Purchasing Sim Card In Bkk For Use In Chiang Mai?

[akqjt]

Very simple question: I've heard it's easy to buy a SIM card upon arriving at BKK. Will this SIM card work in Chiang Mai, or should I wait until I fly into CNX?

Thanks!

[swain]

Simple answer is Yes. (edit: more complex answer is that it doesn't matter where you buy it)

Very simple question: I've heard it's easy to buy a SIM card upon arriving at BKK. Will this SIM card work in Chiang Mai, or should I wait until I fly into CNX?

Thanks!

Edited January 31, 2009 by swain

[MisterBean]

The SIM card will work in CNX but make sure the one you buy will work in your phone. You are probably more tech savvy than I am, I was not aware of the frequency differences etc. I brought a phone from home only to find out that it would only work on the Dtac network and I already had a 1 2 call sim card.

[Blinky Bill]

The SIM card will work in CNX but make sure the one you buy will work in your phone. You are probably more tech savvy than I am, I was not aware of the frequency differences etc. I brought a phone from home only to find out that it would only work on the Dtac network and I already had a 1 2 call sim card.

Your nik is most appropriate.

[ASHTONITE]

Nothing to worry about... new generation sims will work in most phones that are GSM based or Quad band. Most important thing is if your Phone in tied to your provider from the country you are coming from... or it is UNLOCKED... and will accept any sim card.

If your phone is locked... your screwed :-) at least the start.. in most cases you can find a shop to unlock it... except if it is Blackberry... then forget it :-P

[Drew Aitch]

You might want to check the call minutes too before making a purchase. My old SIM gave 1 Baht a minute until 17:00 and then it jumped up to 5 Baht per minute until next morning.

I bought a new SIM last week that was 2 Baht a minute 24/7, but I think this number was a an old number which had been reissued too soon because I've literally had dozens of calls from unknown Thais since I bought the bloody thing. So bad was it that I went out and bought yet another SIM tonight with the same network, 1 2 CALL.

This time I've managed to find a SIM which gives national coverage at just 0.75 Satang a minute 20 hours a day (22:00 – 18:00) and 2 Baht per minute for the remaining 4 hours.

Aitch

[MisterBean]

Nothing to worry about... new generation sims will work in most phones that are GSM based or Quad band. Most important thing is if your Phone in tied to your provider from the country you are coming from... or it is UNLOCKED... and will accept any sim card.

If your phone is locked... your screwed :-) at least the start.. in most cases you can find a shop to unlock it... except if it is Blackberry... then forget it :-P

I found the unlocking part quite easy. I have a Nokia phone that was locked to a Canadian company. A google search gave me the code and the instructions to unlock the phone. I was very surprised at how easy it was, it only took a few minutes. Like I said though I didn't realize 1 2 call used a different system but the Dtac sim card works like a charm.

[jimmym40]

This is for DREW.

You don't have to keep buying a SIM card to get different rates. You can change rates at any timeby contacting the call center. There are about 6-10 different call plans.

Better yet, just stop in at any 1,2 call service center and they should be able to help you.

[Drew Aitch]

This is for DREW.

You don't have to keep buying a SIM card to get different rates. You can change rates at any timeby contacting the call center. There are about 6-10 different call plans.

Better yet, just stop in at any 1,2 call service center and they should be able to help you.

Thanks for that jimmym40

My first phone got stolen so i lost that SIM card anyway. The one I bought last week was, it seemed, reissued from a deleted number, and rather than putting up with a bunch of unknown callers i thought it better to just get a new number (SIM). I think the current deal is pretty good, but thanks for the info on being able to change promotions on existing SIMS

Aitch

[malcy]

I think my girlfriends number must have been reissued because everytime i try to call her some German man answers

[LazarusLong]

Nothing to worry about... new generation sims will work in most phones that are GSM based or Quad band. Most important thing is if your Phone in tied to your provider from the country you are coming from... or it is UNLOCKED... and will accept any sim card.

If your phone is locked... your screwed :-) at least the start.. in most cases you can find a shop to unlock it... except if it is Blackberry... then forget it :-P

No need to worry, even though it's Blackberry :-)

1) ALL unlocked Quadband phones worrk in Thailand

2) Check for coverage. DTAC, AIS and Orange should work nationwide here.

3) Locked phones can be unlocked for about 150 to 500 Baht (depending on type) in one of the phone shops in the 5th floor at MBK in BKK.

4) You can also google for, say "Unlock Blackberry 8820". You usually pay with credit card or PayPal (use PayPal, MUCH safer) and get your unlock code e-mailed. Done that three times and never a problem, cost for my BB was 45 USD.

5) For Blackberry owners NOT hooked up to a corporate Balckberry server and in need of the Push-Mail function:

That will require a contract and there's only one option, AIS. Cost is (depending on free call minutes allowance) 200, 400 or 600 Baht per month PLUS 850 Baht for unlimited Internet & Push-mail.

Contract runs 3 month as a minimum but can be terminated any time after that. Beware: In order to get a contract you have to have either a Thai g/f, spouse or friend (then contract will be in her name) OR a work permit & visa. I am using the AIS Service for a month now and I"m actually very pleased - navigation, push-mail, internet, everything works on my Canadian BB 8820 which was formerly tied to Rogers Canada. Unlocking took less than one minute - you simply type in a code and that's it.

6) there is NO SUCH THING as an generic unlock code for MOST phones, Unlock codes depend on IMEI (something like the phone serial number and must be calculated, e.g. you would need the proper software for that. Beware of websites advertising "free unlocking tools", most are virus-infested and won't work.

If you know how to EEProm your phone you may try to get a generic image of the firmware, but even then flashing will usually require unlocking of the phone/PDA first.

[MisterBean]

which was formerly tied to Rogers Canada.

6) there is NO SUCH THING as an generic unlock code for MOST phones, Unlock codes depend on IMEI (something like the phone serial number and must be calculated, e.g. you would need the proper software for that. Beware of websites advertising "free unlocking tools", most are virus-infested and won't work.

My Nokia was also locked to Rogers. It is about 5 years old and was just sitting in a drawer because I switched to another company in Canada and that phone wasn't compatible, so I decided to bring it here and use it. I hate to see something that still works go to waste. I guess everything now is quad band but this one being "ancient" is only a tri-band phone. I like to have a phone with me even though I don't use it much, I don't carry a watch so I use the phone for that, and I would never dream of using it in a Pub as I would not want to disturb anyone.

I am sure the newer phones are much more complicated and require special software etc, but if you have an older Nokia and google "nokiafree" you can select your model, provider and enter your IMEI (to get this just enter *#06# on the keypad) and it will give you a series of codes to try. The first one on the list unlocked my phone. Granted paying 100 to 500 baht is no big deal, in my case it would have taken me longer to go to a cell phone shop to have it done than it actually took to do it. I should point out that I am no expert when it comes to cell phones and if I had accidently "fried" my phone I would have chalked it up to a learing experience, and I would not have even attempted it if I thought I was in over my head but the whole process did seem rather simple, I only mention this as I would not want someone to blame me if they ruined their phone because the process did work for them as easy as it did for me.

Since I don't use it very much I found that my 1 2 call balance was always expiring long before I could use it up. I woud keep adding 50baht to extend it. I even added to it from Canada through my bank here but forgot one time and when I arrived back here it was expired and I had to buy a new sim and start the process all over again. I mentioned this to a couple of my friends here and they laughed saying that there balance never expires and they constantly have to top up their phones but they do seem to be on their phones quite a bit so I guess everyone's situation is different. The reason I mention all of this is that when I had to buy a Dtac sim for my Canadian phone I found out that with their "happy" plan the balance does not expire for 1 year when you top it up which is much more practical for me. I don't know if all Dtac plans have this feature, but the "happy" plan has made me happy.

[luvthailand]

I bought a DTAC sim card in Chiang Mai two weeks ago for a friend from a local 7-11. It would not work when I met up with him a few days later in Bangkok and he had to call up DTAC a couple of times. It turned out that the sim card was expired (by at least one month) and never should have been sold. I couldn't even remember which 7-11 I bought it at, so we were out a little money and and a lot of hassle. He just bought another without problems.

I am not sure if there is an expiration date on the outside of the packaging, but it would be worth looking for expriation date when you make the purchase. Maybe even open it up right there in the store.

luvthailand