Phones in Thailand: SIM, eSIM and home internet

Phones in Thailand come in two parts: a SIM or eSIM for your mobile and fibre for your home. A tourist only needs a package for 8 to 30 days, while anyone staying for months in Phuket, Pattaya or Samui needs a regular number and home internet. The prices below were taken from the operators’ official sites on 19 October 2026.

Which operators there are and how they differ

Thailand’s main mobile operators are AIS and True Corporation. True and dtac merged: the amalgamation was completed on 1 March 2023 under the name True Corporation, and the TrueMove H and dtac brands stayed on and sell tourist packages at the same prices. Coverage on your street is best checked with neighbours at your accommodation: we found no comparative coverage data in primary sources.

Tourist SIM and eSIM: prices as of October 2026

True prices include VAT; AIS package cards do not mention VAT. dtac also sells Happy Tourist eSIMs with a data cap: THB 299 for 8 days (15 GB) and THB 599 for 15 days (30 GB). Where to buy a SIM at the airport or in 7-Eleven, what to say to the cashier and what to check at the till is in how to buy a SIM card in Thailand.

Under True’s terms a tourist SIM works only in a handset: using it in a router, a SIM box or any other fixed device is prohibited. If you need Wi-Fi for several devices, turn on hotspot sharing on your phone or choose another plan. A «data only» SIM cannot make calls: under True’s terms outgoing calls are blocked on it, except the emergency numbers 191, 1669 and 112 and the operators’ support lines.

How foreigners register a SIM since 16 May 2026

On 15 May 2026 the regulator NBTC published the Notification on Measures for Prevention and Suppression of Technology Crime No. 2, which took effect on 16 May. According to the law firm Tilleke & Gibbins (19.05.2026):

• registration is done in person at an operator branch or an authorised dealer
• a foreigner’s main ID is the passport
• a person may hold no more than three SIMs per operator
• a registered SIM must be activated within 60 days, otherwise it has to be re-verified in person

The tourist SIM terms at True and dtac line up with this: the number is registered to a valid passport, no more than three SIMs per person per brand, validity of no more than 60 days and no extension by top-up after expiry. True’s own page gives the three-SIM cap for foreigners from 18 August 2025, so it predates Notification No. 2. We could not find the text of the notification in the Gazette in open sources (searched 19 October 2026), so treat the figures as the lawyers’ summary plus the operators’ own terms.

eSIM: what the operators’ pages say

An eSIM is built into the phone and needs no card tray. AIS says several eSIMs can be used on one device, up to 8 numbers, so you can add a Thai number next to your home SIM. AIS installs eSIMs through the myAIS app, and the instructions include an identity verification step. How that step works for a tourist with a passport is not described on AIS’s eSIM page, so do not plan on setting it up on the plane without a check. At True and dtac, tourist eSIMs are sold in the online store and the tourist SIM page has an eSIM tab; the pages are also silent about the passport check.

Before you buy, make sure your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to a carrier. Also check that the package includes a Thai number and data: eSIMs from third-party sellers are sometimes data only with no number.

If you stay longer than two months

A tourist SIM works for no more than 60 days. Living here needs a regular prepaid or postpaid plan. We found no single list of documents for a foreigner applying for postpaid on the public pages of AIS and True: terms depend on the plan and your status in Thailand, so go to an operator shop with your original passport and proof of your right to stay. How long-stay visas differ is in the DTV visa guide.

Home internet: what fibre costs

For a rental of several months or more, fibre is cheaper than mobile unlimited. Prices from the operators’ official pages on 19 October 2026, per month:

In the BROADBAND24 terms AIS lists installation with outdoor wiring at THB 4,800, discounted, and a router loan valued at THB 2,500 that must be returned on cancellation. Ask for the final installation amount and the contract length when you apply. AIS and True do not say on the public package pages which documents a foreigner needs. If you rent, ask your landlord whether internet is already connected and in whose name the contract is: the rules are covered in how to rent a home in Thailand. What a whole month costs, including internet and phone, is in cost of living in Thailand.

Support numbers

• AIS: Call Center 1175
• True: 1242
• dtac: 1678

What we could not find

• A list of documents for a foreigner applying for postpaid or home internet at AIS and True
• A description of the passport check when buying a tourist eSIM
• An independent comparison of operator speed and coverage: the Speedtest site did not open for an automated browser on the day of checking because of bot protection, and we did not try to get around it

Found an error or outdated fact? Tell the editors, we will fix it and update the check date.