Maladewa adalah lebih dari seribu pulau karang yang tersebar di Samudra Hindia, kebanyakan pengunjung hanya melihat tepat dua darinya: bandara dan pulau mereka sendiri. Pasang eSIM sebelum Anda terbang dan Anda sudah online di dermaga kedatangan, sementara Wi-Fi resort masih harus ditempuh dengan perahu


Semua orang mendarat di Velana International Airport, di sebuah pulau sendiri di samping ibu kota, dan tidak ada yang tinggal di sana: Anda keluar dari kedatangan ke dermaga, dan sebuah speedboat, sebuah seaplane atau penerbangan domestik membawa Anda lanjut. Staf resort menyambut Anda di pintu, tetapi menunggu seaplane bisa lama, dan sebuah penginapan di pulau lokal mungkin hanya mengirimkan jadwal feri.

Cakupan di sini lebih baik daripada yang tampak di peta. Malé, Hulhumalé dan bandara memiliki sinyal kuat, dan hampir setiap pulau berpenghuni dan resor memiliki menara sendiri, jadi Anda biasanya dapat mengharapkan 4G di pantai, di vila dan di terumbu rumah.
Kekosongan itu terbuat dari air. Saat naik speedboat menyeberangi selat, di feri panjang dan terutama di liveaboard yang bergerak antar atol, sinyal muncul saat Anda melewati sebuah pulau dan memudar saat Anda menjauhinya. Bank pasir yang terpencil serta atol selatan dan utara yang lebih tenang mengalami jeda paling lama. Di tengah penerbangan dalam pesawat amfibi, jangan berharap mendapat sinyal.

For most home plans the Maldives falls in the most expensive roaming band, and it is one of the destinations most often left out of "worldwide" and daily passes. A few photographs sent from the jetty can cost more than the cocktail.
Resort Wi-Fi is not always the answer either: it is frequently slow at the far end of the overwater jetty, shared with every other guest, and at some properties the faster tier is charged. Local SIMs are sold at the airport, with a queue and your passport, just as your transfer is being called.
A travel eSIM takes the question away: a fixed price, paid before you leave, on a local network.
Seaplanes operate only in daylight and to the operator's schedule, not yours: you are told your departure after you land, and a wait of an hour or three in the lounge is normal. If your international flight arrives late in the afternoon you may need a night in Malé or Hulhumalé first — check with the resort before you book.
The same applies on the way home: the resort sets your departure time, so leave a generous gap before an evening flight.
The two are different countries in all but name. On local islands alcohol is not available, swimwear is for the designated tourist beaches only, and dress elsewhere should cover shoulders and knees. Friday is the day of rest: public ferries are limited and many shops close until the afternoon.
On resort islands none of this applies. If you are combining the two, check the ferry days before you book the rooms.
It will usually connect, and it is usually expensive. Most operators place the Maldives in their top roaming band and exclude it from daily and "worldwide" passes. Check your own price list before you land — or use a travel eSIM and settle the cost at home.
In almost all cases, yes. Resorts are covered by the national networks, generally with 4G across the island, the villas and the jetty. It is on the transfer between islands, and on boat trips well away from land, that you should expect gaps.
It helps more than you would expect. Resort Wi-Fi is often slow in the overwater villas and on the beach, sometimes limited to a basic tier unless you pay, and it does not exist at the airport jetty, on the speedboat or on an excursion. Mobile data fills those gaps and gives you a fallback for calls home.
5G is available in and around Malé and at a growing number of islands, with 4G almost everywhere else that is inhabited. Whether your plan uses it is shown on each plan's card.
No — a Maldives plan covers the Maldives. Sri Lanka has its own plans, and if you are combining the two with India or the Gulf on the way, a regional plan is the simpler choice.
At resorts everything goes on the room bill and is settled by card, with prices quoted in US dollars. On local islands guesthouses and dive centres take cards too, but cafés, small shops and ferries are easier with cash — rufiyaa, or small dollar notes, which are widely accepted.
Paket untuk negara tetangga:
Di mana ada sinyal, bagaimana roaming diperlakukan di sana, dan apa yang perlu diketahui sebelum mendarat.