Post-Paid 3G Packages In Bangkok

[teemuj]

Just comparing TrueMove and DTAC for post-paid 3G package including certain number of minute per month talk time, WIFI and 3G. Out of experience of the board members I have couple of clarifications:

- which was is better in terms of WIFI coverage in Bangkok?

- which is more reliable with 3G?

In general I suppose international calls are not included in the call time allocation. How do the packages work if there is unused minutes from one month - are they credited to the next month or can they be transferred from one account to another?

[lomatopo]

I think True has more WiFi hotspots by a huge margin; they say 30,000 nationwide while DTAC has but a handful here in metro-Bangkok

In Bangkok I find TrueMove H and DTAC (I have both) roughly equal in coverage; I get 10/4 Mbps with DTAC on average, and 3/1 Mbps with TrueMove H, both of which are more than adequate. TrueMove H may have more national 3G coverage, but DTAC seems to cover all Amphur Muangs at a minimum.

International calls are not included. Minutes do not roll-over, cannot be transferred to another number or shared. Assuming you use a fair amount of minutes, post-paid plans can represent a decent value, especially when you factor in promotions. Service providers love post-paid customers as they are locked in and less subject to churn, have high ARPU and generally do not use all of their allotments.

DTAC has some discounted plans: http://www.dtac.co.t...smartphone.html

Edited January 13, 2013 by lomatopo

[siam2007]

unfortunately, TRUE doesn't seem to have any detailled information available in English, not on their website and no printed flyers in English available.

Well, they are a 100% Thai-Company after all, and as such, "we need no speak Angglit"

[Yme]

unfortunately, TRUE doesn't seem to have any detailled information available in English, not on their website and no printed flyers in English available.

Well, they are a 100% Thai-Company after all, and as such, "we need no speak Angglit"

True also turn off their English-language support between 11pm and 8am while the Foundation for Consumers also speaks no English. Obviously the baht spent by foreigners is different to the baht spent by Thais. So much for it being illegal to discriminate in Thailand and so much for preparing for AEC where the official language is English.

I recently read a story that summed up that dealing with Thailand telcos was worse than unanaesthetised root-canal and I really can't disagree with that summary.

Interestingly the same article showed that Thailand phone companies make more per customer per month than any other in the region.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Yme

[lomatopo]

I recently read a story that summed up that dealing with Thailand telcos was worse than unanaesthetised root-canal and I really can't disagree with that summary.

Interestingly the same article showed that Thailand phone companies make more per customer per month than any other in the region.

Can you share a link to this article?

Not sure profitability is a bad thing? But pre-paid ARPUs are ~ 100 baht/month here, but given the socioeconomic situation, along with mobile data adoption, I guess I am not surprised in Thailand leads?

TrueMove consistently loses money year in, year out.

[iluvbeaches]

Just comparing TrueMove and DTAC for post-paid 3G package including certain number of minute per month talk time, WIFI and 3G. Out of experience of the board members I have couple of clarifications:

- which was is better in terms of WIFI coverage in Bangkok?

- which is more reliable with 3G?

In general I suppose international calls are not included in the call time allocation. How do the packages work if there is unused minutes from one month - are they credited to the next month or can they be transferred from one account to another?

Not sure current plans but one great thing about dtac is that with post pay I can login under my account see bills and change my plans with one month interval. I am in Europe a lot so the months I am not using it I turn it to 150 baht per month and then back to 700 inc 3g Internet and wifi when I'm back. Need to keep the number as its tied to my bank accounts and an expired pre pay can be hell to fix.

[Dork]

My opinion comparing the 3 providers goes something this.

AIS has the best coverage and network reliability but the worst 3G

TRUE has (by far) the worst coverage and network reliability but the best 3G.

DTAC is somewhere in the middle with both.

[siam2007]

to be fair, I was actually quite satisfied with DTAC over the past years.

I had a prepaid number since 2003 and around 2008/9 or so, they offered me to convert it to postpaid which I did.

Not the very best calling- or sms-rates on the market, but still okay, and very convenient, as I could use roaming without fear to run out of balance (that was a lucky thing when Swampy was blocked by the Yellow's and I was stuck in HKG, as AirAsia couldn't fly to Swampy but thanks to roaming I could contact them and was assigned a seat to U-Tapao).

Monthly bill is being deduected from credit-card, and as has been mentioned before, I can always check my actual balance online, plus I can get a printed bill sent to my home for a small monthly fee.

Their phone-support staff has always been helpful and useful, and their command of English was very good.

Just lately there are a lot of problems, and very difficult to get through to the English language hotline.

I still don't use 3G with them, as their packages are crap - those packages all include hundreds of minutes of calling time, which I don't need, but the Data Volume that comes with the package is ludicrously low, or - if you want a huge package such as 3GB a month, it is very expensive.

all Thai providers charge a lot lot more for 3G, which in many cases isn't even available, than those in my home country. And my home country is not exactly known as a low-cost-destination.

Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia - they all have more competitive rates and packages on offer.....

Edited January 15, 2013 by siam2007

[lomatopo]

to be fair, I was actually quite satisfied with DTAC over the past years.

I had a prepaid number since 2003 and around 2008/9 or so, they offered me to convert it to postpaid which I did.

Not the very best calling- or sms-rates on the market, but still okay, and very convenient, as I could use roaming without fear to run out of balance (that was a lucky thing when Swampy was blocked by the Yellow's and I was stuck in HKG, as AirAsia couldn't fly to Swampy but thanks to roaming I could contact them and was assigned a seat to U-Tapao).

Monthly bill is being deduected from credit-card, and as has been mentioned before, I can always check my actual balance online, plus I can get a printed bill sent to my home for a small monthly fee.

Their phone-support staff has always been helpful and useful, and their command of English was very good.

Just lately there are a lot of problems, and very difficult to get through to the English language hotline.

I still don't use 3G with them, as their packages are crap - those packages all include hundreds of minutes of calling time, which I don't need, but the Data Volume that comes with the package is ludicrously low, or - if you want a huge package such as 3GB a month, it is very expensive.

all Thai providers charge a lot lot more for 3G, which in many cases isn't even available, than those in my home country. And my home country is not exactly known as a low-cost-destination.

Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia - they all have more competitive rates and packages on offer.....

I strongly suspect you would be better off with a pre-paid plan.

Happy offer a 3 GB mobile internet plan for 650 baht (~ 700 baht with VAT) which you can layer on top of a pre-paid plan. They also have a few calling plans which cap rates at or below 1 baht/min.

Mobile broadband data prices in other countries are of little interest to those of us living here. I confess I haven't looked at the numbers recently but I think Thailand has fairly reasonable rates. What is your home country? And what are the rates in Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia?