Turkey’s recent crackdown on international eSIM providers serves as a grim reminder that waiting until you land on the country of your destination to sort out your mobile connectivity can leave you seriously out of pocket. Normally when I traveled, I flew to the country of holiday destination and then grabbed an eSIM while I arrived at the hotel or airport.
But if you are not aware of the latest news, you might end up being in the country where eSIM providers are no more.
The country’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has blocked access to dozens of international eSIM providers with minimal warning, joining nations like China in restricting these services under national security concerns.
For travellers heading to Turkey or any destination where connectivity restrictions might emerge, the solution is straightforward according to Aidan Butler, co-founder of Australian eSIM specialist Simify. Purchase your eSIM before departure, and you’ll sidestep both potential bans and those eye-watering international roaming charges that can turn a holiday budget upside down. Or well, technically you can still get a local, physical SIM card but imagine having to swap SIM cards in 2025.
Or worse, you’d have to enable that roaming package that can normally cost a fortune. Even with “just $5/day” roaming package on Vodafone Australia, it’s using your Vodafone data. Vodafone (and other Telco in Australia) also offers an International eSIM like the Indonesia eSIM plans but it’ll cost you AU$25 to get 10GB of data. That is fine but if you are a heavy user who normally uses around 50GB of data per month (for example), the cost can go spiral out of hand.
In case you are not aware yet, data is actually very cheap in other countries like South East Asian countries (Singapore, Indonesia, etc). But rather than browsing into the unknown territories (you probably don’t know what Telco is good at your holiday destination country), Simify offers both Limited and Unlimited data to various countries.
For Bali (in Indonesia, in case you don’t know), you can grab an AU$109 for 30 days of Unlimited data. If you are staying longer for a business or study trip, you can get their AU$249 Unlimited data plan for 90 days (about AU$2.76 a day – still way cheaper than Vodafone’s $5/day that uses your Australian data).
Butler, whose company recently rebranded from SimsDirect, founded Simify in 2018 alongside his co-founder after experiencing their own frustrations with expensive and restrictive roaming packages. What started as a solution to their personal travel connectivity woes has grown to serve more than 300,000 customers, tapping into widespread demand for better international mobile options.
The beauty of eSIM technology is in its simplicity and convenience. I’ve actually had 2 eSIMs installed on my iPhone 15 Pro (Australia’s Telstra and Singtel’s Singapore) and it is so easy to turn one off and on. Adding data is also as easy as opening the Telco app and recharge. eSIMs basically allow users to switch between mobile networks seamlessly as they travel. This eliminates the need to hunt down local SIM cards upon arrival, removes dependence on potentially insecure public Wi-Fi, and most importantly, helps travellers avoid those shocking roaming bills.
Simify offers mobile coverage across more than 150 countries, providing unlimited data for up to 90 days without the stress of monitoring usage or dealing with surprise top-up fees. It’s the kind of peace of mind that lets you focus on your travels rather than your data allowance. If you are travelling to different countries, Simify also has a package for that. Here’s an example of their South East Asia eSIM (note that the pricing may have changed by the time you read this article):
On their website, you can just type the country of destination to see what data package they have to offer. Then, click the Buy Now button, fill in your details, and make payment. Once completed, you’ll get the instruction to install the eSIM on your phone in your email inbox. You can go to the Portal link for step-by-step installation and instruction, or just use the QR manual on the email. The whole process is very simple.
The eSIM needs to be activated within 180 days of purchase which is nice, just in case there’s a war going on and you have to postpone your travel plan further in the year. This way, you’ll have plenty of leeway before having to activate the eSIM/plan.
On the iPhone, go to Cellular Settings to see all your Physical SIM and eSIMs, and manage them from here (you can turn one on and off, plus choose which eSIM to use the data from – which you are going to select later when you travel).
To explore Simify’s global eSIM and unlimited international data packages, visit Simify (it’s a referral link that will give you a further $10 discount, and yes, also gives me a $10 extra credit).
