Telkomsel eSIM Not Working in Bali? Fix It in 10 Minutes (2026)
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📖 9 min read · Updated 24 August 2026 · By the Balitel team, Kuta, Bali · Reviewed by Sheila Theodora
The 30-Second Answer
In our shops, most "my eSIM is not working" cases are one of three things: the IMEI was never registered, the line is installed but switched off in settings, or the phone is still using your home SIM for data.
All three are fixed in under two minutes. Work down this page in order — it is the same order our staff check.
Who we are, in one line
Balitel is an authorized Telkomsel retailer based in Kuta, Bali. We sell official Telkomsel tourist eSIM plans with a real Indonesian +62 number, register your device IMEI with the Indonesian government before you arrive, and send the QR code to your WhatsApp. We operate both an online store and physical shops in Bali, and we troubleshoot these problems every day. This guide works whoever you bought your eSIM from.
Do These Three Things First
Before anything technical. These clear a surprising number of cases on their own.
- Turn flight mode on, wait ten seconds, turn it off. This forces your phone to search for a network again.
- Restart the phone. Fully off, then on. Not just locking the screen.
- Wait five minutes after landing. A newly activated line can take a few minutes to attach to the network for the first time.
Still nothing? Keep going.
1. Your IMEI Is Not Registered
This is the single most common cause in Indonesia, and it is the one that does not exist anywhere else in the world.
Indonesia requires every foreign phone to have its IMEI — the serial number of the handset — registered with the government before it can use an Indonesian network. This is separate from the SIM registration. If the IMEI is not on the list, the eSIM installs perfectly, shows a signal bar, and still carries no data.
What it looks like
- The eSIM installed with no errors
- You can see "Telkomsel" as the carrier name
- You may even have one or two bars
- But nothing loads, and calls fail
How to check your IMEI
Dial *#06# on your phone. The number that appears is your IMEI. If your phone has two SIM slots you will see IMEI1 and IMEI2 — send both.
The trap that catches people out. On many phones, an eSIM uses IMEI2, not IMEI1. If you sent only IMEI1 when you ordered, the wrong number was registered and your eSIM will not work.
If you bought from us, send us both numbers on WhatsApp and we will correct the registration the same day.
Two more IMEI traps
You changed phones. The registration is tied to the handset, not to you. Move the eSIM to a different phone and it stops working until the new IMEI is registered.
A digit was mistyped. An IMEI is 15 digits. One wrong character and the registration silently fails. Worth re-reading what you sent.
2. The Line Is Installed But Switched Off
Installing an eSIM and turning it on are two separate steps. A lot of people do the first and assume the second happened.
iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data (or Cellular) → tap the Telkomsel line → make sure Turn On This Line is green.
Android: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → tap the Telkomsel line → make sure it is enabled.
3. Your Phone Is Using the Wrong Line for Data
Your phone now holds two lines: your home number and the Telkomsel one. It will happily keep using your home line for data, which either does nothing or quietly runs up an enormous roaming bill.
iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data → Mobile Data (near the top) → select Telkomsel.
Android: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Mobile data → select Telkomsel.
While you are in there, do this too. Turn off your home line's data roaming, and turn off "Allow Mobile Data Switching" on iPhone. That switching feature will silently fall back to your home carrier and it is the reason some travellers land a four-figure roaming bill after using a local eSIM.
4. The APN Is Wrong or Missing
The APN tells your phone how to reach the network's data service. It usually fills in automatically. When it does not, you get signal and no internet.
For Telkomsel the APN is internet. Lower case, one word, nothing else. Leave username and password blank.
iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data → tap the Telkomsel line → Mobile Data Network → set APN to internet.
Android: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Telkomsel → Access Point Names → add or edit → Name: Telkomsel, APN: internet → save, then select it.
Restart the phone afterwards.
5. Your Phone Is Carrier-Locked
If you bought your phone on a contract or instalment plan, your carrier may have locked it to their network. A locked phone will refuse any other SIM, including an eSIM.
How to tell
iPhone: Settings → General → About → scroll to Carrier Lock. It should say No SIM restrictions. Anything else means locked.
Android: Varies by brand. Settings → About phone → Status, or contact your carrier.
Only your home carrier can unlock it, and it usually takes a few days. This is the one problem no eSIM seller can fix for you — which is why it is worth checking before you fly.
6. Data Roaming Is Switched Off
This one confuses people, because you are not roaming — you are on a local Indonesian line.
But some phones still route local eSIM traffic through the roaming setting. If data roaming is off for that line, nothing loads.
Turn data roaming ON for the Telkomsel line only. Keep it off for your home line. On a local plan this costs you nothing.
7. You Are Somewhere With No Signal
Sometimes the eSIM is fine and the location is the problem.
Telkomsel covers over 97% of Indonesia's population, which is the widest reach of any network here, but no network covers everything. If your data died specifically when you arrived somewhere, look at where you are before you blame the eSIM.
| Where you are | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Denpasar | ✅ Strong everywhere |
| Central Ubud | ✅ Strong |
| Deep in the Ubud valleys and rice terraces | ⚠️ Can drop in the gorges |
| Nusa Penida, Amed, Sidemen | ⚠️ Good on Telkomsel, patchy on other networks |
| Mid-crossing on the fast boat | ⚠️ Expect gaps |
| Mount Batur before sunrise | ⚠️ Thin on the trail, fine at the top |
| Inside a concrete-and-stone villa | ⚠️ Step outside and try again |
If a different phone next to you also has no signal, it is the location, not your eSIM.
👉 Which network does your Bali eSIM actually use? We checked all 13.
8. The Plan Ran Out
Two different things end a plan, and people mix them up.
| What happened | What you see | |
|---|---|---|
| Data used up | You went through your gigabytes | Signal is fine, nothing loads |
| Validity expired | The days ran out, even with data left | Line goes dead |
Dial *888# on the Telkomsel line to check your remaining balance and quota.
Running out early is usually video. One hour of Netflix or YouTube in HD is about 3GB — roughly three normal days of maps, WhatsApp and scrolling. If you burned through a 10GB plan in four days, that is almost certainly why.
👉 How much data you actually need in Bali
Still Broken? Message a Human
If you have worked down all eight and it is still dead, stop guessing. Something is wrong at the registration or provisioning level and no amount of toggling will fix it.
If you bought from Balitel
Message us on WhatsApp. A real person in Bali answers, 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM Bali time. Send us:
- Your order number
- Both IMEI numbers from *#06#
- A screenshot of Settings → Mobile Data
- Where in Bali you are right now
We can re-register your IMEI the same day. If we cannot fix it, we replace it or refund it. You can also walk into one of our shops in Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak or Canggu.
If you bought from an app-only provider
Open their in-app chat. Be aware their support team is in another country and cannot see the Indonesian network, cannot register an IMEI, and has no office you can visit. Ask them directly whether your IMEI has been registered with the Indonesian government — most roaming eSIMs do not do this at all, because they never give you an Indonesian number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Telkomsel eSIM not working in Bali?
The three most common causes are an unregistered IMEI, a line that is installed but not switched on in settings, and a phone still using the home SIM for data. In Indonesia the IMEI cause is the most frequent, because Indonesian law requires every foreign handset to have its IMEI registered with the government before it can use a local network. When the IMEI is missing, the eSIM installs and shows a signal but carries no data.
My eSIM shows signal but no internet. What is wrong?
Signal with no data almost always means one of three things: your IMEI is not registered, the APN is wrong, or your phone is set to use a different line for mobile data. Check the data line first because it takes ten seconds, then set the APN to "internet", then check the IMEI registration.
How do I find my IMEI number?
Dial *#06# on your phone and the IMEI appears immediately. Phones that support two lines show IMEI1 and IMEI2. An eSIM often uses IMEI2, so send both numbers to your provider. An IMEI is 15 digits and a single wrong digit will cause registration to fail silently.
What is the Telkomsel APN setting?
The APN is "internet", in lower case, with the username and password left blank. On iPhone set it under Settings, Mobile Data, tap the Telkomsel line, then Mobile Data Network. On Android set it under Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, Telkomsel, Access Point Names. Restart the phone afterwards.
How do I check how much data is left on my Telkomsel eSIM?
Dial *888# on the Telkomsel line. This shows your remaining quota and the expiry date of your plan. Note that a plan can end two ways: the data runs out, or the validity period expires while data is still left.
Does an eSIM stop working if I change phones?
Yes, in Indonesia. IMEI registration is tied to the handset rather than to you, so moving the eSIM to a different phone means the new handset's IMEI has to be registered before the line will carry data. Contact your retailer to have the new IMEI registered.
Can a carrier-locked phone use a Telkomsel eSIM?
No. A phone locked to your home carrier will refuse any other network, including an eSIM. On iPhone check Settings, General, About, and look for Carrier Lock — it should read "No SIM restrictions". Only your home carrier can unlock the phone, and it usually takes several days, so check before you travel.
Should data roaming be on or off for a local Indonesian eSIM?
Turn data roaming on for the Telkomsel line and off for your home line. Some phones route local eSIM traffic through the roaming setting, so leaving it off can block data entirely. On a local Indonesian plan, roaming being enabled costs you nothing.
Why does a Telkomsel eSIM need my passport and IMEI?
Because it is a local Indonesian line, not a roaming one. Indonesian law requires every mobile number to be registered against a verified identity, and separately requires foreign handsets to have their IMEI registered before using a local network. Balitel completes both before you arrive. Roaming eSIMs skip this because they never issue you an Indonesian number.
What is Balitel?
Balitel is an authorized Telkomsel retailer based in Kuta, Bali. It sells official Telkomsel tourist eSIM plans that include a real Indonesian +62 phone number, handles the passport and IMEI registration required by Indonesian law, and sends the eSIM QR code by WhatsApp before travelers arrive. Balitel is part of Diamond Handphone, a Bali mobile retail business operating since 1998 with stores in Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu.
Can I get a refund if my eSIM never works?
From Balitel, yes. Unactivated eSIMs are fully refundable within 30 days of purchase. If an eSIM has been activated and has a technical fault we cannot resolve, we fix it, replace it, or refund it. What is not covered is a failure caused by incorrect IMEI or passport details supplied at the time of ordering, which is why it is worth double-checking those digits.