Prepaid cards in red China

[Gryphone]

Ok... I'm in China now, I've bought myself a China Mobile SIM and am trying to understand the tariff.


Here's some data about the networks:

China Mobile
Frequency: GSM 900/1800
Net Code: 460-00
Logo: China Mobile, CMCC
Prefixes: 134 to 139

China Unicom
Frequency: GSM 900/1800
Net Code: 460-01
Logo: China Unicom, CHN-CUGSM
Prefixes: 130, 131 and 133

Interestingly I've also picked up a third network using the code 460-36, however I have no idea what it is nor can I log on to it with any of my SIMs.


Now about the China Mobile prepaid offer:

- Buying a SIM card is easy, you don't need any ID or whatever.
- At the airport it costed me 130 RMB, including 50 RMB of credit.
- SIM cards are linked to a specific city (so be sure to get one for the city you'll mainly be staying at).
- however you don't get a local number, all mobile number's start with (+86)13.
- I haven't figured out whether there are different plans, these are the charges on my plan anyway.
- Local calls (within your city) 0,13 RMB/min.
- Long distance calls 0,30 RMB/min.
- For international calls there are several prefixes, depending on which of them you use and where you're calling the charges are different. The seller at the airport helped me active a special option and said that with it I could make calls to i.e. Western Europe for 1,2 RMB/min when using the 12593 prefix.
- Receiving calls within your city is free of charge (no matter from where), elsewhere in China it'll cost you something
- Texts (worldwide) cost 1 RMB


About United Mobile: it doesn't work here. I logs onto the China Unicom network, however with the exclamation mark that indicates limited connection on Siemens mobiles. I can neither make nor receive any calls.