Buy a cheap Nokia, get a Telkomsel sim card anywhere in Indo for about $2.50, then add about $10 prepaid credit or more (100,000 rupiah). if you want to make phone calls you need to use the following:
01017 (1, which is the US international code) (area code) (phone number). For example, say you live in Seattle the sequence would be as follows: 01017 1 206 phone number. The 01017 is the best way to make international phone calls from a Telkomsel number, will cost you about 10 cents per minute.
IN Raja Ampat you will have signal in and around Sorong, then you will lose it until you get close to Dampier Strait where you will have it close to the island of Saonek which has a large tower, you can get spotty signal as far away as Manta Sandy but no further. You will not have signal north of the Dampier Strait, so areas like Aljui Bay, Fam, Wayag, will not have signal in North Raja. As you go south, you will not have signal in Batanta. However, in the Misool area you will get signal on the south side of Farondi and further west toward the pearl farm, as well as around Wayilbatan anchorage. You will not get it at Fiabacet or Daram although as you pass Fiabacet and head toward Wayil you will start to get some signal. Once you head south from Misool it will depend on your route. Most boats stop around Koon, no signal there, but you will get it during the night as you pass Ceram, if you go to Banda Neira you will have good signal. Nusa Laut now has signal but not the best. Once you get into the Ambon area once again you will have signal, in fact, it will tell you its 3G, however, Ambon has the worst network in Indonesia, you may or may not be able to make a phone call from there even with full "3G" signal! The network is overtaxed and can't handle the traffic...
I used to be a Cruise Director in the area so I have lots of experience standing around on the decks holding my phone in the air
01017 (1, which is the US international code) (area code) (phone number). For example, say you live in Seattle the sequence would be as follows: 01017 1 206 phone number. The 01017 is the best way to make international phone calls from a Telkomsel number, will cost you about 10 cents per minute.
IN Raja Ampat you will have signal in and around Sorong, then you will lose it until you get close to Dampier Strait where you will have it close to the island of Saonek which has a large tower, you can get spotty signal as far away as Manta Sandy but no further. You will not have signal north of the Dampier Strait, so areas like Aljui Bay, Fam, Wayag, will not have signal in North Raja. As you go south, you will not have signal in Batanta. However, in the Misool area you will get signal on the south side of Farondi and further west toward the pearl farm, as well as around Wayilbatan anchorage. You will not get it at Fiabacet or Daram although as you pass Fiabacet and head toward Wayil you will start to get some signal. Once you head south from Misool it will depend on your route. Most boats stop around Koon, no signal there, but you will get it during the night as you pass Ceram, if you go to Banda Neira you will have good signal. Nusa Laut now has signal but not the best. Once you get into the Ambon area once again you will have signal, in fact, it will tell you its 3G, however, Ambon has the worst network in Indonesia, you may or may not be able to make a phone call from there even with full "3G" signal! The network is overtaxed and can't handle the traffic...
I used to be a Cruise Director in the area so I have lots of experience standing around on the decks holding my phone in the air
