Internet And Blackberry On Phuket

[manchesterlalala]

Dear fellow Phuketians,

I plan to return to Phuket after an 18-month absence before Songkran this year and am making preparations for what I need to do to be able to continue working in the Kingdom once I arrive. I will be in the Kingdom for 9 months on a multi-entry tourist visa. I have a couple of questions of a technical nature. I could have gone to the dedicated ICT forum, however, answers to questions on internet coverage and service are - as I'm sure you're aware - fairly province-specific. For that reason, I'm hoping some of you out there may be able to offer some suggestions and share your experiences with me. So here goes:

1. I need quick and reliable access to the internet for my laptop all day to do my work: What would you recommend I sign up for?

When I lived in Phuket before, I signed up for a slow but reliable mobile internet service provided by Cat Telecom; the package cost around 800THB per month; the billing was fairly straightforward and I didn't have problems with them; the coverage was reliable, but was very slow compared to European speeds; the service was provided via a dongle which I had to buy, and which slotted into the laptop through a USB (or other) port.

I would be happy to go back to Cat Telecom, but my new laptop does not have a port that will fit the old dongle that I have. Does anybody know what the latest dongle is that is available, how fast it is, and if they have them available? (The USB ones sold out last time which is why I had to go with another one.) How much is a dongle likely to set me back? Does anybody have any bad experiences with them, or know for a fact that another service is available which is significantly faster / cheaper / more reliable?

2. Since being in Europe, I have become dependent on using a smartphone - specifically a Blackberry: How easy would it be for somebody on a tourist visa to get a contract for 9 months which included internet?

I need to be able to receive emails the instant they arrive in my inbox. My ability to respond instantly is very important, even when out of the office. How much is a monthly contract? What is internet coverage like? Would I have to buy a Thai phone at the shop or could I bring a Blackberry with me from the UK and start a nine-month line rental contract from Phuket? Which company would be the best one to approach for such a service? I have to concede I have absolutely no experience of owning a smartphone on Phuket and would very much appreciate advice about whether what I need is attainable at all.

It may be that there is a single answer to both questions offered by one particular telephone company. Would a company on Phuket offer such a package?

Okay, that’s quite a few questions, so I’ll leave it there. I very much look forward to constructive comments that directly answer one or more of these questions.

Thanks,

Manc

[Jimi007]

Here is the local guru for ISP's site: http://www.khunwoody.com/phuket-internet-speed/

He also writes a column in the Phuket Gazette. Good luck! I have two ISP at my house as there are frequent outages. I haven't bothered with mobile internet, although I've read it's better now... It's just not that important to me.

[Peterocket]

Get a new 3G true internet sim card and then create portable internet hotspot via your blackberry or laptop.

Mobile internet speeds have greatly increased since you were last here so I expect you will be pleasantly surprised.

(Plus True have a special offer on at the moment where the first 3 months are only 450 baht)

[ozymandious]

I 2nd using your phone as a modem, but would Suggest AIS as your provider over True in terms of Coverage and Data Speed, Again refer to Woody's page for real world reported results.

[stevenl]

Wasn't there a thread some time ago about Blackberry problems on Phuket?

[LivinginKata]

Wasn't there a thread some time ago about Blackberry problems on Phuket?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/498032-anyone-else-having-this-problem

[manchesterlalala]

Thanks for the constructive feedback everybody. It seems this "tethering" would be an all-in-one solution for me.

I plan to buy a smartphone with tethering capability here in the UK and take it over to Thailand and whack a Thai SIM in, as suggested above. The next question then is: would a Thai phone network such as AIS or True allow me to sign up

a) on a tripple entry tourist visa?

only for an 8 or 9 month period?

If they will then it looks like I'm in business.

[manchesterlalala]

sorry, that smiley should be a "b"

[Jimi007]

Thanks for the constructive feedback everybody. It seems this "tethering" would be an all-in-one solution for me.

I plan to buy a smartphone with tethering capability here in the UK and take it over to Thailand and whack a Thai SIM in, as suggested above. The next question then is: would a Thai phone network such as AIS or True allow me to sign up

a) on a tripple entry tourist visa?

only for an 8 or 9 month period?

If they will then it looks like I'm in business.

AIS has prepaid internet plans I do believe. You don't need a visa for prepaid. I have AIS prepaid for my cell service and I added internet for a few months when I was out at the in laws house last year. There wasn't 3G then though, it was EDGE service. I just bought phone card minutes at 7-11 or other shops that sell them then dialed *138 to add minutes to my internet account. Check out their website here: http://www.ais.co.th/network/en/ Here are the 3G rates: http://www.ais.co.th/mobileinternet/en/internet-package/#2

Edited March 1, 2012 by Jimi007