Asia 30 Day Travel Pass - Does it get through the Great Firewall in Mainland China?

[Mando]

My phone is on a corporate EPP unlimited data plan and I have an upcoming trip to mainland china. I would love to keep my phone number and SMS active, and at $90 it's actually competitive to unlimited data ESIMS. The one thing I am concerned about is when roaming with Bell while using the Asia pass in Mainland China.

1. Will my cellular data make it through the Great Firewall so I can access services like Google and Gmail, etc.

2. Will the data rate be sufficient to be useable

3. Will it limit or break any functionality I might need accessing local services.

For number 1, the internet seems to think Bell like other carriers should work, but anecdotally I have heard from a friend on Rogers that he was fine in China, while  a friend on Bell said that bought the pass and it completely failed him when he arrived in China.

So, I would like to know if there are first hand experiences on this forum of using Bell roaming in Mainland china and there ability to access blocked services like Google. And if they did get it to work, did they have to do anything special like use a VPN in conjunction with Bell roaming.

Thanks!

B

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Good Day & Welcome.

Thank you for posting your question.

My wife & I spent 23 days a few years ago travelling across China. It is such a huge country that it is next to impossible to categorically provide you with a definitive answer to your question.

China completely blocks Google services in mainland China. Through its comprehensive internet censorship system known as the "Great Firewall," the government restricts standard local internet connections from reaching any Google products.

Bell's travel pass usually routes your traffic back to Canada. You can typically bypass China's Great Firewall using a roaming plan like the Bell Roam Better (Travel Pass), allowing you to access websites and apps like Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp. There is no guarantee that this will be the same across all of China.  China's network in the north, (Beijing, Shanghai) boast extensive 5G/6G networks. Smaller cities & rural areas have fewer towers, resulting in slower speeds and poorer local quality of sevice.

There are any number of variables that affect this. China’s Local network's configurations are not as robust as they are across many other countries of the world. They can be very challenging and slow. Massive distances, mountainous terrains, and dense urban high-rises can impact local signal propagation and network

If you connect to local hotel or public Wi-Fi networks instead of using your Bell roaming data, China's Great Firewall will apply, and those same apps and sites will be blocked.

Adding a VPN before leaving Canada may be a work around. There is no guarantee that this will solve your concern.

What will work in one part of China may not necessarily work in another part of the country.

Enjoy your trip.

Take care.

[Mando]

Thank you @WelshTerrier for replying.

That sounds like an amazing trip. Did you use Bell for cellular data roaming on that trip and where you able to successfully access Google or Facebook through Bell data roaming?

Any places you remember being particularly good or particularly bad?

What I am trying to figure out is - Can I rely on Bell just as much as I could rely on a data ESIM? Both, as I understand it will use either China Mobile or China Unicom and both should be able to work without using a seperate VPN product while on cellular.

Thanks.

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Good Day.

Thank you for your reply.

 It is somewhat difficult for me to give you a fair and proper assessment of which to choose today. We were in China 10 years ago. We travelled with Bell Mobility. Travel passes as you know them today have changed. Technology has changed. Coverage has changed. I can only assume that cellular expansion & coverage in China today is much better than it was 10 years ago.

Travel Passes are relatively new. Roaming with Bell to China has been around for a number of years.

China Mobile or China Unicom may be able to work with an eSIM. You may run into issues in China do to the governments censorship system known as the "Great Firewall". The government restricts standard local internet connections completely & will block Google services in mainland China.

I wish I could give you a better answer....... but I cannot!

This is one decision that you will need to make. My choice would be to go with Bell, but I am Canadian.

Just remember to enjoy your trip

Take care.