Phone, SIM cards and internet in Bali

The three mobile groups

Three mobile operator groups matter in Bali, and all three sell SIM cards at the airport.

• Telkomsel runs SIMPATI (prepaid), Halo (postpaid) and by.U. IndiHome home internet became part of Telkomsel on 1 July 2023, so GraPARI shops handle both mobile and home internet.
• Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison runs the IM3 and Tri brands, plus HiFi home WiFi.
• XLSMART was formed on 16 April 2025 when XL Axiata and Smartfren merged. The XL, AXIS and Smartfren brands all continue.

Coverage in Bali

• Telkomsel launched 5G in Denpasar and Badung in August 2024, covering busy routes such as Kuta to Canggu, Nusa Dua and Renon to Sanur.
• Nusa Penida is the weak spot. In March 2026 some tourist spots on the island still had no mobile signal, a gap put down to the island's terrain, while Nusa Lembongan was well covered.
• A second SIM or eSIM from a different group is cheap insurance for trips to the islands and remote areas.

Bringing a phone from abroad

Since 18 April 2020 a phone, tablet or other handheld device brought from abroad must have its IMEI registered before it works with an Indonesian SIM card. There are three routes.

Situation	What to do
Keeping your home SIM on roaming	No IMEI registration needed
Foreign visitor staying 90 days or less	Register the IMEI at a mobile operator outlet when you get your local SIM. This temporary registration covers stays of up to 90 days and is only for foreign nationals
Staying more than 90 days	Register with customs (Bea Cukai) online or in the Mobile Bea Cukai Android app, then have the device checked

Customs registration for longer stays

• At the airport: register before you leave the customs area of the international arrivals terminal. Import duty and import taxes are waived on up to USD 500 of value. The waiver also applies within 5 days of finishing health quarantine, with a letter from the authority.
• After leaving the airport: you have up to 60 days from arrival. Register online first, then take the documents to the nearest customs office. There is no waiver: import duty is 10% of the customs value, VAT is 11% and income tax (PPh 22) is 10% with an Indonesian tax number (NPWP) or 20% without one.
• Limit: two devices per passenger.
• Documents after leaving the airport: the registration receipt with barcode, passport (photo page and arrival stamp page), ticket and boarding pass, NPWP if you have one, proof of purchase if available, and the device itself.
• Activation: once customs obligations are settled, the phone can take up to 2 x 24 hours to work on an Indonesian SIM. The customs IMEI checker shows customs registrations only. Temporary 90 day registrations made at operator outlets do not appear there.
• Corrections: registered IMEI data can be changed within 30 days of approval by applying to customs.
• Help at the airport: Bea Cukai Ngurah Rai, Jl. Airport Ngurah Rai, Tuban, phone 0361 9351035, WhatsApp 0811 3993 500.

The temporary 90 day route is not open to Indonesian citizens, including those returning from abroad with a new phone.

SIM registration since July 2026

Every new SIM card in Indonesia now needs face verification. The rule has applied in full since 1 July 2026.

• Foreigners register with a passport or valid stay permit plus a face scan.
• Starter packs are sold inactive. The number only works after the registration is validated.
• Registration happens at an operator outlet, where the face check takes one to two minutes on average, or through the operator's own app or website.
• Numbers that were already active before the rule do not yet need face verification (October 2026).

Where to buy a SIM or eSIM

At Ngurah Rai airport

The international arrivals area has SIM booths (October 2026):

Booth	Location	Price range	Hours
Telkomsel by Facio	International arrival area	Rp100,000 to Rp800,000	05:00 to 02:00
Indosat	International arrival lobby	Rp50,000 to Rp1,000,000	05:00 to 02:00
Smartfren	International arrival lobby	Rp100,000 to Rp800,000	04:00 to 00:00

A second Telkomsel booth (Telkomsel by ILN) is also in the international arrival lobby. All booths take cash and cashless payment, and Telkomsel by Facio accepts Visa, Mastercard and QRIS.

Tourist eSIM

XL sells the Xtra Combo Flex eSIM online to holders of a foreign passport. Indonesian passport holders cannot buy it. Prices as of October 2026, each plan valid 30 days with 5 minutes of calls to all operators:

Plan	Data	Price
M	14 GB	Rp46,000
L	30 GB	Rp70,000
XL	55 GB	Rp100,000
XXL	80 GB	Rp140,000
XXXL	150 GB	Rp168,000

To buy, check that your phone supports eSIM and is a genuine model, then enter your passport details, email and the phone's IMEI, and pay by credit card or another payment option. The eSIM activates within an hour. XL physical SIMs work the same way: buy the card at a retail outlet, then register it online with passport, email and IMEI.

Regular data packages

Once you have a number, you buy data packages on top. Two IM3 examples as of October 2026, prices including tax:

Package	Data	Validity	Price
Freedom 5G 28GB	15 GB main plus 13 GB 5G	7 days	Rp35,000
Freedom 5G 72GB	52 GB main plus 20 GB 5G	30 days	Rp110,000

The 5G part of the quota needs a 5G phone.

Pulsa and data packages

• Pulsa is prepaid credit on your number.
• A data package is a quota with a fixed validity, from a few hours to 30 days.
• Browsing without an active package is charged to your pulsa at a much higher rate than any package.
• Telkomsel's free Jaga Pulsa setting in the MyTelkomsel app stops pulsa being used for internet when no package is active. With it switched on, data simply stops until you buy a package.
• Packages can be bought in the MyTelkomsel and myIM3 apps, and XL numbers are managed in the myXL app.

Home and villa internet

Ask the landlord which provider already has a line to the house, then check coverage for the exact address before you sign. Prices below are monthly, as of October 2026.

Fibre providers

Provider	Speed and monthly price	Notes
IndiHome (Telkomsel), Denpasar	50 Mbps Rp230,000, 75 Mbps Rp240,000, 100 Mbps Rp270,000, 150 Mbps Rp300,000, 200 Mbps Rp325,000, 300 Mbps Rp475,000	Billed at the end of the month, modem included
Biznet Home, Badung	200 Mbps Rp250,000, 400 Mbps Rp375,000, 500 Mbps Rp575,000, 600 Mbps Gamers plan Rp700,000	Same upload and download speed, fair use limit applies
MyRepublic	30 Mbps Rp235,000, 50 Mbps Rp250,000, 100 Mbps Rp300,000, 250 Mbps Rp400,000, 500 Mbps Rp500,000, 750 Mbps Rp650,000, 1 Gbps Rp850,000	Plus 11% VAT, same upload and download speed, no fair use limit, modem included
ICONNET (PLN Icon Plus), Java and Bali rates	Up to 35 Mbps Rp209,000, 50 Mbps Rp239,000, 100 Mbps Rp299,000, 150 Mbps Rp399,000	Plus VAT
GlobalXtreme	300 Mbps Rp240,000	Head office in Kerobokan, second office in Denpasar

Details that matter:

• IndiHome: register online and installation follows within 3 x 24 hours of confirmation. A 75 Mbps promo plan comes with a 180 day upgrade to 200 Mbps and a promotional Rp50,000 installation fee.
• Biznet: after the fair use quota (1,500 GB on the 200 Mbps plan, up to 10,000 GB on the Gamers plan) speed drops to between 5 and 30 Mbps depending on the plan. Biznet calls within 12 hours of payment to book the visit, installation takes 2 to 4 hours and includes up to 80 m of cable and a rented WiFi modem. Biznet sells in Denpasar and all eight regencies of Bali, subject to the address.
• MyRepublic: installation is free (normally Rp500,000). Its fibre has covered Denpasar, Badung, Tabanan, Gianyar, Jembrana and Klungkung since 2021.
• ICONNET: installation is currently Rp0 instead of Rp250,000.
• GlobalXtreme: a sales officer surveys the site first, and installation follows 3 to 5 business days after payment.

Wireless options

Service	Speed and price	Notes
MyRepublic Air (5G fixed wireless)	Up to 100 Mbps, from Rp100,000 per 30 days	Modem Rp850,000, prices plus 11% VAT, self install
Starlink Residential Lite	Up to 200 Mbps, from Rp510,000	Slower at peak times, not available in all areas
Starlink Residential	Up to 350+ Mbps, from Rp800,000	30 day trial with full refund
Starlink Roam	From Rp900,000	For travel and changing locations

MyRepublic Air is aimed at areas the fibre network does not yet reach.

Practical tips

• WhatsApp is the default channel. Nine in ten Indonesians use it every month. Telkomsel (Veronika) and IM3 both run customer care on WhatsApp, and the Ngurah Rai customs office answers on WhatsApp too.
• Keep a backup. A fibre router stops when the power does. On 2 May 2025 the whole island lost power on a Friday afternoon after power plant faults overloaded the undersea cable from Java, and every customer was back within 12 hours. A charged power bank, a mobile data package and a coworking space or café with its own connection cover most outages.
• Plan for Nyepi. For Nyepi 2026 (19 March) operators were asked to switch off mobile data and IPTV in Bali from 06:00 WITA on 19 March to 06:00 WITA on 20 March, and local TV and radio broadcasters to stop transmitting. Home WiFi over fibre was not part of the shutdown, and operators were asked to keep mobile data running for hospitals, government offices, airports, ports, PLN offices and police and military offices. Nyepi 2027 falls on Monday 8 March 2027. Download maps, entertainment and anything you need the day before.