Hi all! My wife and I are moving back to Thailand (she is Thai, I am not); we have secured an apartment and she returned last week, I will be following shortly.

It has been about two years since I lived in BKK. I assumed for a good internet connection (we are around Pra Kanong area) that I would have to secure a phone line etc.

She claims there is another kind of service for internet where you don't need a phone line and is quick and cheap (around 500 baht or so per month).

The problem is that she cannot explain what kind of service this is. I am only aware of wireless networks working from an adsl landline or mobile networks like 3G etc. She skyped me from her friends computer who she says has this service and the connection was really good.

Knowing my wife, she may be misinformed but then again, maybe not.

Does anyone know what she may be referring to? If I can secure a good internet connection without having to pay to put a landline in that would be great, but I am a bit skeptical.

Thanks for your responses.

She claims there is another kind of service for internet where you don't need a phone line and is quick and cheap (around 500 baht or so per month).

3BB broadband

ADSL requires a copper line -- so it's still a phone line so to speak, only there's no number assigned to it (no dial tone).

I USE AIS SUPER 3G. NETSIM AIRCARD. mobile internet, Wireless. speed varies with busyhour, best is about 1.5 mbps, worse about 150 kbps. very happy with it. 950 bt for 5GB (which appears to be about 2 months worth for me.) works anywhere.

I don't know about BKK, but in Pattaya, I had TOT in 2 houses for a couple of years and mixed feelings about it, mostly negative.

I just changed to a local cable TV provider which include ADSL and its way better than TOT, no cut outs, fairly fast most of the time but not always.

Don't know if it is possible to get a cable TV package deal with ADSL in BKK.

The net work is overloaded in LOS, you see older topics about people whom changed from one provider to another and got no improvements or maybe good one month and then back to slow speed again. People are obviously frustrated as hel_l.

Today I will bring my TOT modem to TOT and stop the contract (if posilbe) and stick to my cable TV connection.

She claims there is another kind of service for internet where you don't need a phone line and is quick and cheap (around 500 baht or so per month).

I recently bought a Nokia 2730, a new model that is being marketed as an affordable 3G compatible option for connecting to the Internet. It cost around 3300 baht. My Acer computer has Bluetooth as does my new cellphone.

Right now we don't have 3G in our area, Ratchaburi Province, so benefiting from that option may never happen. When I got frustrated with a landline-based ADSL, I went to DTAC and registered for an Internet account. I was able to keep my same SIM card and same phone number.

Now, to get on the Internet, I just turn on Bluetooth on my cellphone, turn on Bluetooth on my laptop, open an icon on my desktop called Mobile and click on Dial, and I am connected. It asks for a password, but it isn't needed. My local computer repair shop did the setup on my computer after I had opened the account and purchased time from DTAC. They were even able to deduct the money from my existing SIM card (DTAC).

I have been able to get pretty good connection speed for SKYPE, sometimes a bit choppy, but still usable. Cost for unlimited time is around 900 baht per month, with restricted time available at lower rates. I am not really too sure about how the billing works. I thought my month was already up on the time I purchased, but I can still use it.

Tom

I suspect that your wife may be referring to Wi-Fi. I live in On Nut (near Pra Khanong) & some of the buildings in my complex have been wired-up (so to speak) for Wi-Fi by CAT. Depending on the time of day, the speed is total crap to not bad (dial-up to 1mb).

My suggestion is to get a phone line (True is marginally better than TOT) but don't touch anything from TT & T (3BB) as the service tends to be awful. If the connection your wife refers to is indeed Wi-Fi & it is as good as she says, then test it out & if not good enough, get a phone line package (True will hook you up very quickly if your building has phone wires installed).

Depending on where you live, True Internet does offer a service that does use a phone line but as previously stated does not require a phone number so you are not required to have TOT or another phone line service provider account to use the phone line. I was previously living in a condo town complex that could provide this, and I was on a 4mb/s plan for 599 baht per month (unlimited downloads/uploads). If you do have to get a TOT or other phone account for your ADSL it only costs about 20 baht a mth phone line rental if you do not use a phone...

Phone line monthly rental/maintenance is 100 Baht plus 7% VAT for total of 107 Baht per month (at least with TOT). Incoming calls free; outgoing calls in-country are around 1 to 3 Baht per minute depending on area called and international rates vary by country. If getting DSL with the phone line, the DSL monthly charge will be additive.

we have secured an apartment

I think she is talking about 3BB which can be tapped off from the building's internal PABX system. No need for a direct phone line from True or ToT.

Price is Bt631.50 per month (inclusive of 7%VAT) for a 4 Mbps line.