with equal weight. Do not recompute them from rounded displayed prices.
Methodology in brief
The V2 methodology is designed to select the cheapest eligible publicly payable offer per provider × destination × tier. Price per GB is payable price ÷ actual delivered GB; an external competitor median is calculated for each destination. Own brands are excluded. Regional brand gaps receive equal destination weight.
Primary tiers are 10–<20 GB and 20–<50 GB. The 50–100 GB tier is secondary. Minimum external competitor counts are seven for the primary tiers and four for 50 GB; an eligible own-brand offer is required for a brand gap.
Q4 is a validated aggregated benchmark. Individual offer selection cannot be independently re-audited from the frozen snapshot alone. The published aggregate calculations remain inspectable in the regional dataset.
Read the V2 method and Q4 audit limits →Limitations and transparency
Q4 2026 is published from the frozen validated benchmark dataset used for this edition. The methodology is designed to select the lowest-priced eligible public offer for each provider, destination and tier. However, the frozen Q4 snapshot does not retain plan names, source URLs or duration metadata for every observation, so that offer-level selection cannot be independently re-audited from the published snapshot alone.
This limitation applies to the auditability of individual offer selection, not to the published aggregate calculations derived from the frozen Q4 dataset.
Unknown remains unknown. This edition does not demonstrate a universal validity of at least 30 days. Plan names, duration, source URLs and provider-specific collection timestamps cannot be supplied where the frozen data does not retain them.
The 12-destination panel does not represent every country, offer or service. Duration, networks, speed, support and conditions may differ. Prices can change after the snapshot date; this benchmark is not a live offer catalogue or a measure of network quality.
Q4 2026 is the first official V2 baseline. Trend status: INSUFFICIENT_HISTORY. No Q3-to-Q4 comparison or reconstructed V1/V2 trend is published. Q1 2027 is the first possible QoQ comparison, subject to a valid comparable dataset.
Data and downloads
The public regional dataset exposes the frozen validated aggregates, provider coverage, method, provenance and Q4 limitations. All benchmark prices and price-per-GB values are in USD. CSV contains the 36 destination × tier aggregate rows; it is not an offer-level catalogue.
How to cite
- Title
- Quarterly eSIM Market Report — Q4 2026
- Publisher
- DriftAsia
- Quarter
- Q4 2026
- Snapshot date
- 2026-09-28
- Publication date
- 2026-10-08
- Methodology
- Price/GB V2 with Q4 audit limits
- Dataset
- Regional benchmark · USD
- Permalink
- https://driftasia.com/data-index/esim-market-report-q4-2026/
Recommended citation
DriftAsia (2026-10-08). Quarterly eSIM Market Report — Q4 2026. Q4 2026. Snapshot: 2026-09-28. https://driftasia.com/data-index/esim-market-report-q4-2026/
Frequently asked questions
How is price per GB calculated in V2?
The designed selection unit is provider × destination × tier: the cheapest eligible publicly payable offer, divided by actual delivered GB. External competitor medians exclude DriftAsia. Regional gaps are medians of destination gaps with equal destination weight.
Can every Q4 selected offer be independently re-audited?
Q4 2026 is published from the frozen validated benchmark dataset used for this edition. The methodology is designed to select the lowest-priced eligible public offer for each provider, destination and tier. However, the frozen Q4 snapshot does not retain plan names, source URLs or duration metadata for every observation, so that offer-level selection cannot be independently re-audited from the published snapshot alone. This limitation applies to the auditability of individual offer selection, not to the published aggregate calculations derived from the frozen Q4 dataset.
Does Q4 establish a 30-day minimum validity?
No. The frozen Q4 data does not retain duration metadata for every observation. Unknown remains unknown; no universal 30-day validity claim is made.
Why is the 50 GB result secondary?
Comparable own-brand coverage is only 1 of 12 destinations at the four-competitor threshold. The +146.4% gap describes that small sub-panel and cannot be generalised to the region.
Does this publication show a quarterly price trend?
No. Q4 2026 is the first official V2 baseline and trend status is INSUFFICIENT_HISTORY. V1 monthly and catalogue histories remain separate. Q1 2027 is the first possible comparable quarter.
Who publishes the benchmark?
DriftAsia publishes the research and is the own brand in the comparison. Own brands are excluded from competitor medians. The methodology and regional dataset are public.