Data Roaming On or Off? Local Telkomsel eSIM vs Travel eSIMs (2026)
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📖 8 min read · By the Balitel team, Kuta, Bali · Reviewed by Sheila Theodora
Short answer: Turn Data Roaming OFF for a local Telkomsel eSIM, such as the Balitel eSIM, because it is an Indonesian line on its home network in Indonesia. Turn Data Roaming ON for a travel eSIM such as Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac or Simify, because it comes from a company outside Indonesia and roams on an Indonesian network. Keep Data Roaming OFF on your home SIM in both cases, so your home network cannot charge you roaming fees.
Local Telkomsel eSIM
(Balitel, airport kiosks, Bali shops)
Data Roaming: OFF
It is an Indonesian line. In Indonesia it is at home, not roaming.
Travel eSIM
(Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac, Simify)
Data Roaming: ON
It comes from a foreign company. In Indonesia it is always roaming.
Your home SIM
(the number you use at home)
Data Roaming: OFF
This is the one that causes surprise bills.
If you used a travel eSIM on an earlier trip, or asked an AI chatbot how to set up an eSIM, you were probably told to switch Data Roaming on. That advice is right for a travel eSIM. It is not the right step for a local Telkomsel eSIM.
Key facts: data roaming with eSIMs in Indonesia
- A travel eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac, Simify) is issued by a company outside Indonesia. In Indonesia it needs Data Roaming ON. Each brand's own setup guide says so.
- A Telkomsel tourist eSIM is an Indonesian line. In Indonesia it is on its home network, Telkomsel, and works with Data Roaming OFF.
- Turning Data Roaming ON does not fix a Telkomsel eSIM that has no internet. The usual causes are: the line is not activated yet, the data has not been added yet, or the phone is using the wrong line for mobile data.
- Surprise roaming bills come from the home SIM, not from a Telkomsel eSIM or a travel eSIM.
- The same rule applies to every Indonesian SIM, including Telkomsel, XL and Indosat SIM cards bought in Bali: Data Roaming OFF while in Indonesia.
What Balitel's support team sees
The setup mistake Balitel's WhatsApp support team sees most often is a Telkomsel eSIM customer switching Data Roaming ON. When we ask why, customers give two reasons: an AI chatbot such as ChatGPT told them to, or they assumed the Telkomsel eSIM works like the travel eSIM they used on an earlier trip.
Both reasons make sense. Most eSIM setup guides online are written by travel eSIM brands, and for their product, roaming ON is correct. A local Indonesian line is a different product, so it needs the opposite setting.
What "data roaming" actually means
Every SIM belongs to one mobile network. That network is its "home".
Roaming means your SIM is using a network that is not its home. The Data Roaming switch on your phone is simply a permission: "Am I allowed to use mobile data on someone else's network?"
- Switch ON: the line may use data on networks that are not its home.
- Switch OFF: the line only uses data on its home network.
So the only question that matters is: in Indonesia, is this line at home or away?
At Balitel we call this the home-or-away rule: if the SIM's own network is at home in the country you are in, Data Roaming stays OFF. If the SIM is away from its own network, Data Roaming goes ON. A Telkomsel eSIM in Indonesia is at home. An Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac or Simify eSIM in Indonesia is away.
Why the two kinds of eSIM need opposite settings
Travel eSIMs are always "away"
A travel eSIM such as Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac or Simify is issued by a company outside Indonesia. When you land in Bali, it borrows an Indonesian network through a roaming deal. To your phone, that is roaming, so the switch has to be ON or the data will not work. Their own setup guides say so, and they are right for their product.
This roaming does not cost extra. The price you paid already includes it.
A local Telkomsel eSIM is "at home"
A Telkomsel tourist eSIM is an Indonesian line on Telkomsel, Indonesia's own network. In Bali, Jakarta, Lombok or anywhere in Indonesia, it is on its home network. Nothing is roaming. The Data Roaming switch has no job to do, so leave it OFF.
Want the local line? Balitel sells the official Telkomsel tourist eSIM with a real Indonesian (+62) number. We register your phone's IMEI for you and activate it on your arrival date.
Local eSIM vs travel eSIM: side by side
| Local Telkomsel eSIM | Travel eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac, Simify) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the SIM comes from | Telkomsel, Indonesia | A company outside Indonesia |
| Network it uses in Bali | Telkomsel, always | Whichever Indonesian network its supplier has a deal with |
| Data Roaming switch | OFF | ON |
| Indonesian (+62) phone number | Yes | No (data only, for most plans) |
| Local calls and SMS | Yes | No (for most plans) |
| Gojek / Grab codes, GoPay, OVO, DANA | Yes, on your +62 number | No Indonesian number to receive them |
| IMEI registration needed | Yes (Balitel does it for you) | No |
Want more detail on the difference itself? Read Telkomsel eSIM for tourists: how it works.
Which setting for each eSIM
| eSIM | Type | Data Roaming in Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Balitel (Telkomsel) | Local Indonesian line | OFF |
| Telkomsel, XL or Indosat SIM bought in Bali | Local Indonesian line | OFF |
| Airalo | Travel eSIM | ON (follow the instruction in the Airalo app) |
| Holafly | Travel eSIM | ON |
| Saily | Travel eSIM | ON |
| Jetpac | Travel eSIM | ON |
| Simify | Travel eSIM | ON |
| Your home SIM | Foreign line | OFF (unless you want to pay your home network's roaming prices) |
This is the home-or-away rule: if the eSIM came from an Indonesian network, Data Roaming OFF. If it came from a company abroad, Data Roaming ON.
What goes wrong when Telkomsel eSIM users switch roaming on
1. The home SIM gets switched on by mistake. This is the expensive one. Travel eSIM habits make people flip "Data Roaming" on without checking which line they are on. If it is your home line, and your phone uses that line for data even for a moment, your home network can charge its roaming prices.
2. It does not fix "no internet". On a Telkomsel eSIM, turning roaming on does not make data start working, because the line is not roaming. People switch it on, wait, and miss the real cause. The usual real causes are: the line is not activated yet, the data has not been added yet, or the phone is using the wrong line for mobile data.
3. Your phone can roam when you leave Indonesia. With roaming OFF, the Telkomsel line stays on Telkomsel only. If you fly on to another country with the line still switched on, it will not try to use a foreign network.
Already switched it on? No harm done. Go to your Telkomsel line, turn Data Roaming OFF, and check your home line is OFF too.
The right settings for your Balitel eSIM
On iPhone
- Settings → Cellular (or Mobile Service)
- Tap your Telkomsel line → make sure Turn On This Line is on → Data Roaming: OFF
- Go back, tap your home line → Data Roaming: OFF
- Go back, tap Cellular Data → choose the Telkomsel line
- On the same screen, turn Allow Cellular Data Switching OFF
On Android
Wording changes by brand. On Samsung it looks like this:
- Settings → Connections → SIM Manager
- Make sure the Telkomsel eSIM is switched on
- Under Mobile data, choose the Telkomsel line
- Settings → Connections → Mobile networks → Data roaming: OFF
Your home SIM can stay switched on for bank codes and calls. With its roaming off, it will not use mobile data abroad.
No internet on your Telkomsel eSIM? Check these instead
Go through this list in order. Most problems are solved by one of the first four.
- Has Balitel activated it yet? We register your IMEI and turn the line on on your arrival date in Indonesia, after you send your details. You get a WhatsApp message when it is done.
- Has the data been added? Data is added right after activation, once you are in Indonesia. Until then the line has no data to use.
- Is the Telkomsel line switched on? On iPhone: Settings → Cellular → your Telkomsel line → Turn On This Line. On Android: Settings → Connections → SIM Manager.
- Is Telkomsel chosen for mobile data? If your phone is still using your home line for data, nothing will load (or your home network may charge you).
- Restart the connection. Turn Airplane Mode on for 10 seconds, then off. If that does not work, restart the phone.
- Check the APN. It normally sets itself. If the APN field for the Telkomsel line is empty, type internet.
- Still nothing? Message us on WhatsApp at +62 813 3945 804. We usually reply within a minute, 08:00 to 02:00 Bali time.
One local line for your whole trip. 30-day plans from 10 GB, plus 60-day (150 GB) and 90-day (200 GB) plans for long stays. Works in Bali, Lombok, the Gili Islands, Nusa Penida and the rest of Indonesia.
Summary
A local Telkomsel eSIM and a travel eSIM need opposite Data Roaming settings in Indonesia. Telkomsel eSIM (including Balitel): Data Roaming OFF, because Telkomsel is its home network. Travel eSIMs such as Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac and Simify: Data Roaming ON, because they roam on an Indonesian network. Home SIM: Data Roaming OFF, to avoid roaming charges from your home network. If a Telkomsel eSIM has no internet, check activation, data top-up and the mobile data line, not the roaming switch.
Frequently asked questions
Should data roaming be on or off for a Telkomsel eSIM in Bali?
Off. A Telkomsel eSIM is an Indonesian line, so in Indonesia it is on its home network and is not roaming. Data works with Data Roaming switched off. Keep your home SIM's Data Roaming off too.
Why do Airalo, Holafly and Saily tell me to turn data roaming on?
Because their eSIMs come from companies outside Indonesia. In Bali they borrow an Indonesian network through a roaming deal, so the phone treats it as roaming and needs Data Roaming switched on. The roaming cost is already included in the plan price. This advice applies to travel eSIMs, not to a local Telkomsel eSIM.
Will turning on data roaming fix my Telkomsel eSIM if it has no internet?
No. A Telkomsel eSIM is not roaming in Indonesia, so the roaming switch does not change anything. Check instead that the line is activated, that data has been added, that the Telkomsel line is switched on and chosen for mobile data, then turn Airplane Mode on and off. Balitel customers can message us on WhatsApp at +62 813 3945 804.
Will I be charged if data roaming is on?
Not for the Telkomsel line while you are in Indonesia, because it is not roaming there. The risk is your home SIM: if its Data Roaming is on and your phone uses it for data, your home network can charge its roaming prices. Turn Data Roaming off on your home SIM.
Can I keep my home SIM switched on with a Telkomsel eSIM?
Yes. Keep your home SIM on if you need it for bank codes or calls. Turn its Data Roaming off and choose the Telkomsel line for mobile data. Your WhatsApp account stays on whichever number you registered it with.
What is the difference between a local eSIM and a travel eSIM?
A local eSIM, such as a Telkomsel tourist eSIM, is a real Indonesian line with a +62 number, local calls and SMS, and Data Roaming off. A travel eSIM, such as Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac or Simify, comes from a company abroad, usually gives data only with no Indonesian number, and needs Data Roaming on.
What is the home-or-away rule for eSIM data roaming?
It is a simple way to choose the Data Roaming setting. If the SIM's own network is at home in the country you are in, Data Roaming stays OFF. If the SIM is away from its own network, Data Roaming goes ON. In Indonesia, a Telkomsel eSIM is at home (roaming OFF), while an Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac or Simify eSIM is away (roaming ON).
Sources
Travel eSIM settings come from each brand's own setup or help pages: Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Jetpac. Simify's setting is from a published Simify review. Checked October 2026. Brands can change their instructions, so always follow the app of the eSIM you bought.
Questions: WhatsApp +62 813 3945 804 or hello@balitel.com
