Dtac keeps sending me SMS saying so. I guess if I take their "free" 4G phone, I must stick to one of their packages and the cheapest option is to pay about 299 Baht + tax monthly which I don't need. I am using a dumb 2G phone for almost 10 years now and I pre pay just 60 Baht per YEAR just to keep the number. The package is to top up any amount even 20 Baht and I can keep the number for one year. I don't use phone most of the days as I use wifi in another mobile devices.

So is dtac going to stop the 2G? AIS stopped I think. What did you do with your 2G phones? Should I just buy a new smart phone for a few thousand Baht and go to dtac to take a new tiny sim card so I don't have to change anything?

With a name like Xiao I would have thought you would own a Xiaomi phone

I don't even know what it is LOL.

AIS has not stopped it yet.

They escaped the trouble in last minute, could win/keep a 900 MHz slot.

DTAC: not often I have seen such a long queue at the DTAC booth in our local Tesco.

A week ago or so about 30 people queuing before the booth opened.

Some sitting on the floor

Although I have lost oversight very much looks like DTAC will stop 2G service.

The exchange offer ends on October 2.

AIS has not stopped it yet.

They escaped the trouble in last minute, could win/keep a 900 MHz slot.

DTAC: not often I have seen such a long queue at the DTAC booth in our local Tesco.

A week ago or so about 30 people queuing before the booth opened.

Some sitting on the floor

Although I have lost oversight very much looks like DTAC will stop 2G service.

The exchange offer ends on October 2.

What exchange offer ?

I'm exactly like the OP : 500 B Samsung phone only for emergencies , Sim card more than 8 years old.

I top off for 60 B prepaid Happy card , and every 6 months I pay 12 B to get another 6 months , because I don't phone , in fact it is always off. Don't want to buy another phone .

More information would be appreciated! My wife keeps at me to change my phone of 16 years, it doesn't do anything except get lots of nonsense Thai ads! I like being a dinosaur.

You don't want A 4G phone.When IOS 10 comes out it won't upgrade to it.You will be able to

Use it but many apps won't be upgraded to it.

Dtac keeps sending me SMS saying so. I guess if I take their "free" 4G phone, I must stick to one of their packages and the cheapest option is to pay about 299 Baht + tax monthly which I don't need. I am using a dumb 2G phone for almost 10 years now and I pre pay just 60 Baht per YEAR just to keep the number. The package is to top up any amount even 20 Baht and I can keep the number for one year. I don't use phone most of the days as I use wifi in another mobile devices.

So is dtac going to stop the 2G? AIS stopped I think. What did you do with your 2G phones? Should I just buy a new smart phone for a few thousand Baht and go to dtac to take a new tiny sim card so I don't have to change anything?

TOT stopped 2G already. My wife's second SIM was no more working until she took it in another 3G mobile. DTAC, AIS and True still support 2G but it's only a question of time until they turn it off too.

I don't even know what it is LOL.

http://xiaomi-mi.com/

AIS has not stopped it yet.

They escaped the trouble in last minute, could win/keep a 900 MHz slot.

DTAC: not often I have seen such a long queue at the DTAC booth in our local Tesco.

A week ago or so about 30 people queuing before the booth opened.

Some sitting on the floor

Although I have lost oversight very much looks like DTAC will stop 2G service.

The exchange offer ends on October 2.

What exchange offer ?

I'm exactly like the OP : 500 B Samsung phone only for emergencies , Sim card more than 8 years old.

I top off for 60 B prepaid Happy card , and every 6 months I pay 12 B to get another 6 months , because I don't phone , in fact it is always off. Don't want to buy another phone .

A phone for emergency always off?

Seriously? Never on?

I recommend to switch it on and test (like one should do with every emergency equipment from time to time).

Visit a DTAC service center and ask (as I am not a DTAC customer and given up to keep track with all the recent changes).

The 2G upgrade offer (in Thai only):

https://www.dtac.co.th/camp/prepaid/2g-upgrade.html

Quite a little confusion in this thread.

What people should know:

• 2G technology is gradually being phased out in Thailand (to reuse the bandwidth for other purposes)
• 3G is now (or soon) the minimum required on a phone to work in Thailand. 4G capability isn't required
• The size of the SIM is not related to the type of network (2G, 3G, 4G can all be used with the classic big size SIM). It's just that newer 3G/4G phones prefer the smaller SIM sizes (to save space internally).
• Changing old 2G-only SIM is required because the SIM contains software that takes care of things like encryption and Identification on the network and this software cannot handle the newer networks.
• You don't need a smartphone to use 3G network if your objective is only to make calls.
• As pointed out by other posters, DTAC and other operators are pushing users to make the switch before it's too late with promotions where you basically get a 3G compliant 'dumb-phone' for free (or a couple hundred bahts). It is highly recommended to do the switch as soon as possible.

My personal recommendation is that if you don't need a smartphone, then don't buy one, especially not a cheap one. It's just going to do everything badly, including calls. If you care only about emergency/occasional calls, then get one of these cheap 3G compatible 'dumb phones' and the transition will be smooth.

A phone for emergency always off?

Seriously? Never on?

I recommend to switch it on and test (like one should do with every emergency equipment from time to time).

Visit a DTAC service center and ask (as I am not a DTAC customer and given up to keep track with all the recent changes).

The 2G upgrade offer (in Thai only):

https://www.dtac.co.th/camp/prepaid/2g-upgrade.html

MY emergency ... car trouble , accidents ,... Why would I keep it on ? I have internet & email if those back home want to reach me . I switch it on .... to see my balance , and renew for 180 days.

So I just need a new 3G simcard in the old (dumb)phone ?

A phone for emergency always off?

Seriously? Never on?

I recommend to switch it on and test (like one should do with every emergency equipment from time to time).

Visit a DTAC service center and ask (as I am not a DTAC customer and given up to keep track with all the recent changes).

The 2G upgrade offer (in Thai only):

https://www.dtac.co.th/camp/prepaid/2g-upgrade.html

MY emergency ... car trouble , accidents ,... Why would I keep it on ? I have internet & email if those back home want to reach me . I switch it on .... to see my balance , and renew for 180 days.

So I just need a new 3G simcard in the old (dumb)phone ?

No, your old dumbphone most likely cannot handle 3G. Make use of the 'replacement' promotions and get a newer dumbphone for nearly free while changing the SIM at the shop. Your old dumbphone battery is also most likely dead (even without use, these batteries have a life of 2-4 years, after which they barely can hold the charge).

A phone for emergency always off?

Seriously? Never on?

I recommend to switch it on and test (like one should do with every emergency equipment from time to time).

Visit a DTAC service center and ask (as I am not a DTAC customer and given up to keep track with all the recent changes).

The 2G upgrade offer (in Thai only):

https://www.dtac.co.th/camp/prepaid/2g-upgrade.html

MY emergency ... car trouble , accidents ,... Why would I keep it on ? I have internet & email if those back home want to reach me . I switch it on .... to see my balance , and renew for 180 days.

So I just need a new 3G simcard in the old (dumb)phone ?

No, your old dumbphone most likely cannot handle 3G. Make use of the 'replacement' promotions and get a newer dumbphone for nearly free while changing the SIM at the shop. Your old dumbphone battery is also most likely dead (even without use, these batteries have a life of 2-4 years, after which they barely can hold the charge).

"Replacement promotions" ...are not for pay and go (scratch cards). They're only if you have a contract with monthly bills , which I don't want.

Worst case , no phone . I can live without.

DTACs GSM 1800 concession runs until the end of September, 2018.

They still have between 2 and 3 million 2G customers (some on 850, some on 1800), but they are trying to transition them from 2G to 3G so they can use some of the 1800 spectrum for 4G/LTE.

Eventually, you'll have to buy a 3G capable phone (850/2100 MHz). Maybe just buy your own phone as it doesn't sound like you need one of the phones on offer from DTAC.

While DTAC (and AIS and TrueMove H) have VoLTE, you do need a high end phone and (for now) a post-paid service to utilize it, so for most, the phone must revert o 3G when making/receiving a call or SMS.

Thanks everyone for commenting.

While DTAC (and AIS and TrueMove H) have VoLTE, you do need a high end phone and (for now) a post-paid service to utilize it,

I saw an ad for a VoLTE phone at AIS for 3,590 THB.

http://store.ais.co.th/th/ais-super-combo-lava-4g-volte-870.html

(Note that you may have to sign up for a post-paid contract, and these Lava models may be carrier-locked to AIS.)

On July 13, 2559 BE at 11:19 AM, jybkk said:

Quite a little confusion in this thread.

 

What people should know:

• 2G technology is gradually being phased out in Thailand (to reuse the bandwidth for other purposes)
• 3G is now (or soon) the minimum required on a phone to work in Thailand. 4G capability isn't required
• The size of the SIM is not related to the type of network (2G, 3G, 4G can all be used with the classic big size SIM). It's just that newer 3G/4G phones prefer the smaller SIM sizes (to save space internally).
• Changing old 2G-only SIM is required because the SIM contains software that takes care of things like encryption and Identification on the network and this software cannot handle the newer networks.
• You don't need a smartphone to use 3G network if your objective is only to make calls.
• As pointed out by other posters, DTAC and other operators are pushing users to make the switch before it's too late with promotions where you basically get a 3G compliant 'dumb-phone' for free (or a couple hundred bahts). It is highly recommended to do the switch as soon as possible.

My personal recommendation is that if you don't need a smartphone, then don't buy one, especially not a cheap one. It's just going to do everything badly, including calls. If you care only about emergency/occasional calls, then get one of these cheap 3G compatible 'dumb phones' and the transition will be smooth.

So, smooth transition here sounds like I just buy a cheap 3G dump phone and I dont have to change anything. No new SIM? No lost of number? No change of package? (I pre pay 60 Baht per year now). Like buaBS has posted above, I can live without a mobile phone. Just that I dont want to run into a coin public phone to ring someone while I can do it on my cheap current phone for 2 Baht per minute.

On July 18, 2559 BE at 10:28 AM, mtls2005 said:

While DTAC (and AIS and TrueMove H) have VoLTE, you do need a high end phone and (for now) a post-paid service to utilize it,

 

 

I saw an ad for a VoLTE phone at AIS for 3,590 THB.

 

http://store.ais.co.th/th/ais-super-combo-lava-4g-volte-870.html

 

(Note that you may have to sign up for a post-paid contract, and these Lava models may be carrier-locked to AIS.)

Thanks for your reply. To change to a post pay contract if they require will cost me at least 300 Baht per month while right now I pay only 60 Baht per year. I almost never use my phone. Just that it is convenient to call a family member while I am in lets say a shopping mall and cant locate them.

On July 13, 2559 BE at 4:10 PM, jybkk said:

 

 

A phone for emergency always off?

Seriously? Never on?

 

I recommend to switch it on and test (like one should do with every emergency equipment from time to time).

Visit a DTAC service center and ask (as I am not a DTAC customer and given up to keep track with all the recent changes).

 

The 2G upgrade offer (in Thai only):

https://www.dtac.co.th/camp/prepaid/2g-upgrade.html

 

 

MY emergency ... car trouble , accidents ,... Why would I keep it on ? I have internet & email if those back home want to reach me . I switch it on .... to see my balance , and renew for 180 days.

 

So I just need a new 3G simcard in the old (dumb)phone ?
 

 

 

No, your old dumbphone most likely cannot handle 3G. Make use of the 'replacement' promotions and get a newer dumbphone for nearly free while changing the SIM at the shop. Your old dumbphone battery is also most likely dead (even without use, these batteries have a life of 2-4 years, after which they barely can hold the charge).

My battery still works well. I bought this phone for 1050 Baht 8 years ago. I charge the phone every 2-3 days now. I guess when the battery gets worse, I must buy a new cheap dumpphone which can be used for 3G. I only need to keep the number with minimum cost per year.

On July 12, 2559 BE at 11:05 PM, TPI said:

More information would be appreciated! My wife keeps at me to change my phone of 16 years, it doesn't do anything except get lots of nonsense Thai ads! I like being a dinosaur. 

Oh wow, 16 years!!! I thought I was the only dinosauur until I read your reply ?