Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

Skyroam brings you affordable WiFi on vacations

It provides a device that utilises virtual SIM tech to locate local carriers as people move around the world, reports Tech in Asia

The Skyroam device hanging out in London. (Image from Tech in Asia)
The Skyroam device hanging out in London. (Image from Tech in Asia)
Osman Husain I Tech in Asia
Last Updated : Oct 14 2016 | 3:53 PM IST
One of the most annoying things about travelling is hunting for affordable WiFi once you leave your home country. The first few hours of a vacation are spent scouring for SIM cards at the airport, comparing data plans, and topping up prepaid credit once you settle on a carrier.

It’s a hassle we’d rather avoid.

Jing Liu-built Skyroam to help solve this problem. He’s a serial tech entrepreneur and self-described travel zealot. He has spent nearly two decades shuttling between Silicon Valley and Asia.

During his travels, Jing constantly struggled to find reliable internet solutions that would work on the go and wouldn’t break the bank. After years of frustration, he decided to take it upon himself to broker a solution.

What Jing came up with was a device that utilises virtual SIM tech to locate local carriers as people move around the world.

The gizmo comes with a pre-installed SIM card that connects with over 200 mobile telecommunication operators across the globe, ensuring connectivity in over a hundred countries, including 21 in Asia. It acts as a WiFi hotspot and allows a maximum of ten devices to connect at any given time.


“It can be complicated to use a SIM card: unlock your phone at home; pick the right carrier and plan that is compatible with the bands and wireless technology on your phone; navigate a portal in a foreign language with foreign currency,” explains Eric Plam, vice-president of Skyroam. “Our customers appreciate Skyroam’s simple solution,” he adds.

The start-up’s WiFi device can either be purchased outright for $124.99 or rented for a few days at a time.
This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here

More From This Section

First Published: Oct 14 2016 | 3:47 PM IST

Next Story