Which local network to lean on, what a tourist SIM costs on the ground, and the one coverage caveat that matters - for 27 destinations across Asia.
| Country | Main operator | Local SIM | Coverage note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | Banglalink | $4-8 | Dense population means broad 4G; 5G nascent. |
| Cambodia | Metfone | $4-9 | Cheap data, good in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap; rural temples weaker. |
| China | China Unicom | $10-18 | Vast 5G but the Great Firewall is the real issue; roaming eSIMs often bypass it. |
| Georgia | Magti | $6-11 | Tbilisi and Batumi strong; mountain regions variable. |
| Hong Kong | CSL Mobile | $10-16 | Dense urban 5G; works deep in the MTR. |
| India | Bharti Airtel Reliance Jio | $4-9 | Jio's 5G rollout is vast and cheap; rural pockets still 4G. |
| Indonesia | Telkomsel | $6-12 | Telkomsel dominant on outer islands; Bali well covered, remote dive sites weak. |
| Israel | Pelephone | $10-18 | Strong nationwide coverage; cheap competitive market. |
| Japan | au by KDDI | $20-30 | Exceptional nationwide 5G; abundant free WiFi reduces real mobile use. |
| Jordan | Zain Jordan | $7-13 | Amman and tourist sites solid; desert routes patchier. |
| Kazakhstan | Beeline Kazakhstan | $6-11 | Cities good; vast distances between them go dark. |
| Laos | Lao Telecom | $5-11 | Mountainous terrain limits coverage; download offline maps. |
| Malaysia | CelcomDigi | $7-12 | Strong peninsula coverage; Borneo interior patchier. |
| Mongolia | Mobicom | $6-12 | Ulaanbaatar covered; the steppe is largely off-grid. |
| Nepal | Nepal Telecom Ncell Axiata | $5-10 | Kathmandu fine; trekking routes above 3000m unreliable to none. |
| Pakistan | Jazz Pakistan | $4-9 | Urban 4G decent; northern mountains very limited. |
| Philippines | Smart Communications | $6-12 | 7,000 islands mean wildly variable coverage; ferries often dead zones. |
| Qatar | Ooredoo Qatar | $14-22 | Excellent dense coverage across the peninsula. |
| Saudi Arabia | Mobily | $12-20 | Strong 5G in cities and along major highways. |
| Singapore | Singtel | $12-18 | City-state with saturation coverage; PayNow QR everywhere. |
| South Korea | SK Telecom | $18-28 | World-leading 5G density; near-total coverage including subways. |
| Sri Lanka | Mobitel | $4-8 | Dialog widest; hill country and east coast can drop. |
| Thailand | dtac | $8-15 | 5G covers 95%+ of population; AIS strongest on islands and rural north. |
| Turkey | Türk Telekom Mobile Turkcell | $8-16 | Turkcell very wide; Cappadocia and coast well served. |
| UAE | Etisalat (e&) | $15-25 | Among the world's best 5G; VoIP often restricted on local SIMs. |
| Uzbekistan | Beeline Uzbekistan | $5-10 | Silk Road cities covered; desert stretches unreliable. |
| Vietnam | Viettel Mobile | $5-10 | Viettel has the widest rural reach; cities are fast and cheap. |
"Top" means the network we'd hand a traveller who can only choose one - the best balance of nationwide reach and reliability where tourists actually go, not simply the largest subscriber base. Local SIM prices are typical tourist-package rates bought on arrival, in USD.
Reviewed monthly against operator reports and field observation. History from April 2026.
DriftAsia, "Asia Mobile Operators Reference", August 2026. https://driftasia.com/data/data-asia.jsonOpen data under CC BY 4.0. Free to reuse with attribution.