Unlike traditional plans which use are tied to a specific carrier, some third-party resellers offer plans that provide coverage from multiple cellular carriers.
Most of these plans use a cloud-based virtual SIM in one device that will automatically switch between carriers, depending on which signal is strongest in the area. A few of these plans use physical SIMs, but also with a device that can automatically switch between carriers.
The plans available tend to offer a tiered amount of data at different price points. Prices range from around $50 a month, to up to several hundred a month. Data caps ranges also vary widely...from as low as 10GB to per month up to 850GB per month. Research any plan carefully before purchasing.
If you want easy access to multiple carriers, this type of plan may be an option to consider.
Third-party vendors are companies or individuals that have acquired lines of service on the major carriers and are reselling services, typically as rental or leased options. You are paying a vendor for use of the line they have access to, and you do not have a direct relationship with the carrier. These are typically data-only plans for use in hotspots or routers.
For more on how reseller plans differ from other "unlimited" options, read our Unlimited Data Plan guide.
Vendor and Device Information
To use these plans requires a specific hotspot device that is usually sold by the reseller. In most cases, you must purchase the device from the reseller, but a few offer the ability for you to bring your own device, as long as it is the specific device they require to ensure compatibility.
Across the board the devices used with these plans tend to be rather low-end, with Cat-4 modems and no antenna ports. Many of the devices are used by more than one reseller and just rebranded with a different name.
Below is list of vendors that sell multi-carrier plans, and a sampling of some of the more common devices we see with this type of plan.
Vendor List
Solis Lite
The Solis hotspot device has been around for a couple of years and was originally exclusive to a company called Skyroam, which has since rebranded to Solis. It is now also offered by other companies including Millenicom, Pulse Cellular, One Wireless World, and EZ-COM with their multi-carrier plans.
Specifications
- Model #: Solis Lite
- # of Connected Devices: 10 via Wi-Fi
- Control Panel and Default Password: Printed on the device
- USB Tethering Support: None
- Supported Networks and Bands: AT&T in the US
- 4G/LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 71
- 3G: WCDMA - 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: Unknown
- MIMO Support: 2x2, Assumed
- LTE Performance Category: Unknown
- Cellular Antenna Ports: None
- Other Ports: USB-C (charging)
- Wi-Fi Technology / Frequencies: 2.4Ghz/5Ghz (802.11 b/g/n/a)
- Battery
- Claimed Battery Life: 18 hrs
- Can Be Powered Without a Battery: Yes, with purchase of additional Power Bank Kit
- Dimensions: 3.5" x .9" / 5.5oz
- SIM Card Type: eSim
- Retail Price: $99-$219, varies by provider
Journey1/Odyssey/E1 VSIM
The Journey1, Odyssey, and E1 VSIM hotspots are sold by TravlFi, OTR Mobile, and Pulse Cellular, respectively. They are all the same basic hotspot, just with different names for each provider.
Specifications:
- Model: Journey1, Odyssey, E1 VSIM
- # of Connected Devices: Up to 5
- Control Panel and Default Password: Not specified
- USB Tethering Support:
- Supported Networks and Bands:
- 4G/LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 38, 39, 40, 41
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Cat-4 (Max Theoretical Speed: 150 Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up)
- Cellular Antenna Ports: No
- Other Ports: USB charging port
- Wi-Fi Technology / Frequencies: Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) - 2.4 GHz
- Battery: 3000 mAh
- Claimed Battery Life: Up to 14 hours
- Can Be Powered Without a Battery: Not specified
- Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.7 inches
- SIM Card Type: eSIM
- Retail Price: Odyssey - $149; Journey1 - $229; E1 VSIM - $139
BoomFi
The BoomFi device is sold by Boom Mobile. A very similar-looking device (but without the BoomFi name) is sold by CG Cellular and gotW3.
Specifications:
- Model: BOOMFi
- # of Connected Devices: Up to 8
- Control Panel and Default Password: Not specified
- USB Tethering Support:
- Supported Networks and Bands:
- 4G/LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, 46, 66
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- MIMO Support: Not specified, but likely 2x2 only
- LTE Performance Category: Not specified, but likely Cat-4
- Cellular Antenna Ports: No
- Other Ports: USB charging port
- Wi-Fi Technology / Frequencies: Not specified, but likely Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) - 2.4 GHz
- Battery: 4000 mA
- Claimed Battery Life: 15 hours
- Can Be Powered Without a Battery: Not specified
- Dimensions: 4.33 ⅹ 2.52 ⅹ 0.59 inches
- SIM Card Type: eSIM & Physical SIM
- Retail Price: $119.99-$199.99, price varies by provider
SimTell
The SimTell router is used by OTR Mobile, WaveNet, One Wireless World, and Wireless Solutions.
Specifications:
- Model: SimTell
- # of Connected Devices: Not specified
- Control Panel and Default Password: Not specified
- USB Tethering Support: No
- Supported Networks and Bands:
- 4G/LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66
- LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation: No
- MIMO Support: 2x2
- LTE Performance Category: Cat-6 (Max Theoretical Speed: 300 Mbps Down / 50 Mbps Up)
- Cellular Antenna Ports: No
- Other Ports:
- Wi-Fi Technology / Frequencies: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) - Simultaneous 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz
- Battery: 7.4V2A (optional)
- Claimed Battery Life: Not specified
- Can Be Powered Without a Battery: Yes
- Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
- SIM Card Type: eSIM
- Retail Price: Varies by provider
News, Videos, & Status
We currently have a Millenicom Solis device and a TravlFi Journey1 device in for testing. Members can follow along at:
- Testing In Progress Forum: Solis/Millenicom, Journey1/TravlFi (Virtual/Cloud SIM Hotspots & Plans)
Related News Center Articles
Alternatives to Consider
Also consider some of our other top pick data plans:
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This vendor listing is simply a courtesy for our audience to aid in their shopping process for those who have determined the risks of a third party vendor are acceptable. While we routinely update this listing, this stuff changes rapidly - resellers may show 'out of stock' depending on current inventory and prices & terms frequently change.
This List is NOT AN ENDORSEMENT
We do NOT individually review data plan resellers or vendors, they change way too often. This listing is in no way an endorsement or vetting for any vendor you see below.
We do not remove vendors just because we receive a complaint on them. Do not assume that just because a vendor is listed here that they are offering a legit plan or are reputable.
Our featured vendors are options we feel we can understand the plans behind the scenes well enough to highlight. We do not take requests or payment to Feature vendors.
Please do your own continued research and evaluation
Signing up with any of these is at your own risk.
In our experience of tracking this style of plans since 2009 - most plans will work.. until they don't.
We have absolutely no affiliation with any reseller, none pay for their listing and we do not participate in kickbacks for sign-ups. Maintaining this list is made possible by funding from our premium members, for which they receive extra information below.
- boom! Mobile
- EZ-COM
- Go Connect
- gotW3
- HomeFi
- Infinite LTE Data
- Millenicom
- OliveIP
- OTR Mobile
- Pulse Cellular
- Solis (formerly Skyroam) (See our Gear Center entry)
- TravlFi
- WaveNet
- WiFi in Motion (See our Gear Center entry)
- Wireless Solutions
Shopping for Cellular Data Plans
Finding the right plans for your needs is no easy task - quite simply mobile travelers using cellular data as their primary way online is not how most carriers have designed their plans. Many of us want plans that provide copious amounts of data.
Here's our video going over ways to get LOTS of data for use in your travels:
But a data plan alone will not keep you online. You also need the right gear, signal enhancing strategy and planning your travels around the options you carry with you. Head on over to our collection of guides:
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Selecting Data Plans
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Getting LOTS of the Data
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