India is one of those destinations where your phone stops being a luxury and becomes a survival tool: ordering an Uber in Delhi, haggling with the map open in Jaipur, or informing your hotel that your train is three hours late. That's why it's important to decide before you fly how you're going to get internet in India. In this guide, I compare all the real ways to get connected as a tourist: roaming with your Spanish operator, Wi-Fi in hotels and cafes, a local Jio or Airtel SIM (with all the paperwork it entails), and eSIM. I'll tell you about 4G and 5G coverage in Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Rajasthan, and the countryside, and how much data you really need.
Internet in India: the quick answer
For a tourist, an eSIM is the best way to get internet in India: it activates in minutes, uses Jio or Airtel networks, and avoids the paperwork of a local SIM, which requires a passport, visa, photo, form, and an activation process that can take up to 24 hours.
That's the short conclusion, but it's worth understanding why. India has the cheapest mobile data on the planet, which makes it seem like buying an Indian SIM is the obvious move. The problem isn't the price: it's the process. The Indian government's KYC regulations are strict, and for a foreigner, that means forms, photocopies, a photo taken in the store, and a wait that can eat up your entire first day of travel.
So the real decision isn't "which is cheaper," but "how much time and patience are you willing to invest." Roaming is convenient and extremely expensive. Hotel Wi-Fi is fine for the night and not much more. A local SIM is dirt cheap and cumbersome. And an eSIM strikes a sensible middle ground: reasonable price, no in-person procedures, and data working from the moment you turn on your phone at arrivals.
All options at a glance
Here's the complete picture. There are five realistic ways to get connected in India, and not all of them cost or weigh the same. Pay less attention to the price and more to the "but" column: that's where this comparison is decided, because the cheapest option on paper will give you the most friction at the counter.
| Option | Approximate price | Process | Its big "but" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator roaming | €10-15/day or up to ~€12/MB | None | Extremely expensive and with limited data |
| Free Wi-Fi (hotel, cafes) | Free | None | Only works where you are stationary |
| Local SIM (Jio, Airtel) | €4-8 for 28 days | High: passport, visa, photo, form | Activation up to 24 h and verification call |
| Portable router (pocket Wi-Fi) | €5-10/day | Medium: rental and return | Device, battery, and deposit |
| Travel eSIM | From ~€10 for 5 GB | None: QR and ready | Requires compatible phone |
As you can see, the Indian SIM wins hands down on price: €4-8 for a month with plenty of gigabytes is unbeatable. But that price comes with considerable fine print that I'll elaborate on below. A portable router is a niche option in India, much less common than in Japan, although if you're traveling in a group, you might consider it by reading the comparison of eSIM versus pocket Wi-Fi. And an eSIM strikes a very comfortable middle ground: it's the only thing that keeps you connected without stepping foot in a store.
Roaming with your Spanish operator
Roaming is the "do nothing" option and, for that very reason, the most expensive. India is outside the European Union's "roam like at home" zone, so your Spanish gigabytes don't travel with you: you enter an international zone, where the bill skyrockets without you realizing it. For pay-as-you-go, some operators charge amounts in the order of €12/MB, which makes any video a huge expense.
To make it look better, operators sell daily passes. Typical rates outside Europe range from €7 to €15 per day, and pay attention to what they include: some passes offer a couple of gigabytes, while others only provide 100 MB daily, which is a paltry amount if you use Google Maps in Mumbai. Do the math: two weeks in India at €10-15/day is €140-210 just for data.
My advice is to treat roaming as an emergency backup: activate it if something goes wrong, and that's it. And above all, check your operator's app before you leave to know what rate applies to you in India, because conditions vary by operator and plan. If you want the detailed numbers, you'll find how much international roaming costs and the comparison of eSIM versus roaming useful.
Hotel, cafe, and airport Wi-Fi
The second temptation is to rely on free Wi-Fi. In India, there's more than you might imagine: almost all hotels offer it, cafe chains do too, and major airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore) provide free access. The problem is that it only works where you are stationary, and a trip through India is precisely the opposite: moving around a lot and in chaotic conditions.
There's also a detail that surprises many travelers: public Indian Wi-Fi often requires verification by OTP, a code sent to you via SMS to an Indian number. If you don't have a local number, you can't connect. Airports have kiosks where you scan your passport to get it, but it's an extra step and doesn't always work on the first try. In hotels, they give you the password at reception, although the speed varies greatly: excellent in a business hotel in Gurgaon, pathetic in a guesthouse in Pushkar.
The honest conclusion: hotel Wi-Fi is a good backup for planning your route or downloading offline maps. But as a primary plan, it's a disaster. You need it precisely when you don't have it: negotiating a tuk-tuk, finding the right platform at New Delhi station, or trying to find your hotel in a Jaisalmer alley. Use it as a supplement, never as the backbone.
Local Indian SIM: passport, visa, photo, and form
And here we come to the key point of this guide, the one almost no one tells you before you land. Buying a local SIM in India is not like buying one in Portugal or Italy: the country applies very strict KYC (Know Your Customer) regulations for national security reasons, and for a foreigner, that means getting the card is a full-fledged administrative process, not a one-minute purchase.
This is what they will ask you for at an official Jio, Airtel, or Vodafone Idea (Vi) store:
- Original passport and a photocopy of the data page.
- Valid Indian visa (or printed e-Visa), with its photocopy.
- A photograph, which they usually take there with the attendant's camera: it's a "live photo" that is uploaded to the government system.
- A CAF (Customer Application Form) filled out by hand with your details.
- Local address in India: the hotel reservation usually serves as proof.
- In some cases, a local Indian contact as a reference (more common with Airtel and Vi than with Jio).
Add to that that you can only buy it in official stores or at airport counters—no street stalls: those SIMs are illegal and deactivate themselves in 48 hours. The result: what you thought was "I'll buy a SIM when I arrive" easily turns into a wasted afternoon.
Activation: 24 hours and verification call
Even if you complete the paperwork without a single error, the card doesn't work when you leave the store. That's the second blow: the SIM arrives inactive and you have to wait for the operator to validate your documentation. Normally, this takes between 30 minutes and 4 hours, but it's not uncommon for it to take up to 24 or 48 hours, especially if you buy on a weekend or in a small city.
And then there's tele-verification. Before the line provides service, you have to call a short operator number (Airtel uses 59059) from the Indian SIM itself and answer an agent who asks you your name and local address. If the attendant misspelled your last name on the CAF—which happens often with Spanish names—the verification fails and you have to go back to the store.
Translate this to your actual trip: you land in Delhi in the early morning, spend the morning looking for an Airtel store, fill out paperwork, have your photo taken, and you won't have data until the next day. Precisely the first 24 hours, when you're most lost and most in need of a map.
Note: I'm not saying the Indian SIM is bad. It's incredibly cheap and works wonderfully once active. What I'm saying is that its real cost isn't measured in euros, but in travel hours. If it still tempts you, check out the comparison of eSIM vs. local SIM.
eSIM: the option I recommend
This is where the eSIM becomes the obvious solution for India, and not just for marketing reasons: it instantly eliminates the problem I just described. An eSIM is a digital card that already lives inside your phone. You buy the India plan from home, receive a QR code, scan it, and you're done. No photocopies, no forms, no waiting for a system to validate you. You prepare it on your couch before you fly and activate it when you land.
Travel eSIMs for India rely on the networks of major local operators—primarily Jio and Airtel—so your coverage is the same as an Indian person would have with a store-bought SIM. The difference isn't in the signal, but in how you access it. In terms of price, plans range from about €10 for 5 GB and go up to €20-30 for 20 GB for longer trips. It's not as cheap as a local SIM, but the difference is a few euros in exchange for not losing an entire day of travel.
Another important advantage in India: with Dual SIM, you keep your Spanish number active to receive bank SMS while data runs on the eSIM. If this is your first time, read what an eSIM is and then the eSIM guide for India, where I explain the installation step by step.
Local Indian SIM vs. eSIM, head to head
This is the comparison that really matters in India, because roaming is ruled out by price alone and Wi-Fi isn't enough to get by. The table pits the two options that are in play, and you'll see that the battle isn't decided by price but by the time you lose and whether or not you'll be connected during your first day in the country.
| Criterion | Local SIM (Jio / Airtel) | Travel eSIM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~€4-8 for 28 days with lots of gigabytes | From ~€10 for 5 GB |
| Documents | Passport, visa, photo, CAF form, and local address | None |
| Where to buy | Official store or airport counter, in person | Online, from home, before flying |
| Time until data is available | 30 min to 24-48 h, plus verification call | Minutes: scan QR and ready |
| Network used | Jio, Airtel, or Vi | The same: Jio or Airtel |
| Your Spanish number | Lost if your phone only has one SIM slot | Remains active with Dual SIM |
| Risk | Incorrectly filled paperwork, failed verification, closed store | Your phone not being compatible |
My take: if you're going to spend three months backpacking through India, a local SIM is worth it for the price and for giving you an Indian number to receive OTPs. If you're going for two or three weeks, spending a morning in a store to save ten euros is a bad deal: there, the eSIM wins hands down.
4G and 5G Coverage: Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Rajasthan, and rural areas
Good news: India is much better connected than its reputation suggests. Its 5G rollout has been one of the fastest in the world, and today signal is almost never the problem on tourist routes. Jio operates 5G in hundreds of cities with n78 and 700 MHz bands, with good reach in villages and on roads; Airtel covers fewer cities but usually has faster speeds in major urban areas.
- Delhi and Mumbai: Widely available 5G, with typical speeds of 100-300 Mbps and much higher peaks.
- Goa: Good 4G and 5G coverage in Panaji, Calangute, Anjuna, and the coastal strip; in more isolated southern beaches, solid 4G.
- Rajasthan: Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer work well with 4G and increasingly 5G. In the Thar Desert and on roads between cities, 4G holds up with fluctuations.
- Rural and mountain areas: Mostly 4G. Jio has the best reach in small villages and long train journeys; in the Himalayas and remote valleys, there will be stretches without signal.
If your route includes a lot of countryside, train travel, or deep Rajasthan, choose a plan supported by the Jio network, which has the best penetration outside of cities. If you're moving between metropolises and plan to make video calls or tether, Airtel will be faster. In any case, download offline maps before you leave: it's cheap insurance for dead zones.
How much data you need in India
The million-dollar question before buying any plan. The short answer: less than you fear, but it's worth calculating by days and by actual use. In India, you'll mainly be using maps, messaging, transport apps (Uber, Ola, Rapido), translation, and some social media. Video and large downloads are best left for hotel Wi-Fi. This table gives you an approximate reference by activity and day.
| Daily activity | Approximate consumption |
|---|---|
| Google Maps and navigation | ~50-100 MB/day |
| WhatsApp and messaging | ~20-50 MB/day |
| Transport apps (Uber, Ola) | ~30-60 MB/day |
| Social media (normal scrolling) | ~150-300 MB/day |
| Uploading photos and some video | ~200-400 MB/day |
Summing up normal tourist use, you'll use about 400-800 MB per day. With that reference, for a week in India, 3-5 GB is enough; for two or three weeks, a 10-20 GB plan will be more than enough; and if you upload videos daily, tether to your laptop, or work remotely, go straight for an unlimited data plan. My usual trick: calculate your gigabytes, round up with a small buffer, and download offline maps for your cities. That way, you won't run short in the middle of a Jaipur market or pay extra for gigabytes you won't touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a passport and visa to buy a SIM in India?
Yes. For a local Indian SIM, you will need your original passport with a photocopy, a valid visa or e-Visa, a photo taken at the store, a CAF form, and a local address in India. With a travel eSIM, you don't need to present any documents.
How long does it take to activate an Indian SIM?
It usually takes between 30 minutes and 4 hours after submitting the documentation, but it can extend to 24 or 48 hours. Additionally, you must complete a tele-verification call from the SIM card itself before the line starts providing data services.
Can I buy an Indian SIM at the airport?
Yes, there are Airtel and Jio counters at Delhi and Mumbai airports, and it's the fastest way. However, they will still ask for the same documents, you'll pay a bit more, and activation with a verification call is still mandatory.
Does WhatsApp work with an eSIM in India?
Yes, no problem. WhatsApp works with data, not with the voice network, so it works the same with an Indian eSIM. And with Dual SIM, your Spanish number remains active to receive SMS and calls from the bank while data travels via the eSIM.
Which network is better in India: Jio or Airtel?
It depends on your route. Jio has better coverage in villages, on roads, and during long train journeys, ideal for Rajasthan or rural South India. Airtel is usually faster in Delhi, Mumbai, and large cities, better for video calls and tethering.
Is 5G available in India for tourists?
Yes. 5G is deployed in hundreds of cities, with typical speeds of 100-300 Mbps in Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, or Jaipur. In rural and mountainous areas, 4G predominates, which works perfectly for maps, messaging, and browsing.
How many GB do I need for two weeks in India?
For normal tourist use —maps, messaging, transport apps, some social media, and photos— 10 GB will be more than enough for two weeks. If you work remotely, watch videos, or tether with a laptop, choose an unlimited plan.
Can I use Indian public Wi-Fi without a local number?
Often not. Many public networks require an OTP code sent via SMS to an Indian number. At airports, there are kiosks that generate it by scanning your passport, but it's an extra step. Hotel Wi-Fi is the convenient exception.
Conclusion
Getting internet in India is easy; what's not so easy is getting it the traditional way. A local Jio or Airtel SIM is very cheap, but it requires a passport, visa, photo, form, a verification call, and up to 24 hours of waiting: an absurd hassle when you're only staying two weeks. Roaming saves you the hassle but costs €140-210 for a normal trip. And free Wi-Fi only works while sitting in your hotel. That's why, for most, eSIM is the answer: the same Jio or Airtel coverage, a reasonable price, and zero paperwork. Install it before you take off and you'll have data from the moment you land. When you're ready, check out the eSIM for India.
