Thailand is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world.
And that is understandable – it has a lot to offer.
Rainforests, waterfalls & stunning islands – Thailand has it all.
What makes Thailand so popular too is that it is a relatively affordable travel destination too.
Premium accommodation for reasonable rates, delicious food for low prices & prices for items do not break the bank either.
And the same can be said about SIM cards and mobile data in Thailand – they are of high quality for low prices.
Which is way different from neighboring countries.
During my stay in Thailand, I tested three Thai SIM cards, including Dtac Thailand, and five travel eSIMs.
This resulted in me spending more than 100 USD for my Thailand SIM card and travel eSIM review series (1948 THB (≈ 47 USD) on Thai SIM cards and 58 USD on travel eSIMs to be used in Thailand) – yeah… I went all out for you 😎.
I am excluding the cost of Airalo's Asialink 100 GB eSIM (185 USD) and its Discover Global 20 GB eSIM (89 USD) because I use both in multiple countries, not just Thailand.
In many countries, getting a local SIM card will be the most cost-effective way to stay connected.
The same can be said about Thailand, which has reasonably priced regular and tourist SIM cards, including Dtac Thailand.
But the thing is… I am not a fan of Dtac Thailand.
And no, its employees did not insult me or did me dirty or something like that 🤣.
It is just that while it is the cheapest option for SIM cards in Thailand (8.60 USD for 15 GB of data with 5G NR access, which is a steal), its network performance is mediocre.
Especially compared to the other two Thai mobile operators, AIS Thailand and TrueMove H, which are only slightly more expensive than Dtac Thailand but are significantly better.
And when I say significantly, I truly mean significantly… it is almost insulting.
This is one of the reasons I have been lobbying Airalo to replace its Thailand offering, which are the Dtac Happy Tourist eSIMs, with something else so that you will have a better network experience in Thailand.
And this is also why I did not review “Airalo's Thailand offering” because it is just Dtac Thailand – the same applies to Dtac partners like Airhub, Billion Connect, Changi Recommends, eSIM Thailand by eSIM World, eTravelSIM, Mobimatter & Tour Tech. But I did test Airalo's Asialink and Discover Global eSIMs because they are not resold Dtac eSIMs.
If you stay in urban areas, Dtac Thailand will work fine.
But if you go to rural areas or off the beaten track… you will also be off the grid too 😩.
But you would not know unless you use AIS Thailand and TrueMove H at the same time, which ordinary people do not do.
I am not normal (🤪), so I did use those SIM cards simultaneously… and I am disappointed with Dtac Thailand.
The good news is that TrueMove H and Dtac Thailand are in the process of merging, meaning their networks will be combined.
This will significantly boost the performance of all Dtac Thailand customers… but you have to wait a few years to enjoy that.
In the meantime… you have to deal with Dtac Thailand as it is.
What a bummer intro, right? 🗿
It is what it is 🤷🏿♂️ – Let's get started.
Original publication: 20th of June 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Who is Dtac Thailand?
Dtac Thailand, just Dtac but standing for Total Access Communication, is the third-largest mobile operator in Thailand.
So the D in Dtac is for decoration purposes, I guess 🗿.
In Thailand, you have three mobile operators offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- AIS Thailand
- TrueMove H
- Dtac Thailand
As of March 2023, TrueMove H and Dtac Thailand have become one entity (True Corp). According to CommsUpdate, the two companies must operate as separate corporations for at least three years. So there will still be dedicated TrueMove H and Dtac Thailand stores, stalls, booths & SIM cards for now.
As you know, I tested the other three mobile operators during my stay in Thailand. You can read them here: AIS Thailand and TrueMove H.
Let's talk about Dtac Thailand's coverage first, after these quick frequency details:
- 2G: 1800 MHz
- 3G: 850 MHz, 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
- 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 1800 MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1) & 2300 MHz (Band 40)
- 5G NR: 700 MHz (n28), 850 MHz (n5), 900 MHz (n8), 1800 MHz (n3), 2100 MHz (n1), 2300 MHz (n40) & 26 GHz (n258)
- VoLTE: Yes
- VoWiFi: Yes
Here you have Dtac Thailand's APN settings:
- Name: DTAC INTERNET
- APN: www.dtac.co.th
Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.
Dtac Thailand Coverage + My Experience
You can have a mobile operator providing you 1 Gbps download speeds.
But it will be useless if it covers only one street in Thailand.
So, how is Dtac Thailand's coverage?
Honestly, the three mobile operators cover practically all of Thailand, with an availability of more than 99.3%.
But… do not get too excited for Dtac Thailand yet.
My experience with Dtac Thailand has been significantly worse than with AIS Thailand and TrueMove H on the islands I visited and in rural areas.
But I will get to that in a minute.
When looking at 5G NR availability, Dtac Thailand has the worst availability (17.1%). Behind AIS Thailand (25.2%) and TrueMove H (28.7%).
But from my experience, I was on 5G NR a lot more with AIS Thailand than with TrueMove H 🤔.
So far, I have been talking about coverage from other reports, but what was my coverage experience with Dtac Thailand?
Well, I already said it was significantly worse than with AIS Thailand and TrueMove H 🗿.
And I am not so much referring to the fact that 5G NR reception with Dtac Thailand did not exist outside of Bangkok (on Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui – both islands).
But it also often had no reception while the other two SIM cards did – or I had to wait a long time for the SIM card to reconnect.
I did not have such issues in Bangkok (imagine that, lmao), which is why I have always discouraged Phone Travel Wiz readers from using Dtac Thailand outside of urban areas.
You will get frustrated 🗿 especially when knowing AIS Thailand and TrueMove H do not struggle (as much) as Dtac Thailand.
The merger with TrueMove H will probably do wonders for Dtac Thailand (but not the other way around, I assume).
Anyway, below is Dtac Thailand's coverage map produced by Speedtest:
How to Get a Dtac Thailand SIM Card (or eSIM) & Prices
Now that you have a basic understanding of Dtac Thailand and the telecom market in Thailand, it is now time to talk about how to actually get a Dtac Thailand SIM card.
Unlike most countries in Asia, I do not recommend visiting a Dtac store to get a Dtac Thailand SIM card.
Well, it is not that I discourage it; it is just not required.
As a tourist, most Dtac employees will only sell you their tourist SIM cards: Dtac Happy Tourist.
Note that most Dtac stores, including stores and airport booths, also sell Dtac Happy Tourist eSIMs, even when I keep writing “SIM cards”. Resellers like convenience stores do not.
Even though regular Dtac SIM cards are available (which can be useful for those staying in Thailand for a prolonged period).
Instead, I recommend getting Dtac Thailand SIM cards at one of the many international airports, such as Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK – main international airport) and Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport (DMK – budget regional airport serving mostly East- and Southeast Asian destinations), or Phuket International Airport (HKT).
But… am I usually against buying SIM cards at airports because they are overpriced and you have to deal with a tourist tax/convenience fee?
That is true – and I still stand by that.
However, Dtac Thailand and the other two Thai mobile operators sell their tourist SIM cards at their advertised prices at airports nowadays.
Back in the day, they were significantly overpriced – especially at Phuket International Airport. The pandemic may have reset this, it seems.
Moreover, some airports have exclusive and attractive deals you cannot get in Dtac stores.
Anyway, I will focus on Dtac Happy Tourist SIM cards for the remainder of this section.
Because I suspect Dtac Thailand has an unannounced policy where tourists cannot get regular Dtac prepaid SIM cards (anymore – I tried multiple stores without luck).
But you may have better chances if you have a long-term visa (but you may be eligible for postpaid plans instead – they are of better value).
For you, I recommend checking the Dtac section in my Thailand SIM card buying guide instead.
Anyway, I visited four airports back in March 2023: the two in Bangkok I mentioned earlier, Koh Samui (USM) & Phuket.
Each airport has its own exclusive plans, but I will mostly stick to the ones sold at all (including the ones I did not visit this trip… I had to enjoy Thailand itself, not just its airports 😜).
Dtac Thailand has three tourist SIM cards from the Happy Tourist SIM line:
| Price | Credit | Data | Social Data 1 | On-Net Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 149 THB | 15 THB | 5 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 4 days |
| 299 THB | 15 THB | 15 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8 days |
| 599 THB | 15 THB | 30 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 15 days |
1 for Facebook Messenger, Kakao, Line, WeChat & WhatsApp
The 149 THB SIM card is almost impossible to find – not even in Dtac stores.
And they are not sold at any international airport.
I could only find them in a Familymart on an island (Koh Samui) – not even in Bangkok.
But I may have been unlucky 🤷🏿♂️.
Speaking of Familymart, that is the convenience store you can almost always buy Dtac SIM cards from.
7-Eleven mostly has TrueMove H SIM cards instead.
At most international airports, you can also find Worry-Free Packages (they are called Unlimited Internet Plans at Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport and probably a few others too).
The staff at airports told me these are the most sold Dtac plans.
You have these Worry-Free Packages:
| Price | Credit | Data | On-Net Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 249 THB | 200 THB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3 days |
| 349 THB | 200 THB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 8 days |
| 699 THB | 200 THB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 16 days |
| 999 THB | 200 THB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days |
| 1199 THB | 200 THB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 90 days |
Not all packages are available at all airports, but the 349 THB to 1199 THB ones often are. Credit, data, on-net minutes & validity are consistent, though.
Next, we have Value for Money Packages (also known as Best Value Packages at some airports):
| Price | Credit | Data | On-Net Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 259 THB | 15 THB | 7 GB | Unlimited | 8 days |
| 349 THB | 15 THB | 20 GB | Unlimited | 16 days |
| 699 THB | 15 THB | 40 GB | Unlimited | 30 days |
| 999 THB | 15 THB | 90 GB | Unlimited | 90 days |
All plans were available at all the airports I visited.
And then there are plans that were exclusive to individual airports only.
All the Dtac salespeople I spoke to told me that unlimited meant truly unlimited.
But Dtac Thailand also advertises that its SIM cards get “max speeds”, even though the back of the starter kits say up to 100 Mbps.
While I have experienced throttling at even slower speeds.
But I will go over that in the speed sections later on.
So that is why I highly doubt you could use 200 GB or something.
But you can try it out 😏.
Okay, back to eSIMs.
Various other resellers, including Airalo, sell Dtac's Happy Tourist SIM as eSIMs.
Meaning you can have your eSIM before heading to Thailand.
Unlike getting a Dtac Happy Tourist eSIM in Thailand, purchasing it from Airalo does not require registation.
Why does it matter? Optus from Australia had a large-scale hack where the identities of more than 10 million people were stolen in October 2022, including mine 🤯.
Luckily for me, only basic (and outdated) info was leaked.
In my boyfriend's case, his passport document number was also stolen… so that was nice 🫠.
And hacks like this happen all the time – apparently. 1.3 billion SIM card registration-related data was stolen in Indonesia around the same time 😒.
But do note that you cannot extend the validity of the eSIM if you buy it from Airalo or other resellers – you would need to buy another eSIM.
Moreover, the ones sold on Airalo are slightly more expensive than in Thailand.
299 THB is roughly 8.70 USD – Airalo charges 9.90 USD for this eSIM (15 GB for 8 days).
599 THB is about 17.50 USD. If you were to get this eSIM from Airalo (with 30 GB for 15 days), you would pay 19.95 USD.
Are these outrageous surcharges? Not at all – especially knowing you can skip the (potentially long) queues at the airport.
But remember this: unlike most Airalo eSIMs, which get activated as soon as you connect to a supported network (so you can install it months in advance without starting the validity), the validity of Dtac eSIMs starts as soon as you install it on your phone.
So do not install this eSIM until at least a day before arriving in Thailand.
Better yet, wait until you are in Thailand before scanning the QR code.
Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in Thailand (especially those not using the Dtac Thailand network.
But they are often not as cheap as Dtac…
You can read about them in my Best Thailand eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.
Dtac Thailand Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check
Dtac top-up vouchers are sold in Dtac stores, grocery stores, corner shops & electronics shops throughout Thailand.
The following (online) Dtac top-ups are available:
| Top-Up | Channels |
|---|---|
| 20 THB | Online & POS |
| 30 THB | Online & POS |
| 50 THB | Online, POS & Voucher |
| 100 THB | Online, POS & Voucher |
| 150 THB | POS |
| 200 THB | Online, POS & Voucher |
| 250 THB | POS |
| 300 THB | Online, POS & Voucher |
| 350 THB | POS |
| 400 THB | Online & POS |
| 450 THB | POS |
| 500 THB | Online, POS & Voucher |
| 550 THB | POS |
| 600 THB | POS |
| 650 THB | POS |
| 700 THB | POS |
| 750 THB | POS |
| 800 THB | Online, POS & Voucher |
| 850 THB | POS |
| 900 THB | POS |
| 950 THB | Online, POS & Voucher |
| 1000 THB | Online |
| 1100 THB | POS |
| 1200 THB | POS |
| 1300 THB | POS |
| 1400 THB | POS |
| 1500 THB | POS |
To top up your Dtac SIM card, dial *101*VoucherCode#.
For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *101*123456#.
You can also recharge online with (international) debit and credit cards.
Dial *123# to check your Dtac balance.
You can top up your Dtac SIM card on the dtac app (Android/iOS).
Dtac Thailand Speed Test Results in Thailand
Being expanded.
Dtac Thailand Speed Test Results in Bangkok
Bangkok is Thailand's capital and largest city.
The city is known for its organized traffic chaos, where traffic rules are always broken.
Still, road users are not injured all the time… somehow.
The main gateways to Thailand are through one of Bangkok's airports: Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK – main international airport) and Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport (DMK – budget regional airport serving mostly East- and Southeast Asian destinations).
Whole dedicated and extensive Bangkok blogs give you tips, tricks & secrets about this lovely city, so I will save attraction recommendations for them (as my expertise is in SIM cards and eSIMs… I am a rather boring traveler 🗿).
As Thailand's largest city, I expected each SIM card and travel eSIM, including Dtac Thailand, to perform at its best in Bangkok.
So, let's see how Dtac Thailand performed in Bangkok:
[IMG]
Poor speeds with Dtac Thailand in Bangkok.
But… how is an average download speed of around 31 Mbps and a median speed of 29 Mbps poor?
I compare the median download speed of a local SIM card or travel eSIM with the global median download speed of the month.
I consider the speeds poor if it is slower by more than 10 Mbps than the global median.
Yes, I have strict requirements over here 😤.
The global median was 42.07 Mbps in April 2023, as per the Speedtest Global Index, and Dtac Thailand was slower by more than 10 Mbps.
So what do I think happened with the Dtac Thailand SIM card?
I suspect it throttles its speeds @ 25 Mbps most of the time (but not all the time).
Dtac Thailand promotes the fact that all its Happy Tourist SIM cards @ “max. speeds”.
But on the back of the starter pack, speeds are up to 100 Mbps.
But when doing tests, I could see speeds go faster than 25 Mbps and then drop back to 25 Mbps or go up 25 Mbps and stay there – especially outside of Bangkok.
Anyway, I had an average download speed of 31.77 Mbps and a median download speed of 29.27 Mbps with Dtac Thailand: it passed the 4K video streaming test in Bangkok (minimum of 25 Mbps).
The same can be said for the HD live streaming test in Bangkok – Dtac Thailand had an average upload speed of 21.83 and a median upload speed of 23.97 Mbps, making it pass the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).
Dtac Thailand never had the fastest download speed among the Big Three.
In fact, it was the slowest at 24 of the 31 test locations throughout Bangkok.
But… the average of those slowest results is 30.69 Mbps… so it is not that bad.
And at some locations, it was even slower than the travel eSIMs I used (which route their traffic through Hong Kong or Singapore – making them slower than the partner networks they roam on).
Anyway, the best result I have gotten with Dtac Thailand in Bangkok was at the arrival hall of the domestic terminal at Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport (DMK – Bangkok's budget/regional airport).
There, I got a download speed of 80.64 Mbps on 5G NR.
For comparison, AIS Thailand got 155.19 Mbps, and TrueMove H got 165.37 Mbps – both on 5G NR.
Yeah… Dtac Thailand better gets access to the TrueMove H network real quick 🤣.
Other impressive Dtac Thailand results were at the arrivals of the international terminal at Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport and Terminal 21 (Asok) mall – both 62.89 Mbps on 5G NR.
At those locations, in the same order, AIS Thailand got 38.88 Mbps (surprisingly slower than Dtac Thailand) and 219.61 Mbps – both on 5G NR.
While TrueMove H got 76.81 Mbps and a whopping 459.66 Mbps – also both on 5G NR.
And the Terminal 21 result was not even its fastest result (that was at Centralworld – 772.78 Mbps on 5G NR. The fastest speed I have gotten in Thailand).
But the slowest speeds I have gotten with Dtac Thailand were at Central World (7.04 Mbps on 5G NR) and the International Bus & Taxi Stand at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK – 7.06 Mbps on 5G NR).
I will spare you the comparion with the other two mobile operators to spare Dtac Thailand's feelings (especially the ones at MBK Center 😳).
Or 8.10 Mbps (5G NR) at Adelphi Grande Sukhumvit Hotel (highly recommend – excellent rooms for reasonable prices) and 8.56 Mbps (5G NR) at the international luggage claim at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
So what about Dtac Thailand's upload speeds?
Surprisingly, not too bad (but still significantly slower than the other two mobile operators).
The fastest upload speed I got with the SIM card was at the arrival hall of the domestic terminal at Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport (44.54 Mbps on 5G NR).
After that, 40.94 Mbps (5G NR) was at the train station of Bangkok-Don Mueang International Airport.
The other two mobile operators had similar results (except for AIS Thailand at the train station – 103.17 Mbps on 5G NR. And that was not even its fastest result! 😳).
The thing is, for the prices you pay for a Dtac Thailand SIM card or eSIM, these results are satisfactory.
I have been to countries that charge you almost an arm and a leg, and you get an even worse network experience.
The issue is that the other two mobile operators are slightly more expensive than Dtac (up to 5 USD, unless you get a very premium plan), and they give you a way better experience – especially in Bangkok.
So is that 5 USD savings worth it? It only gets worse from here…
Dtac Thailand Speed Test Results in Koh Pha Ngan
Koh Pha Ngan is a small adjacent island of Koh Samui.
It is mostly known for being the quieter Koh Samui (the latter with a population of more than 67 000).
It is apparently internationally known for its Halfmoon Festival (which has nothing to do with Lunar New Year).
This festival, which is more of a beach party, takes place one week before and after the Full Moon.
It is quite an extraordinary experience. So if you are nearby, you know where to party.
And you can get pretty glitter like this, which your hotel will LOVE to clean up 😂.
There is also a Full Moon Party, taking place when there is a Full Moon – I did not join that one.
Koh Pha Ngan has a population of more than 11 000, so I did not expect reception, let alone speed, to be incredibly fast.
But both reception and speeds on Poh Pha Ngan, even knowing how many tourists and partygoers visit this island.
Let's see how Dtac Thailand performed in Koh Pha Ngan:
Being added.
Dtac Thailand Speed Test Results in Koh Samui
Koh Samui is the third-largest island in Thailand.
But it is considered the largest Thai archipelago, with more than 80 islands.
Some say that Koh Samui is what Phuket used to be many years ago before it became overcrowded.
Although they are the same people that claim Koh Samui is getting overcrowded too.
It is a lovely island with many things to do, including visiting the ethical Samui Elephant Sanctuary (highly recommend!).
Or the island hopping tour, allowing you to visit multiple adjacent islands to enjoy spectacular views, including Ang Thong National Marine Park.
Let's see how Dtac Thailand performed in Koh Samui:
[IMG]
Poor speeds with Dtac Thailand in Koh Samui.
In the Bangkok section, I explain why an average download speed of 18.32 Mbps is considered poor, so I will not repeat myself.
One thing that made Dtac Thailand so slow is that it has no 5G NR reception on Koh Samui.
In fact, at two test locations, it had no reception at all 😩.
But you may think, “Adu… it is a relatively small island compared to Phuket. Do you really expect 5G NR here)?”.
And the answer is yes – 5G NR should be everywhere already 😡.
I jest – I did not expect 5G NR in Koh Samui… except for the fact that both AIS Thailand and TrueMove H had 5G NR reception here.
And the former has incredibly fast speeds (the fastest was 550 Mbps on 5G NR at Sala Thai Restaurant (lovely and affordable food here, by the way) – way faster than Dtac Thailand ever got. Even in Bangkok).
So if AIS Thailand and TrueMove H had 5G NR reception on the island, Dtac Thailand could have had too 😒.
Anyway, I had an average download speed of 18.32 Mbps and a median download speed of 15.11 Mbps with Dtac Thailand: it failed the 4K video streaming test in Koh Samui (minimum of 25 Mbps).
The same can also be said for the HD live streaming test in Koh Samui – Dtac Thailand had an average upload speed of 6.33 and a median upload speed of 4.21 Mbps, making it fail the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).
In the Bangkok section, I also mentioned that I suspect that Dtac Thailand throttles speeds (@ 25 Mbps), even though it advertises “max speeds” which are actually up to 100 Mbps.
In Koh Samui, the speeds were often too slow for the throttling to take effect while doing my tests.
In fact, only six of the 23 test results were faster than 25 Mbps.
For comparison, AIS Thailand had only two results slower than 25 Mbps, while TrueMove H had only five.
So I am not lying when I say that Dtac Thailand is slow 😩.
The fastest result I got with Dtac Thailand was at Grand Sea Discovery Terminal (46.67 Mbps).
Other results between 30 Mbps and 40 Mbps were at Bay View Village, Bo Put, Maenam Morning Market & Surat Thani Beach (30.89 Mbps, 30.08 Mbps, 35.87 Mbps & 36.63 Mbps, respectively).
Not the most impressive results, right?
For comparison, AIS Thailand got 386.75 Mbps, 527.62 Mbps, 295.19 & 290.04 Mbps – in the same order and all on 5G NR.
And TrueMove H got 47.17 Mbps (4G/LTE), 86.87 Mbps (5G NR), 72.42 Mbps (4G/LTE) & 68.33 Mbps (4G/LTE).
So we know who the clear winner is 😏.
In terms of upload speeds, things were not remarkable either.
Except for at Sala Thai Restaurant, with 17.52 Mbps.
Besides that one, all were slower than 10 Mbps 😔.
Want a comparison? You got it 😜.
AIS Thailand's fastest upload speed was 94.29 Mbps (5G NR) at Moo 1 District, while TrueMove H's was 31.13 Mbps (5G NR) at Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park.
TrueMove H's may not look that impressive either.
However, it is still close to twice as fast as Dtac Thailand's, and upload speeds are often significantly slower than download speeds anyway.
So what about the two locations where Dtac Thailand has no reception at all: Island Organics Thai cooking Class Koh Samui and Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park?
AIS Thailand and TrueMove H did have reception there, and their speeds were decent.
52.85 Mbps (4G/LTE) and 52.54 Mbps (5G NR) with AIS Thailand, and 191.12 Mbps (4G/LTE) and 62.82 Mbs (5G NR) with TrueMove H.
So yes, it was a Dtac Thailand problem 😐.
Once again, the other (slightly more expensive) options will be better in Koh Samui.
My Overall Experience with Dtac Thailand – Is It Any Good?
Being added.