Airalo eSIM for India — Bharat Plans and Airtel/Jio Coverage
Getting a local SIM in India as a tourist is awkward: Airtel and Jio require an OTP verification on an Indian referee's phone plus passport and visa photocopies, and the process takes 24–48 hours. For a 2–3 day business trip that doesn't work. Airalo eSIM Bharat is live the moment you land in Delhi or Mumbai — maps, messengers and Uber work while you're still queueing at immigration.
Available Airalo packages
The India plan is called Bharat. Lineup:
- 1 GB / 7 days — $4.50
- 3 GB / 30 days — $9.50
- 5 GB / 30 days — $14
- 10 GB / 30 days — $21
- 20 GB / 30 days — $35
- Unlimited / 7 days — around $26 (FUP, ~1 GB/day)
For a 3–5 day business trip (maps, Slack, Zoom calls, email) 3–5 GB is enough. A two-week backpacking route (Delhi → Rajasthan → Goa) — 10–20 GB.
Coverage and speeds
Airalo Bharat roams on Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi), and on Jio in some regions. This covers virtually all of India.
- Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai — solid 4G+, with 5G in pockets on Airtel and Jio.
- Goa — 4G on main beaches (Baga, Anjuna, Palolem). Weaker on inland beaches and in the jungle.
- Rajasthan (Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer) — 4G in cities, possible dead zones in the Thar desert.
- Kerala — 4G along the coast and in the backwaters; 3G on remote boat routes.
- Himalayas (Ladakh, Manali, Darjeeling) — 4G in villages, often no signal on trekking routes.
Tethering works. Local Indian number isn't included — sometimes a downside (Ola and Zomato want an Indian number), but for travelers using Grab equivalents and WhatsApp it's fine.
Installation and activation
Install at home over Wi-Fi, activate after landing at Indira Gandhi (DEL) or Chhatrapati Shivaji (BOM).
iOS: Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Airalo QR → "India". Data on Airalo, primary SIM roaming off.
Android: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Add eSIM → QR. APN auto-populates.
A note for business travelers
For a 1–3 day business trip Airalo Bharat is virtually the only practical option. Local prepaid SIMs require complex verification; international roaming via your home carrier runs $5–15/day for 100–200 MB. Airalo's $14 for 5 GB / 30 days is a working outsourced mobile data plan for the whole trip.
Airalo vs. Airtel/Jio at the airport
Airtel/Jio counters in international arrivals at DEL/BOM/BLR sell prepaid SIMs for ₹500–1000 (≈$6–12) with 20–30 GB / 30 days. Cheaper per GB than Airalo, but: 30–60 minutes of paperwork, passport + visa + sometimes an Indian referee number required. For short visits Airalo saves time; for long backpacking trips local SIM wins on price.
Where to buy
Buy Airalo eSIM via Marix — pay locally without foreign cards. The Bharat QR arrives by email within minutes; install before departure, activate in India.