Mobal Cell Phone & Sim Card

[Taggart]

Has anyone bought a cell phone from Mobal for use in Thailand and other countries while travelling? If so, is the service as good as the company claims? Are the phone and/or sim card adequate for your needs? Any downsides? The charges for calls I thought were a little steep, but I'm thinking about getting one for emergency use only.

[astral]

While you are in Thailand I would suggest you by a prepaid card from DTAC

This will give you much cheaper calls than Mobal will offer when "roaming" in Thailand.

The same approach will also apply in other countries that you visit for more than a week or so.

Paying roaming charges is a mugs game.

[lomatopo]

If you could describe your requirements and applications I think many here could offer up a few good choices.

Do you currently own a GSM (900/1800 Mhz) phone?

What countries will you be traveling to?

What countries will you be calling out to?

Having a post-paid, roaming account means you have one number and people can call you anytime, anywhere on that one number. In general, when roaming internationally call charges per minute will be ~ 10x what they are locally.

It might be best to purchase an unlocked GSM phone, here in Thailand, or elsewhere, and then purchase pre-paid SIMs in those countries to which you will travel.

You can purchase a basic GSM900/1800 new here for 2,500 THB, or less. A SIM goes for 250 Baht, and talk-time is 5 baht per minute (or less) for intra-Thailand calls; 7 - 10 baht per minute for most major int'l countries (USA/UK, etc.).

The Mobal service is interesting, good because you'd have one number and be able to give that out to family/friends/business associates ahead of time. Downsides include the higher cost of incoming/outgoing calls, not knowing whose network you will be riding on in-country, not knwoing what services might be limited (i.e. SMS).

For a One-2-Call prepaid SIM here in Thailand you can enable int'l roaming. Yes it's a pain to dial, and yes, it's very expensive, and yes, you can't send SMSes (but you can receive them), but it's an option if staying mostly in Thailand then moving on to other countries where buying a SIm might be challenging?

[Taggart]

First of all, thank you for the replies.

Astral said:

>>>While you are in Thailand I would suggest you by a prepaid card from DTAC<<<

I've heard the name DTAC but don't know anything about it. Anything that makes their card better than others in Thailand?

lomatopo said:

>>>Do you currently own a GSM (900/1800 Mhz) phone?<<<

No, right now my wife and I don't own any cell phone.

>>>What countries will you be traveling to?<<<

The phone would be used here in Canada only for emergencies. For example, if my wife is driving on her own, and the car breaks down, she can call for help. It could also be used if she's visiting Thailand and she wants to communicate with her elderly parents when she's away at the market or on the other side of Thailand for that matter.

>>>What countries will you be calling out to?<<<

The phone would be mostly for in-country use.

>>>Having a post-paid, roaming account means you have one number and people can call you anytime, anywhere on that one number. In general, when roaming internationally call charges per minute will be ~ 10x what they are locally.<<<

I tried to google "post-paid, roaming account" but couldn't find any info.

>>>It might be best to purchase an unlocked GSM phone, here in Thailand, or elsewhere, and then purchase pre-paid SIMs in those countries to which you will travel.<<<

You can purchase a basic GSM900/1800 new here for 2,500 THB, or less. A SIM goes for 250 Baht, and talk-time is 5 baht per minute (or less) for intra-Thailand calls; 7 - 10 baht per minute for most major int'l countries (USA/UK, etc.).<<<

Around 2500 baht is about what I would pay for a used unlocked GSM phone (depending on the model) here in Canada. I haven't checked on SIM card prices here. Do you pay for incoming calls in Thailand or for only outgoing? Do you pay a per call set-up fee in addition to the talk rates quoted above?

>>>The Mobal service is interesting, good because you'd have one number and be able to give that out to family/friends/business associates ahead of time. Downsides include the higher cost of incoming/outgoing calls, not knowing whose network you will be riding on in-country, not knwoing what services might be limited (i.e. SMS).<<<

Yes, the Mobal service is interesting and perhaps not perfect, but good enough as a base to start looking for something better on the market.

>>>For a One-2-Call prepaid SIM here in Thailand you can enable int'l roaming. Yes it's a pain to dial, and yes, it's very expensive, and yes, you can't send SMSes (but you can receive them), but it's an option if staying mostly in Thailand then moving on to other countries where buying a SIm might be challenging?<<<

One-2-Call is another outfit, I've heard of, but know absolutely nothing about.

As you can see by my replies, I'm pretty well a newbie when it comes to cell phones. Every few years I may make a few enquiries but get turned off when the sales people want me to sign a contract, or pay what I consider expensive pre-paid fees for a card that I may not use, but expires after a month or two. Plus on top of that, in North America, from what I understand most cell phones are locked.

[lomatopo]

Your requirements are unique, and I'm not sure you'll be able to find the perfect solution.

For your requirements in Canada you should talk with friends/neighbors/colleagues to get references for pre- and post-paid calling plans. For your application in Canada the cheapest post-paid plan might be best? Pre-paid does expire unless topped-up. Yo should be able to make the comparison once you have the prices.

I believe GSM phones in Canada/USA are GSM 850/1900; while GSM 900/1800 is supported here in Thailand. If you want to have just one phone you'll need to get a tri- or quad-band phone.

The called party here in Thailand does not pay to receive calls, nor to recieve messages.

Call charges quoted are all inclusive, no set-up charges.

Just to clarify, you would purchase and use a local Thai SIM, from One-2-Call, DTAC, True Move, etc. for use in Thailand. You would arrange a separate account with Virgin or Rogers, pre-paid or post-paid, for use in Canada. You could use one single phone in both places provided it supports the proper GSM standards. Otherwise you would need two phones.

[jumpyfun]

I've used mobals international cell phone option, and i highly recommend it.

J

[onethailand]

I have a Mobal card as well - but I would suggest using it only when absolutely necessary as it can get quite expensive. I only use mine when I don't have any other alternative - but at least it never expires.