SIM cards, wifi and the power grid in Puerto Princesa
The network you want depends entirely on where you are going next. Smart is the stronger network in Puerto Princesa city and along the highway south toward the Underground River and Bataraza; Globe is stronger in the El Nido and Coron corridors. DITO is cheapest and patchy outside towns. A tourist SIM with around 20–25 GB runs ₱300–500, registration is mandatory under RA 11934 and takes your passport plus 10–20 minutes, and hotel wifi in the city runs a usable 10–50 Mbps — materially better than El Nido's. Do your admin here.
Smart, Globe or DITO
There is no universally best answer here, which is why every generic guide gets it wrong. Pick on your itinerary, not on brand.
| Network | Where it wins | Where it does not | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart the local default | Puerto Princesa city and the highway south toward the Underground River and Bataraza — the coverage that matters for a city-based trip | Weaker than Globe in the El Nido and Coron tourist corridors | WORTH IT |
| Globe the northern-corridor network | El Nido and Coron. If this city is a one-night stop before heading north, this is your SIM | Second-best inside the city and on the southern highway | WORTH IT |
| DITO the cheap third network | Price. It is the cheapest data in the country | Patchy outside towns, which is most of Palawan. Not the SIM to rely on for a trip built around a national park | DEPENDS |
| One of each, dual SIM | The correct answer if your phone has two slots and you are doing the city and then El Nido. Two SIMs cost ₱600–1,000 total | Two registrations, so budget 20–40 minutes at the counters | WORTH IT |
| An eSIM bought before you land | Works immediately on landing with no counter, no queue and no passport paperwork. Ideal for trips under a week | Costs more per gigabyte than a local SIM. For stays over a week the local SIM wins on price | DEPENDS |
The short rule: this city plus Sabang plus the south — take Smart. A stop before El Nido — take Globe. Anything else is over-thinking it.
Where to buy, and the registration you cannot skip
SIM registration is mandatory in the Philippines under RA 11934. You need your passport and it takes 10–20 minutes. There is no way around it and nobody will sell you an unregistered SIM.
At the airport: Globe and Smart kiosks operate in arrivals. Their hours vary and evening arrivals frequently find them closed, which is the main argument for an eSIM if you land late. The airport page puts the SIM stop first in the arrival sequence for exactly this reason.
In town: both networks run full stores at SM City, which is also where the air-conditioning is between 12:00 and 15:00 and where the ATM queues are shorter than at the airport. This is the better option if you landed in the evening or if the kiosk was shut.
What it costs: a tourist SIM with roughly 20–25 GB runs ₱300–500. Exact 2026 promo bundles are unverified — the operators reprice constantly and any specific package name printed here would be stale within months. Ask at the counter for the current tourist bundle and buy the one that matches your trip length.
Where the signal stops, and why one of those places is deliberate
Coverage is solid 4G in the city and along the National Highway, and it drops off exactly where you would expect — plus one place where the absence is policy rather than infrastructure.
It drops to nothing on boats. The Honda Bay crossing, the Sabang outrigger and the firefly boats are all dead zones, which is fine because you are not meant to be on your phone on any of them.
It drops to nothing inside the Underground River park — by design. The park is a protected area and the absence of signal is part of how it is managed. Do not plan on messaging anyone between about 09:00 and 15:00 on your river day, and tell people that in advance if they are the worrying type.
It drops at the west-coast beaches. Nagtabon has no signal, no ATM and no reef, 30 km and 45–60 minutes from the city. Talaudyong and Napsan are the same. Tell somebody where you are going, especially if you are riding a scooter alone — that beach also has rip currents and no lifeguard.
Do your work here, not in El Nido
Hotel wifi in the city runs a perfectly usable 10–50 Mbps and is materially better than El Nido's. If you have visas to apply for, flights to change, or a client call you cannot miss, this is the place on Palawan to do it.
The reason is unglamorous: fibre reaches Puerto Princesa. The city has real fixed-line infrastructure that the small tourist towns to the north do not, and it is one of the concrete arguments for basing yourself here in August and September rather than going north in the monsoon.
Starlink has spread through Palawan's off-grid resorts since 2023, and operators in Port Barton, San Vicente and Balabac advertise it. Penetration in city hotels is unverified and largely irrelevant, because fibre already reaches the city — Starlink solves a problem the city does not have.
Cafés with usable connections and power sockets are on the cafés page. Itoy's opens at 06:00, which is the one that matters if you need to send something before a 07:00 tour pickup.
Palawan runs on its own electricity, and it shows
Palawan runs on an isolated island grid with a single high-voltage backbone, and it shows: rotational brownouts and scheduled 8–11 hour maintenance outages recur, and in May 2026 one corroded line blacked out the whole province for around 13 hours. Midrange hotels and above run generators; budget guesthouses often do not. If air-conditioning at 2am matters to you, book a room that advertises one.
The specific event worth knowing about: on 22 May 2026, a corroded transmission line between Irawan and Aborlan failed and blacked out the entire province — a 240 km stretch from Bataraza to Taytay — for about 13 hours. The national energy department then ordered an emergency grid-overhaul task force. That is not a routine brownout; that is an island grid with a single 69 kV backbone doing what single-point-of-failure systems do.
Alongside that, rotational brownouts and scheduled 8–11 hour maintenance outages recur. They are announced locally, they are usually daytime, and they are a normal feature of life here rather than a crisis.
The practical response has two parts. Book a room that advertises a generator — midrange properties and above almost all run one, budget guesthouses often do not, and the difference is whether the air-conditioning works at 02:00. And keep your devices charged and carry a power bank, because a dead phone plus an outage plus no Grab plus a cash-only tricycle is a compounding problem rather than an inconvenience.
The practical bit
eSIM now, or a local SIM when you land
The honest trade: a local SIM is cheaper per gigabyte and costs you a queue and a passport check; an eSIM works the moment you land and costs more. For under a week, buy the eSIM. For over a week, buy Smart or Globe at SM City.
Connectivity questions, answered
Which SIM should I buy in Puerto Princesa, Smart or Globe?
Smart if your trip is this city, Sabang and the south — it is the stronger network here and on the highway toward the Underground River and Bataraza. Globe if this is a stop before El Nido or Coron. One of each if your phone takes two SIMs, for ₱600–1,000 total.
How much does a tourist SIM cost in the Philippines?
About ₱300–500 for a package with roughly 20–25 GB. Exact 2026 promos are unverified because the operators reprice constantly, so ask at the counter for the current tourist bundle rather than trusting a package name you read online.
Do I have to register my SIM card?
Yes. SIM registration is mandatory under RA 11934 and requires your passport plus 10 to 20 minutes at the kiosk or store. There is no way around it and no unregistered SIMs are sold.
Is there a SIM kiosk at Puerto Princesa airport?
Globe and Smart both run kiosks in arrivals, but hours vary and evening arrivals often find them closed. The full stores at SM City, 10 minutes away, are the reliable fallback, and an eSIM bought before you fly removes the problem entirely.
Is the wifi good in Puerto Princesa?
Yes by Palawan standards — hotel wifi typically runs 10 to 50 Mbps and is materially better than El Nido's, because fibre reaches this city. Do your visa applications, flight changes and work calls here rather than after you head north.
Is there phone signal at the Underground River?
No, and that is deliberate — the park is a protected area and coverage is absent by design. Assume no signal from about 09:00 to 15:00 on your river day, and none on any boat, including Honda Bay and the firefly trips.
Do the power cuts affect tourists?
They can. Rotational brownouts and scheduled 8 to 11 hour maintenance outages recur, and on 22 May 2026 a corroded line blacked out the entire province for about 13 hours. Book a room that advertises a generator and carry a power bank.
Is an eSIM worth it for the Philippines?
For trips under a week, yes — it works on landing with no queue and no passport check, which matters when the airport kiosks are shut. For stays over a week, a local Smart or Globe SIM at ₱300–500 for 20–25 GB is cheaper per gigabyte.