Indian SIM card for Travel in the North - Ease & Coverage.

Hi,

I'll be cycle touring the North of India in the coming months. (Shimla, Manali, Leh, Kargil, Srinagar, Amritsar)...something like that :)

How easy is it to pick up a SIM card in country these days?? It's been a few years since I've spent a longer time in India requiring a SIM. Last time it was turned around in less than 24 hrs......is this still the case?

Wondering which Telco offers the best coverage in the North? Looking for Calls / Txt / Data for a 3 month period.

Thanks if you can help me out.

Cheers.

As to my latest experience a few weeks ago now you need to come with someone who will give his/her Aadhar card and finger print. Finally in a Vodafone shop they were very helpful and got around it with a phone number of a reference person (hotel staff) as was required last year. It was then activated within minutes.

finger print??!! lol :)

Sounds like a real Ball-Ache......I have a guy (driver) picking me up from the Airport in Delhi, maybe I can use him as my reference?
I'll get in touch with him and see what he has to say on the matter.

Did you have good coverage with Vodaphone? - Where were you travelling?

If he goes with you yes but when you buy a sim in Delhi you'll have roaming everywhere else. And you'll probably have to pay him for his time.
I was very happy with Vodafone but only used it in West Bengal and Bihar. I was also cyclin, from Bangladesh to Nepal by the way. Beware of trucks and buses and avoid highways as much as possible...

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Getting a sim card in Delhi airport won't be a problem. They'll copy your ID, but it won't be activated until after 9 PM that day. I recommend Airtel if you are moving around. Data plans are super cheap. SIM card is valid for 90 days.
Once you cross into Jammu / Kashmir, your SIM won't work. The government is only allowing SIM cards for Aadhaar card holders (residents). Circumventing the rules there won't be easy. I've heard, but not confirmed, that you can get a SIM from the airport in Srinigar (skeptical).

If he goes with you yes but when you buy a sim in Delhi you'll have roaming everywhere else. And you'll probably have to pay him for his time.
I was very happy with Vodafone but only used it in West Bengal and Bihar. I was also cyclin, from Bangladesh to Nepal by the way. Beware of trucks and buses and avoid highways as much as possible...

I'm already paying him for his time and service he's picking me up from the airport and driving me and my bike to Shimla :)

Thanks for the tips - this will be my 4th trip to India and I've been riding bikes for 30 years :) cheers!

Thanks for your reply - Good Info - Cheers!!

I have had Airtel sim-cards since years, and they have generally been very good. But this last winter my Airtel suddenly stopped working. In Bombay I went to an Airtel office to find out what had happened. Much to my surprise they told me Airtel had cancelled the sim since I 'had not used it in a long time'. That was ridiculous, I had indeed used it every day. Not for making telephone calls but for making use of the data traffic, which I had paid for, and kept topping up.

So I'd say beware of Airtel! If you still do get one, make sure to make a regular call every once in a while. Else Airtel will simply cancel your sim. Without warning, and without telling you!

Thanks albin_3

Have you ridden in the North at all??

Hey, just to chip in with what others have said, avoid Airtel!!
After purchase in January, and making irregular calls and texts - no data used at all - service dropped a couple of weeks ago. I was told in an Airtel store that the number had been deleted, no mention of inactivity as per #8 but I'd been getting a series of text messages with different details of the same issue of needing to visit a store to register.
Took this as nonsense as registered when I bought it, messages sometimes stated my visa was expiring on a date in January - this was the date of purchase - and others mentioned 31/03/18 as a deadline - this was the date for Indians to register their Aadhaar numbers to their mobile numbers (for Airtel at any rate).
I've taken this to mean that one or more things were done incorrectly by the store when registering in January.
Incidentally, I never heard a single mention of needing to have a third party reference/fingerprinting....?

Jake, I replied to your other post as well. 90 days is the maximum time you can use a SIM card registered to a foreigner. This is a government mandate and there is no legal way around this. If you plan to be in India longer then set a reminder on your smart phone to apply for a new SIM card before your 90 days are up, bearing in mind that it may be more difficult depending on which city you are in.

jake / iamgorman - thanks for your replies!

I have 3 months in India so the time frame should be OK.

I'm more concerned about how decent the coverage will be in the North.....?

Incidentally, I never heard a single mention of needing to have a third party reference/fingerprinting....?

^^OK, so just walking in to the store with the required documentation is all that is required??

Thanks again for the replies - much appreciated.
Cheers.

Coverage in the North is great, especially along major highways. I get 4G coverage in almost every city with a railway station or highway junction.
You don't need a third party or a fingerprint to get a SIM card. You just need your passport, and depending on the vendor, you may need 2 passport photos.
In Jammu/Kashmir and Ladakh you presently cannot obtain a prepaid SIM without an Indian ID (aadhaar). You may find shops that will sell you a loose SIM at a premium or you could get a local to get a SIM for you, but both of these options are technically illegal. On the road from Srinigar to Leh, you will only get sporadic phone coverage, in Kargil and Dras.

Thank you once again......you've been a big help!!

Cheers.

Hi, it is dead easy to get a local SIM, just do a little research online to find out which phone company is most popular and then go off to the nearest shop in town and get a top up SIM card. They surely also have prepaid internet and calls, I've done it in three countries already. Just pay cash so there is no way you will be charged a recurring fee on your card.

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