Which Mobile Network is best in Ladakh?
Disclaimer: This post, “Which Mobile Network is best in Ladakh?” post is completely unbiased and based on my personal experience. I had Vodafone and Airtel postpaid SIMs & Jio prepaid SIM during the trip.
In all states except Jammu & Kashmir, getting a mobile network is not a challenge; all major operators have most of the places under coverage. In my case, Jio outperformed Airtel & Vodafone in all the places except Jammu & Kashmir (being a Karnataka prepaid sim).
Jio got better coverage, and very minimal call drop was observed, then Airtel, which was OK in most of the places but not reliable at all. Either it got stuck in 2G or 3G most of the time, it was not an issue with the handset (tried with different mobiles). Call drop rate and slow internet performance have been observed for a good amount of time and in different states, too.
Lastly, Vodafone, trust me, it was a pain to have your primary no in Vodafone. Almost every time I faced no internet or slow internet problems, the call drop rate was low, but coverage was poor in major cities, even in Delhi. So, out of J&K, Jio was the best mobile network, per my experience.
Now in J&K, it was a different experience, quite shocking. Being a Karnataka prepaid SIM, Jio stopped working as soon as I entered J&K, done. Vodafone and Airtel were working fine till Srinagar after Srinagar, Vodafone also stopped working. Airtel was working fine in the whole J&K, got 4G coverage in Kargil, Leh, etc, else you have mostly 2G coverage, which was OK for calls and WhatsApp text messages. En route, in a few places, there was no network coverage, like Diskit, Pangong, etc.
As per locals, BSNL postpaid will give you better network coverage than others, and it worked in Diskit too. Pangong has a telephone booth for Rs. 5/min, we used it for a few minutes to inform our stay to our stay.
Best Mobile Network in Ladakh, as per my experience
Get BSNL/Airtel postpaid before going to J&K, the first one will give better coverage for calls & text, and the second one will give you better internet experience with a little bit less coverage. Locals say Jio works well in Leh and Kargil, although I have not experienced it. Vodafone simply does not work for me. So, for me best mobile network in Ladakh is either BSNL or Airtel.
Being a remote place, visiting Ladakh needs lots of preparation, it mentally, physically. Do check out the links below to make this trip successful, I am sure you will never regret.
- How to prepare for Ladakh
- Medicines needed in Ladakh
- How to fight AMS or High Altitude Sickness in Ladakh
- Inner Line Permit Procedure for Ladakh
- Things to carry in Ladakh Trip
- Complete Guide for your Ladakh Trip
Conclusion
If you are doing a road trip to Ladakh, you may find my Kolkata – Ladakh – Kolkata on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 journey helpful, here.
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