Totally Ignorant

[JusMe]

I know absolutely nothing about cell phones, other than some terminology, and I do know that my understanding of those terms is either limited or nothing at all.

I actually dislike cell phones, but figure that at some time or other, I'll have to join the crowd and get something.

So, here's what I want: simple, basic phone - I do not want to take epic films, I do not want to play games, I do not want to browse the internet, I don't want to send and receive emails, I don't want to listen to music. I just want a simple phone that I can use for ordinary phone calls!

I would like a phone that I can use both here in Thailand and in Canada, for several months at a time in each. I can get separate plans or cards or whatever is needed to change in the phone so it will send and receive calls. And I would like one that I can actually touch the individual buttons on without getting out a needle to point at them!

I have read on one of the forums here that Tesco or Big-C mobile phone shops will sell you a basic Nokia or Imobile phone for around 400 ~ 600 baht. So far, so good.

And one can buy an AIS sim card from 7-11 very cheaply.

Now, to display my ignorance: I've read about locked phones, and unlocking them. What's the difference? Once unlocked, do they stay that way? What about those Tesco or Big-C phones?

What exactly is a sim card? If I buy one of those, does it have a telephone number "attached" to it that I can have someone call me on? If not, where do I get a basic telephone number for use with the cell phone?

See? I knows nuffin'. Gimme the simple basic least terminological info you can.

Thanks in advance for whatever help you can give this ol' git. Bit of a Luddite, I'll admit.

[H2oDunc]

Get a 49 baht sim card from 7/11. This is a small circuit chip that fits into the phone. Each sim card has a number attached to it and this is your phone number whilst in Thailand. No need to worry about locked phones as these are usually phones from abroad that are tied to one call provider alone. This isn't a problem here. The basic phones from Tesco or Big C will do all you want. You can make and receive calls both here in Thailand and abroad. You can also send text messages the same. To top up your credit simply go to a 7/11 or similar and purchase a top up card. They will either give you a scratch card or a till receipt. Each has a number which you use to top up your credit. *120* then the number on the card or receipt # then send. The credit comes from 50 baht to 300 baht. To check your balance *121# send The above is for the AIS / 1-2 Call network. I hope this helped.

[Familyonthemove]

Yep - '1,2,Call' SIM from 7-11 or similar and then top it up by buying a top-up card (also at 7-11 and at most supermarkets) will get you going. You then need to send a text mesage to top up the phone. The numbers for the text mesage will be on the top-up card .... but every Thai person over the age of 8 will know how to do this. The 7-11 assistant did it for me the first time as the instruction are printed so small you need an electron microscope to read them. One ting that confused me was that if you buy a top-up from Big C or Tesco the number to dial is printed on the receipt, whereas when you buy top-ups from 7-11 you are given a scratch-card.

You can often choose your phone number from the ones available in the shop. It's printed on the outside of the envelope that contains the SIM card. The SIM card is held in a plastic frame ... pop it out of the frame and put it in the phone. It usually goes under the battery ... and getting the battery cover off most phones is a faff .... so ask for help from that Thai 8 year old.

But if you use your Thai SIM card in Canada to make or receive calls then the costs will be very high - so you'll need to top-up quite a bit before you travel to keep the phone going. Better to get a local SIM in Canada and swap them over when you arrive.

There's also the option of 'post-paid' (i.e billed) accounts where you run up a bill and pay it off monthly. Better and cheaper if you make lots of calls, but no point if people mainly call you. You'll need photo ID and sometimes a Work Permit to open an account. AIS in Central World are very helpful.

At the risk of causing some confusion ..... some countries use different frequencies for their mobile phone networks, so if you are travelling, try to get a 'tri-band' phone, or even better a 'quad-band' phone.

Many of the low cost Chinese phones are quad-band because they are exported all over the world ... it will normally say 'quad-band' in the spec or may quote 4 different frequencies in the detailed specification in the leaflet.

Good luck!

[JusMe]

Thank you, gentlemen.

Get a 49 baht sim card from 7/11. This is a small circuit chip that fits into the phone. Each sim card has a number attached to it and this is your phone number whilst in Thailand. No need to worry about locked phones as these are usually phones from abroad that are tied to one call provider alone. This isn't a problem here. The basic phones from Tesco or Big C will do all you want. You can make and receive calls both here in Thailand and abroad. You can also send text messages the same. To top up your credit simply go to a 7/11 or similar and purchase a top up card. They will either give you a scratch card or a till receipt. Each has a number which you use to top up your credit. *120* then the number on the card or receipt # then send. The credit comes from 50 baht to 300 baht. To check your balance *121# send The above is for the AIS / 1-2 Call network. I hope this helped.

That explains where I get the phone number from, and how to get set up. Many thanks. Just what I needed, nice and simple.

The 7-11 assistant did it for me the first time as the instruction are printed so small you need an electron microscope to read them.

You can often choose your phone number from the ones available in the shop. It's printed on the outside of the envelope that contains the SIM card. The SIM card is held in a plastic frame ... pop it out of the frame and put it in the phone. It usually goes under the battery ... and getting the battery cover off most phones is a faff .... so ask for help from that Thai 8 year old.

I could probably use that help. I have a handy magnifying glass on my desk for ingredients and instructions, but don't want to carry it about with me.

Brilliant. Even get to make some choice of a number. And again, I'll get that 8 year old in the shop to help me out.

But if you use your Thai SIM card in Canada to make or receive calls then the costs will be very high - so you'll need to top-up quite a bit before you travel to keep the phone going. Better to get a local SIM in Canada and swap them over when you arrive.

There's also the option of 'post-paid' (i.e billed) accounts where you run up a bill and pay it off monthly. Better and cheaper if you make lots of calls, but no point if people mainly call you. You'll need photo ID and sometimes a Work Permit to open an account. AIS in Central World are very helpful.

That's my intention to use different cards for the different countries. No plan whatsoever to have international phone usage. But it sure eases my mind to know I can just walk into a shop in Canada, buy a sim card for the same phone, and swap it with the Thai one, which I'll use again on my return.

I'll use the pre-paid card. Not so much hung up on the account, is there? Just a few baht, so no worries. And I make so few calls, I won't worry about the cost of a few of them.

I assume one doesn't need that kind of ID to just buy the sim card and pre-pay calls? I've got picture ID (passport and driver's licence) but no WP as I'm on a retirement visa. Lots of other papers, but no work.

At the risk of causing some confusion ..... some countries use different frequencies for their mobile phone networks, so if you are travelling, try to get a 'tri-band' phone, or even better a 'quad-band' phone.

Many of the low cost Chinese phones are quad-band because they are exported all over the world ... it will normally say 'quad-band' in the spec or may quote 4 different frequencies in the detailed specification in the leaflet.

I assume, then, that those low cost Chinese phones which are appropriately versatile, are the kind one can get in Tesco or Big-C? Any brand names to remember? I'll remember that info about quad-band, as it should ensure usage in Canada as well as here.

Once more, thank you for your easily understood help and instructions.

[Familyonthemove]

No need for any ID to get a pre-paid SIM card or top up.

One brand name for phones is Wellcom .... but look for deals on the big name phones as well. You could probably get a 'last year's model' basic Samsung, Nokia or Sony for a good price. Low cost no-brand (or copy) Chinese mobiles can be OK .... but reliability may be an issue.