The main operators in Malaysia are Maxis, Celcom, Digi, U Mobile and Tune Talk and as a traveller or tourist, you probably wouldn’t need to look for other operators. 2G and 3G coverage is very good in populated areas in Peninsular Malaysia. 4G coverage tend to be limited to major towns and cities. Coverage in East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) tend to be very patchy outside of city centres. Celcom tend to have better coverage in rural areas of East Malaysia.
Here are some ideas of what i may recommendation:
Celcom is the largest provider in Malaysia and offers good 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE services on a GSM platform. Its prepaid SIM card is called “Xpax” and can be picked up for free, although prepaid SIM card plans will have to be added before use. Celcom kiosks are dotted around most towns and cities, and also at the airport. Credit can also be purchased at most retailers around Malaysia. All SIM sizes can be purchased, although some will have to be cut down to fit the nano or mini size.
All prepaid SIM cards are sold under the “Xpax” brand name. A good option is the “Xpax Turbo” pack, which costs MYR10 and comes with MYR6 of credit and 200MB of data, valid for 7 days.
The following data packs are also available, listed with their prices and activation codes:
7 days 2GB RM10 *118*2*2#
30 days 5GB RM30 *118*2*3# or 10GB RM50 *118*2*4#
Dial *118*1*1*2# to check your data balance.
The following data add-ons can also be purchased:
100MB RM3 *118*1*2*4*1# to activate
500MB RM10 *118*1*2*4*2# to activate
1GB RM15 *118*1*2*4*3# to activate
5GBMYR50 *118*1*2*4*4# to activate
The following add-ons can also be added to to increase data usage:
Facebook:
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2GB for a day: MYR1 – *118*3*4*1# to activate
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20GB for a week: MYR7 –*118*3*4*2# to activate
Nighttime use (1am-7am):
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2GB for a day: MYR1 – *118*3*3*1# to activate
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20GB for a week: MYR7 – *118*3*3*2# to activate
DiGi is the third-largest provider in Malaysia and offers good 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE services on a GSM platform. Prepaid SIM cards come only with prepaid SIM card plans. DiGi kiosks are positioned in most towns and cities, and also at the airport. Just like Celcom, credit can also be purchased at most retailers around Malaysia. Credit can be found in several denominations between MYR5 to MYR100. All SIM sizes can be purchased, although some will have to be cut down to accommodate the nano- or mini-sized slot in your phone.
Prepaid SIM card packages come in the following two options:
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DiGi Prepaid Best: MYR8 which comes with MYR5 credit valid for 30 days and 300MB of data valid for 7 days
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DiGi Prepaid Live: MYR12 which comes with MYR8 credit and 300MB of data valid for 7 days.
Dial *126# to check your balance.
Dial *200# to check data usage.
The following data packs can also be added by dialing the activation code:
100MB 24 hours RM1 *116*1#
Unlimited 24 hours RM8 *116*3#
10GB 30 days RM48 *116*1#
All of the above-mentioned packs come with free WhatsApp use and free Internet use on other social media platforms.
There are also several roaming packages available:
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Roam5/Roam10: MYR5 or 10 per day for unlimited social media and messaging, plus 50MB of data.
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RoamCombo: MYR15 for 72 hours’ use of 500MB Internet plus 30 voice minutes, or pay MYR25 for 2GB data plus 30 voice minutes, also valid for 72 hours.
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RoamTelenor: MYR25 for 72 hours’ use of 4GB Internet and 60 voice minutes.
*The list above is the best 2 telco from my experience. Do share with me if you have some other input as well.
Probably one of the first things that we do nowadays as traveller or tourist when arriving at a country is to get a local SIM card, mainly for their data needs. Most of the time it is much cheaper than to use our own roaming feature.
