One thing that just about everybody cannot survive these days is a sim card to go with their smartphone. It enables the person to make and receive call and SMS, and most importantly, send and receive data for internet browsing, messaging and to get their social media fix.

The majority would go for a prepaid plan. As the name implies, you would first have to add credit to your plan and use your credit to make calls, send SMS or use data. It gives you more control over the how much you spend based on what you need.

On the other hand, a postpaid plan usually requires one to pay a minimum fixed amount every month and the plan usually comes with a set number of call minutes, SMS and data and billing will be done monthly.

The Big-3 telecommunication operators (telco) in Malaysia are Maxis, Digi and Celcom. They operate their own network and has the best coverage in the country. Then there are some who operate their own and uses some from another operator, such as U Mobile and Unifi Mobile. The rest are mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) who has their own brand but runs on other networks.

So, what are the difference between the telcos? It is actually hard to break it down. Each telco has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of network coverage, pricing and features. It all boils down to what works for you.

Here is a breakdown of the steps in order to get a SIM card in Malaysia:

• Buy a SIM card starter pack. You would have to show your Malaysian IC or passport for foreigners during registration as it is compulsory by law to do it.
• The SIM card would be valid for a certain number of days and usually comes with a certain amount of preloaded credit. Some would also come with a certain amount of calls, SMS and data inclusive.
• If you are planning on using it for a longer period, you would probably need to "top-up" the credit. Each top-up will add credit to your account and also extend the validity of your SIM card. You can usually do this through online banking, buying a top-up coupon at many convenience stores and even asking a friend using the same telco to transfer credit to you.
• If you need a plan that includes either a certain number of calls, SMS or data, you would then have to buy a plan that suits you the best. These plans can be valid for between a day to a month. This can usually be done through the telco's app and keying in USSD codes on your phone.
• Once your validity expires, you would still be able to receive call and SMS but you would not be able to make calls, send SMS and use data. There is a grace period before your line gets terminated, between 30-90 days depending on telco. You would either have to top up to extend the validity. On certain telcos, there is an option to buy validity up to a year without topping up.
• At the moment, only Unifi Mobile has a prepaid plan that never expires, as long as you "make any outgoing usage, reload or purchase any of the add-ons within 90 days from your last purchase and (or) usage date." This is suitable for those who wants a backup sim card or just need one for basic usage.

If you are the type that is into the technical details, the predominant bands for 4G LTE in Malaysia are the FDD-LTE Band 7 (2600 MHz) and Band 3 (1800 MHz), being used by Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile. Digi has started deployment in the Band 8 (900 MHz) band. Unifi only uses Band 5 (850 MHz). Yes uses TDD-LTE Bands 38 (2600 MHz) and Band 40 (2300 MHz). 3G/UMTS Bands are predominantly Band 1 (2100 MHz) while some also deploy on the Band 8 (900 MHz) band. GSM/2G bands are the 900 (EGSM) and 1800 (DCS) MHz bands.

In summary, in order for your phone to work in Malaysia, just make sure your phone is capable to run on Band 3 and 7 for 4G LTE and Band 1 for 3G.

Now that you are ready, the table below is a comparison of several prepaid SIM card packages in Malaysia. Also shown are the cost of data plans that you can get that is valid for 30 days.

** Updated 20 Jan 2019 with Tune Talk's new Value Prepaid plan **

Scroll/Drag to the right for more ⇉⇉

* For unifi mobile: Does not expire as long as you make any outgoing usage, reload or purchase any of the add-ons within 90 days from your last purchase and (or) usage date

Summary

Depends on what you need, the best prepaid plan in Malaysia is:

• Minimum cost to maintain a prepaid line: Unifi Mobile with its no expiry plan.
• Cheapest monthly plan with data: Tune Talk with its Monthly Plan at RM10 per month with 1GB high speed data, 10GB basic internet and Unlimited Calls to Tune Talk.
• Unlimited data: U Mobile with Giler GX30 Unlimited Data Plan (limited to 3Mbps speed).
• Most high speed data for under RM30: Celcom Xpax with 15GB+ or Yes 4G LTE Prepaid with 16GB.
• YouTube streaming: Digi Prepaid Live with 10GB Video or ookyo with its unlimited data for any 4 apps.
• Unlimited Calls: Tune Talk at RM30 per month. (ookyo's unlimited plan is RM8 per month, but still requires RM30 to be paid monthly).

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