Peter Basil - BazTel

Peter

Founder, CIPM, MBA

About

I’m Peter, the founder of BazTel. I built this company at the intersection of two things I know well: finance and travel.

Before starting BazTel, I worked in investment analytics at State Street, one of the world’s largest custodian banks, and later at TCorp, the New South Wales Government’s investment fund.

I hold a Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance (Honours) from the University of Technology, Sydney, an MBA from Macquarie University, and the CIPM designation from the CFA Institute. That background gives me a way of looking at the telecom industry that comes from investment research, not just personal frustration with roaming charges.

I’ve travelled to more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and I’ve lived abroad in both Hong Kong and Singapore. Along the way I’ve tested eSIMs and physical SIM cards from dozens of providers — in major cities and in places with patchy signal — and that hands-on testing directly shapes how I build BazTel’s product, including one-click installation with no QR code required.

I launched BazTel on 1 July 2024 to solve a problem I kept running into myself: finding reliable, affordable mobile data in a new country shouldn’t be this complicated. BazTel is a single-founder company, and I write every article on this blog myself, drawing on my own trips, my own SIM testing, and my finance and telecom research background.

Professional Accomplishments

Former Head of Investment Analytics at State Street
Senior Manager at TCorp, the NSW Government's investment fund
Travelled to 70+ countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Lived and worked abroad in Hong Kong and Singapore
Personally tested eSIMs and SIM cards across all major travel regions
Founded BazTel on 1 July 2024

Education

Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance (Honours), University of Technology, Sydney
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Macquarie University

Certifications

CIPM — Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement, CFA Institute

Recent Posts

The Expat Relocation Connectivity Checklist

Most “moving abroad” checklists treat connectivity as a single line item: get a local SIM. That undersells how many separate deadlines are actually involved. Miss one, and you’re not just […]

Japan & Korea’s Airport SIM Vending Machines vs. eSIM: What’s Actually Cheaper

Airport SIM vending machines look like a great deal on the sticker. Land at Narita, tap a screen, walk away with a SIM in under two minutes. But the sticker […]

How Much Data Does a Honeymoon Couple Use on a 1-Week Trip to Bali?

A honeymoon couple typically uses somewhere between 5GB and 20GB of combined mobile data over a week in Bali. That’s a wide range, and the reason isn’t trip length or […]

Best Time to Visit Croatia: A Traveler’s Honest Guide

I’ve made the trip to Croatia three separate times. I still get asked the same question by friends planning their first visit: when should I actually go? It’s a fair […]

eSIM Adoption Statistics 2026: What GSMA and Juniper Data Actually Show

Search “eSIM adoption statistics” and you’ll find dozens of roundup posts. Most repeat the same handful of numbers without checking whether those numbers actually agree with each other. Some don’t. […]

eSIM on Smartwatches While Traveling Internationally

Every cellular Apple Watch and most LTE Galaxy Watches have a built-in eSIM chip. That single fact leads a lot of travelers to a reasonable but wrong assumption. They think […]