A traveller in Thailand opens a map to find their hotel, but the request their phone sends may travel thousands of kilometres before reaching the internet, adding unnecessary delays to a journey that happens in milliseconds and affecting how quickly the map loads or responds. This is an invisible part of mobile internet performance, but one that can make a difference to the experience of travelling abroad.

Holafly has been working to shorten that journey through improvements to its network infrastructure. These efforts are now reflected in independent research by Opensignal, which reports a 29-millisecond reduction in median round-trip latency across 19 markets. In practical terms, this means less time waiting for data to travel between a device and the services it accesses, helping applications respond more quickly, whether travellers are checking directions, accessing bookings or making video calls.

To achieve this, Holafly introduced regional internet breakout points in Madrid, Dallas and Singapore, allowing customers’ data to reach the internet closer to where they are travelling instead of passing through distant network hubs. Think of it as taking a more direct route to the same destination: the less distance the data needs to cover, the sooner a response can arrive.

This progress follows an earlier examination of travel eSIM performance by Ookla, which highlighted differences between providers that travellers would not necessarily notice when comparing plans. For Holafly, independent research does more than measure performance: it helps identify where the experience can be improved. The company has continued investing in its network infrastructure, and the latest Opensignal findings provide new evidence of that progress.

When we talk about fast mobile internet, download speed is often the first thing that comes to mind, but it is only part of what makes a connection feel fast. Latency also plays an important role: while download speed determines how quickly data can be transferred, latency measures how long it takes for a request to receive a response. A connection can therefore offer fast downloads but still feel slow if data takes too long to travel back and forth, which explains why two eSIMs using the same local network may deliver different response times.

“At Holafly, we’re obsessed with quality because peace of mind starts with knowing that your internet will work when you need it. Our commitment goes beyond providing coverage in more destinations: we want to deliver the best possible experience wherever our customers travel. That means continuously measuring, questioning and improving the technology behind our service, so travellers can focus on their journeys knowing we’re taking care of the rest,” said Chris Hills, VP of Carriers at Holafly.

Key findings from Opensignal’s analysis

  • 29 milliseconds less latency: The reported reduction in median round-trip latency across the 19 markets analysed.
  • Three regional internet breakout points: Madrid, Dallas and Singapore, designed to shorten the routes mobile data takes before reaching the internet.
  • More responsive mobile internet: Shorter data routes can reduce delays when accessing maps, websites, video calls and other interactive services, without requiring changes to customers’ devices or settings.

The complete findings and methodology are available in Opensignal’s independent analysis.