Evan,

Just to verify that these updated plans are also valid for iPhones and they are applicable for Data (GPRS/3G) including emails and full Web browsing? (Not WAP browsing through their Portal).

I ask since last month I was in Italy, purchased a Vodafone SIM and for the life of me couldn't get it activated on the iPhone data packages (so instead of 3 Euros I ended paying up ~50 Euros for 10 days...). And not one of the several Vodafone employees knew what I was talking about.
Sadly I was not able to find a TIM or Wind store, because I would have purchased a different SIM with easier usage.

So since I'm planned to visit Greece next month, I want to save myself some unnecessary grief.

Thank you.

I used recently all the three mobile operators with their "Internet" (not WAP) APN with two different modems and two mobile phones, and I didn't have any problem regarding browsing, pop3 and imap email, audio and video streaming etc. Wind has even the voip and p2p ports open...

I don't use an iPhone to know if it works with those mobile plans but I don't see a reason why not, except if the phone is locked or it uses a different protocol to connect to the Internet.

OK
Thank you.

Just an update to this based on my experience.

1) Availablility is very very limited. ie ( they are out of stock ).
I was only able to get mine as I know someone who knows someone... :roll:

2) The 20 euro pack gives you 7 days to use the 1G. In order to upgrade to 30 days I had to pay an extra 10 euro. the OTE staff were unable to do this so I went to a Germanos store who were happy to help except when I paid the 10 euro in order to top up to 30 I found that it would only go as far as 28 euro. The missing 2 was due to tax.....

So I had to go back purchase another $5 top up to get me to $33 and then I was able to activate the 30 days usage...

Another screw up was that I orginally purchased the $10 top up from a periptero (newsagent) but that was o9nly vaild for mobiles not internet...


hmmmm.... the joys of doing things in a foreign country.....:wall:

Hi all, love this site. Have been using in the UK (3), France (Orange), Italy (TIM), and Greece (Q) to get unlimited internet on my Nexus One android phone. (France was very tricky, and Italy was 250MB/month).

Anyway, there have been some great contributors for this Greek thread.
After reading all 13 pages it seemed like the best/obvious/only option was Wind and the ~€18 for 1G deal. :-/ (Which frankly, isn't great... pretty expensive for 1G)
So I went into a Wind shop the other day to get the above.
There were two useless agents, but one really good guy there who knew his stuff.

I explained that what was most important for me was internet on my phone.
He knew about the Wind 1G/30day "deal", but said he was going to sell me the Q package as he reckoned it was unlimited.
I said that it seemed Q was only 100M a month, or whatever, and he said that while that is what it says, it is really unlimited.
It was only a €5 risk and I am currently at ~500M and its still working.

It was a bit painful to get working, but here is my workflow:

1) Q-card, buy it for €5 at a Wind store. I think it comes with €1 credit which will be used below.
2) install it in phone. On my Android it shows a little "R" next to the network, meaning Roaming, but the guy reckoned that was normal. Said it was cause WIND bought Q and their network roams on WINDs... if that makes sense... i was a bit worried about this initally.
But I think the most important point here is, in your android/iphone whatever, you will need to enable the tickbox to "enable data when roaming".
2.5) APN is simply "myq" for name/APN. nothing else changed.
3) Dial 1333. not sure what this is, but you will hear a Greek recording, then a long tone. Apparently this is just a normal call to activate/unlock the SIM.
4) Buy "Q" credit from a kiosk/tobacco shop. I bought €5.
5) to install the credit i had to dial 1223, listen to what sounds like an advertisment, wait for a slight pause in the recording, enter 16-digit credit code, follow by #. (the tobacco agent was kind enough to help me with this... i just put it on speakerphone!)
6) dial 12200, press 1, 1, 1. this should activate the 1500 SMS/etc package mentioned in previous posts.
7) reboot your phone.
8) hopefully at this point you will see your 3G data icon start working.
9) don't take the p1ss with the data connection especially when/if tethering to netbook.
9.5) don't tell too many people about this and hope it lasts.
10) enjoy!

TIM

PS: ~500k down/300k up. worked acceptably for a sip call.
if there are any Q users out there who know how to change any of the menus/texts to english, please let me know.

Hi all,
after reading all of the above, the 1G/30day/€18 WIND package seemed like the only way to go.
however, i think you will find that the Q-card is the way to go, even though it says only 100MB...

was a bit crazy to get activated, but here is my workflow:
i actually posted this a few weeks ago, but seems it was moderated!? :-/
1) buy Qcard for €5, includes 1€ credit needed to activate some package...
2) install into unlocked phone, will look as though it is Roaming on network. Was told this is cause Q roams on WIND network. Was initally concerned, but seems to work fine. Main point is to make sure you set phone to allow data when roaming. APN is "myq", all defaults.
3) dial 1333, listen to some recording followed by long beep. not sure what this is, but think it is needed to activate/unlock SIM card.
4) dial 12200, try and figure out recording, but need to press 1, 1, 1.
5) reboot phone.

should hopefully be back on the grid!
enjoy
TIM

As I said on my previous post that you quoted, the only reason you would have gone with the data plans of Cosmote, was only if you didn't have 3G coverage with the other three providers, since Cosmote data plans were much more expensive than the ones of Vodafone, Wind or Q. ;)

Most of the agents are often useless, so you will be much better if you rely on the information posted here based on the official sites of the providers. For example, there wasn't any "~€18 for 1G deal", it was an 9.90€ "summer offer" that went back to its original 15€/1GB price last October. Also the data plan of 100MB/1€ of Q is not available anymore, it ended a couple of weeks ago.

I don't blame entirely the agents though, because the prices, offers and validity of the available data plans change very often. There are many many changes since the last time I wrote the compilation posts, so I'm currently preparing an update which I'll post here as soon as I prepare it. :)

Thanks for the reply Evan.
Really look forward to your next updated compilation.
Crazy how quickly things change here (and hopefully improve).

But in the case of the Q-card unlimited internet, I agree: I think it has ended. :-(
Around March 1st I noticed the speeds drop from 500k to 50k.
They are still letting me access the interet, but at 50k... it takes, like a minute to load a single webpage. Not great. But might still be an option for somepeople who just want to check their Facebook and send the odd gmail from their phone. Tethering is terribly slow though.

So now I am lost again. :-(
I might go back and talk the Wind guy who helped me out the last time and see what my best option is. Probably the €15/month Wind 1 Gig deal. :-/

Hi,

I'm finally traveling to Greece on mid April.
I hope that there will be an update here by then.

Are there stores in the Athens airport where I can buy & activate the SIM card (of whatever cellular company I find there)?
I don't want to be stuck w/o a SIM card. I don't know the free WIFI situation in the areas I'm going to be visiting (mostly mountain areas/villages).

And how long till the SIM card is activated (in case this is relevant)? In France it took about 2 days...

I have another alternative, which is to rent here at home a WIFI device which will include an appropriate SIM card. This will cost me about 18 Euros a day for 200MB (even if I won't use even 25% of that..), but the upside is that since the device is WIFI, my wife will be able to use her laptop with the device as well.
And if I'm REALLY lucky, the iPad2 will land here before we travel, so I'll be able to take it with me.

There's a Germanos shop in Athens airport, on the arrivals level after customs. Number 22 here:
http://www.aia.gr/shopping_center/im...airportMap.pdf

Germanos has a franchise with Cosmote, so you'll only be able to buy a Cosmote card there.

I'd be a bit careful of prepaying for a data plan in advance, especially if you're going to be in the mountains. You may well have signal difficulties, and you don't want to restrict yourself to one particular network if you can help it. I have no idea whether your EUR18/day data plan is roaming, or has tie-ins with particular networks in each country. If it does, you may be out of luck. I very much doubt useful free or pay wifi unless you're staying in upper-end hotels.

So if you really need data, I'd buy a SIM card on each network, and then see what signal you get. Cosmote is usually the best, but it varies.

Are you connecting into an internal flight? How long do you have? To buy cards on each network, you can get a train towards Athens and buy cards from shops there. My first suggestion is get a local 'Proastiakos' train (not a metro) to Neratziotissa. Timetable here, it's about 20 mins each way (and EUR8 ):
http://tickets.trainose.gr/dromologi...s/AER-KIAT.pdf
http://tickets.trainose.gr/dromologi...s/KIAT-AER.pdf

Next to Neratziotissa station is 'The Mall Athens', a huge American-style shopping mall. That has Wind, Vodafone and Cosmote shops, as well as Germanos and others. They're also open a lot longer hours than most neighbourhood phone shops (website only gives me Christmas opening times, but mostly 0900-2100, not sure about Sundays).

Or perhaps locals can recommend places nearer the airport (many of the stations are in the middle of a motorway, so aren't best placed for shops)?

Also, if you have an Android phone there are wireless tethering apps (either in Android Market or native in Android 2.2). It turns your data connection into a wireless hotspot. I've seen the ZTE Blade in WIND shops for EUR169 or EUR179, and unlock codes can be freely generated on the web. Not a cheap solution (particularly since we can get the same phone in the UK for £79), but it's the same price as 10 days of your wifi connection! JoikuSpot is a similar app for Nokia, there may well be others for other platforms.

caliston,

I won't have time to travel to Athens, so whatever is available in the airport will have to do.

On the day we arrive we're traveling to Arachova (some places in between). So I'll have to check in the evening, after we unload our stuff at the hotel, whether there's a store over there.

Most of the time we won't be in large towns, so if I don't find something soon - it's going to be a problem.

And another question - I don't want a repeat of the issues I had with Vodafone in Italy, where they didn't connect me to the right plan, so I ended paying a lot of money (had to refill every couple of days).
So what esactly do I have to do or say to the store where I end up buying the SIM card?
And is there an issue of card activation, or is it going to be active from the moment I put it into my phone?

Thanks.

Yes I read reports that some users noticed a drop in speed with the Q-plan. However, most users didn't notice any drop and that leads me to assume that the problem is not general but has to do with individual congested cells.

There's no need to go for the 15€ 1GB plan for the time being. Wind has a new offer (valid until 31 March) of 500MB for 5€. The offer is also available to Q subscribers and can be activated up to 5 times per month. So for example, if you need 1GB you will pay 10 instead of 15€. To activate, send ‘500’ to 1210. To check your remaining MBs, send YP or ΥΠ to 1210. More information in English here:
Wind - ?????? ?????????? ??? ??????


I would suggest to follow some of the recommendations of caliston. Arachova and its surroundings lie on an extremely mountainous terrain which means that the 3G singnal and coverage could be very variable. From the information I've gathered, all three Greek providers (Cosmote, Vodafone, Wind) have a 3G signal in Arachova but I'm not sure about the villages around.

Arachova is quite popular winter destination for the Athenians, so many of the hotels and cafes/bars offer free WiFi (make a Google search or have a look at booking.com and you'll find many).

At Athens airport I'm only aware of a Germanos shop that sells Cosmote prepaid cards. Also there is the option of Athens mall suggested by caliston. However, I would advise against buying a SIM card and paying for a data plan if you don't know that you will have a 3G coverage on the places you plan to visit.

Alternatively, you could consider the workaround I follow when I visit non-urban non-touristy places in Greece and elsewhere.

1. Book a hotel that offers free WiFi. If you've already booked a hotel contact them and ask about the availability of free (or paid) WiFi.

2. Pre-locate before traveling, the available providers' stores close to the area you're visiting. In your case, at the airport and Arachova there is only Cosmote shops available. However, in Amfissa or Itea (both ~40 minutes drive from Arachova according to Google Maps) there are also Wind and Vodafone stores.

3. Once in the area, use your phone with your home SIM card still in to locate the available 3G networks (manual network selection). I usually do that with my cheap Nokia Series 40 dumbphone which not only shows the available 3G networks but also sorts them in a descending signal order.

4. Purchase a SIM card from the provider that has (a) the strongest singal/coverage (b) the best network bandwidth/quality and (c) the best prices/plans according to your needs. I will very soon make an overview post about all the above.

5. If you need to use the data plan on different WiFi-enabled devices, you can use your phone as a WiFi Hotspot (available for Android v2.2 and above, iOS v4.3 soon, or Nokia and WinMo devices with an additional app). I personally use the dedicated MiFi Huawei modem/router which has the advantage of not draining your phone's battery, larger WiFi coverage (up to 100m on AC and 30m on battery) and you can put it on a place where you have the strongest 3G singnal (balcony or near a window). The cost is 65-75 pounds, i.e., quite cheaper than the alternative solution of 18€/day they recommended to you.
Before the registration became mandatory, the SIM activation was instant after making the first outgoing call. For Cosmote and Vodafone there wasn't even necessary for the other party to answer the call, only for Wind. Now with the mandatory registration I'm not sure how long it takes to activate the SIM card but I assume that the procedure hasn't changed. I've asked the question to a Greek mobile forum and will update as soon as I get the answer.

Evan,

Thank you for your detailed response.

Our trip includes Arachova/Delphi, Pelion, Meteora, Zagoria, Lefkada, Athens.

Regarding 3G coverage, I'll be using my iPhone mostly for emails, so I think this is not critical (Edge coverage is good enough for this purpose).

I like the 5 points you wrote, they're very practical.

Regarding point #5, this will be possible only if I succeed to purchase a SIM card with the correct data plan.

The device I was referring to (that can be rented, including a SIM card) is the ZTE wifi router mf30, which can be purchased in ebay unlocked for ~$160 and locally for ~$260. But I'll look tonight into the device you wrote about.

And regarding the registration issue - thank you.

Most of the places you've mentioned do have 3G coverage from one or all three mobile operators but as I said the quality of the signal/bandwidth strongly depends on the exact location. EDGE coverage is not very ubiquitous in Greece, since the operators prefer to upgrade to 3G/HSPA networks.

However, all those places have GPRS coverage almost everywhere and from all three operators. For email emails, GPRS is just fine as long as you don't need to download big attachments. Also for browsing with your iPhone, I recommend using the Opera Mini browser when in GPRS, since it offers up to 90% less data consumption and therefore it is x5-7 times faster than Safari.

It's been many years since I visited the places you plan to go (except Lefkada where I was last summer) but most of them are popular tourist destinations so I suppose that you won't have any major problems. In Lefkada, I had 3G in most popular places/beaches and in the center of the town there are numerous cafes and taverns that offer free WiFi.

Regarding the WiFi modem/router of ZTE or Huawei, there's no need to purchase any of those since you've got an iPhone. The new iOS 4.3 which will be available on 11 March, will have a new Personal Hotspot feature where you can connect up to three WiFi enabled devices. Just upgrade your iPhone in a few days and test the Hotspot with your notebook, tablet or other WiFi phones.

edit: Regarding the activation time, I just got a confirmation that in most cases is still instant. In a few cases can take up to two hours, depending on when your registration will be filed on the central database of the operator. Just make sure when you register, that the agent at the store enters your data directly to its computer (which is connected to the central database) and not on a piece paper.

Regarding the available data plans and how to activate them, I'm currently browsing through the four Greek operators and I will post an overview here later today or tomorrow.

Thank you, Evan.
I really appreciate your help.

COMPLETE OVERVIEW OF THE PREPAID DATA PLANS IN GREECE

Another update of my older post about the currently available prepaid data plans, add-ons and offers in Greece. The situation and the pricing is generally improved in all three major mobile operators since my last post.

The overview will be divided in three posts (one for each operator) because the forum allows only a certain limit of characters on each post.

First, some useful information and the workaround I follow when I visit places in Greece and elsewhere.

1. All three mobile operators (Cosmote, Vodafone, Wind) offer 99-100% *population* (as opposed to *geographical*) coverage.

• GPRS is available wherever voice is available, i.e., 99-100% of the population.
• EDGE has not been officially deployed but many cells are already EDGE enabled.
• 3G (HSDPA/HSUPA or HSPA+) is available on all three operators in most urban areas and popular tourist destinations. Cosmote has the widest 3G geographical coverage, followed by Wind and Vodafone. However, Vodafone has the best 3G network quality (bandwidth, speed, latency) followed by Cosmote and Wind.

2. Before you travel it's useful to check the 3G coverage maps (links on the following posts) in order to have a crude estimation about the 3G coverage of the area you will be visiting. However, given the technology limitations of 3G and the mountainous terrain of Greece, I would suggest not to completely rely on the coverage maps. A much safer bet would be to check the actual 3G coverage when you arrive at your destination. Once in the area, use your phone with your home SIM card still in to locate the available 3G networks (manual network selection). I usually do that with my cheap Nokia Series 40 dumbphone which not only shows the available 3G networks but also sorts them in a descending signal order.

3. Pre-locate before traveling, the available operators' stores or points of sale that are close to the area you're visiting (links on the following posts). Once you arrive and after you've checked the availability of the 3G networks(s), purchase a SIM card from the provider that has (a) the strongest singal/coverage (b) the best network bandwidth/quality and (c) the best prices/plans according to your needs.

4. Prepaid starter packs (with SIM card included) usually cost 5€ with 5€ credit included (1€ credit each month for the first five months). However, most operators' stores usually give them out for free upon registration and activation. You can also buy SIM Starter Packs in many kiosks (periptera), but they are deactivated. If you cannot find an official operator store, some kiosks, markets or newsstands also offer registration and activation on the spot (just look for a sticker "activate your prepaid here"). In any case, it is recommended to purchase the SIM Starter pack in an official store because (a) usually you can get it for free, (b) the registration and activation is faster and (b) you can immediately top up your credit at the store without purchasing a top up voucher.

5. For the registration of the SIM card you will need your passport or an ID card (only EU citizens?). The activation is in most cases instant after the registration but in a few cases can take up to two hours, depending on when your registration will be filed on the central database of the operator. Activation is done immediately after you place the first outgoing call (more info for each operator below).

6. Top-up scratch cards or vouchers (5, 10, 15, 20 and 30€) are available everywhere and the credit is added through a call or/and an SMS. Keep in mind that since 2010 there is a 12% tax deducted, so if for example purchase a 10€ card, you will get 8.8 credit. The only exception to that is when you top up 20€ or more in any Wind store or 30€ or more in any Cosmote store (information below).

That's all I could think of about a general overview of the prepaid mobile in Greece. If you need additional information or if something is not covered please let me know and I will update this post.

On the following three posts, you will find detailed information for each of the three (four including Q-mobile) mobile operators. Most of the pages are in English so it would be rather easy to find your way through. If any page is available in Greek, I'll provide a quick translation or a Google translate link.

COSMOTE

General Information

• Coverage Map

• Points of sale

• Prepaid products:

- Cosmote What's Up

- Cosmote Cosmokarta

• Registration and Activation

• Top-up vouchers and instructions

• Credit check, top-up, validity check:

- Credit balance check: Send YP to 1314 (or call 1314)

- Top-up: Send ΑΝΑ and the 16-digit code printed on the Top Up Card to 1314 (or call 1314)

- Customer care: call 1313

Prepaid data plans and offers

1. COSMOTE Internet On The Phone 60

Included volume: 60MB
Duration: 30 days
Price: 3€
Charge after the included volume: 0.0010€/KB (or 1.0332€/MB)
Activation: Send "60" to 1333
Remaining volume: Send INFO to 1313
APN: internet (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• Special offer until 31 March 2011: Data add-on 500MB for 5€. Send "500" to 1333. The conditions are the same like the 60MB add-on.
• The plan is mainly for data on your mobile. However, with the current offer of 500MB it could be used for data on the computer (standalone or with tethering)
• After subscribing to the plan, you get 40MB free, valid for the first 15 days.
• The data add-on is deactivated automatically 30 days after its activation.
• You can purchase as many add-ons as you like even before the end of the 30 days. Each time you purchase a new add-on, the remaining volume is added to your new volume and the validity is extended for 30 more days.

2. COSMOTE Internet On The Go me karta

Included volume: 1, 3 or 5GB
Duration: 1, 10 or 30 days respectively
Price: 5, 15 or 40€ respectively
Charge after the included volume: Ν/Α
Activation: Through a web interface
Remaining volume: Through a web interface
APN: internet (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• This plan is mainly for data on the computer
• The SIM card is does not offer voice, only data and SMS (with a special application)
• The activation and the validity, balance/duration checks are performed only through a web interface.

VODAFONE

General Information

• Coverage Map (not detailed, check Point #2 here

• Vodafone Stores

• Prepaid products:

- Vodafone Prepaid
- Vodafone CU
- Vodafone International (recommended for visitors; it offers cheaper calls to some countries and billing per second from the first second)

• Registration

• Activation

• Top-up vouchers and instructions

- Credit balance check: Send Y to 1252 (or call 1252)
- Top-up: Send Α and the top up code without spaces to 1252 (or call 1252)
- Customer care: call 13830

Prepaid data plans and offers

1. VODAFONE Surf & Email 60

Included volume: 60MB
Duration: 30 days
Price: 3€
Charge after the included volume: 1€/day (see plan #3)
Activation: Send "SE60" to 19109
Deactivation: Send "SE60OFF" to 19109
Remaining volume: Send a blank SMS to 1286
APN: internet.vodafone.gr or webkarta.vodafone.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• The plan is mainly for data on your mobile.
• After subscribing to the plan, you get the first month for free.
• The subscription is renewed automatically every 30 days.
• The add-on can only be purchased once every month.
• The Vodafone addon, offers the same bundled volume and price like the similar addon of Cosmote (see data plan #1 above). However the add-on of Cosmote is more flexible, since (a) it is not renewed automatically and (b) you can purchase as many 60MB additional add-ons as you like.

2. VODAFONE Surf & Email 200

Included volume: 200MB
Duration: 30 days
Price: 7€
Charge after the included volume: 1€/day (see plan #3)
Activation: Send "SE200" to 19109
Remaining volume: Send a blank SMS to 1286
APN: internet.vodafone.gr or webkarta.vodafone.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• Special offer until 31 March 2011: Data add-on 500MB for 5€. Send "500" to 1333. The conditions are the same like the 200MB add-on.
• The plan is mainly for data on your mobile. However, with the current offer of 500MB it could be used for data on the computer (standalone or with tethering)
• The add-on is deactivated automatically 30 days after its activation.
• You can purchase as many add-ons as you like even before the end of the 30 days. Each time you purchase a new add-on, the remaining data volume is added to your new volume and the validity is extended for 30 more days.

3. VODAFONE Internet All-Day

Included volume: Unlimited with bandwidth throttle after 10MB (see notes)
Duration: 1 day
Price: 1€/day
Charge after the included volume: No charge, bandwidth throttle
Activation: Preactivated
APN: internet.vodafone.gr or webkarta.vodafone.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• The plan is mainly for data on the mobile. However, it could be used for data on the computer (standalone or with tethering)
• This was a data add-on that was first offered on July 2010. Since February 2011, it's not an add-on anymore but is pre-activated on all the prepaid subscribers.
• Subscribers who have not activated any of the two Mobile Internet add-ons presented above, will pay 1€/day day. The charge starts when they first connect to the internet and is valid until 4am the next day.
• Subscribers who have activated any of the two Mobile Internet add-ons presented above, will pay 1€/day when their bundle volume finishes (add-ons 60 or 200MB) or if they didn't purchase an additional add-on (for the 200MB add-on).
• The data volume is unlimited but with a Fair Usage Policy of throttling the speed to GPRS after 10MB/day. However, the 10MB are completely arbitrary. Most users report that they've consumed 50-300MB/day before any bandwidth throttling.

4. VODAFONE KartoInternet

Included volume: 0.5, 1, 1, 2 or 3GB
Duration: 2h, 8h, 1, 2 or 10 days respectively
Price: 3.5, 7, 10, 14 or 20€ respectively Charge after the included volume: Ν/Α
Activation: Through a web interface
Remaining volume: Through a web interface
APN: web.session (leave the rest blank)
Web page (in English):

Notes:

• After 17 March, the sessions price and bundled volume will change. There will be only three available sessions, offering 30 minutes, 1 day or 15 days for 2, 5 and 20€ respectively.
• This plan is mainly for data on the computer
• The SIM card is does not offer voice or texts, only data.
• The activation and the validity, balance/duration checks are performed through a web interface.

WIND

General Information

• Coverage Map

• Wind Stores

• Prepaid products:

- New Wind Card
- Wind F2G (Free to Go)

• Registration

• Activation

• Top-up vouchers and instructions

• Credit check, top-up, validity check:

- Credit balance check: Send a blank SMS to 1269 (or call 1269)
- Top-up: Send the top up code without spaces to 1268 (or call 1268 )
- Customer care: call 1260

Prepaid data plans and offers

1. WIND Plus Non Stop (Google translation)

Included volume: 40MB
Duration: 30 days
Price: 4.12€
Charge after the included volume: 0.007€/KB (with internet APN) or 0.0123€/ΚΒ (with wap APN)
Activation: Send PLUS to 19349
Remaining volume: Send CHECK to 19349
Deactivation: Send STOP to 19349
APN: gint.b-online.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• The add-on is mainly for data on your mobile. However is rather obsolete, since there are better and cheaper data add-ons (see below)
• The subscription is renewed automatically every 30 days.
• The add-on can only be purchased once every month.
• Even if a WAP APN is available (gwap.b-online.gr), it is not recommended because the charges are much higher after the consumption of the bundled volume. Use the Internet APN instead.

2. WIND Non stop "surf"

Included volume: 100MB
Duration: 30 days
Price: 5€
Charge after the included volume: 0.0009€/KB (or 0.92€/ΜΒ)
Activation: Send "100" to 1210
Remaining volume: Send YP or ΥΠ to 1210
APN: gint.b-online.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• Special offer until 31 March 2011: For each add-on you activate, you will get 500MB instead of 100MB. Just send "500" to 1210. The conditions are the same like the 100MB add-on.
• The plan is mainly for data on your mobile. However, with the current offer of 500MB it could be used for data on the computer (standalone or with tethering)
• The data add-on is deactivated automatically 30 days after its activation.
• You can purchase up to 5 add-ons each month. Each time you purchase a new add-on, the remaining data volume is added to your new volume and the validity is extended for 30 more days.

3. WIND ADSM Card (Google translation)

Included volume: 1GB
Duration: 30 days
Price: 15€
Charge after the included volume: 0.02€/ΜΒ
Activation: Send "1GB" to 19595
Remaining volume: Send YP to 19595
APN: gint.b-online.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• This add-on is for computers but can be used for mobiles as well.
• According to their English page (not available anymore), if you consume the 1GB of the included volume, you can activate the packet again even before the 30 days are over.

4. WIND ADSM Non-Stop (NS2 or NS7)

Included volume: 3GB (NS2) or 12GB (NS7)
Duration: 2 days (NS2) or 7 days (NS7)
Price: 7€ (NS2) or 14€ (NS7)
Charge after the included volume: 0.02€/ΜΒ
Activation: Send "NS2" or "NS7" to 19595 Remaining volume: Send YP to 19595
APN: gint.b-online.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• This add-on is mainly for computers and users who need a lot of data.
• The two plans called NS2 (for 2 days) and NS7 (for 7 days) they actually give you almost 3 and 8 days respectively. For example, if you activate the NS2 on Monday morning, it expires at 12 midnight of Wednesday.

5. WIND Mobile Broadband me karta

Included volume: 1, 2 or 3GB
Duration: 1, 7 or 30 days respectively
Price: 5, 10 or 30€ respectively
Charge after the included volume: Ν/Α
Activation: Send the 16-digit e-Voucher number to 1268 through the WIND Connection Manager
Remaining volume: Send "YP" or "balance" to 1228 through the WIND Connection Manager
APN: gint.b-online.gr (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• This plan is mainly for data on the computer
• The SIM card is does not offer voice, only data and only SMS to the two service numbers (1228 and 1268 )

Q-mobile

Q-Mobile was the 4th Greek mobile operator but now it's a subsidiary of Wind. Unfortunately, all of its web pages are only available in Greek so for instructions use Google translate or read the guide posted by timmfive here.

The main advantages of Q is the cheap calls and texts in Greece and certain countries abroad. Also is the only prepaid (together with the Vodafone International Prepaid) that charges per second from the first second. All the rest of the prepaid cards charge per second but with 30-45 seconds minimum call duration.

• Information
• Customer services
• Pricelist

Prepaid data plan

Non stop "surf"

Included volume: 100MB
Duration: 30 days
Price: 5€
Charge after the included volume: 0.0009€/KB (or 0.92€/ΜΒ)
Activation: Send "100" to 1210
Remaining volume: Send YP or ΥΠ to 1210
APN: myq (leave the rest blank)

Notes:

• Special offer until 31 March 2011: For each add-on you activate, you will get 500MB instead of 100MB. Just send "500" to 1210. The conditions are the same like the 100MB add-on.
• The plan is mainly for data on your mobile. However, with the current offer of 500MB it could be used for data on the computer (standalone or with tethering)
• The data add-on is deactivated automatically 30 days after its activation.
• You can purchase up to 5 add-ons each month. Each time you purchase a new add-on, the remaining data volume is added to your new volume and the validity is extended for 30 more days.

Edit: Mods, could you please delete the two empty posts (#138 and #139) above? Unfortunately it wasn't possible to edit them because the forum allows editing only up to 60 minutes after the original post.

Thanks, Evan. That's much appreciated. We're back in Greece (and Turkey) in May.

thanks a lot for the very detailed information! We travel to greece again in august...

Evan,
Thank you very much for your efforts.

What's the difference between the info posted under "prepaid products" and "Prepaid data plans and offers"?

Thanks.

The "prepaid products" are the different prepaid SIM cards offered by the operator. Every operator offers 2 or more prepaid cards with different branding, voice/SMS options, offers, prices etc. (you can check their pages to have an idea). However, their differences are more important for people who stay in Greece, not for the short stay visitors.

"Prepaid data plans and offers" are the different data plans or add-ons that could be combined with any of the above prepaid products/cards. You can combine any of the data plans with any of the prepaid products/cards.

The only exception (and an important one) are the available data plans for computers which are offered with a special data SIM card. Those SIM cards offer only data, not voice or SMS. Those plans are the Cosmote #2, Vodafone #4 and Wind #5 (have a look on their respective pages to see how they are functioning).

OK
So in the case of "computers" I assume that this refers to SIM cards, not USB stick (which is the more common method in France).

It refers to both actually. When you purchase a data-only SIM card, you can get a "SIM Starter Pack" or a "SIM+USB stick Starter Pack" (if you don't have an USB dongle)

Thanks a lot Evan! I wish we would have this quality of information for every country!

Great job Evan, very useful.

Wow! Thanks Evan! Your compilation and work is probably the best work on the entire PrepaidGSM.net forums! :-)

A couple of things regarding my Q-card payg plan:

1) I went to the Wind store today and got my menus changed to english.
He called 1227 and spoke to Q customer support (and presumably asked them to change it to english.) Then he dialled 1224. Dialling 1224 gives you an option to change the menus to english So now when I dial 1223 to add credit, or 1225 to check credit I can understand what is going on. Kinda handy. (Although the texts I receive from Q are still in Greek).

2) The €1 for 100MB that I wrote about last year (the one that seemed to offer unlimited data!) is reported to have ended several weeks ago. Around March 1st, my speeds suddenly went from 1M down/up to 50k down/up. :-( Very noticable! The data kept working and I wasn't getting charged for any data. Tolerable for gmail, Facebook, weather apps, etc... but pretty much unusable to check any webpages. Impossible to stream a YouTube video. And forget about tethering... lucky if after 5 minutes Gmail would come up in HTML mode...
So I bought some credit and texted "500MB" (no quotes) to 1210 today. (seems to also work the same as sending "500" to 1210), but 50k up/down issue (using speedtest.net) still the same. :-/

The Wind/Q store was closed by the time I realized this, but next time I'm in town, I will talk to him and see if I can get more information about this. Will update if anything changes, or if/when I figure out a solution.

Thanks again for the compilation update!

WIND Data Tarif
 

Hello,

I'll add my experiences from mobile internet from Greece WIND.

I'm student from Slovakia on Erasmus in Thessaloniki for a 5 months. I needed an mobile internet for this period through my N900. I closed a contract with WIND, tariff's name: Student DATA

Student DATA offers 3GB/month from 8.00 am - 8.00 pm and 30GB from 8.00 pm - 8.00 am. It costs 27€/month.

All is fine, only the connection speed is horrible! I don't know where is a problem, but in the centre of Thessaloniki I have max. only 512kbit/s. The signal display is 3.5G (HSDPA). Phone is full compatible with all HSPA networks.

This tariff I can break whenever I want, but min. after first month, because I didn't need special price 3G USB stick.

I plan an trip through many islands of Greece for a spring. I'm curious how it will be with connection speed there. I'll send info.

Majkee

Thank you for the comments and the feedback :)


Some amendments and corrections of the overview post.

A small correction to the point #6 of the general post. Instead of (in bold):
the correct is: "...if for example purchase a 10€ card, you will get 8.93 credit." In general, to calculate the credit (minus the 12% tax) you get from the top up scratch cards, just divide the nominal price of the card by 1.12.



An amendment to the Vodafone data plan #4 (Vodafone KartoInternet). Instead of:
It should read: There will be only three available sessions, offering 30 minutes, 1 day or 15 days for 2, 5 and 20€ respectively, and 500MB, 1GB and 1GB respectively.

@wisniak: If you want to use the new Mobile Hotspot feature of iOS 4.3, I read that Vodafone allows it only with its Data Plan #4 (Vodafone KartoInternet). On Cosmote and Wind the Mobile Hotspot is activated on all their data plans. This of course is a limitation/"feature" of iOs only. Other devices/OS (Android, WinMo or WiFi modems) can still do a Mobile Hotspot.

@timmfive: Regarding your problem with the speed decrease from "1M down/up to 50k down/up", I just read on a Greek Q forum, that few people have the same problem but only if they've far exceeded their 100MB data allowance. People who used more than 1 or 2GB had their speed throttled to 40-50kB/s while others who have used 2-5GB had their speed throttled to GPRS, i.e., 4-7kB/s. Since you've used the plan for tethering, have you've exceeded the 100MB data plan by far?

I'm not sure if the local Wind store agent can help you to get the speed back but alternatively you can contact the customer care through their site or mail to crm@wind.com.gr.

@Majkee(SK): Welcome to the forum and thank you for your report. Postpaid (data) plans are the best solution for people who will stay in Greece for at least 2 months or more, since the terms of the contracts are quite "flexible" comparing to many other countries (e.g. Germany). Most of the contracts last for 12 months but you can cancel them at any time after the first month. And if you got an unsubsidized contract you don't pay anything for the cancellation. On a subsidized contract you pay the price of the device subsidy.

Regarding the speed of "only 512kbit/s", consider yourself lucky you got that especially in Thessaloniki. I read reports of many problems in Thessaloniki (and elsewhere), because many of the antennas were taken down. There is a recent craze where many uninformed locals and their mayors consider that the mobile radiation is bad, so they make petitions, gather signatures, go to court and take the antennas down. As for the islands, the situation varies depending on where you will stay or which network you will use.

In general, and this applies also to short stay visitors, before committing to a postpaid plan or an "expensive" prepaid plan, it is advisable to check first the network coverage and speeds of the area that you will be staying. To do this, just get a prepaid SIM card from all three operators (cost 5€ or in many cases free), subscribe to a 60-100MB data add-on (3-5€) and check the network speeds. You will save yourselves from a lot of frustration and money. ;)

When you say these plans for computers does that mean it cannot be used in a phone at all? And if you can use it in a phone, can you switch from one type of plan to another and keep the same SIM card? Thanks.

The WIND plans #1 to #4 are all add-ons that work with the normal SIM cards. As "normal" I mean a SIM card that offers voice and texts too and you can use it with a phone or with an USB modem. All those plans can be used in a phone or in a computer, Wind doesn't have a special limitation on which device you should use them. However, the small plans of 40-100MB/month are not useful for computer usage. Also you can switch from one type of plan to another when the plan period is over but I don't think that you can combine different plans at the same time.

The only exception (and an important one) are the available data plans for computers which are offered with a special data SIM card. The "special" SIM cards offer only data, not voice or SMS. Those plans are the Cosmote #2, Vodafone #4 and Wind #5. Those special plans could work in a phone as well but keep in mind that you will only have data, not voice/texts on your phone.

In general, most operators in Greece and elsewhere, offer two distinct data plans for (a) phones (b) computers, and they explicitly prohibit the usage of a phone data plan in a computer. However, in most cases they do not prohibit the opposite (because the computer data plans are more expensive and offer more data), therefore you can use a computer data plan in a phone.

Perfect that's great to know! It's simpler than I thought then. Here in North America it's a whole lot more complicated hehe.

Just an update to my "Q" data speed issues. (outlined here: link)

I wrote the Q customer service as per Evans post. After a week the informed me of the difference between 3G and GPRS speeds. I replied saying I am aware of this difference but that I am currently in a 3G area. No reply.

I also tried calling the customer support line a few times, but when I select the option for English, the menu reverts to an infinite loop in Greek.

So I went (once again) to the WIND store. This time my trusted WIND agent informs me that "Q doesn't support 3G anymore". (!!!??!). Not sure why he sold me the credit last time, but I guess he learned something new. I explained that I used to get 3G speeds with Q, but seemed like ~March 1st it stopped... he just kept saying that "Q doesn't have 3G anymore". :confused:

Regardless, the unadvertised unlimited Q data plan that I had last year has ended. And their 500M for €5 is also offered by parent company WIND. Whether Q are throttling data back to GPRS speeds or throttling my account in specific... doesn't matter. I've had enough messing around. So I just got a WIND SIM, new number, new account, and have 3G speeds back.

Bottom line: don't bother with Q anymore. Go with WIND. 500MB for €5.
(but things seem to change alot in Greece so stay tuned!)

@Evan - or anyone else who knows.

I see all the operators have the "500MB". Is it still valid for any operator? I arrive to Greece on 20.4 for 2 weeks to sail between the islands and I was hoping to use the offer.

I would appreciate any suggestion on what to choose (i'll be using my ipad most probably).

T.

Hi,
I am from Brazil and will go to Greece for 3 weeks in July (1 week in Athens and 2 weeks in the islands).
Is there a Cosmote or Wind store where i can buy a prepaid data sim for my usb key in Athenas Internacional Airport (ATH) ? I will use same sim in my tablet and netbook.
Thanks.

Keep in mind that the "500MB for 5€" is just an offer that was originally valid until 31 March. Few days ago, it was extended until 30 April 2011.

You mean the "500MB for 5€" offer that all four operators had? This offer ended on 31 March for Cosmote and Vodafone but Wind extended it for one more month.

What to choose depends on which operator has the best coverage on the places you plan to visit and second, on how much data you estimate you will consume. You can have a look on the links of my signature and let us know if you have additional questions.

A quick suggestion could be the "COSMOTE Internet On The Go me karta" plan but I don't know if they have Micro-SIMs with that plan for your iPad.
COSMOTE: Mobile Internet on your computer

For Cosmote, there is a Germanos store at the Arrivals Level of the airport. Wind doesn't have an airport store but if you plan to be in Athens for 1 week, you can look for shops in the center of Athens.

Rhodes Dummy want to buy.
 

Rhodes town. Wind shop. Friendly salesman. Want to buy a prepaid broadband stick and a 30 days start. Sailing the small islands of the Dodecanese, i now it wil be inpossible to find the Airtime Renewal Scratch Cards, so i decide to take two 30 € cards with me, in order to charge up on the way. The salesman explanes that ading a new card only charges the data amount, NOT the days.
he schows it to me on his ( Greek ) monitor. So only activate new scratch card after the other is expired.
Problem no cards availeble on Rhodes, kiosk vendor explains that those cards are not available. Greeks charge with some kiosk electronic thingy. Not possible in a deserted bay on a small island.
Cosmothe and vodaphone : Only charge up in store. No store.:chair: