The best I can come up with is divert my mobile/cell phone through to a rented landline number from Skype then get a world subscription that includes Thai mobiles.

So I would need,

1. Paythe diversion cost of my mobile/cell fone to a local skype land line number in the western country.

2. Skype subscription

4. Local sim Thailand to receive the diverted calls from skype that I have a data plan for.

5. Use Skype to dial out on a data plan and assign my western mobile number to my Skype account so when you ring people back home, my actual mobile number appears.

While not being in Thailand, to much, one would like to receive calls when people ring.

Any tips?

sorry to state the obvious but contact your service provider in your country. get them to lift the international call bar. add on an international tariff where you get reductions on incoming and outgoing calls. thats it, when you visit thailand or any other country, if your phone rings, just answer it.

no need to make it complicated.

hope this helps.

All you need to do is take your phone to a phone shop and have the third wave band installed , you only have two in your western phone . I had mine done in Cambodia , it cost me $9.00 which included a sim card and $2.00 worth of phone time , your way would work out more complicated for no real reason , it will still work normal in your country with the appropriate sim card .

Well I asked here for suggestions, got some which is great.

"third wave band installed phone" What is it? Cant find anything on Google.

Whats a 3rd wave band?

All you need to do is take your phone to a phone shop and have the third wave band installed , you only have two in your western phone . I had mine done in Cambodia , it cost me $9.00 which included a sim card and $2.00 worth of phone time , your way would work out more complicated for no real reason , it will still work normal in your country with the appropriate sim card .

he doesnt need tri-band for thailand. only certain parts of the world are tri-band and they are usually quite remote. however parts of america are tri-band. for thailand his present phone is fine (dual banb) and only has to do as i suggested.