Use Gmail, Google Search & Google+ on your phone with no data charges (Selected countries only)

[nickmanchester2]

WORKS WITH AIS (and Globe in Philippines) Start using Free Zone today. Here's how:

1

Get a Google account

If you are on a participating carrier and using a compatible phone, you can use Google Search without signing in. All you need to use Google+ or Gmail is a free Google account, available here.

2

Visit g.co/freezone on your mobile

Visit g.co/freezone on your mobile device, then log into your Google account to enjoy Google mobile services data charge free on the go.

3

Green means go

As long as you see the green bar displaying "free page" at the top of your screen, you won't be charged for using Free Zone. Happy surfing.

http://www.google.com/intl/en_gb/mobile/landing/freezone/

[Guest]

Thanks for the tip. I guess it's time to buy a dual-sim phone

List of operators:

Mobile operators offering Free Zone

Offered free of charge by participating operators:

• Philippines - Globe (As of November 2012)
• Sri Lanka - Dialog Axiata (As of April 2013)
• India - Airtel (As of June 2013)
• Thailand - AIS (As of June 2013)
• Nigeria - Airtel (As of December 2013

[RandomSand]

Google looking to increase penetration into developing market consumers.

[BKKdreaming]

I like the idea , what speed ?

and does it work in all of Thailand on AIS ?

[RichCor]

AIS FREE ZONE << Links to the THAI description to "AIS FREE ZONE powered by Google"

Here's a FAQ page from the Sri Lanka carrier, DIALOG, explaining how the service works. (Hey, it's in English, OK?)

The service, while free, is really meant to be used on Feature Phones that can connect to the Internet, but *could* be used on a Smart Phone **

I just tried this on an i-mobile smartphone with an AIS sim. It's interesting but, outside of having to severely limit myself to 'only using the web browser' to access google search, reading a bangkok e-magazine, gMail and Google+, and supposedly letting you upload pictures from your device -- though this wasn't very useful for me. And while it 'does' let you view the first page of a click link, any deeper links and you will be warned that Data Charges from AIS will occur. There were a couple of times where the network refused to serve the FreeZone page but otherwise it worked at full network speed.

It wasn't that useful to me mainly because I have become so habituated in using the Apps on my Smart Phone and this service can only be used through the web browser.

** a caveat for would-be Smart Phone users:

If you are looking for Absolutely-Free Internet use of FreeZone you need to disable Auto Data Sync, Restrict Background Data, not have any Apps running in the background that access the Internet, and not use Apps that connect to the Internet as these can and do generate regular Internet Data Traffic and your mobile account will suffer (debited for use) accordingly. ie: there's no guarantee that something running on your phone won't eventually cause a charge to made against your account if you have Internet Data turned on.

On the other hand, if your Internet Usage is kilobyte-based, rather than time-based, then use of the g.co/FreeZone page for searches could help reduced kilobyte usage.

[BKKdreaming]

How good does google maps work ?

that might be worth it to just have that