Cellphone & Internet

[brall3]

Does anyone have any experience or information on obtaining a card for connecting your cell phone to the internet?

 

In reading hotel reviews, I see that many hotels have very poor, if any, Internet connection. Having a card to connect the cell phone to the Internet would alleviate the problem of poor Internet connection at hotels.

[Guest]

In my experience, wifi in Thai hotels can be exceptionally slow to the point where it can be unusable at peak times.  

Off peak, it is tolerable.

The internet over mobile phone isn't very fast either, however at least it acts as a nice back up so if the hotel wifi has ground to a halt, you can still fix up that date on Jack D.     It's also useful on the beach etc.

 

If I remember correctly, it's about 3~400 baht for a SIM with internet and some credit.  I've tried AIS, DTAC & True.

I don't think there's much in it, but I will probably use True again.   They also have wifi hotspots.

 

You only have to avoid one off fee to recover the cost of the SIM.   Another time, I used it to figure out which bus to catch to DMK whilst riding to the end of the skytrain.  So the saved taxi fare would have covered over half the cost (I hate taxis).

 

I have never managed to keep my SIM alive when away from Thailand.

[ChristianPFC]

First you need a smart phone, and second two SIM slots if you want to you use both cards (one for internet, one for phone calls; however you can get both in one).

 

I use internet on my mobile, there are so many calling plans, I pay about 300 Baht per month (pre-paid) and don't even know which calling plan I'm in and wouldn't be able to give directions how to set it up (just ask at a shop, find one with staff who speak English).

[anddy]

they sell super cheap SIM card especially designed for tourists at the airport. Right as you get out of customs at Suvarnabhumi all 3 major operators (AIS, True, dtac) have shops. For a tourist, it probably doesn't mae much of a difference which ont ot choose. Dtac supposedly has less coverage upcountry, but that's just what I hear, not what I have experienced (I use AIS). 

 

These SIM card offer really good deals, and calling rates to Europe can be as low as 1 baht/minute. 3G internet is also included with various data packages available depending on your expected usage. 

 

I don't have a tourist SIM, but I pay-as-you-go for voice calls (from my prepaid credit) and a monthly internet package with 1.5GB of 3G data plus 3GB using AIS wifi hotspots (which I never use, because the 1.5GB is way enough for me).

[Moses]

Yes. Visit any 7/11 and ask for SIM for Internet (it will work also for calls, but rate will be not optimal). 500 baht 2 Gb included (or 3 Gb, I forgot). Be ready for to show your passport: under military coup law they sell SIMcards only with passport registration. Also it should be activated in 7/11. 

 

Be ready: internet will start to work in 2-24 hours - depends on day of week and time when you buy your SIM.

 

Situation with SIMs has been checked by myself in April in Bangkok (from buying card till it started works was about 12 hours).

[Guest]

Some of the operators also have stores in Bangkok and Pattaya.

They should make sure everything is set up.

[billyhouston]

My partner uses both DTAC and AIS (pre-paid). He mentioned only today, while visiting Mae Sai, that he gets 300MB of 4G on DTAC for 9 baht. This seems incredibly cheap.

[brall3]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I will not be using my phone to make any telephone calls, only to access the Internet. Keep the comments coming!

[Moses]

>>>300MB of 4G on DTAC for 9 baht. This seems incredibly cheap

 

it is contract

[anddy]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I will not be using my phone to make any telephone calls, only to access the Internet. Keep the comments coming!

 

exactly, no need to make normal phone calls, that can now so easily be done over the internet for free using Whatsapp, Line, Skype, ....