While 2020 was probably a terrible year for most reading this review, it was actually the start of something amazing for me – the growth of Phone Travel Wiz.
You see, I started Phone Travel Wiz in August 2019 (even though I have been a traveler for about ten years – depending on when you read this review).
In March 2020, I decided to visit Taiwan for two months because my boyfriend's mom decided to visit Australia for a few months.
The apartment was too small for three people, and accommodation in Australia was far from affordable.
A few weeks later, the world went on a global lockdown… while I was still in Taiwan.
Australia was closed off for everyone – even its own citizens. Infection rates were crazy in Europe, also the Netherlands (where I am from)… so I did not feel like leaving Taiwan (where infection rates are surprisingly low).
Fortunately, the Taiwanese government was kind enough to extend everyone's visa every month – even though I would normally have to leave after 90 days.
At the time of writing, the Taiwanese government extended everyone's visa 28 times (or 840 days); insane!
Because of this lenient policy, I stayed in Taiwan for an entire year.
As a result, I extensively tested every Taiwanese SIM card, including Taiwan Mobile.
From Chiayi/Taichung on the west to Hualien/Taitung (literally meaning East Taiwan) on the east, I have been there.
And I tested each SIM card at 101 test locations.
I did not visit or do any tests in Changhua, Hsinchu, Keelung, Miaoli, Nantou, Pingtung & Yunlin countries + outlaying islands, but most of these counties are boring anyway (according to the Taiwanese!).
So when I say that Taiwan Mobile is better than expected in the title, you can believe it truly is – especially when I compare it to five other Taiwanese SIM cards (Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone, T Star Taiwan, GT Mobile Taiwan & Ibon Mobile).
But of course, I will explain why Taiwan Mobile is better than some want you to believe throughout this review.
Let's get started, shall we?
Original publication: 22nd of October 2022. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Who is Taiwan Mobile?
Taiwan Mobile, or 台灣大哥大 (Da Ge Da) if you want to be fancy, is the second-largest mobile operator in Taiwan.
It is the most popular mobile operator for travelers, students & migrant workers because it apparently has the most attractive plans for the latter two target groups.
When we look at its tourist SIM cards, they are similar to its competitors.
However, it is the most approachable mobile operator, as Taiwan Mobile sells its SIM cards at most of its stores, unlike its competitors (with the exception of Chunghwa Telecom to some extent).
They are so approachable that its competitors, besides Chunghwa Telecom, tell you to go to the nearest Taiwan Mobile store if you want to get a prepaid SIM card (yes… this has happened to me more than ten times).
Anyway, that is enough background information about Taiwan Mobile and Chunghwa Telecom – let's talk more about the Taiwanese telecom market.
In Taiwan, you have five mobile operators and one Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO):
- Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信)
- Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大)
- Far EasTone (遠傳電信)
- T Star Taiwan (台灣之星)
- GT Mobile Taiwan (亞太電信)
- Ibon Mobile (統一超商電信 – Far EasTone MVNO)
Taiwan Mobile and T Star Taiwan announced a merger; so did Far EasTone and GT Mobile.
For now, you have six options.
As you know, I tested the other four mobile operators + the sole MVNO during my one-year stay in Taiwan. You can read them here: Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone, T Star Taiwan & GT Mobile Taiwan + Ibon Mobile.
Let's talk about Taiwan Mobile's coverage first, after these quick frequency details:
- 2G: N/A – shut down in 2017
- 3G: 2100 MHz
- 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 1800 MHz (Band 3) & 2100 MHz (Band 1)
- 5G NR: 2100 MHz (n1), 3500 MHz (n78) & 28 GHz (n257)
- VoLTE: Yes
- VoWiFi: Yes
Here you have Taiwan Mobile's APN settings:
- Name: Taiwan Mobile
- APN: internet
Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.
Taiwan Mobile 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 Taiwan.
So, how is Taiwan Mobile's coverage?
Regarding general availability, Taiwan Mobile has one of the best availability, with an availability score of 90%. Ahead of Chunghwa Telecom and T Star Taiwan (98.9%) and GT Mobile Taiwan (98.2%) but slightly behind Far EasTone (99.2%).
But with a score of more than 98%, all Taiwanese mobile operators have excellent availability anyway.
When looking at 5G NR availability, Taiwan Mobile has the second-best availability (23.3%). Ahead of T Star Taiwan (21.8%) and Chunghwa Telecom (22.9%) but far behind Far EasTone (38.7%).
When we look at 5G NR reach, Taiwan Mobile is also doing well, with a reach score of 6 (on a 10-point scale). Ahead of T Star Taiwan again (4.3) and Chunghwa Telecom (5.3), but behind Taiwan Mobile Far EasTone (6.9).
So far, I have been talking about coverage from other reports, but what was my coverage experience with Taiwan Mobile?
It was excellent, honestly – I had nothing to complain about.
Unlike most countries I visit, I also spend much time in non-touristy areas in Taiwan (because I had a full year here).
In most cases, I was still connected to 4G/LTE.
However, expect your phone to switch to 3G or have no reception at all when you are on the train (especially on the high-speed train (HSR)).
There is one exception: Pingtung and Taitung counties.
If you take the train from the west to the east, the train will go through a few mountains (the view is amazing, by the way).
You will barely have reception in these sections – and it starts from Fangshan until Taimali (which takes 1:30 hours to 2:30 hours, depending on the train you take).
Yes, there are other stations between those Fangshan and Taimali.
But there is a big chance your train will not stop at most of them, meaning your phone does not have enough time to reconnect to the network.
And even though the train leaves the tunnels every now and then, you still will not have enough time to reconnect to the network.
I cannot speak of how reception will be when you take the car from Pingtung to Taitung (because I could not drive back then).
It may be better than on the train because most of the roads do not go through tunnels.
Below is Taiwan Mobile's coverage map produced by Speedtest on the mainland and Penghu Country (the island on the left/west of the mainland):
Below are the coverage maps on the Kinmen Islands (Jincheng – on the left) and the Matsu Islands (Lienchiang + Dongju, Nangan & Xiju – on the right):
How to Get a Taiwan Mobile SIM Card & Prices
I would discourage you from buying a SIM card at airports in most countries.
Either becaue of (overly) expensive tourist SIM cards are sold there, or the salespeople jack up the prices with high “minimum top-ups” or because they simply can.
While getting a SIM card at the airport can be convenient, especially when you arrive late or need to be connected as soon as possible, it is often (way) cheaper to buy SIM cards in town.
In Taiwan, however, things are a bit different – I recommend buying Taiwanese SIM cards, including Taiwan Mobile, at the airport.
I would almost demand you to do so… but that would be too pushy 😜.
Not only are the SIM cards sold at airports of amazing value, but it can also be a challenge to get a prepaid SIM card as a tourist (visa-free or tourist visa).
That is because most stores either do not deal with prepaid SIM cards or do not deal with tourists (not that they would shoo you away, but they can only assist those with a (temporary) resident visa, like students).
So, what is up with these airport SIM cards that I am so hyped about?
Taiwan Mobile SIM cards sold at airports feature truly unlimited data with no speed restrictions.
Yeah, right… unlimited? Just like in Malaysia, where “unlimited” means “unlimited” until you hit the 3 GB/10 GB/30 GB Fair Use quota?
No… actually unlimited – no fair use limit or download speed cap.
How am I so sure? Because I used multiple Taiwan Mobile SIM cards over ten months in ten counties (state, province, parish, territory, region – you get it) and never experienced any data or speed caps.
I used multiple 1-month Taiwan Mobile tourist SIM cards and used more than 100 GB twice – and I was all good both times!
Yeah, this puts all those countries with “unlimited” data plans or SIM cards to shame (like Malaysia, smh 🙄).
Okay, that is enough hyping up – let's go through the process of buying a Taiwan Mobile SIM card.
First, you need to know that Taiwan Mobile has stores at two international airports: Taoyuan – Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) and Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH).
Most of Taiwan Mobile's competitors are only active in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (but Chunghwa Telecom also sells SIM cards at Taichung International Airport (RMQ) and Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA).
While I know an airport like Tainan Airport also has international connections, it is not considered an international airport by the Republic of China Civil Aeronautics Administration… and no SIM cards are sold there anyway 🤪.
At Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, you have at least three booths selling Taiwan Mobile SIM cards.
At Kaohsiung International Airport, there is only one booth selling Taiwan Mobile SIM cards in the reception lobby.
Just know that the resellers sell Taiwan Mobile SIM cards for the same prices Taiwan Mobile retailers.
Speaking of prices… how much do Taiwan Mobile SIM cards actually cost?
Taiwan Mobile SIM cards are sold between 300 NTD to 3200 NTD.
Taiwan Mobile has two variants for the tourist SIM cards: Airport 4G SIM & 5G Airport SIM.
The following nine Taiwan Mobile 4G Traveler SIM cards are available:
| Price | SIM Card | Call Credit | Data | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 NTD | 4G 3-Day Pass | 100 NTD | Unlimited | 3 days |
| 300 NTD | 4G 5-Day Pass ($300) | 50 NTD | Unlimited | 5 days |
| 400 NTD | 4G 6 Day Pass | 50 NTD | Unlimited | 6 days |
| 450 NTD | 4G 7-Day Pass | 150 NTD | Unlimited | 7 days |
| 450 NTD | 4G 8 Day Pass | 50 NTD | Unlimited | 8 days |
| 500 NTD | 4G 5-Day Pass ($500) | 300 NTD | Unlimited | 5 days |
| 500 NTD | 4G 10-Day Pass | 100 NTD | Unlimited | 10 days |
| 700 NTD | 4G 15-Day Pass ($700) | 100 NTD | Unlimited | 15 days |
| 1000 NTD | 4G 30-Day Pass | 430 NTD | Unlimited | 30 days |
As I mentioned, the 4G unlimited SIM cards include truly unlimited data, including unlimited tethering (mobile hotspot), making Taiwanese one of my favorite tourist SIM cards worldwide.
But… more plans are available, which are not advertised anywhere else, except for at the airport.
If you plan on staying in Taiwan for more than 30 days, these (4G/LTE) plans are also available to you:
So I had known the world would be on a lockdown from March 2020 on, I would have gone for the 180-day SIM card instead of multiple one-month SIM cards 🗿.
This is also a good moment to inform you that Taiwan Mobile tourist SIM cards cannot be extended (not even by topping up).
That is why I mentioned that I purchased several Taiwan Mobile SIM cards (because extension is impossible and the government announced visa extensions every month without any indication if it would be extended the month after).
So if you know you want to explore Taiwan for several months, it is recommended (and cheaper) to go for a multi-month SIM card outright instead of buying multiple short-term ones.
The following three Taiwan Mobile 5G Traveler SIM cards are available:
| Price | SIM Card | Call Credit | Data | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 NTD | 5G 3 Day Pass | 50 NTD | Unlimited | 3 days |
| 600 NTD | 5G 5 Day Pass | 100 NTD | Unlimited | 5 days |
| 800 NTD | 5G 7 Day Pass | 150 NTD | Unlimited | 7 days |
Just like the 4G SIM cards, you get truly unlimited data with the 5G SIM cards, but tethering (mobile hotspot) is limited (3 GB, 5 GB & 7 GB, respectively).
Back when I was still in Taiwan, Taiwan Mobile was not selling any 5G NR-enabled SIM cards.
So I have no experience with them (do not worry – I will be in Taiwan again in 2023; you know I will try out the 5G NR SIM cards 😏).
T Star Taiwan already did, surprisingly, but I did not have a 5G NR-capable phone, so I did not bother.
Be aware that while Taiwan Mobile has eSIMs, they are currently not offered to prepaid customers (including the Taiwan Mobile tourist SIM cards).
But if you want to learn about all recommended eSIM options for Taiwan, which many Phone Travel Wiz can vouch for too, check out my Taiwan comparison guide.
When you ask for your Taiwan Mobile SIM card, you will be asked for your passport.
That is because SIM card registration is mandatory, as mandated by law.
- Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
A photocopy of your passport will be made, and your personal details will be filled into the system.
Once the salesperson is done, they will ask you to sign a document (in traditional Chinese characters).
Afterward, the salesperson will ask for your phone to activate the SIM card and set up the APN settings.
Confirming if your SIM cards work is opening an app (Google Chrome/Safari or YouTube).
So if you normally watch unsavory videos or forgot to change profiles, this is your reminder to do so to not embarrass yourself (I am not speaking of personal experience, but I can already see some… interesting things happening 🗿).
And you are off to go!
Now, let's say you do not care about tourist SIM cards and unlimited data – can you get a regular Taiwan SIM card at in town, such as a grocery store, convenience store, or Taiwan Mobile?
Yes… if you are not a tourist.
When the salesperson checks your passport before photocopying it, they check the entry stamp (and visa) in your passport.
If you have a visa-exempt stamp, like mine below, or a tourist visa, you cannot get a regular Taiwan Mobile SIM card.
Trust me – I tried. I was in Taiwan for a year.
I was based in Tainan.
One day, I decided I bike to all mobile operator stores in a three-kilometer radius (50+, including Taiwan Mobile).
[IMG]
Only three stores could sell regular SIM cards to me (Far EasTone, GT Mobile & 7-Eleven (for Ibon Mobile)).
A FarEasTone salesperson was trying to scam me by charging 1000 NTD for a plan that is usually 300 NTD.
The GT Mobile salesperson had to make five calls to figure out what to do, costing me 1.5 hours.
In the case of 7-Eleven's Ibon Mobile, most stores do not have SIM cards in stock (even though the website claims so).
Even then, the staff needs to have time to help you out (most 7-Elevens are busy at all times, except for at night).
Registration takes about 30 minutes too (which involved a few calls too because I was “missing” an extension stamp) – it took me an hour.
You will notice that I have not yet mentioned Taiwan Mobile (and Chunghwa Telecom).
The thing is… it was relatively easy to get a SIM card at a Chunghwa Telecom store.
Many Chunghwa Telecom stores are willing to deal with tourists… but only to sell tourist SIM cards.
[IMG]
As you can see in the photo above, the plans above are the same ones at the airport (minus the 5G Traveler SIM cards because they were unavailable then).
And the same applies to Taiwan Mobile, although even more of their stores sell tourist SIM cards – but they are 100 NTD more than at the airport.
One Taiwan Mobile staff member tried to sign me up for a prepaid student plan (a bit cheaper than tourist SIM cards). After making about four calls and consulting with the on-store manager, it was impossible because they could not bend on not having a student visa (but I appreciated her trying!).
So yeah, you can skip buying a SIM card at the airport and go to the city to get one there, but you have the same options at the airport AND pay more… so why bother?
Sometimes, the Taiwan Mobile employees are nice and sell them at regular prices (saying the SIM cards are on a promotion), but that happened once of the three times I bought Taiwan Mobile SIM cards.
Unlike its competitors, Taiwan Mobile is used to selling SIM cards to tourists, and most stores do (even in rural Taiwan, surprisingly).
In fact, when I went to Far EasTone, T Star Taiwan & GT Mobile Taiwan stores to ask for prepaid SIM cards, most told me to head to Taiwan Mobile.
Being expanded.
Taiwan Mobile Plans, Bundles & Offers
You do not have to worry about adding any plans because… you cannot add any plans.
And that is actually a good thing because you get truly unlimited data with Taiwan Mobile.
So get a SIM card for the entirety of your stay, and you will be good to go.
The thing is, Taiwan Mobile does have regular prepaid plans, as shown in the screenshot below.
[IMG]
You will see that these prepaid plans are less generous than the tourist SIM cards.
Another difference between these plans and the Taiwan Mobile tourist SIM cards is that the regular plans extend the validity of the SIM card.
Tourist SIM cards cannot be extended – not even when you try to add a regular plan (or even by topping up).
I am not sure if adding a regular plan would succeed on a tourist SIM card (I did not try, and I suggest you do not either 🤪).
But if you add credit and do not use it before the SIM card's expiry, it will be lost – so be aware.
So get a SIM card for the entirety of your stay, and you will be good to go.
Taiwan Mobile Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check
Taiwan Mobile top-up vouchers are sold in convenience stores, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart & Hi-Life, throughout Taiwan.
While you officially can also top-up your SIM card in Taiwan Mobile stores, most cannot or will not deal with prepaid customers (they will tell you to go to a convenience store instead. But some of them are nice enough to write instructions in Chinese so that the convenience store salesperson can help you out).
Here is an instruction video on how to purchase a Taiwan Mobile top-up vouchers from a 7-Eleven Ibon machine:
The following Taiwan Mobile top-ups are available:
- 300 NTD
- 600 NTD
- 1000 NTD
To top up your Taiwan Mobile SIM card, call 867 , select option 2, and enter the VoucherCode.
For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would call 867, select option 2, and enter 123456.
Dial *867# to check your Taiwan Mobile balance.
Note: Taiwan Mobile tourist SIM cards cannot be extended, not even when you top up your SIM card.
It will expire at the predefined expiry date, and you will need a new SIM card if you still want to be connected.
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results (in Hualien, Kaohsiung, Luodong, New Taipei City, Taichung, Taipei, Tainan, Taitung, Taoyuan & Yilan)
Alright, now it is time to talk about the speeds you can expect with Far EasTone after covering all the other essential topics like coverage.
But before I share my test results in Hualien, Kaohsiung, Luodong, New Taipei City, Taichung, Taipei, Tainan, Taitung, Taoyuan & Yilan counties, I want to set the stage first and make a small comparison with Far EasTone's competition.
The insights I give you are from 2022, while I did the tests back in 2020.
Far EasTone is regarded by Speedtest as the second-fastest mobile operator in Taiwan in Q1-Q2 of 2022.
With a median download speed of 64.48 Mbps, Far EasTone is ahead of Taiwan Mobile (48.07 Mbps), T Star Taiwan (35.40 Mbps) & GT Mobile Taiwan (18.58 Mbps), but behind Chunghwa Telecom (71.39 Mbps).
When we look at 5G NR, Far EasTone is also the second-fastest.
With a median download speed of 310.83 Mbps, Far EasTone is faster than Taiwan Mobile (276.38 Mbps), GT Mobile (264.20 Mbps) & T Star (139.82 Mbps), but slower than Chunghwa Telecom (415.45 Mbps).
As mentioned earlier, 5G NR is available to prepaid customers too.
However, the validity is limited to 7 days, unlike the 4G/LTE variants, which can be valid for up to 180 days.
Okay, those were valuable insights – let's talk about my speed test results now.
As I said, I did speed tests with the Speedtest app in nine cities/counties, which is way more than most of the testing I did (usually in just one or two cities, lmao).
So I will go county to county, allowing you to just read the results of the city/cities/county/counties you plan on visiting.
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 😏.
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Hualien County (Hualien City & Xincheng Township)
Hualian County (花蓮縣) is the third-smallest county on the mainland and the sixth-smallest county in Taiwan.
While the county has lovely beaches and mountains for exploration or swimming… it is certainly not an exciting place to be 🗿.
Anyway, I stayed in Hualien City and visited a few beaches in Xincheng Township (新城鄉 – but I had to turn back because scary clouds were heading in my direction).
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Hualien County:
Those speeds are alright… but not amazing.
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the third-fastest download speed and the third-fastest upload speed in Hualien City.
I had an average download speed of 48.13 Mbps and a median download speed of 42.15 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Hualien City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Hualien City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 22.71 Mbps and a median upload speed of 23.62 Mbps
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at Dongdamen Night Market (12.53 Mbps).
While too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps), Taiwan Mobile had the second-worst performance at this test location (ahead of Far EasTone (1.36 Mbps)).
This was different at Qixingtan Seaside Park (in Xincheng Township), where Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload speed performance (12.14 Mbps, passing the HD live streaming test, with a requirement of an upload speed of 10 at least Mbps).
Surprisingly, Taiwan Mobile had the best performance at Qixingtan Seaside Park compared to its competitors (the second-best was T Star Taiwan, with an upload speed of 9.7 Mbps).
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Kaohsiung City
Kaohsiung City (高雄市) is Taiwan's second-largest city behind New Taipei.
Yes… Taipei is not even the largest – that surprised me too.
Kaohsiung City is the third-largest special municipality in the country.
It is also one of the more exciting cities in Taiwan – there is so much to do, AND it is cheaper than Taipei.
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Kaohsiung City:
Those speeds can be considered as blazing fast!
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the second-fastest download speed (behind Chunghwa Telecom (97.28 Mbps)) and third-fastest upload speed in Kaohsiung City (behind Chunghwa Telecom (26.80 Mbps) and Far EasTone (27.25 Mbps)).
I had an average download speed of 83.06 Mbps and a median download speed of 87.38 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Kaoshiung City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Kaohsiung City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 23.60 Mbps and a median upload speed of 25.32 Mbps
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at Weiwuying Station Exit 6 – 衛武營站 in Fengshan District (37.70 Mbps).
This was fast enough to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps) – only Chunghwa Telecom had a faster download speed (63.73 Mbps).
Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload speed performance in a Familymart Zhongshan on West Road (全家便利商店 鳳山忠義店) in Fengshan District (7.32 Mbps, while an upload speed of 10 Mbps was needed to pass the HD live streaming test).
Taiwan Mobile was faster than GT Mobile Taiwan (0.49 Mbps) and T Star Taiwan (1.02 Mbps).
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in New Taipei City
New Taipei City (新北市) is Taiwan's largest city and special municipality.
You may wonder why that is not Taipei… and I cannot answer that 🗿.
Often, you will not even know if you are still in Taipei or New Taipei City, so it does not matter anyway.
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in New Taipei City:
Fast speeds in New Taipei City? Not really 🗿.
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the third-fastest download speed and third-fastest upload speed in New Taipei City ( behind Chunghwa Telecom and Far EasTone).
I had an average download speed of 44.29 Mbps and a median download speed of 31.32 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in New Taipei City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in New Taipei City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 14.30 Mbps and a median upload speed of 12.07 Mbps
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at Global Mall Banqiao Station Store (3.31 Mbps).
This was way too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps).
Taiwan Mobile had the second-worst performance at this test location (Chunghwa Telecom was slower (1.38 Mbps)).
This was the same location where Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload speed performance (8.08 Mbps, while an upload speed of 10 Mbps was needed to pass the HD live streaming test).
But Taiwan Mobile has the second-best performance compared to its competitors (behind Far EasTone (15.32 Mbps)).
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Taichung City
Taichung City (臺中市) is the second-largest special municipality and the third-largest city in Taiwan.
If you translate Taichung, it means Central Taiwan… even though it is in the west 🗿.
Unfortunately, there is no city called West Taiwan (that would be Taixi or something).
Unlike the four most populous cities, you certainly want to use a moped if you want to travel around Taichung because everything is spread out.
Back then, I did not have a driver's license yet… and cycling for 30 minutes from one attraction to another in the sun was no fun 💀.
And before you asked why I did not take the bus, they like to take unnecessary detours in Taichung for some reason.
The new Green Line MRT is a nice addition, but it does not really go to the city center… so yeah 🤷🏿♂️.
Anyway, let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Taichung City:
Another city with relatively fast speeds!
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the fastest download and upload speed in Taichung City.
I had an average download speed of 65.84 Mbps and a median download speed of 58.34 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Taichung City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Taichung City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 23.08 Mbps and a median upload speed of 21.55 Mbps
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at a 7-Eleven Xuefu Road in South District (16.71 Mbps).
This was too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps).
Moreover, Taiwan Mobile had the second-worst performance at this test location (ahead of T Star Taiwan (12.04 Mbps)).
This was different at the National Taichung Theater in Xitun District, where Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload speed performance (8.52 Mbps, while an upload speed of 10 Mbps was needed to pass the HD live streaming test).
Surprisingly, Taiwan Mobile had the best performance at the National Taichung Theater (with Far EasTone being the second-fastest (8.21 Mbps)).
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Tainan City
Tainan City (臺南市) is the smallest special municipality and the sixth-largest city in Taiwan.
Tainan was my base during my one-year stay in Taiwan.
I do not remember why I chose Tainan (it may have been recommended by my boyfriend), but I loved it there.
It is apparently the best city for food, but it is also where old people like to live, according to my young Taiwanese friends.
At least drivers do not try to intentionally hit you when you are on a bike (unlike Hualien City 💀).
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Tainan City:
These are nice and fast speeds!
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the fastest download and upload speed in Tainan City.
I had an average download speed of 71.99 Mbps and a median download speed of 82.32 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Tainan City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Tainan City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 27.30 Mbps and a median upload speed of 28.29 Mbps
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at a 7-Eleven on Yufeng Street – 裕豐街 in East District (4.84 Mbps).
This was too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps), and Taiwan Mobile had the worst performance at this test location (Far EasTone was the second-slowest (5.73 Mbps)).
This was the same test location where Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload speed performance (4.68 Mbps, while an upload speed of 10 Mbps was needed to pass the HD live streaming test).
Only Far EasTone (3.59 Mbps) and T Star Taiwan (2.04 Mbps) were slower.
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Taipei City
Taipei City (臺北市) is Taiwan's fourth-largest special municipality and city.
Yes… the capital city is not the largest in the country.
Not that that is uncommon… it is just unexpected 🤔.
But Taipei certainly has the most and best attractions in the country.
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Taipei City:
Fast speeds in Taipei? You did not expect less, right?
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the third-fastest download and upload speed in Taipei City (behind Chunghwa Telecom (105.52 Mbps/27.76 Mbps) and Far EasTone (102.65 Mbps/28.15 Mbps)).
I had an average download speed of 73.46 Mbps and a median download speed of 56.43 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Taipei City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Taipei City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 24.63 Mbps and a median upload speed of 27.71 Mbps.
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at Little Kaiyue South Village Snack Bar – 小凱悅南村小吃店 in Xinyi District (14.51 Mbps).
This was way too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps).
In the Via Hotel Loft Taipei lobby in Zhongshan District, Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload speed performance (3.01 Mbps).
All of its competitors had an upload speed of less than 10 Mbps (with Taiwan Mobile being faster than T Star Taiwan (1.72 Mbps) and Chunghwa Telecom (0.15 Mbps).
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Taitung County
Taitung County (臺東縣) is the smallest county on the mainland and the fourth-smallest in Taiwan.
And I am not surprised – there is not much to do in Taitung City besides enjoying the bit of nature it has (Liyushan Park (鯉魚山公園) and Taitung Forest Park (臺東森林公園)).
But I do have to say that The Flowing Lake (台東森林公園活水湖) is stunning.
And with the airport being so close to the city, you will get rudely woken up between 6:00 and 7:00 because fighter jets like to fly around 🤬.
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Taitung County:
Decent speeds for rural Taiwan!
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the fastest download and upload speed in Taitung City.
I had an average download speed of 47.35 Mbps and a median download speed of 37.06 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Taitung City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Taitung City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 23.28 Mbps and a median upload speed of 27.25 Mbps
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at Taitung Night Market (5.36 Mbps).
This was way too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps).
Moreover, Taiwan Mobile had the worst performance at this test location (with T Star Taiwan being the second worst (15.95 Mbps)).
Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload speed at the Flowing Lake (1.97 Mbps, while an upload speed of 10 Mbps was needed to pass the HD live streaming test).
Only Far EasTone was slower at this location (1.63 Mbps).
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Taoyuan City
Taoyuan City (桃園市) is the second-smallest special municipality but the fifth-largest city in Taiwan.
And if you think those are reasons enough to visit the city – do not bother; it is boring.
When I told my Taiwanese friends that I would go to Taoyuan, every single one asked why and tried to discourage me.
The only reason one wants to go to Taoyuan is to go to the airport and leave the country – not for fun.
Luckily, I was in Taoyuan for an afternoon only as a break from Taipei to Taichung, but even that afternoon felt like a waste – a boring place 💀.
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Taoyuan City:
The fastest Taiwan Mobile download speed (143.87 Mbps) was achieved in Taoyuan City!
But Taiwan Mobile had the third-fastest download and upload speed in Taoyuan City (behind Far EasTone (265.44 Mbps/52.42 Mbps) and Chunghwa Telecom (260.32 Mbps/42.26 Mbps)).
I had an average download speed of 72.54 Mbps and a median download speed of 45.70 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Taoyuan City.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Taoyuan City – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 23.67 Mbps and a median upload speed of 23.22 Mbps.
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at Yangming Sports Park in Taoyuan District (23.89 Mbps).
While just too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps), Taiwan Mobile had the second-worst performance at this test location (ahead of GT Mobile Taiwan (15.22 Mbps)).
At the Kwong Fong Plaza in Bade District, Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload performance (10.97 Mbps).
It was just fast enough to pass the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).
But T Star Taiwan (10.68 Mbps) and Chunghwa Telecom (1.44 Mbps) were slower at this test location.
Taiwan Mobile Speed Test Results in Yilan County (Luodong Township, Yilan City & Yuanshan Township)
Yilan County (宜蘭縣) is the eighth-largest county in Taiwan.
I stayed in Luodong Township (羅東), which is not bad (but I would not recommend anyone going there unless you are nearby).
Yilan City is not too bad either – but it is far from exciting.
I only stayed in the area because the commute from Hualien to Taipei would take too long in one go (it is much faster nowadays).
Let's see how Taiwan Mobile performed in Yilan County:
Fast speeds in rural Yilan County!
In fact, Taiwan Mobile had the third-fastest download and second-fastest upload speed in Yilan County.
I had an average download speed of 49.04 Mbps and a median download speed of 43.57 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Yilan County.
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Yilan County – Taiwan Mobile had an average upload speed of 27.55 Mbps and a median upload speed of 26.49 Mbps.
Taiwan Mobile's slowest download speed was at a Familymart Chunjing Road Luodong in Luodong (17.61 Mbps).
This was too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps).
Taiwan Mobile had the second-worst performance at this test location (ahead of T Star Taiwan (14.63 Mbps)).
At Luna Plaza in Yilan, Taiwan Mobile had its worst upload performance (9.30 Mbps)
Only T Star Taiwan had a slower upload speed (9.08 Mbps).
My Overall Experience with Taiwan Mobile – Is It Any Good?
I would recommend Taiwan Mobile, but it would not be one of my top recommendations for anyone wanting to buy a Taiwanese SIM card.
Getting a Taiwan Mobile SIM card was straightforward, and activation was quick.
And Taiwan Mobile SIM cards are the easiest to get outside the airport, unlike its competitors, who often do not deal with prepaid customers.
With one of the best 4G/LTE availability and reach, you will have reception almost everywhere in Taiwan (but do not expect any coverage around and in the mountains).
The same can be said about Taiwan Mobile's 5G NR network.
Just like all Taiwanese SIM cards, Taiwan Mobile offers truly unlimited data-featured prepaid SIM cards to tourists, valid for 3 days to 180 days.
And when I say unlimited data, you can also use your phone as a hotspot (tether – for other phones or laptops) with no restrictions.
With the exception of the 5G Traveler SIM cards – they feature unlimited data too, but hotspot data is restricted to up to 7 GB).
I also had fast speeds with Taiwan Mobile, but often not the fastest.
When taking all the 101 speed tests into account, I had an average download speed of 64.12 Mbps and a median download speed of 55.49 Mbps with Taiwan Mobile.
And remember, this was on 4G/LTE only – speeds will be much faster on 5G NR (which I will try out in 2023, so stay tuned!).
The fastest download speed I managed to get with Taiwan Mobile was at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 at the MRT Platform (143.87 Mbps).
This is not impressively fast as with the other mobile operators because you always will have more moderate speeds with Taiwan Mobile.
At least it is consistent.
With extensive coverage, truly unlimited data plans & fast speeds, there is nothing crazy to complain about Taiwan Mobile.
Taiwanese SIM Card Reviews
As mentioned earlier, I also tried out Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone, T Star Taiwan, GT Mobile Taiwan & Ibon Mobile when I was in Taiwan.
You should read those reviews too.
>>> Chunghwa Telecom Review | Far EasTone Review | T Star Taiwan Review | GT Mobile Taiwan Review | Ibon Mobile Review <<<
Later, I will make a comparison post of the six Taiwanese SIM cards I tried… but that will take a while (I have many reviews of other countries that I still need to write, so they are prioritized).
But you can still make an educated purchased after reading the Taiwanese SIM card reviews.
Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other Asian SIM cards.
Taiwan SIM Card Buying Guide
There are five other SIM cards to choose from in Taiwan besides Taiwan Mobile.
I analyze and discuss them in-depth in my Taiwan SIM card buying guide.