Greece GPRS?

[gmmour]

Originally Posted by caliston

Thanks, that's excellent! Just the sort of thing I wanted!

A few questions:
I've already got a TIM Free2Go SIM. Assuming it still works (last used in Greece in Oct but I sent a text from the UK in Feb to try to keep it alive), that should now be a WIND SIM?

Is it possible to find out where the 3G sites are (Kifissia and Kefalonia is mostly where I'm interested)?

I'm in Greece once or twice a year. If I use the WIND postpaid plan will that stop my number expiring? How does the postpay work - can I do it on the internet by credit card, for example, or do I need a bank account?

When using the WAP option, what network access do you get? HTTP, HTTPS? Are any other ports accessible? Does it use SOCKS or per-port proxying? I use SSH quite a bit, and have an SSH server on the HTTPS port (port 443). Is the proxy likely to let me through? What's the latency like?

In order to keep your SIM alive, you have to recharge at least once a year, sending an SMS won't help. I think it should still be alive, a year hasn't passed since October.

On the wind.com.gr website you can check the coverage in the places you visit. Kifissia is definitely covered by WIND 3G (together with the whole of the Athens Metropolitan Area), Kefalonia seems to be 2G only on the official map although these things change.

For a postpaid plan you have to visit a WIND store. If you pay by credit card it would be very easy to get a contract, although I don't know if a greek tax-number (AFM) is a prerequisite for a postpaid account... If it is, you can get one with a simple application at a local IRS office (Eforia in greek). You don't need a bank account, and since you are an EU citizen, the only thing they'll ask for is your credit card! Don't let them sign you up for WIND Flexy zero, that's the no-monthly-fee program they're promoting but it has some downsides. If you do decide to go postpaid, ask for WIND 1, this is the program that will keep your number alive forever without any payments whatsoever, if you don't use it!

The WIND 1 postpaid program actually will never expire and since it has no monthly fees you can keep your number for ever with 0 Euro!
But anyway a prepaid recharged at least once a year will do the job! Unfortunately WIND doesn't offer online recharge for their accounts, you can always buy a couple of vouchers when you leave Greece and use these to recharge when abroad in order to keep your number alive! If you're visiting Greece twice a year, I don't think you even have to bother recharging from the UK!

Latency is very low when surfing with your phone tethered to your computer! To me (having used it for web browsing, checking email with Outlook and chatting on MSN Messenger) it worked (under 3G coverage) almost as good as with a fixed DSL line! The whole experience works quite fine. HTTP and HTTPS do work (from personal experience), MSN Messenger works too! I don't know if they're forwarding per port or using SOCKS but I do think that the proxy will let your SSH connection through since it is on the HTTPS port which goes through! I suspect it is per-port forwarding though... I really don't remember if it worked for Google Earth, but anywayz I have no clue on the ports that Google Earth works on!

That's all... Just bring your Free2Go SIM with you, download the settings on your phone (from www.wind.com.gr) and the settings on your computer (the ones I gave you above), text "PLUS" to 349 (having at least 3,49 Euro in your account for the fee) and you're ready to go with unlimited surfing for the next 30 days! Oh, and by the way, download Opera Mini on your mobile, if you can't do without internet access at any given time!

Just to give you a clue about the other companies, they only offer either per kilobyte charge for prepaid and postpaid or monthly data plans with some MB included but these are expensive and only available on postpaid.

I do think Vodafone offers a prepaid plan for their Vodafone Mobile Connect Card, but you have to buy the card and their charges are high and per kb...