City in Sabah, Malaysia

Internet in Sandakan: speed, SIM cards and coworking

Updated October 2026Sources

179 MbpsMedian download

Is the internet good in Sandakan?

Median fixed broadband in Malaysia is 179 Mbps and mobile is 165 Mbps (Speedtest Global Index, 2026-08). Town cafés and malls have wifi; no coworking and mobile signal fades on the river.

Getting online in Sandakan

	Details
Home fibre	Unifi fibre in most apartments; about RM100–170 a month. River lodges have little or no wifi.
Cafés and coworking	Town cafés and malls have wifi; no coworking and mobile signal fades on the river.
Outages	Occasional power cuts in storms
Tourist SIM	Airport counters and convenience stores sell prepaid SIMs with large data plans; passport registration required. eSIMs are widely available.
eSIM	Local carriers sell eSIMs to visitors.
Carriers	CelcomDigi, Hotlink (Maxis), U Mobile
Monthly data plan	RM30–60 ($7.3–14.7)

Coworking in Sandakan

There's no dedicated coworking scene here; people work from cafés and accommodation.

Internet speeds in Southeast Asia

National medians, Speedtest Global Index.

Country	Fixed	Mobile
Singapore	463 Mbps	164 Mbps
Vietnam	301 Mbps	220 Mbps
Thailand	299 Mbps	134 Mbps
Malaysia	179 Mbps	165 Mbps
Philippines	114 Mbps	66 Mbps
Brunei	86 Mbps	254 Mbps
Laos	60 Mbps	45 Mbps
Cambodia	55 Mbps	112 Mbps
Indonesia	51 Mbps	66 Mbps
Myanmar	25 Mbps	—

Quick answers

Is the internet fast in Sandakan?

Median fixed broadband in Malaysia is 179 Mbps and mobile is 165 Mbps (Speedtest Global Index, 2026-08). Town cafés and malls have wifi; no coworking and mobile signal fades on the river.

Which SIM card should I get in Sandakan?

Airport counters and convenience stores sell prepaid SIMs with large data plans; passport registration required. eSIMs are widely available.

Can I use an eSIM in Malaysia?

Yes. Local carriers sell eSIMs to visitors, and travel eSIMs work too.

More about Sandakan

Going to Sandakan solo?

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See plans in Sandakan

Sources

Speeds are medians from Ookla's Speedtest Global Index, cited for reference. Compiled and reviewed by SoloSquare. How we compile and score this. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.