Hi all,
Heading to China in a couple of weeks, wondering if anyone here have tried Singtel roaming in china, does it come with VPN like other roaming services from other countries ?
If that’s not possible, any recommendations for VPN to get past the firewall there?
Thanks in advance!
I’ve never encountered blocking in China on roaming SIMs. You should not need any VPN.
I’d recommend getting an eSIM from ICC, no need VPN and the usual FB/Google/Whatsapp etc works as stated on their webpage.
Used it myself earlier this year, coverage is solid.
Singtel roaming works, for WhatsApp, social media, emails etc. However, if connected to hotel (or any public) WiFi, your mileage may vary, as it is still governed by a local entity. My observations are that with some hotels (usually Marriot’s, IHG group of hotels), there are no restrictions, while others (usually local China brands), there are restrictions.
Was in China for 2 weeks in November. Did roaming SingTel data, never had an issue accessing anything. Be sure to activate in the SingTel app before you go (you need to toggle something on in there from the account holder’s app)
All roaming options from all MNOs and MVNOs in Singapore won’t be subject to the GFW. Yes, that includes CMLink.
Just that being able to access websites generally blocked by the GFC does not mean you are on a VPN. Do continue to exercise caution when executing sensitive transactions.
My parents used singtel roaming there for 5 days and could access everything.
As for the VPNs, you can read up more about them on the china subs. I think there are only a few that work well there, but it might not be necessary if you decide to just rely on singtel.