Palawan eSIM
In Palawan you connect to Globe or Smart, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 34 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Globe and Smart
- Typical speed in Philippines
- 34 Mbps typical, 8 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- partial, on the main islands and in the cities
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Palawan
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $6.89 | $6.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $3.30 | $9.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $2.78 | $13.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $2.09 | $20.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.84 | $36.89 |
How Philippines compares across Asia
- Regional typical speed
- 42.95 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Globe, Smart
- 5G
- Partial, main islands and cities
- Next fastest nearby
- Mongolia, 35 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Kyrgyzstan, 33 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Manila, Cebu, Palawan, Boracay
Landing at Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS)
- Airport
- PPS / RPVP
- Also serves
- El Nido Airport (Lio Airport) (ENI), Francisco B. Reyes Airport (Busuanga, for Coron) (USU)
Getting into Palawan
- 2GO Travel MV 2GO Masigla, Puerto Princesa to Coron (PPS), about 780 minutes
- 2GO Travel MV 2GO Masigla, Coron to Manila (USU), about 780 minutes
Worth knowing about Palawan
- Palawan is an archipelagic province of roughly 1,780 islands and islets, not a city.
- Puerto Princesa suspended international flights in March 2020; as of 2025 it mainly runs domestic routes to Manila, Cebu, Clark, Davao and Iloilo.
- El Nido's airport is privately owned and operated by Cebu Pacific, with a 1,000 m runway and domestic flights only, about 4 km from the town proper.
- Coron is served by Francisco B. Reyes Airport on Busuanga island, a domestic-only Class 2 principal airport.
- SIM cards in the Philippines must be registered before activation under the SIM Registration Act (RA 11934), in force since 28 October 2022.
- The national free public wifi captive portal at connect.freepublicwifi.gov.ph has a Login as Guest button, and tells users wanting extended access to download the eGov App and sign in with an account.
- DICT's MIMAROPA office reported activating 621 free wifi hotspots across 207 public schools in Palawan, alongside a Palawan ICT Roadmap.
- Smart states that a tourist registering a SIM needs a passport, proof of address in the Philippines, a return or onward ticket showing departure, and a selfie photo.
- A SIM registered by a tourist stays valid for only 30 days and is then deactivated automatically. Keeping it alive means submitting an approved visa extension.
- Puerto Princesa opened a 13,000 square metre two level terminal in May 2017, rated for two million passengers a year, served by a single 2,601 m runway.
- El Nido is on the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan, about 269 km from Puerto Princesa, and is the gateway to the Bacuit archipelago of 45 islands and islets.
- The town of Coron is not on Coron Island. It sits on the eastern part of Busuanga Island in the Calamian group and administers Coron Island and about 50 minor islets.
- The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River runs 8.2 km underground. Boats go up to 4.3 km in from the sea, and salt water mixes with fresh about 6 km inside the cave.
- The underground river park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 4 December 1999, and the city says the entrance is a short hike or boat ride from Sabang village.
- Southern Palawan is virtually free from tropical depressions while northern Palawan gets torrential rain in July and August. The province has almost 2,000 km of irregular coastline.
- El Nido can be reached overland from Puerto Princesa by daily buses and jeepneys from San Jose Terminal, using a rehabilitated 60 km national road from Taytay.
- Ferry times between the province's three arrival points are long. Puerto Princesa to Coron is 13 hours by 2GO and Puerto Princesa to Manila is 29 hours.