Prepaid GSM SIM for USA?

[inquisitor]

You should know that T-Mobile operate their 3G network at 1700/2100 MHz (so-called AWS-band), which the iPhone does not support, so with his iPhone your friend could only access T-Mobile's 2G network, which as any 2G network is relatively slow (theoretically up to 236 KBit/s which however in practice is often less).

[wisniak]

Thank you, inquisitor.
Is that throughput equivalent to EDGE?

I also looked at the AT&T web site, found their prepaid sim option.
If he chooses AT&T, will he need to activate the SIM in some AT&T store?

[inquisitor]

Yes, I was actually referring to EDGE which delivers a maximum bandwidth of 236 KBit/s.

[wisniak]

Thank you.

[adam917]

About the T-Mobile option, it works on their prepaid SIMs & costs 1.49 for 24 hours which would be deducted out of the account's available balance. You would purchase a day pass every day when you are ready to use it that day. The data is claimed to work only on the native T-Mobile network. This is likely the cheapest form of temporary prepaid data available in the US at this time, especially if y7ou plan to use it a lo during each day.

[weekilter]

Originally Posted by wisniak

Hi,

My friend is about to travel to Canada and the US.

Is there any prepaid GSM SIM prepaid plan available that will cover both countries?
Are there plans that enable voice AND data?

Thanks.

T-Mobile prepaid works in both countries. However, if you use T-Mobile in Canada it will cost you 69¢/minute. Fido/Rogers roams in the US at $2.00 per minute (ouch!)