Cell Phones

[Mar]

How much for a cell phone in Thailand? Cost per minute? International rates to North America? How do you keep in touch internationally?

P.S. Will be travelling around the country for 3mos to a year.

Grazie!

[britmaveric]

Best bet is to buy a triband unlocked phone in America. (much cheaper than Thailand) Then buy prepaid SIM Card in Thailand and then buy 1000Baht recharges as necessary. Then you'll have a Thai number, and incoming calls are free.

Dunno what the rate is off hand, but I made heaps of calls to UK/America and it lasted a good week before I recharged.

[tuky]

mmm, not sure you can get a cell phone in LoS, but there sure are plenty of mobile phones

[britmaveric]

Cell=Mobile well least that what I assume he means!

[tuky]

Brit, you may well be right, not too sure though.

Mar, care to clarify?

[tuky]

TiT

[valentinoxxx]

Used models start from 1000 baht from the Mahboonkhrong centre in Bkk.

Domestic calls are from 1.5 to 5 baht per minute and from 16 to 22 baht plus 7% VAT to the USA.

For most of the basic info you will need;

Minimum requirements; GSM 900 or PCN 1800 compatibility. (US travellers take note).

Needs to be unlocked from your current network if you bought it as part of an airtime package.

Can be done in Bkk,(for small remittance) if not in your country.

PrePay(No contract) SIM card info;

With DTAC PCN 1800(HappyDprompt ) the starter kit is 400 baht with 100 baht worth of calls with a validity of 40 days.

(There is now a new product, HappyDprompt. In summary, call charges are 5 baht for the first 2 minutes and then 2.5 baht thereafter. You can also choose a time slot where the 2.5 baht price kicks in immediately. International SMS is 3 baht per message, instead of the standard 9 baht. Grab 'em while you can. Upgrade from standard DPROMPT SIM is 30 baht or a new SIM is 400 baht containing 100 baht of calls. Per second billing after the first 30 seconds.)

MBK Centre in Bangkok will net further price reductions in terms of the SIM card.

AIS GSM 900(One2call) is more expensive for the starter kit, 800 baht.(Though can be found cheaper at outlets in the MahBoonKhrong Centre in Bangkok.

From 4 baht to 8 baht per minute. No per second billing.

If you are going off the beaten track, coverage may be better. Otherwise.......

They have a promotion running at the moment called 'Freedom Plus'.

The thrust is this; Purchase a refill card and receive double the value but half(or less) of the airtime. ie;

Buy a 300 baht refill valid for 30 days and receive 600 baht worth of calls valid for 15 days.(Calls work out at 2.5 baht per minute) Domestic SMS at 2 baht. International SMS I'm not sure. I guess between 4.5 and 9 baht.

Switching to Freedom Plus, you lose any stored airtime you had previously.(You can switch between Freedom and their standard service for a fee. If you switch back to the standard service, you retreive previously stored airtime)

Orange PCN 1800(Just Talk) also available and is the cheapest for calls. As little as 1.5 baht per minute and per second billing.

SIM card comes with 100 baht worth of calls with another 200 baht bonus when you top up for the first time.

10 free SMS per month.

http://www.orange.co.th/english/join/just.htm

http://www.orange.co.th/english/join/just_kit.htm

http://www.happydprompt.com/en/index.html

http://www.dprompt.co.th/eng/index.htm

http://www.one-2-call.com/One2Call/th/scri....jsp?lang=eng&a mp;menu=2

SMS?

If you are hoping to keep in touch with your 'tirak' after you leave and she has a Dprompt or DTAC mobile, then you can use this utility: https://sonic2.tac.co.th/bp3/bin/Index?lang=E

Make sure yourself or herself registers before you leave Thailand though. This will afford you 50 free txt messages per month via the internet to a Dprompt mobile in Thailand.

If your 'tirak' has an AIS or One2Call mobile, you can register her mobile by sending a blank txt message(optionally, you can select a PIN number of your choosing) to 900931(from her mobile). Alternatively, you can call *931. Then, you can use this utility to send her messages through the web: http://www.ais900.com/gsmweb/

(Note that there is a charge of 1 - 2 baht to her mobile for each txt msg received) It might be a good idea to buy a couple of recharge cards before you leave and to release the numbers to your 'tirak' at the appropriate time.

Another way to send SMS to Thailand is to use Yahoo Messenger's SMS service. It's free.

Download here: http://messenger.yahoo.com/messenger/downl...structions.html

For International calls via the mobile networks, here are the links with the options and costs for calling direct;

http://www.cat.or.th/eng/telecom_oversea_efone_eng.html

http://www.cat.or.th/eng/comparision.html

Have fun!

[Pepe']

Britmaverick,

What do you mean by triband? I thought there was just digital or analog.

I just got a new Sanyo from Sprint here in San Diego. I don't see where a simm card would go.

I wonder if I can use this phone in Thailand?

Also what do you mean by unlocked?

Is there a phone you reccomend?

Thanks, Pepe'

[astral]

Forget analog, most of those networks have been closed and replaced with digital.

Digital comes in 2 flavours GSM and CDMA.

GSM can be on two bands 900Mhz or 1800Mz.

Most GSM phones support both these days.

GSM is most common in Europe and Aisa.

CDMA is used in the USA

A tri-band phone covers the 2 GSm band and the CDMA band (1900Mhz)

Triband phines are available here as Hutch uses CDMA, but does not cover the whoe country, so needs to use GSM to fill the gaps.

AIS is on GSM 900 Mhz

DTAC is GSM 1800 Mhz

[valentinoxxx]

It is not important to buy a mobile in Thailand for use in the USA.

You can buy a serviceable model for local use in Thailand for 1000 baht up.

It is quite possible that the USA will move towards the GSM standard.

As far as I know the CDMA sytem in Thailand is built over the 800MHz Advanced Mobile Phone Service system, in conjunction with the CAT.

Thai Mobile's 1900 system didn't catch on, if I remember correctly. Not surprising really, as the website is all in Thai script.

http://www.thaimobile.co.th

[Pepe']

Astral and Valantinoxxx,

Thanks for the clarification. I gather now that the phone I'm using here would be worthless in Thailand.

Any favorite brands of phones you like. Having a speaker feature is important to me.

Pepe'

[Mig15]

I am new to mobile phones and have just got one at New Year. I went to MBK as everyone said that was the place to go. I got a Semens C45 just on the looks of it. Last week I decided to exchange it for a Nokia because there were things about it I did not like – ring not loud enough etc. Anyway I had to return one faulty battery, and two faulty phones to get one that worked. OK they exchanged them no problem but I had to make 3 extra journeys to MBK to get one that worked.

What I think they do is just try and re-sell the faulty phones and batteries until someone does not bring them back. It may be better to pay a little more at a shop and not have the hassle.

[Gatsby]

Astral and Valantinoxxx,

Thanks for the clarification. I gather now that the phone I'm using here would be worthless in Thailand.

Any favorite brands of phones you like. Having a speaker feature is important to me.

Pepe'

Pepe try a Samsung S105 or Nokia 6610. Both are tri band and are easily unlocked and usable in Thailand. The Sony Ericsson T610 is a nice little phone too, but somtimes buggy.

Search Ebay, you should be looking in the $150 to $200 price range for brand new phones from T-mobile. I do beleive they are the only US carrier besides ATT that have tri band offerings.

Stay away from any Samsung phone newer than the S105, I have an E715 and an E105 the two latest phones and they have trouble finding a signal in BKK. They took away the band select feature that the older phones had. Now it is supposed to do it automatically, but in practice it takes forever for the phones to switch bands, if they do at all.

[Gatsby]

I am new to mobile phones and have just got one at New Year. I went to MBK as everyone said that was the place to go. I got a Semens C45 just on the looks of it. Last week I decided to exchange it for a Nokia because there were things about it I did not like – ring not loud enough etc. Anyway I had to return one faulty battery, and two faulty phones to get one that worked. OK they exchanged them no problem but I had to make 3 extra journeys to MBK to get one that worked.

What I think they do is just try and re-sell the faulty phones and batteries until someone does not bring them back. It may be better to pay a little more at a shop and not have the hassle.

Mig, unfortunately with most of my dealing in MBK I have had the same types of experiences.

My wife worked for AIS when she attended univeristy, so she cleared up alot of the honest/dishonest type stuff and how you could tell the difference. I personally would stay away from MBK and go with one of the larger companies.

[SoiSniffer]

Val xxx is spot on. I can roll out a pretty good mobile post but he got the bases covered quite well. For some specific questions you can e-mail AIS

AIS Call Center

E-mail Address(es):

[email protected]

They will give you the latest info. You are best on the 900/1800 mghz phones. If you are from the U.S. you'll need the 1900 so triband is the way to go.

Here's what I do

Change you message on your home mobile/cell to what ever works and the put in your AIS sim card and p/u you home messages using AIS for the overseas call.

Much cheaper that most roaming from home and good signal.

Plus now you are tied into the darlings quite well.

Be aware that sim cards are now very cheap but do have a shelf life, your account/number can expire and that date will depend on how much baht has been put in top off. The more baht the longer you number is good. I'm cool till mid 2005 and will be into 2006 after Songkran. Top up cards are easy to get. Everywhere and just dial in and enter the number and off you go. The Dial up and Check Balance numbers will be on the sim card. As for you phone directory from home that will vary with your phone. My mobile has the option to save to sim or phone. I do both and when I pop in my AIS Boom-a-Matic line all the numbers are there. Cool at home because you can text message the Darlings and they to you the same! Well, that's enough as VALXXX did such a great jop I don't want to take away from the good work.....Chat On!

[britmaveric]

Pepe'-quite correct Sprint phone is a paper weight in Thailand. (propietary nature of Sprint)

Anyways just do a search on yahoo/google for unlocked world triband phones and you'll have no problem finding a phone. I've bought a erricson for as little as 50quid, or you can pay as much as 200quid for all of the advanced options-streaming vid, camera ect ect.

[ossie99]

Thanks for the information guys. I have a Samsung x-105 and just had them unlock the phone for use in Thailand. The question is, where/how do I recharge the minutes when I run low. Does it require getting a new SIM card each time, or do they just increase the minutes when I fork over the Baht? Are there any contracts, and if so, are any in the 6 month range? Will the phone still let me know how many minutes used/available? International vs. Local. Thanks for any help you might be able to offer.

See you in LOS in 10 days.

[britmaveric]

No you don't need to buy more than one sim card. After you initially buy a sim card this is good for however long you use it. I bought a sim card in Nov and it expires iin March without use. (sent to TF to recharge for me that way when I arrive its ready to use)

Basically you buy recharge 1000THB a card. I used 1 a week or so, but depends on how much you use the phone. Warning? Since it was in Thai- not sure if it gave me a low minute warning.... when I couldn't make calls, then I knew it was finished and time to recharge.

[Siguy]

Dumb question,

but is the electric wattage the same that if I bring my phone from Canada, I could recharge it using the wall outlets in Thailand ?

[ajahnlau]

Canada is 115v,Thailand 220v, need a converter.

[SurferDude]

Here is some info on the Freedom Plus One-2-call discount program. Someone sent this text to me, I find that it is all correct.

-------------------------

The Freedom Plus promotion for those having a One-2-Call card is decribed here:

http://www.jaymarts.com/news_activity/prom..._one-2-call.asp - in Thai

- when I signed up (2 mos ago), it reset my expiration date to 15 days from the date I signed up

- when I signed up, it retained my existing balance

- my calls are 2.5 baht/min

- when I top up with a 300 baht card, I get 15 days extension on my expiration

- I was told you could come off the promotion if you wanted, just call them

- I remember being told that there a maximum length your expiration date can be extended to (maybe 90 days from your last top up?) My expiry on my credits is now April 9

- I signed up by calling 1175 and talking to someone

Also, I can verify the present rate for Int'l calls from my mobile phone (a One-2-Call chip) :

1. When dialing 001-CountryCode-PhoneNumber (for the USA, I would dial something like 001-1-305-xxx-xxxx), the normal rate to the US is 22B/min (30B/min to the UK), but there is a promotion running through 31/3/04 where calls to the US are 9B/min (16B/min to the UK).

2. When dialing 009-CountryCode-PhoneNumber (for the USA, I would dial something like 009-1-305-xxx-xxxx), the rate to the US is 16B/min.

3. I have no idea what the rate is for calling the US by dialing +1-305-xxx-xxxx, I always use 001 as above.

I don't know whether these rate are because I am on the Freedom Plus or they are normal rates for any One-2-call phone. If you want more information, just call the One-2-Call Call Center at 0-2271-9000 and they will answer all of your questions. They speak English.

[Gatsby]

Canada is 115v,Thailand 220v, need a converter.

Not true. Nearly all cell phones are rated 110 to 240 watts. I know all Samsung or Nokia's are.

[britmaveric]

My erricson is also dual voltage- believe this is common practice

[Gatsby]

My erricson is also dual voltage- believe this is common practice

Yeah, I would say 90% of them are. Not sure about some Sanyo models because I have never owned one, but most of the ones in the USA are CDMA anyway.

Notebook computers and external hard drives are the same way FYI for anyone that was wondering.

[marto]

Cell=Mobile well least that what I assume he means!

In South Africa they call the trafic-lights "robot"