Digital Nomads Need To Be Aware Of This Connectivity Issue In Bali’s Nusa Penida

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Bali is one of the leading destinations for digital nomads.

Over the last decade, the island has become a home away from home for remote workers, freelancers, and creatives who only need a laptop and wifi connection to get the job done. 

Up until this point, Bali has been serving digital nomads well, but there is one area of the province that online workers need to be aware of if they are planning a visit.

Nusa Pendia, an outlying island of Bali, is breathtakingly beautiful and is visited by thousands of tourists every day. 

Nusa Penida, which neighbors Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan, is becoming an increasingly popular getaway for digital nomads seeking to escape the comparative hustle and bustle of the main island of Bali. 

@byevamldr 📍Location at the end 😍 SAVE this for your trip to Nusa Penida, Bali #bali #balitok #travel #traveltok ♬ original sound – Leo 🎸

Overall, Bali itself has pretty impressive WiFi speeds and great 4G and 3G coverage.

This means that even if digital nomads find themselves in a cafe, villa, hotel, guesthouse, or co-working space with an unstable connection, the backup mobile hotspot is a consistently reliable failsafe.

Plus, mobile data in Indonesia is super cheap. Mobile providers like Telekomsel and XL have great island-wide coverage, and it is easy to top up with data in almost any village or town. 

@raarupadventures Our fav spots on Nusa Penida!🦖 #nusapenida #balifood ♬ Around the World (La, La, La) – The Hit Crew

The issue facing digital nomads in Nusa Penida is that the internet connection can be unstable, and mobile data coverage is not as widespread as the main island of Bali.

Yet, to put it in perspective, it’s still pretty impressive that the tiny island in the Indian Ocean has no connectivity at all.

In fact, many people specifically choose to visit Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan to disconnect from the outside world. 

Data from the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information shows that the majority of the landscape in Bali is covered by 4G. However, much of Nusa Penida is still struggling to maintain a 3G connection. 

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This is because there are limited base transceiver station towers, and telecom providers have not prioritized Nusa Penida for infrastructural upgrades due to the low population.

Speaking to reporters, Indra Apriadi, Head of the Ministry of Communication and Information’s Telecommunications Monitoring Center Team said that operators are doubling down on improving infrastructure on the island of Bali due to the booming tourism industry. 

Apriadi said that since Nusa Penida has a comparatively small population and comparatively fewer tourists, the signal dark zones on the island will remain in place for a good while to come.

He also revealed that the Ministry of Communication and Information has given operators the green light to switch off 3G in order to focus on the transition to 4G and 5G.

However, no date has been agreed upon as of yet for the switchover. 

Does this mean that digital nomads should give Nusa Penida a miss if they need to work while traveling? Absolutely not!

Nusa Penida is still a fantastic destination for digital nomads, and all potential connectivity issues can be mitigated in advance. It just takes a little bit of planning. 

There are plenty of great co-working cafes in Nusa Penida that have a stable broadband connection. With the island becoming increasingly modernised guesthouses, private villas, and hotels are all acutely aware that guests need to be connected and so almost all accommodation has a free WiFi service for guests. 

One of the top co-working cafes in Nusa Penida is the gorgeous Penida Colada. With a stable and reasonably speedy WifI connection, the cafe is a great place to get to work.

Penida Colada is not by any means a dedicated co-working space, which creates a buzzy atmosphere as tourists debrief their adventures as digital nomads keep tapping away.

As a reward for all the hard work, digital nomads can indulge in happy hour cocktails between 4 pm and 6 pm every day. 

For digital nomads who want to work with a view, be sure to check out Secret Penida Restaurant and Bar. This vibe traveler hang-out is the perfect place to live out that digital nomad dream!