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SIMCollector · 23-07-2010, 02:07

After just being in Thailand for 6 months, it is very evident that DTAC (Telenor) are being particularly nice, welcoming to non-Thais who want to use mobile services in Thailand.

It seems to be straightforward if you want to have a postpaid account. These can be had with a minimal monthly outlay of around 60 baht - around £1.20. Plus you get 50 free sms to send to other dtac users per month and can send sms to other thai networks for 2 baht each though the online service.

If you don't want a postpaid then you can get the Happy (DTAC Prepaid) Simple SIM which with each topup is good for a further 12 months. These can now be bought for 49 baht each or in quantity (10 items+) for 40 baht each.

If you have a post paid account you can topup prepaid from your credit. Also pretty much most Thai Banks allow you to topup mobile phone services through their internet banking.

I used DTACs Edge service significantly, with a 100 hours per month package for 200 baht, and it was very good. I got constant data rates of 25-30 kbytes per second. This is not the maximum, but I suspect that the upper rate has been capped. This was in a number of areas of bangkok. Also I was able to use this service on the train to Malaysia, but at a much lower rate. Previously (4 years ago) I tried the same with DTAC GPRS and it just did not work on the train.

There were some SIM offers I picked up from the university I lived near, but I don't recall the network at the moment. They were good if you lived there, but the SIMs had a very short life. Also, I was able to get a lot of free SIMs from the 7/11 with my "Winnie the Pooh" stamps (don't ask !) which seem to be good for a long time, but only get a mobile number when they are activated.

Thailand has a 3G network, but the government are trying to work out how to make as much money for themselves out of it. Consequently the availability to the public is limited and having mush stopping and starting. There is free 3G available in some areas of Bangkok. And in some of the IT malls the main providers have demo stalls to get people interested in 3G. This is a big embarrassment to the Thais I have spoken to as they know the network is there, it is just the government who are trying to figure out how to take advantage of it, as far as I am aware and have been informed.

Anyway, I have recently seen a commitment that WiFi at 2Mbps will be available throughout Thailand in the next 2 years. I can believe this as a number of operators have WiFi in street furniture already. How this will work in the rural areas, I'm not sure.

Also the government has told all the operators to charge the same termination charges. Hutch (Hutchinson Wampoa) for some reason has been able to charge higher termination charges then the other operators, consequently calling them from other Thai operators has been more expensive. Hutch also seemed to have some of the better offers and has had a reliable CDMA data network in the Bangkok area. I haven't used this but I know of people who depend on it significantly.

	(#16)
SIMCollector (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 26 Join Date: 13 Oct 2009 Country:	23-07-2010, 02:07 After just being in Thailand for 6 months, it is very evident that DTAC (Telenor) are being particularly nice, welcoming to non-Thais who want to use mobile services in Thailand. It seems to be straightforward if you want to have a postpaid account. These can be had with a minimal monthly outlay of around 60 baht - around £1.20. Plus you get 50 free sms to send to other dtac users per month and can send sms to other thai networks for 2 baht each though the online service. If you don't want a postpaid then you can get the Happy (DTAC Prepaid) Simple SIM which with each topup is good for a further 12 months. These can now be bought for 49 baht each or in quantity (10 items+) for 40 baht each. If you have a post paid account you can topup prepaid from your credit. Also pretty much most Thai Banks allow you to topup mobile phone services through their internet banking. I used DTACs Edge service significantly, with a 100 hours per month package for 200 baht, and it was very good. I got constant data rates of 25-30 kbytes per second. This is not the maximum, but I suspect that the upper rate has been capped. This was in a number of areas of bangkok. Also I was able to use this service on the train to Malaysia, but at a much lower rate. Previously (4 years ago) I tried the same with DTAC GPRS and it just did not work on the train. There were some SIM offers I picked up from the university I lived near, but I don't recall the network at the moment. They were good if you lived there, but the SIMs had a very short life. Also, I was able to get a lot of free SIMs from the 7/11 with my "Winnie the Pooh" stamps (don't ask !) which seem to be good for a long time, but only get a mobile number when they are activated. Thailand has a 3G network, but the government are trying to work out how to make as much money for themselves out of it. Consequently the availability to the public is limited and having mush stopping and starting. There is free 3G available in some areas of Bangkok. And in some of the IT malls the main providers have demo stalls to get people interested in 3G. This is a big embarrassment to the Thais I have spoken to as they know the network is there, it is just the government who are trying to figure out how to take advantage of it, as far as I am aware and have been informed. Anyway, I have recently seen a commitment that WiFi at 2Mbps will be available throughout Thailand in the next 2 years. I can believe this as a number of operators have WiFi in street furniture already. How this will work in the rural areas, I'm not sure. Also the government has told all the operators to charge the same termination charges. Hutch (Hutchinson Wampoa) for some reason has been able to charge higher termination charges then the other operators, consequently calling them from other Thai operators has been more expensive. Hutch also seemed to have some of the better offers and has had a reliable CDMA data network in the Bangkok area. I haven't used this but I know of people who depend on it significantly.