The SIM Card
Mobile connectivity in India is excellent in the cities and respectably decent in most of the country. The two heavyweights are Airtel and Jio, both of which have booths right after customs, practically waving at you as you emerge (OK, probably not at 3 am).
Buy a SIM here, at the airport, before you do anything else. Activation can take anywhere from two hours to “we’ll get back to you,” so the earlier you buy, the sooner you’re connected.
You’ll need your passport.
They’ll hand you a credit-card-sized envelope with the SIM, along with a PIN, PUK, and your new mobile phone number scrawled on the back like a doctor’s prescription.
Keep this envelope for the duration of your trip; you never know when those codes will come in handy, and you absolutely will not remember them.
A quick note: some border regions — Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, parts of Himachal — are served only by the state-run BSNL network. If you’re heading to the mountains, you might have to buy a second SIM from the city.
Wi-Fi
The airport offers free Wi-Fi in the same spirit that a distant relative offers a couch: technically available, practically unreliable. Don’t count on it for anything mission-critical.
Hotels three stars and above will have Wi-Fi, either free or paid — ask at check-in. But right now, you’re still at the airport. One thing at a time.
