Vodafone Romania prepaid internet card

[raywright1]

I'm in Romania now. I've been to 3 vodafone shops. They have each told me that the voice SIM card is not the same as a GPRS data SIM. You can get WAP and Internet on the voice SIM. I paid 4 EUR for the base package, 1000 min in network, 60 min international and/or out of network, and 60 SMS. I added 120 min international and 120 SMS for 7 EUR. I added 250mb Internet/WAP (with proxy) for 3.99 EUR, but cannot get GPRS internet on the SIM card. I'm stuck using a browser on a tiny screen. So I cannot tether or use my email client.

Also if you pay by credit card, verify the amount before entering your pin on the handheld apparatus. When I purchased my SIM, the clerk accidentaly added two digits at the end which caused me to pay over $4,600 USD for my SIM card! My bank blocked my visa card until I went back to the shop the next day to undo the mistake.

The APN settings they gave me are:
live.pre.vodafone.com
user: live
pwd: vodafone

if anyone knows more than the 3 clerks i have spoken to, please post the APN settings and the exact option under *147# to enable the data plan.

thanks!

[f300]

Friendly advice: try not to give your credit card to small shops (or well to anybody) except ATMs (preferably attached to a bank) and maybe cashiers in large supermarkets.

live.pre.vodafone.com should work with the 3.99 250MB plan just fine. I didn't try any tethering (probably it's discouraged anyway) but android and symbian apps worked just fine (including non-web apps like fring and mai clients, no proxy of course). You can check if you have the option activated and how much it's left with *123# (free)
Now I remember: important point: your "phone" sim might not be activated for "mobile internet"; ask somebody to call for you *222 (free) and make sure you have "mobile internet" active in the system (it is just a flag, not something you have to pay for and independent from any subscription).
There's also indeed the "data" card (new) and you can buy the SIM for nothing I believe and only put let's say 5 EUR for 500 MB (using in 3G USB dongles is permitted and encouraged).

[raywright1]

Originally Posted by f300

live.pre.vodafone.com should work with the 3.99 250MB plan just fine.

i decided to start the procedure over entirely based on the assumption that i wasn't crazy, that the vodafone clerks don't always know everything about data offers and APN, and that the internet is functional. i finally got it working. SMTP was fine, the speed and coverage were superb, and the voice and data offers were great.

my experience with t-mobile while in the UK was also excellent, both voice and data.

[linguist]

I've just come back from Romania. Beautiful country with incredible hiking in the mountains (Retezat, Fagaras, Bucegi).

On my 1st day in the country I bought a 4-Euro SIM that gave me that much worth of voice service at pretty high per-minute rates.

The next day I went into the (only) Vodafone shop in Sinaia. There was a lady there that spoke perfect English and knew exactly what I needed. She sold me a "voice plan" for another 4 Euro that gave me much better rates for voice and SMS, including on the credit I had originally.

She also gave me a 4-Euro DATA PLAN with 500 MB good for 30 days. The setup took about 40 minutes (there was some problem with their severs probably), but finally worked, and worked perfectly!
She said it wouldn't work as a modem but only on the device itself, but she was wrong. For the next 2 weeks I had perfect 3G (HSPA) signal across the country, except for remote areas where they only had GPRS (and not EDGE, strangely). I was online on my HTC Touch Pro and my laptop at all times.

[raywright1]

Originally Posted by linguist

I've just come back from Romania. Beautiful country with incredible hiking in the mountains (Retezat, Fagaras, Bucegi).

those are all great destinations. glad you enjoyed it. i was at Balea Lac for the first time this year, 2034m high!

Originally Posted by linguist

She also gave me a 4-Euro DATA PLAN with 500 MB good for 30 days. The setup took about 40 minutes (there was some problem with their severs probably), but finally worked, and worked perfectly!
She said it wouldn't work as a modem but only on the device itself, but she was wrong. For the next 2 weeks I had perfect 3G (HSPA) signal across the country, except for remote areas where they only had GPRS (and not EDGE, strangely). I was online on my HTC Touch Pro and my laptop at all times.

i confirm that the speed was very fast.

just curious - what were the APN settings they told you to use?

how did you use your TP to reach the internet - tethered USB or tethered WiFi? i could not get tethered WiFi to work.

[linguist]

Originally Posted by raywright1

those are all great destinations. glad you enjoyed it. i was at Balea Lac for the first time this year, 2034m high!

Yeah, Lacul Balea is beautiful and the Transfagarasan road is incredible.

i confirm that the speed was very fast.
just curious - what were the APN settings they told you to use?

See here.
Note that there is a difference in the settings for prepaid and for contract subscribers. Contract subscribers use live.vodafone.com instead of live.pre.vodafone.com.

how did you use your TP to reach the internet - tethered USB or tethered WiFi? i could not get tethered WiFi to work.

I actually tethered the phone's 3G connection over bluetooth mainly. I never use WiFi, it's too power hungry.

[VladS]

Originally Posted by raywright1

I'm in Romania now. I've been to 3 vodafone shops. They have each told me that the voice SIM card is not the same as a GPRS data SIM. You can get WAP and Internet on the voice SIM. I paid 4 EUR for the base package, 1000 min in network, 60 min international and/or out of network, and 60 SMS. I added 120 min international and 120 SMS for 7 EUR. I added 250mb Internet/WAP (with proxy) for 3.99 EUR, but cannot get GPRS internet on the SIM card. I'm stuck using a browser on a tiny screen. So I cannot tether or use my email client.

For data service you need to get the "Cartela Internet" SIM card. Most Vodafone Corporate stores will give it to you for free as long as you top it up at the time of purchase. Some stores may ask you to bring your USB modem to check its compatibility.

The Vodafone Live! service available on voice prepaid cards will not work with USB sticks aside from POP3/IMAP/SMTP email.