- Reliability
- Very low
Overall1/10Among the 1% slowest cities for internet
Good to know
Good to Know
- Multiple accommodation providers have adopted Starlink satellite internet to serve remote workers, with latencies of 20–40 ms and speeds often exceeding 100 Mbps—significantly more reliable than traditional mobile or fixed infrastructure
- If relying on mobile connectivity alone, purchase a Telkomsel SIM upon arrival for the most extensive coverage, though signal quality and availability remain inconsistent across the islands
- Do not assume accommodation WiFi is reliable; confirm current reviews specifically mentioning internet speed and stability before booking if remote work is critical
- e-SIM pre-activation before departure is strongly recommended, since on-island WiFi access for e-SIM installation is not guaranteed
- Mobile data remains expensive and capped despite prepaid pricing; consider saturation and bandwidth bottlenecks if streaming or large uploads are required
Connectivity Reliability Tier
Very low
Connectivity Reliability Tier Rationale
Fiber optic infrastructure is absent, only one to two mobile operators provide nominal 4G coverage with documented gaps and unreliability, and accommodation-based WiFi consistency is inconsistent without satellite internet; some resorts now deploy Starlink as a workaround.
Home Broadband
- Availability
- Extremely limited
- Description
- Fiber optic networks are not available on the Mentawai Islands. Internet infrastructure is limited to a single legacy operator (Telkom), with service characterized as scarce and unreliable. Some accommodation providers have begun deploying satellite internet (Starlink) to meet visitor and remote worker needs, offering faster speeds than traditional mobile-based connectivity. Direct fixed-line residential broadband for nomads is not a standard option.
SIM And e-SIM
e-SIM
- Advantages
- No airport queue, instant activation from device, available before departure
- Availability
- Supported by Telkomsel and available through international e-SIM providers
- International Providers
- Multiple providers (Airalo, Saily, Holafly, Nomad, and others) offer Indonesia e-SIM plans starting from approximately $4.50–$5.00 USD for entry-level data packages
- Note
- eSIM installation requires an internet connection, so pre-activation before travel is strongly recommended
Physical SIM
- Availability
- Available at limited outlets; Telkomsel cards sold in major towns
- Prepaid Card Cost
- IDR 35,000
- Tourist Package Cost
- IDR 100,000
- Registration Requirement
- Passport and IMEI registration required via government app or at carrier outlets
Mobile Networks
- Reliability Notes
- Network operators are limited in number and telecommunications services are widely documented as scarce and unreliable despite nominal 4G coverage claims
Primary Carriers
Telkomsel
- Coverage
- 4G nominal, documented coverage gaps
- Notes
- Largest network operator in Indonesia, though Mentawai's limited telecommunications infrastructure means coverage is not reliable across the archipelago
XL Axiata
- Coverage
- 4G USO expansion program
- Notes
- Expanding into Mentawai as part of Indonesia's Universal Service Obligation program for remote areas, deployed infrastructure still scaling
AI-generated estimateData refreshed September 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this connectivity & internet research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Mentawai Islands
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.