tinisan

You can also use your phone as modem if you don't want to buy the USB modem. Almost all have GPRS/EDGE data capabilities nowdays.

Well, that's a great suggestion MJo. I own a Nokia N95 8gb, recently got it unlocked.

In France there's no way I can use it as a modem, because that's restricted by the service provider (who wants to be able to sell a separate modem access contract).

What kind of card do I need to put in my phone to get to use it as GPRS modem ?

Also, I get the feeling that configuring everything correctly is going to be a very "trial and error" experience.

hello Frenchman

You can use your nokia n95 as a GPRS/ EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA modem in Thailand as follows:

with a mac: switch on bluetooth on the nokia; then use the mac's bluetooth setup assistant to add the nokia to the mac's devices. settings for internet: dialup number: *99# APN: internet

with a PC: download the nokia PC suite and go from there, same settings.

I was in France last week and tried to buy a SIM card /USB modem to connect to the internet via 3G/Edge. I visited 11 different shops SFR, Bouguestel, Orange, talked to 14 different customer advisors, all of which knew next to nothing, bought 2 different SIM cards for data, returned the SIM cards because the telecom companies were unable to tell me the APN settings for them (all other countries use the above settings (Thailand, Oz, NZ, Switzerland, UK, Philippines, China), BUT NOT FRANCE!), tried using a friend's livebox WiFi, hunted for hotspots, tried using my UK easyroam data-enabled SIM in roaming mode....

I left France without ever having connected to the internet. I was even prepared to pay the outrageous prices they would have charged.

France has a long way to go until the internet becomes user-friendly there, for now let them stick to wine and cheese, (and stop trying to build aeroplanes and nuclear weapons)

as for 3G in Thailand, it's available in Chiang Mai and Chonburi, but not yet in Bangkok (for political reasons)

the only difference between a normal SIM and a NETSIM is that if you refill the NETSIM every month with a certain amount (which can be used for voice calls), you get 30 hours free internet.