Singapore was the first Asian destination I visited solo (in 2016).
I went to the Philippines a year earlier, but that was a work trip (way before Phone Travel Wiz was a thing… but I was already into researching the best local SIM cards best then!).
And… I was in awe – I truly loved Singapore!
I felt the positive feelings I had when I entered the United States again.
While Singapore is not representative of what Southeast Asia stands/is known for, it ignited my love for East- and Southeast Asia (which is still strong to this day).
Since then, I have been to Singapore four times – I still love it, but it is not special anymore.
Mostly because it is a small city-state, and I have seen and done the must-see/do attractions already 🤣.
In January and March 2023, I revisited Singapore.
I mostly spent time testing 17 (new) SIM cards and eSIMs.
This resulted in me spending about 237 SGD (≈ 175.80 USD) for my Singapore SIM card and travel eSIM review series – 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 Singapore.
In the past, I used to say that Singapore has the best tourist/airport SIM cards in the world.
Mostly because you could get 100 GB of data for as little as 12 SGD (8.90 USD).
Then I went to Taiwan, where the mobile operators offer truly unlimited data… which outdoes 100 GB 🤣.
Unlike most mobile operators, Taiwan's definition of unlimited is genuine. I used 100 GB – 200 GB of data on some SIM cards, and my speeds were never throttled. Amazing!
But when you can get so much data for such little money, is it even worth using a travel eSIM like Nomad?
It can be because you do not have to deal with SIM card registration requirements (which are stringent).
One limitation to be aware of is that you can only have three active prepaid SIM cards in your name in Singapore.
For most… this is not an issue. But for some crazy people who wish to test four SIM cards… it could be 😏.
So, is the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM a good option for Singapore? Is it cheap compared to the local options and its travel eSIM competitors? How is its reception? And is it fast?
I will answer all those questions in this review. Let's do this.
Original publication: 8th of June 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Which Phones are Compatible with Nomad eSIMs?
Before discussing the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM to be used in Singapore specifically, you must know whether your phone can even support Nomad's eSIMs.
Unlike most travel eSIM providers, Nomad claims that every eSIM-compatible phone can use its eSIMs.
So that makes things easy 😎.
But the image will still give you an overview of the most popular phones that support eSIM.
As of August 2023, the phones shown in the infographic below are compatible with Nomad eSIMs:
>>> Get your Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<
With that out of the way, let's talk more about the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM!
How Much Does the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM Cost?
You can get the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM to be used in Singapore for as little as 6 USD for 1 GB (7 days) and up to 60 USD for 30 GB (60 days).
Note that the Nomad APAC eSIM can also be used in Singapore (both the 12 Countries Plan and the 16 Countries Plan).
The difference between the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM and the Nomad APAC eSIM is that the latter can be used in up to 16 countries, while the former can be used in only eight countries (and is newer).
In the past, the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIMs were significantly cheaper than the Nomad APAC ones.
Nowadays, the price difference for the same allowances is only 3 USD (5 USD for the 30 GB option).
Anyway, below is an overview of how much each Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM costs:
- SEA-Oceania 1 GB eSIM for 7 days, costing 6 USD
- SEA-Oceania 3 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 11 USD
- SEA-Oceania 5 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 14 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- SEA-Oceania 10 GB eSIM for 30 days, costing 19 USD – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- SEA-Oceania 20 GB eSIM for 45 days, costing 35 USD – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
- SEA-Oceania 30 GB eSIM for 60 days, costing 60 USD
Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in September based on data up to the 13th of September (2023 data only).
>>> Get your Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<
Besides Singapore, the 16 Nomad APAC 20 Countries Plan can be used in Australia, Bangladesh (new), Cambodia (new), China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos (new), Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan (new), the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand & Vietnam.
If your credit/debit card charges you foreign exchange fees, get yourself a Wise Borderless Account and Debit Card.
Their fees are MUCH lower than banks and credit card companies charge you (and Wise is transparent about their fees, unlike banks).
I have saved literal THOUSANDS of Australian Dollars and Euros, my main currencies, when using Wise abroad when traveling compared to my debit and credit cards.
Moreover, regardless of which Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM you choose, you can always top it up for the same data and prices listed above.
Many eSIM providers out there do not allow you to top up or extend the validity of your eSIM, so it is cool that Nomad allows you to do so.
>>> Get your Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<
My Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM in Singapore Experience
I used my Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM throughout Singapore.
As Singapore does not really have cities (in the sense of the Government of Singapore not using them for administrative purposes and only as geographical limits), I could not visit multiple ones as I tend to do.
Before we continue, I do want to let you know how travel eSIM providers like Nomad work.
It is impossible for Nomad, or any other mobile operator, to operate in every country (and do not trust any company saying otherwise), so they set up roaming agreements.
And do not get worried by the word roaming yet – roaming can be expensive, but roaming with Nomad or many other travel eSIM providers, will not result in a 5000 USD roaming bill.
What Nomad does, and basically all (actual) mobile operators do, is partner up with a local mobile operator so that their customers can still stay connected when abroad.
In the case of Singapore, the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM uses the Singtel network with the help of JoyTelecom (which is a CSL Mobile subsidiary (from Hong Kong)) – so your phone, some apps, or sites you visit may claim you are using a CSL Mobile eSIM instead of a Nomad one – that is correct).
When doing my tests in Singapore, I noticed that the the Nomad Singapore and Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIMs upload speeds were throttled @ 1 Mbps.
Meaning my speeds never went above 1 Mbps.
This is outrageous, of course, so I informed Nomad about it.
When Nomad just partnered with JoyTelecom in December 2022, the latter somehow throttled download speeds @ 42 Mbps (which I noticed when using my first JoyTelecom-powered Nomad eSIM – in Hong Kong January 2023)).
So why did it severely throttle upload speed after fixing its upload speed?
Well… it was not JoyTelecom's fault this time.
Apparently, Singtel had been, and may still be, facing some issues, which resulted in some partners (like JoyTelecom) experiencing degraded services.
As Singtel has no ETA on when the issue would be resolved (at the time of writing at least), Nomad and JoyTelecom quickly approached StarHub, Singapore's second-largest mobile operator, asking if it would partner with them.
Surprisingly… StarHub said yes, which is why you can be on the Singtel and StarHub networks with the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM.
This way, you do not have to deal with incredibly slow upload speeds (which you will see later) – you are welcome 😜.
Note: Nomad does not always use multiple networks.
Because this deal was signed after I left Singapore, I cannot tell you if you should stick to the Singtel network or choose StarHub.
Singtel has the fastest network in Singapore.
If fast download speeds are your priority, stick to Singtel.
A few of the travel eSIMs I used were on the StarHub network, and they were all (a bit) slower than the eSIMs using the Singtel network.
But at least you know you will have proper upload speeds with StarHub.
So manually select StarHub if you live stream a lot or upload many videos to your story.
Anyway, just like how I tested the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM on my Singapore trip, I also tried all the local Singaporean SIM cards excluding the MVNOs (Singtel, StarHub, M1 Singapore & SIMBA Singapore (formerly TPG Telecom)) and various other eSIMs (Airalo (Airalo Connect Lah!, Airalo Asialink (in Singapore and various other Asian countries) & Airalo Discover Global (in Singapore and worldwide)), Alosim, eSIM2FLY sold by SimOptions, Holafly, Mogo, Nomad, Nomad APAC (in Singapore and various other Asian countries), Simify & Ubigi + the 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card by Holidaysimcard in Singapore Review (also used in Australia and Hong Kong)).
Yeah, I went all out 😏.
Because of this, I could also assess how Singtel performed compared to its competitors.
Well, not entirely. Singtel was the only mobile operator allowing prepaid customers to use its 5G NR network (if you get its 30 SGD or 50 SGD SIM cards).
When looking at 4G/LTE availability in Singapore, the four mobile operators cover practically all of the country (mostly because it is a small city-state), with an availability of more than 99.2%.
4G/LTE reception is so good in Singapore that I thought 3G did not exist anymore (until the Airalo Discover Global and Alosim eSIMs were stuck at 3G a few times 😩).
Surprisingly, Singtel is lacking in terms of 5G NR availability with an availability percentage of 29.1%, behind M1 Singapore (29.4%) and StarHub (32.2%).
In terms of speed, Singtel has the fastest download speed, with a median download speed of 119.66 Mbps, ahead of StarHub (85.88 Mbps), M1 Singapore (51.69 Mbps) & SIMBA Singapore (formerly TPG Telecom – 23.37 Mbps).
The same can be said about upload speeds, where Singtel is leading the pack (20.91 Mbps), followed by StarHub (16.34 Mbps), M1 Singapore (15.41 Mbps) & Simba Singapore (3.57 Mbps).
I did speed tests with the Speedtest app throughout Singapore.
For reference, I consider an average download speed of 25 Mbps and an average of 10 Mbps upload speed fast enough.
Preferably, download speeds should be 100 Mbps+ on 4G/LTE… but we are not there yet 🗿.
But why these averages?
A download speed of more than 25 Mbps is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.
Social media sites that allow for live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.
So, that is why – but that does not mean that a download speed of less than 100 Mbps excited me 😏.
But Australia spoiled… everything slower than 300 Mbps is slow now 🤣.
Anyway, you will also see that some of the results are in two shades of red, green, underlined, or in italics.
Underlined results are on 5G NR, while results in italics are on 3G.
The green shows that the result was the fastest on the network at said location.
For example, the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM being the fastest among its competition at a mall.
While red shows that the result was the slowest on the network among its peers at the location.
Okay, that is enough background information – let's compare the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM to Singtel and other travel eSIMs in Singapore.
Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM in Singapore Speed Test Results
Singapore is one most densely populated countries, behind Macau and Monaco.
But I never found Singapore as crowded as Hong Kong for some reason (you struggle to walk on the pavement because there are so many people around – you will be pushed a few times (unintentionally) 😵💫).
Besides having the world's best airport, in my opinion, Singapore has a lot to offer.
Fantastic food, unique attractions (Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay & Supertree Grove) & even Universal Studios for those who are into that.
And there are many other things to do in the country.
But this is not a travel blog… I review SIM cards and eSIMs instead – you will have to find another blog for travel recommendations 😜.
Let's see how the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM performed throughout the country:
Fast speeds with the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM!
Because many travel eSIMs I used in Singapore used the Singtel network too, I shared the results of the relevant eSIMs in the image above.
And you can see that the Nomad eSIM(s) performed quite well!
Although the Airalo Connect Lah! and Airalo Asialink eSIMs are significantly faster… how come?
Those two eSIMs are directly powered by Singtel itself.
Airalo buys data from Singtel (and other mobile operators in other regions), which can be used in various East- and Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore.
Meaning Airalo's eSIMs are practically rebranded Singtel eSIMs.
Just like how the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM is powered by JoyTelecom/CSL Mobile Hong Kong.
Because JoyTelecom/CSL Mobile Hong Kong roams on the Singtel network, its performance is not as good as going with Singtel directly.
So yes, even though the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM is nearly twice as slow as the Airalo Connect Lah! and Asialink eSIMs, it did surprisingly well while roaming on the Singtel network.
Because the Singtel SIM card I used has 5G NR access while the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM did not, I will not spend much time comparing the results between the two because Singtel will almost always be faster.
And as I mentioned earlier, Nomad's upload speeds were throttled @ 1 Mbps because of a technical issue on Singtel's end, so there is not much analyzing those either.
Remember when I mentioned that JoyTelecom-powered eSIMs used to be throttled @ 42 Mbps when I was in Hong Kong and got fixed?
Well, we can see that 14 of the 20 results were faster than 42 Mbps, which is amazing 🥳.
Such as the results at the McDonald's Chinatown Point (83.57 Mbps) and D'hotel (82.71 Mbps).
Or at Blk 1 Bus Stop (82.27 Mbps) and Marina Square (82.15 Mbps).
None of them were faster than 85 Mbps 🤔.
And the same applies to the Nomad Singapore eSIM I tested simultaneously with the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM.
Its fastest speed was 84.48 Mbps (at Fort Canning Park).
Fast speeds with the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM!
Because many travel eSIMs I used in Singapore used the Singtel network too, I shared the results of the relevant eSIMs in the image above.
And you can see that the Nomad eSIM(s) performed quite well!
Although the Airalo Connect Lah! and Airalo Asialink eSIMs are significantly faster… how come?
Those two eSIMs are directly powered by Singtel itself.
Airalo buys data from Singtel (and other mobile operators in other regions), which can be used in various East- and Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore.
Meaning Airalo's eSIMs are practically rebranded Singtel eSIMs.
Just like how the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM is powered by JoyTelecom/CSL Mobile Hong Kong.
Because JoyTelecom/CSL Mobile Hong Kong roams on the Singtel network, its performance is not as good as going with Singtel directly.
So yes, even though the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM is nearly twice as slow as the Airalo Connect Lah! and Asialink eSIMs, it did surprisingly well while roaming on the Singtel network.
Because the Singtel SIM card I used has 5G NR access while the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM did not, I will not spend much time comparing the results between the two because Singtel will almost always be faster.
And as I mentioned earlier, Nomad's upload speeds were throttled @ 1 Mbps because of a technical issue on Singtel's end, so there is not much analyzing those either.
Remember when I mentioned that JoyTelecom-powered eSIMs used to be throttled @ 42 Mbps when I was in Hong Kong and got fixed?
Well, we can see that 15 of the 20 results were faster than 42 Mbps, which is amazing 🥳.
Such as the results at Fort Canning Park (84.48 Mbps) and Blk 1 Bus Stop (83.53 Mbps).
Or at Cross Street Exchange (83.27 Mbps) and Starbucks UE Square (83.30 Mbps).
But do you see a trend here?
None of them were faster than 85 Mbps 🤔.
And the same applies to the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM I tested simultaneously with the Nomad Singapore eSIM.
Its fastest speed was 83.57 Mbps (at the Terminal 1 arrivals hall of Singapore Changi Airport Terminal).
So… are Nomad eSIMs throttled @ 85 Mbps instead of the former 42 Mbps?
Honestly… I think so.
I used several JoyTelecom-powered eSIMs in other Asian destinations (Japan, South Korea & Thailand).
In Thailand, the speeds were still stuck @ 42 Mbps (🙄), and JoyTelecom faced issues in South Korea too (speeds were even slower there).
It worked normally in Japan… but the fastest speeds I got there were also between 80 Mbps and 85 Mbps.
Interesting 🤔.
Because 85 Mbps is fast enough, I have not brought this up to Nomad (unlike 42 Mbps… which was a bit too slow).
Overall, the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM performed well.
But honestly, I do not expect anything less in Singapore with its incredible telecommunications infrastructure 😍.
>>> Get your Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<
My Overall Experience with the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM in Singapore – Is It Any Good?
I would recommend the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM, and it would be one of my top recommendations for anyone wanting to buy a Southeast Asian/Oceanian travel eSIM.
>>> Get your Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<
Getting the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM, and any other Nomad eSIM for that matter, is easy and straightforward (even though I did not spend any time on how to install Nomad eSIMs – you will manage… promise!).
Nomad's SEA-Oceania eSIM is also one of the most affordable eSIMs I tested on my trip while having various options (1 GB, 3 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB, 20 GB & 30 GB).
In Singapore, it uses the Singtel network, which has practically excellent 4G/LTE availability.
But because Singtel was, and perhaps still is, facing issues resulting in slow upload speeds for certain partners like Nomad and JoyTelecom, you can also use the StarHub network.
And the JoyTelecom-powered Nomad Singapore and Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIMs can also use both networks too.
If we ignore the upload speeds I got, because Singtel was facing technical difficulties, the download speeds I experienced with the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM were fast.
Honestly… I did not expect anything less in Singapore due to its excellent telecommunications infrastructure.
But even then, those roaming on the local networks, like the Nomad eSIMs, can face issues due to the roaming agreements (it may not be favorable to outsiders).
Fortunately, this was not the case in Singapore.
Well…. somewhat.
Based on the data I collected, it looks like the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIMs are throttled @ 85 Mbps.
And because this is way better than the former 42 Mbps, I am not complaining (although I know Nomad is reading this and may ask JoyTelecom what is up 😏).
As a result, the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM was not the fastest eSIM on the Singtel network.
That would be the Airalo Connect Lah! and Airalo Asialink eSIMs.
But those eSIMs practically rebranded Singtel eSIMs, because Airalo buys data from Singtel for its Singapore eSIM.
Meaning they act treated as native eSIMs on the Singtel network (as if you were a Singtel prepaid or postpaid customer).
And it is almost impossible for a roamer, like Nomad, to outdo native customers.
Unless the local mobile operator does nonsense like throttling (prepaid) customer speeds like Austrian mobile operators do.
Back to the Nomad, I had an average download speed of 61.94 Mbps in Singapore.
At the time of writing, this is the second-best result I have gotten with a Nomad eSIM 🥳 (just behind the Nomad Singapore eSIM – 63.12 Mbps).
By using extensive 4G/LTE networks, offering competitively priced data plans, and fast download speeds, you should have a smooth browsing experience with the Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM.
>>> Get your Nomad SEA-Oceania eSIM and use code “ADU123” for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off! <<<
- Interested in using a Nomad eSIM in another country or countries? Check out my Nomad eSIM reviews from across the world!
Other Singaporean eSIM Reviews (Airalo, aloSIM, eSIM2FLY (SimOptions), Nomad, Simify & Ubigi)
As mentioned earlier, I also tried out (other) eSIMs from Nomad (Singapore and APAC), Airalo (Connect Lah!, Asialink & Discover Global), Alosim, eSIM2FLY (SimOptions), Holafly, Mogo, Nomad, Simify & Ubigi.
You should read those reviews too.
>>> Airalo Connect Lah! eSIM in Singapore Review | Airalo Asialink eSIM in Singapore Review | Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Singapore Review | Alosim eSIM in Singapore Review | eSIM2FLY (SimOptions) in Singapore Review | Holafly eSIM in Singapore eSIM Review | Mogo eSIM in Singapore Review | Nomad eSIM in Singapore Review | Nomad APAC eSIM in Singapore Review | Simify eSIM in Singapore eSIM Review | Ubigi eSIM in Singapore Review <<<
- Check out my eSIM reviews page if you want to read all the other eSIM reviews I have written, including other eSIM providers in Asia.
I also tried out various local Singaporean cards: Singtel, StarHub, M1 Singapore & Simba Singapore (formerly TPG Telecom) + 3 UK Travel SIM Card (from Holidaysimcard).
If your phone does not support eSIM (but felt like reading this Nomad review in full anyway – awesome) or want to have the best network experience possible, you want to go directly with the local mobile operators instead of roaming on their networks (as you do with travel eSIMs).
So I encourage you to read the Singaporean SIM card reviews too.
>>> Singtel Review | StarHub Review | M1 Singapore Review | Simba Singapore (formerly TPG Telecom) Review | 3 UK Travel SIM Card Review <<<
Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other Asian SIM cards.