Connected Internet, Wifi and Sim Card

How to Stay Connected in Bukit Lawang

Whether you come to Bukit Lawang for Holiday or Stay for more time,  Staying connected  to the internet and being able to use all the great communication tools that come with it, is for many travelers a must - a basic need. Staying in touch with friends, booking a flight, hotel, and etc. checking out the restaurants around you, all can be done online with your smartphone or laptop, and makes your life as a traveler on Bukit Lawang so much easier. 
Although you can not expect everywhere a super fast internet connection, the infrastructure, coverage, and service has improved greatly over the years, and it is nowadays very easy to stay online. A 3G network is available in most areas, if it's not too remote.

Local Sim Cards with internet connection

Unless you are planning to use a local sim-card,  it’s  will be best option. SIM cards on Bukit Lawang are very affordable. No need anymore to pay a crazy amount of money for roaming. For 10Euro you can be online for 30 days with a package of 5 GB. Local SIM cards can be used as long as you have an unlocked phone. 

 

Where to Buy Prepaid SIM Cards on Bukit Lawang

You will find a booth usually at the airport, just after exiting the airport building. Unless you need internet connection quickly you might want to wait as rates here can be significantly higher here. Mobile phone shops that sell SIM cards can be found in the main streets, find  easily recognized by the logo and big banner of the provider. 

Prepaid Cards - How it works

Unlike in many other Asian countries, you do not need to register yourself with your ID or passport when buying a prepaid Sim Card. The process is very easy. Many Bukit Lawang Villagers do also only use prepaid cards, so the whole infrastructure around prepaid SIM cards, the availability, affordability, top-up services, and pricing is great. 

How it works: 
You buy a SIM Card at a dealer or SIM card booth (see below), which comes with your new local phone number. He/she will help you to cut the SIM card into the fitting size for your phone and also activate the card. Let them do it, they know how it works. The dealer will offer you a package or simply ask you how much money you want to deposit. The deposit is called PULSA. 

Free Wifi

You may not feel the need to buy a prepaid SIM card as most hotels, restaurants and cafés offer free WiFi access. Do not expect superfast internet as you will be sharing access with all the other customers but it will be good enough to keep family and friends updated. 

Some mini markets offer free WiFi to their customers. They are easy to recognize by the table and chairs placed outside and filled with people glued to their mobile phones. 

When booking your accommodation you might want to make sure your hotel provides free WiFi in your room as some only provide access in common areas as the lobby or the restaurant. 

Don't expect that to handle large files or use the streaming services. Even youtube can be at times very slow. The quality of wifi in hotels and restaurants is not standardised. Some 5 star hotels provide worse connection than a 3 start property next door.