Award winning, ASX-list data SIM card company promises BIG changes for travellers
- Written by Tess Sanders Lazarus
FLEXIROAM’s attachable SIM card, FLEXIROAM X Microchip is shaking up the telecommunications industry, fundamentally changing the way travellers use data overseas.
According to Founder and CEO Jef Ong, FLEXIROAM is the next evolution of SIM cards. Travellers who use FLEXIROAM don’t have to buy a new SIM card every time they travel, they’ll never be scammed by foreign mobile providers and they’ll never be surprised by exorbitant bills.
“How FLEXIROAM X Microchip works is really simple. All you have to do is attach X Microchip to your SIM card. It’s a sticker and you place it on top of your SIM card. Simply download the FLEXIROAM app, choose the data package which suits you, and you’re done. When you go overseas, simply switch on FLEXIROAM data using the app and you can access the internet in over 150 countries,” Jef Ong said.
“When you return home from travelling, simply take the sticker off your SIM card and resume normal phone service. If you are a regular traveller, you can just keep the FLEXIROAM X Microchip sticker on your SIM and flick between your local service and FLEXIROAM using the app. Simple.
“All our packages are pre-paid. Using the FLEXIROAM app, you’ll know exactly how much data you are using, and how much it costs. You have complete control over your data using our app. With FLEXIROAM, you will never arrive home from your holiday shocked at how expensive your data bills are.
“FLEXIROAM is perfect for frequent travellers who don’t want to waste time thinking about how they’re going to access the internet overseas. With FLEXIROAM, you don’t have to waste time at the airport buying a dodgy new SIM card. Global SIM cards are the future of data usage and FLEXIROAM is at the forefront of this emerging industry.
“We want you to be enjoying holiday abroad, not how to access the internet in way that isn’t going to stress you out or cost you fortune. Let us take care of that so you can get back to your holiday.”
According to Jef Ong, the state of the overseas data industry is confusing, expensive and in major need of an overhaul. Without FLEXIROAM, travellers effectively have three options when they go overseas: (1) buying a local SIM card, (2) buying a pocket WiFi device and (3) roaming with their mobile provider.
“With FLEXIROAM, there is no need to purchase a new SIM card at the airport of your destination. New SIM cards are annoying to set up and can even take up to three days to activate. If you go to multiple countries, you may have to get a new SIM card with every country,” Jef Ong said.
In China, many local SIMs block access to American websites such as Facebook and Google.
“Unfortunately, in many countries, travellers are also seen as scam targets. Providers often scam you with a bad deal because you don’t speak the local language,” Jef Ong added.
“You also don’t have to buy an annoying pocket WiFi device that will inevitably get lost somewhere. Most importantly, you won’t be charged ridiculous fees from your current mobile provider for roaming overseas. If you roam with your mobile provider, you probably won’t know how much you’re paying until you get the bill!”
Ong was inspired to create FLEXIROAM X Microchip after he had a negative experience roaming overseas in India. He knew roaming was expensive but after he got home, he realised just how expensive it really was.
“When I got home from India, I had a bill of $500 waiting for me for just downloading a couple of emails overseas. By that point, I had worked in telecommunications for a decade and I was still surprised,” Jef Ong said.
“I remember thinking, if this could happen to me, it could happen to anyone. I knew roaming was expensive, but I didn’t think it would be that expensive. Paying so much for so little is just ridiculous. Our own market research found that billions of travellers around the world struggled with this dilemma.”
FLEXIROAM has partnerships with over 800 mobile operators around the world. They also have partnerships with AirAsia, Scoot (a Singapore Airlines subsidiary), Royale Brunei Airways, Malaysia Airlines, and more. When users refer their friends to download the FLEXIROAM app, they receive free data as a result.
In 2017, FLEXIROAM won the Southeast Asia Innovative Roaming Mobile Service Provider of the Year award from Frost & Sullivan. In 2018, they won the World’s Leading Travel Communications Provider from the World Travel Awards. In 2015, FLEXIROAM was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
