ICQSIM - new card from UM with GPRS
 

Hi,
there is a new SIM-card called "ICQSIM". It is from united mobile in cooperation with the ICQ messenger.

It has cheaper rates in regions 1+2, sms from everywhere for 0,19 Euro -- and offers GPRS in 15 countries.

GPRS price is 0,39 euro for each 333kb and 0,39 Euro usage fee for every day of GPRS usage.

www.icqsim.com for more information. Rate table: http://icqsim.com/ICQ_Rateplan_E_EUR.pdf

Chris

It is nice to see the UM +423 back on track. Everyone thought that the international Data-SIM will be a Jersey-SIM but it looks like UM made a deal with Mobilkom LI and their roaming is not more or less than the core networks of Vodaphone.

Compared to my austrian Mobilkom A1 contract, they charge me with the data-europe option about 7 Euro per MB - but only 1,17 MB with ICQSIM on the same networks. I have just orderred such a SIM. If you load 25 Euros airtime, you even get free shippping...

It seems to me it's "refreshed" UM +423 :-)

Compare with the table:
http://www.united-mobile.com/downloa...tes_en_eur.pdf
and read it:
http://icqsim.com/cms/website/index....2&idcatside=86
Q: Where (in which country) is my number located?
A: +423 is the country code for Liechtenstein.

It looks like oldie +423 plan with cheaper SMS ,calls from Zone 1 to Area 1 and on-net , and added data service. The customer service is +423 663 099 911 (like that of UM +423).

Edit:

It seems that UM +423 is available again in the online shop :whistling:

It's indeed a +423-card, and not the new UM+ card.

Data is only available in selected countries.
If the number of countries increase, I think it's a good card, if you use it in a dedicated PCMCIA-card for you laptop.

I don't think I would start making phonecalls with it.

Just ordered one for testing purposes...

The ICQSIM tariffs are quite interesting, allthough I dislike this mulit-brand-marketing. Why didn't UM realize these data-tariffs through existing +423 SIM cards?

Anyway the bigger issue is, that as an existing customer I can't order the ICQSIM, since my order is refused as my eMail address already exists. Sure, I could get some other eMail account in order to evade this, but in my eyes UM should allow existing customers to order additional SIM cards, too. As an existing customer I would also appreciate, if I would get some discount or at least free shipping when ordering the ICQSIM or additional SIM cards.

Can outgoing calls be made on this or is it just on net calls? It lists blank "-" for every country I checked on the rate calculator.

http://www.icqsim.com/cms/website/in...2&idcatside=37

I have also noticed that. I think it a bug in the web page with the rates. I suppose they will fix it...

well, i'll test it... i lost my old riiing :cry: and i needed a new +423, just bought!

I'll tell you... :beer:

i call them.. Some prices are not listed (bug) and data isnt available into all Europe, they dont plan to extend in France for instance ; they said that price for outgoing calls are 0.29 or 0.59 with unique set up fee
+423 number is sometimes over taxed with telco national providers

As writen in my post above, I don't think that tey will extend the data-network very soon. Mobilkom LI (which is a 100 % daughter company of Mobilkom Austria) is a Vodafone Network and if you look at the data-roaming list, it is 100 % vodafone roaming. The same networks will appear, if you search for the data roaming "Gold Partners" at any Vodafone network within europe. So, as long as there is no Vodafone network in France, I guess there is no chance for a data-roaming. Poor to say, specially since France also isn't covered with Three (roam like home).

Maybe Mobilcom see it as a testrun for one of their own products?

bk

SFR is a Vodafone network

i agree sfr france = vodafone but thy dont offer data
i m waiting about the ticket i opened on their website
the sim card is free if you by airtime ?

Sorry, I totaly forgot SFR, because they are never mentioned at any vodafone network when it comes to data roaming. I just had a look at the mobilkom LI website.

If you are a mobilkom LI subscriber you may add a monthly "data roaming option"; for CHF 5 you have to pay only CHF 2,50 per MB of data when roaming. It looks like United Mobile got a good volume price because CHF 2,50 is about 1,50 Euro (compared to 1,17 from ICQSIM plus daily setup fee). Have a look here: http://www.mobilkom.li/start.php?navid=113&l=de, it looks like the have excluded some networks for United Mobile (like sunrise in Switzerland)

I am waiting for my ICQSIM to arrive within the next days. See the other post with the outlook to upcoming UM services. They talk about expansion to 30 roaming countries within 2008...

BK

Just arrived @ Florence :D

It's really nice! Take a look!


http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/4...im01yg5.th.jpg

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/3...im02hs9.th.jpg

Is it free of charge??:eek:

no... incoming calls are free, but not the sim card. Read the thread :D

Mobilkom FL has no roaming agreements with SFR.
That's why UM doesn't offer data on the SFR net...:(

Between um+ and new +423 sim calls are on-net? There's someone who can test it?

me, UM+423 and ICQSIM are "on-net".

Such a good new as I have both! :clap:

Interesting news, even if it's too late: i've already bought another um+, i prefered icq sim:(

Data price looks very good. Hope they add GPRS countries in North/South America and the Caribbean. Surprised the GPRS configurator doesn't include any Motorola setups (although this could be done manually like I've done for US or Canadian carriers).

The guys on the german telefon-treff webboard found out that its not a full internet access there. Basic services like HTTP and POP work but some others like SSH or ping dont. They are still having issues in using a modem card instead of a cellphone as well.
Lets see how fast they figure out all this - its still the beginning of the GPRS service.

Chris

Calls among +423, um+ and icq um are on-net. By AndreA

No, only between +423 and ICQsim they are on-net. Between UM+ and any other they are off-net. AFAIK.

No, AndreA (me) wrote only between UM+423 and IcqSim :)

Are there any other good prepaid SIM options for GPRS data in multiple countries (Europe or Worldwide)?

€.39/333kb + €.39 daily use fee isn't terrible, but not too appealing if you only need a small amount of data, especially if you want to connect multiple times per day (assuming each data session carries a minimum €.39 charge).

Mobal SIM does offer GPRS in more countries, but at $3.91/200kb it's not worth it save for emergencies (as is true of Mobal's rates in general).

I prefer to use my prepaid Wind card: it costs me 1,25 c€ per single KB in Europe and 2,50 c€ per KB in most other places. For 1 MB it's a crazy rate, but to send some SMS with MobiSMS or to check mail it's fairly ok. And Wind has by far many more GPRS/3G agreements than ICQsim...

The 1,25c/KB rate applies elsewhere in Europe then? Someone just replied in another thread saying that it doesn't apply when roaming:

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/ital...ers-t2785.html

Of course, I imagine I'd have to come to Italy to get this card, but the rate is much closer to what I'm looking for. As you mention, I want to send SMS with MobiSMS (or SMSbug, or Vyke, which I think may be cheaper) and only pay 1.25c per SMS.

The data packages mentioned in above thread are not valid for roaming.
The 1.25c/kbyte / 2.5ct/kbyte is the standard roaming tariff from WIND.

Chris

exactly.
But I think most operators have similar standard tariffs as Wind, also in different countries.

yes, but often with 50 or 100kbyte per increment. Which makes it no fun at all. Thats why i also use the WIND card for small things like SMS over GPRS when i am travelling :)

Virgin UK is 0.5p/kB even when roaming; I think they said 1k units, but it might be less. Most of the Java sms-substitute or callback applications use 1400 to 1800 bytes per go.

Wow - $.01 per KB is quite good for international data. Know how often you have to recharge to keep your credit from expiring? Looked on their site but couldn't find it readily.

I use my virgin sim primarily for data roaming. Heck! it's about half of what AT&T charges. I have used it in quite a few countries that are not even listed on their website. Including just about every caribbean island I have been to. Even on the cruise ship!

I believe there has to be some activity (topup or usage) once every 365 days. However, I have read of people not using ther sims for longer than that and it's still active.

Ok, back to icqsim: can somebody confirm ssh isn't working (maybe on a different provider). Also some other useful ports would be nice to know if they're blocked or not like 995 and 465/587 (POP and SMTP with encryption, what gmail uses, and now that we are on that Google Talk would be interesting to see if it's working; I would look up the ports but I guess it's easier to just test with any client if it's working).

The rates are fine really but not so if all you can do with it is ICQ :-)

2nd SIM-Card for Data from UM
 

by the way: UM announced to start a 2nd data-SIM card soon - which can use ONLY data. The rate will be 99ct per MB. Same countries like the ICQ-SIM. The range of countries will be about 30 to the end of the year.

see: http://www.teltarif.de/arch/2008/kw11/s29239.html

Chris

I think there will be other arrangements with UM. I found something a couple of weeks ago, drafted this, and then forgot to post it:


I suspect that other UM SIMs are going to have the data fairly soon

http://www.connect.de/news/TouristMo...ng_844956.html

The tariff and other details are so similar it's unlikely to be a coincidence. The current Tourist Mobile SIM is Vistream-based, but it seems they will be launching another product

http://www.tourist-mobile.com/web/travel_sim_pro.html

...indeed, 99 cents per megabyte with some reasonable billing unit sounds acceptable, we'll be back only to (comparatively) expensive dial-up prices (and not in the multiple hundreds or thousands of EUR per night prices we got used to with the "normal" roaming prices). I guess there's no point in getting excited about the ICQsim now although I am tempted to get the cheap 5 EUR card just to see how it works.

Someone can report experiences about gprs with icq?