Mobile data connectivity in Spiti

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Ghoomophiro

Staying connected with our loved ones has become a sort of necessity of the modern era. Gone are the days when people had the patience to wait for letters. Now we start worrying when our loved one won’t pick the phone for five minutes. This need becomes even more imperative when someone is traveling. Here we bring you a list of tips that you can increase your mobile phone connectivity when traveling with a special focus on Spiti Valley.

1. Research about connectivity in advance

Find out all you can about mobile connectivity issues of the region you are traveling in to stay informed and not be taken by surprise.

2. Pre-paid and postpaid connections

The first thing to be considered while traveling is considering whether your prepaid or postpaid connection will work in a given region. When traveling internationally, for example, you may want to consider getting a local number. These connections work well in Spiti Valley though not so much in Ladhakh. Most of the connectivity issues are with routes to the valley and there are some weak network zones and others where there is no network for several kilometers.

2. Selection of the telecom service provider

You might want to have a temporary connection with a service provider that works best locally. As far as Ladhakh and Spiti region go, BSNL is safest and Airtel is your second best bet. Even these connections fail in some routes in the region but the others are worse

3. Inform your friends and family

Inform them when you are about to enter a region with connection problems to save them from needless worries. Don’t tell them when they can next be sure to find you. Rather tell them that you will call them or send them a text whenever you find connection and keep doing it.

4. Satellite phones

In case of an emergency, you can use a satellite phone installed at Chandra dhaba on Manali-Kunzum Pass -Kaza route. The charges are 2 rupees per minute for STD/ISD calls. However, remember it is an emergency phone.

5. Data connectivity

The data connectivity is mostly limited in the Spiti valley.  The data speeds are low in the region. When traveling to such a region, Whatsapp is the most reliable chatting app. It manages to send text messages on very low speed even if it won’t send voice or image or video texts. And that is more than you can say about a lot of chatting apps.

6. Seasonal fluctuations

Connectivity suffers in and around Spiti Valley during winters when it is at its worst. Connectivity might also suffer due to weather changes and might be simply gone for several days for no good apparent reason.

7. Daily Variations

Networks work better during the days especially in mornings compared to nights and thus you will need to plan accordingly in and around Spiti valley. This is particularly true in case of BSNL and you should, thus, plan accordingly. Remember early and early to rise makes a good strategy in Ladhakh

8. Of course, Patience

The biggest problem is often the lack of patience in travelers. They are just too used to high internet speeds of big cities. It might take you several efforts to put through a call or send a single text back home. It is thus a test of patience more than anything else.

Conclusion

This is all on mobile connectivity in Spiti Valley. We hope you find this blog helpful. If there are tips that you think can help to let tourists stay connected, please write to us in the comments below.