Korea Internet Guide: 3 Ways To Stay Connected In Korea For Hong Kong Travellers

9 years ago

What Is The Best Way To Stay Connected In Korea: Roaming vs Pocket WiFi vs SIM Card

1. International Data Roaming

Our first option in this Korea Internet Guide is data roaming. All four mobile operators in Hong Kong provide international data roaming in Korea. They all provide flat rate plans ranging from $98 to $198 per day.

Pros

1. No need to carry extra device with you.
2. Easy to use.

Cons

1. Bill Shock. But can be avoided by taking flat rate plans.
2. Expensive. Even Flat Rate Plans are three to seven times more expensive than the alternative options and they are very limited in data and usage time.

Below are the data roaming plans of the four mobile operators in Hong Kong.

China Mobile

HK$110/MB (Korean Partner Operator: KT) or Flat rate at $98/day
HK$130/MB (Korean Partner Operator: SKT) or Flat rate at $98/day

CSL

Flat rate at $198/day

Three

HK$140/MB
or Flat rate at $198/day

SmarTone

HK$140/MB (Korean Partner Operator: KT) or Data Day Plan $168 (50MB of data)
HK$160/MB (Korean Partner Operator: SKT) or Data Day Plan $168 (50MB of data)

References

1. http://www.hk.chinamobile.com
2. http://www.hkcsl.com
3. http://www.three.com.hk
4. http://www.smartone.com

2. Pocket WiFi Rental

There are many pocket wifi (also known as portable wifi device, WiFi Egg, MiFi, mobile WiFi and etc.) rental companies which provide portable wifi hotspots to HK travellers to Korea. Many of them provide unlimited data so the users can enjoy internet in Korea without worries of getting a bill shock.

Pros

1. Cheapest option. Most companies provide unlimited data plans at a flat rate.
2. Taking advantage of the unlimited data, you can share up to 7 people at the same time, thus lowering the cost per person even further.
3. Easy to use. Just choose the network and enter the password. No need to register or get certification.

Cons

1. Burden of carrying an extra device with you.Most pocket wifi are small enough to fit in your pocket, but some may still find it troublesome to carry an extra device with them.

Korean Providers

POCKET WIFI KOREA

Pocket WiFi Seoul: HK$ 33
Pocket WiFi Korea: HK$ 44

KT

HK$ 66

SKT

HK$ 66

References

1. http://pocketwifikorea.com
2. https://www.skroaming.com
3. http://roaming.kt.com

Hong Kong Providers

Vison Data

HK$ 60

WiFiBB

HK$ 80

Y5Buddy

HK$ 60

Telecom Square

HK$ 77

Pocket WiFi

HK$ 60

Wiyo

HK$ 60

WiFi Egg

LGU+ $68
Olleh $70

CgarWiFi

LGU+ $70
Olleh $60

References

1. http://www.visondata.com/
2. http://www.wifibb.com
3. http://y5buddy.com
4. http://www.pocketwifi.com.hk
5. http://www.telecomsquare.hk/
6. http://www.wiyo.hk
7. http://www.wifi-egg.com
8. http://www.cgarwifi.com

3. Korean SIM Card

Egsimcard (which is the reseller of KT) and KT provide Korean prepaid simcards for travellers in Korea. In order to use this option, you need to register and also you need to have your phone ‘unlocked’ before you can use a Korean SIM. Click here to find out if your phone is unlocked.

Pros

1. No need to carry extra device with you.
2. Cheaper than international roaming.

Cons

1. Hard to use. In order to activate the SIM, you need to register but the process is complicated. You need to send your photo image in the passport for certification. And also you can only register during the business hours.
2. Limited Data. Once you are out of data, it’s difficult to recharge it.