Destination
India eSIM
India moves from Delhi monuments and Mumbai local trains to Jaipur forts, Goa beaches and Bengaluru tech corridors across vast distances. Having data active at DEL or BOM matters for UPI-adjacent payments, Ola/Uber, IRCTC trains and WhatsApp-first hotels on arrival night. NXTL sells travel data the way people actually move: buy credit once, use it in India on Idea Cellular-07, Vi - Assam, Idea Cellular-BI, Vodafone India Essar, then keep whatever is left for France, Japan or wherever you go next. Install before the flight so maps and messaging work from the first transfer.
Live pricing
Network rates in India
Rates are per gigabyte of usage from your balance — not the eSIM purchase price. By default the cheapest network tier is enabled, so your eSIM steers to the lowest available rates; you can still pick a network manually in the app if you prefer. Full pricing page
| Network | Technology | Rate per GB |
|---|---|---|
| Idea Cellular-07 Lowest rate | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vi - Assam | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-BI | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vodafone India Essar | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vi - Maharashtra & Goa | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vi - Maharashtra and Goa | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vodafone India Essar BT | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vi - Kolkata | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vodafone | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-EH | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-EK | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-EU | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Fascel | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Vodafone India (Mumbai) | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IB | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-ID | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IE | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IH | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IK | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IM | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IO | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IR | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IT | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IU | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-IW | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-MP | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-SK | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Idea Cellular-SP | 5G LTE | $1.89/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (North East) | 5G LTE | $5.16/GB |
| Bharti Airtel (UP East IND10) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Orissa IND11) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Bihar IND12) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (West Bengal IND14) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Assam IND15) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Mumbai INDA1) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Maharashtra INDA2) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Gujarat INDA3) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Tamil Nadu INDA4) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Haryana INDA5) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (UP West INDA6) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Kerala INDA7) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Madhya Pradesh INDA8) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Punjab INDA9) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Delhi) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Himachal Pradesh INDBL) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Rajasthan INDH1) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Karnataka INDJB) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Andhra Pradesh INDJH) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Kolkata INDMT) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
| Bharti Airtel India (Chennai INDSC) | 5G LTE | $5.58/GB |
By default, NXTL steers your eSIM to the cheapest available network tier. You can still pick a network manually in the app if you prefer.
Trip cost calculator
What will data cost you in India?
Your estimate
Pay-as-you-go: there is no daily allowance or data cap. You use what you need from your balance. Estimates use the selected network’s current per-GB rate; by default NXTL steers to the cheapest available network tier.
Data use
How much data do travellers actually use?
Light
Maps, messaging and email on the go
Moderate
Social apps, browsing and music streaming
Heavy
Video calls, HD streaming and hotspot use
Costs use the cheapest network tier, which is enabled by default on NXTL eSIMs and steers you to the lowest available rates. Actual usage varies by traveller.
Why NXTL here
What NXTL changes in India
50 networks, cheapest tier by default
By default NXTL steers to the cheapest available network tier. You can still pick a network manually in the app if you prefer.
5G where verified
A 5G badge appears only on networks we can reliably match to technology data — never a guess.
Below the NXTL median
The lowest per-GB rate here is currently below the median rate across all NXTL-covered destinations.
Keeps working across borders
The same eSIM and the same balance continue in neighbouring destinations — nothing to re-buy at the border.
Balance never expires
Whatever you don’t use stays in your account for the next trip. No validity clock.
5% back in Tokens
NXTL Rewards returns 5% of usage as Tokens you can redeem into spendable balance.
Connectivity guide
Staying connected in India
Jio, Airtel and Vi compete nationally; cities and Golden Quadrilateral highways carry 4G, while Ladakh passes, Northeast hill states and remote Rajasthan desert camps fade for long stretches. Delhi Metro has partial underground coverage. NXTL uses those domestic networks — commonly Idea Cellular-07, Vi - Assam, Idea Cellular-BI, Vodafone India Essar when listed live here — rather than building separate towers.
Prepaid SIMs require passport and visa registration at operator stores or airport kiosks; activation can take a few hours. A local number is nearly essential for verification texts from Indian services and delivery riders. Short stays in India rarely need a local number. NXTL’s data-only eSIM skips the registration queue: you arrive ready, use maps and messaging immediately, and never buy a timed tourist pack that dies when you leave.
How NXTL works for India: buy credit, install the eSIM on Wi-Fi before you fly, then enable data when you land (for example via Indira Gandhi (DEL)). Your phone uses local networks such as Idea Cellular-07, Vi - Assam, Idea Cellular-BI, Vodafone India Essar. You are charged only for data used — there is no daily allowance to waste and no pack that expires after a week in Delhi.
That global wallet is the product pitch: India today, another destination tomorrow, same eSIM. Live per-country rates, no plastic to swap, and nothing wasted when your Delhi plans change.
Domestic flights between metro cities still leave you needing data at crowded terminals where Wi-Fi login is slow. A pay-as-you-go NXTL eSIM fits India travel like this — install once, use what you need, keep the rest for later.
Local SIMs and roaming
Prepaid SIMs require passport and visa registration at operator stores or airport kiosks; activation can take a few hours. A local number is nearly essential for verification texts from Indian services and delivery riders. For short visits built around Delhi and Mumbai, NXTL is usually enough: data for maps and messaging, your home number kept for calls and bank texts, and pay-as-you-go credit that does not expire when you leave India.
Your options
Other ways to get data in India
An honest look at the alternatives — each has cases where it makes sense.
Roaming with your home plan
Zero setup, but daily roaming passes and out-of-bundle rates add up quickly on longer trips. Fine for a weekend; expensive for weeks.
Airport SIM counters
Available on arrival, but often with queues, ID registration and tourist pricing. An eSIM installed before you fly skips all of it.
Local prepaid SIM
Can be economical for month-long stays if you find a store and handle registration. For shorter trips, the time cost usually outweighs the saving.
Fixed-validity eSIM bundles
Simple upfront pricing, but unused gigabytes expire with the validity clock. NXTL is pay-as-you-go: your balance stays yours.
Multi-country travel
One balance continues across borders
Leaving India? The same eSIM and the same balance keep working at each destination’s own rate — no new SIM, no new bundle, no expiry.
Nearby destinations
Setup
Installed in minutes, ready before you land
-
Buy the Global eSIM
Checkout takes a minute and the QR code arrives instantly by email.
-
Install on Wi-Fi
Scan the QR code at home or at the airport — before the flight is easiest.
-
Land connected
Enable the eSIM for data on arrival. Usage is billed per GB from your balance.
FAQ
India data questions, answered
Yes, where India is in NXTL coverage. Your phone connects to local networks listed on this page — often Idea Cellular-07, Vi - Assam, Idea Cellular-BI, Vodafone India Essar — including everyday use in places like Delhi.
Rates for India are shown live on this page and on the pricing page because they change over time. NXTL is pay-as-you-go: you only pay for the data you use.
NXTL’s travel eSIM does not give you a local India phone number, so you skip the shop ID process that local prepaid SIMs usually need. Keep your usual number for calls and bank texts.
Install on Wi-Fi before you fly. Enable data after you land — for example at Indira Gandhi (DEL) — so you are not relying on airport Wi-Fi.
No. Credit left after India stays in your NXTL account with no expiry date, ready for later trips where NXTL has coverage.
Yes. The same NXTL eSIM and balance keep working in other covered countries, so India does not have to be a disposable tourist SIM.
A local SIM can be right for a long stay with lots of local calls. For most visits to India, NXTL is simpler: install before you travel, pay as you go, skip the desk, and keep leftover credit for the next country.
Ready for India?
Global eSIM $11.99 · includes $10.00 credit · balance never expires