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[QUOTE=Mogwai;1814983] you can order a SIM card online and pick it up at the airport upon arrival.[/QUOTE]Top floor of the terminal 21 mall has several places to get sim cards. If your from the states, T-Mobile allows you to use your texts and data free of charge while in over 200 countries. Phone calls are a reasonable 20 cents per minute. Worked flawlessly in Germany on my last trip, will report back on how it works in Thailand.
[QUOTE=Breadman;1815221]Top floor of the terminal 21 mall has several places to get sim cards. If your from the states, T-Mobile allows you to use your texts and data free of charge while in over 200 countries. Phone calls are a reasonable 20 cents per minute. Worked flawlessly in Germany on my last trip, will report back on how it works in Thailand.[/QUOTE]I live in Issan Land and have T-Mobile SIM and it works, to use your word, flawlessly. Never an issue. And if your phone is Wi-Fi calling enable you can call back to the States without the 20 cents per minute charge. Calling another country it'll be the 20 cents per minute.
For LTE capable mobile phones, and using an AIS SIM.
Type *411#.
Your phone will shortly convert to 4G displayed at the top (free trial).
Internet download speed seems excellent on my phone. I am using it to power my Notebook / tablet hybrid right now using internet tethering. Much faster than my rented room slow Wifi internet.
Syzy.
I am in BKK now and bought a SIM card at the top floor of Terminal 21 (across from Movies) for my local Thai phone number as you can no longer buy a SIM card at a 7/11 etc. You also have to bring your passport or a copy as the Thai government changes their regulatory policies due to increased security concerns.
I also use Tmobile with my IPhone for international calls, Internet surfing, and texting but don't like to change out the SIM card in this phone as it can easily pop out and disappear. As the other poster said it's. 20 cents for calls, incoming and outgoing. I have used it for two years in Asia and the reception here and Internet reception is better for me than US.
[QUOTE=Breadman;1815221]Top floor of the terminal 21 mall has several places to get sim cards. If your from the states, T-Mobile allows you to use your texts and data free of charge while in over 200 countries. Phone calls are a reasonable 20 cents per minute. Worked flawlessly in Germany on my last trip, will report back on how it works in Thailand.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Jgm005;1815258]I live in Issan Land and have T-Mobile SIM and it works, to use your word, flawlessly. Never an issue. And if your phone is Wi-Fi calling enable you can call back to the States without the 20 cents per minute charge. Calling another country it'll be the 20 cents per minute.[/QUOTE]Why do you say "Wi-Fi calling enabled"? Maybe this is a USA thing? I call overseas using LINE, Whatsapp, Skype, applications on the smartphone, you name it, using the phone Data service, so many Gig per month. Hardly ever use Wifi on my phone. High speed data works pretty good these days. Why be constrained to Wi-fi locations? I would only switch to Wifi to download videos using a high heavy data load (not often). I guess I a dinosaur and not hooked on videos like the modern youth.
I have been using HSPA+ (not sure which release and how many Mbits per sec), and LTE /4 G which should be 100 Mbits / sec.
I have had overseas data calls that were much clearer (on occasions) even than local normal mobile calls (when connection was poor quality). Obviously depends on both ends having a good quality high speed connection.
The cost is zero for any country for data to data calls. Its just part of monthly data charge. So buy an international phone that does not have internet data calls disabled. I am an international traveller, so I need things that work well in every country with a reasonable data service. I use a Dual-SIM phone so can be contacted on multiple numbers as well.
"20 cents per minute for other countries" I guess you mean if calling a non-data service normal phone number. I make only a few local calls in Thailand (even less OS). Usually calling an MP to see if a girl is there and available. Could be the Mrs when she has a bad internet connection.
I use Skype to call mother OS as she has no smart phone. Skype quotes 10 cents per minute to mobiles and 2.3 cents per minute to landlines in my home Country (plus a connection fee 4.9/8.9 cents). I would use the latter if wanted to talk a very long time I guess.
Its a massive difference to say 15 years ago when calling a GF in Thailand from OS could cost well over a dollar per minute.
Sounds like the T-Mobile thing is very good for short term stays here, however consider getting a local SIM, especially for long stay. Its too easy for me, as have a dual SIM phone. I can have a Thai SIM and an OS country SIM both functioning together. Handy for frequent travellers.
I guess some day, land lines will cease to exist. All that cable going to waste.
[QUOTE=Syzygies;1815806]Why do you say "Wi-Fi calling enabled"? Maybe this is a USA thing? I call overseas using LINE, Whatsapp, Skype, applications on the smartphone, you name it, using the phone Data service, so many Gig per month. Hardly ever use Wifi on my phone. High speed data works pretty good these days. Why be constrained to Wi-fi locations? I would only switch to Wifi to download videos using a high heavy data load (not often). I guess I a dinosaur and not hooked on videos like the modern youth.
.[/QUOTE]Most of the family, no all, back in the States are not on things like LINE, etc. I have a Nexus 5 X which allows me to change the 'Calling Preference' to Wi-Fi Preferred instead of Cellular Preferred. And if I am on Wi-Fi I can call back to the States without the 20 cents per minute T-Mobile (USA Phone Provider) charge.
It costs the 20 cents per minute, even if on Wi-Fi preferred to another country. Your right the social media calling abilities are the way to go which I use to friends in other countries. And as you know every Thai has one or more of the apps you mentioned and that is how I contact them.
I do have a 2nd phone with a Thai SIM but rarely use it now. Mostly for Thai banking OTP (one time password) stuff.
P.S. : I enjoy your CH postings.
[QUOTE=Syzygies;1815806]Why do you say "Wi-Fi calling enabled"? Maybe this is a USA thing?[/QUOTE]It is a T-mobile thing. It is a program that is installed on their phones and can only be used with their SIM card. There is no wifi calling when I put my T-mobile SIM into the new Samsung J1 that I bought in Tukcom or any other phone that I have that I did not get from T-mobile. There is also no wifi calling when I put another company's SIM into my T-mobile phone.
[QUOTE=Jgm005;1815814]Most of the family, no all, back in the States are not on things like LINE, etc.[/QUOTE]Those VOIP apps are not an American "thing". Most only use normal texting so you have to teach them. My mom and dad have been using whatsapp for a couple of years now. I just made my daughter download it two days ago.
Not sure I Understand the thrust of these posts. I use Apple, as do all of my family members in the States, and use Apple FaceTime to talk free, video and / or audio frequently. To speak with friends who don't have Apple products I use Skype, which also works fine. A lot of my friends here ise Whatsapp to speak with people all over the world. I think VOIP is pretty much universal.
GE.
[QUOTE=Jgm005;1815814]Most of the family, no all, back in the States are not on things like LINE, etc. I have a Nexus 5 X which allows me to change the 'Calling Preference' to Wi-Fi Preferred instead of Cellular Preferred. And if I am on Wi-Fi I can call back to the States without the 20 cents per minute T-Mobile (USA Phone Provider) charge.
It costs the 20 cents per minute, even if on Wi-Fi preferred to another country. Your right the social media calling abilities are the way to go which I use to friends in other countries. And as you know every Thai has one or more of the apps you mentioned and that is how I contact them.
I do have a 2nd phone with a Thai SIM but rarely use it now. Mostly for Thai banking OTP (one time password) stuff.
P.S. : I enjoy your CH postings.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Syzygies;1815806]... using the phone Data service, so many Gig per month. Hardly ever use Wifi on my phone. High speed data works pretty good these days. Why be constrained to Wi-fi locations? [/QUOTE]Because data is expensive in the US (i.e. US carrier), and WiFi is free. I try to use WiFi wherever I can.
[QUOTE=Lefeu;1815876]Because data is expensive in the US (i.e. US carrier), and WiFi is free. I try to use WiFi wherever I can.[/QUOTE]Ok but change mentality in Thailand. Several gig of data per month is not expensive, or can get so much per day too.
If you don't download video, wifi becomes unnecessary here.
The convenience is much more important than savings a few pennies.
[QUOTE=GoodEnough;1815820]Not sure I Understand the thrust of these posts. I use Apple, as do all of my family members in the States, and use Apple FaceTime to talk free, video and / or audio frequently. To speak with friends who don't have Apple products I use Skype, which also works fine. A lot of my friends here ise Whatsapp to speak with people all over the world. I think VOIP is pretty much universal.
GE.[/QUOTE]If use video calls, does chew up a large data content. That is when Wifi might be needed in Thailand. I do that stuff from home. Voice calls use low bandwidth so no need for wifi. I travel to many countries but not USA for a few years. Germany, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, etc.
Wifi enabled is american jargon that means nothing to me.
Everything I do works eqially well on wifi data or normal phone internet service. There is no difference on my phone handset. Its a Samsung free of american restrictions I guess.
Natutally all my realtives have smart phones except mum aged 80. They can all install Voice Over Internet Protocol Apps. whether LINE, Whatsapp, Skype, Viber, etc. This means voice calls OS imternet to internet for free regardless of using Wifi or not. I gather this is not the way in the USA.
How does USA prevent it? Surely people generally have smart phones in the modern era? I guess you buy phones tied to a certain company with certain things disabled.
I buy a phone totally independently. I can put in any SIM card I like, in fact two of them together. Can only do internet on one at a time and 2nd SIM has 3G but not 4G.
I wish I would be wrong if I understood most are unable to understand the phone operational basic technology. Until now the mobile phone world is operated by two types of technology named by CDMA and GSM. The fact is CDMA developed in USA and GSM developed in Europe.
CDMA came in the market with a limitation of the phone set itself was sim card. The phone was programmed and fixed with the phone number dedicated with its provider (once upon a time). On the other hand GSM came with wide freedom using separate sim card and the phone set is usable with any GSM provider just replacing with the sim card. Later on rim card developed for CDMA system and the phone set is usable with any CDMA provider just replacing the rim card. I had read some post here before that some are unable to understand that rim card is unusable in GSM phone set and sim card unusable for CDMA phone. From few years before some phone company launched some phone sets have dual sim pocket usable by both CDMA and GSM.
In USA there are 10 to 12 mobile phone operators servicing around the country and all are CDMA system. Only AT&T and T-Mobile have GSM too, but don't have impressive amount of GSM subscribers. The largest volume of subscribers have Verizone and it is fully dedicated to CDMA. So it is very natural most peoples of USA ignored about GSM system where as rest of the world operated by GSM. So any one come out from USA having a habit of CDMA, sure he / she will get puzzled with his / her CDMA phone in GSM world. As well as we all know USA guys seeing in mirror only himself and don't care what have in left and right.
[QUOTE=Syzygies;1815891]
Wifi enabled is american jargon that means nothing to me
Natutally all my realtives have smart phones except mum aged 80. They can all install Voice Over Internet Protocol Apps. whether LINE, Whatsapp, Skype, Viber, etc. This means voice calls OS imternet to internet for free regardless of using Wifi or not. I gather this is not the way in the USA.
How does USA prevent it? Surely people generally have smart phones in the modern era? I guess you buy phones tied to a certain company with certain things disabled.
I buy a phone totally independently. I can put in any SIM card I like, in fact two of them together. Can only do internet on one at a time and 2nd SIM has 3G but not 4G.[/QUOTE]The Wifi calling he is referring to is a phone and carrier specific service. It basically acts as a preinstalled VoIP service. Instead of him having to install an app such as Line or Viber or Skype, his phone automatically routes calls through VoIP when connected to wifi. It's basically a seamless way to communicate if you're a frequent talker/caller who is out of the carrier's normal service area. I and most of my friends here and elsewhere almost never talk on the phone so it's worthless for us. iMessage and other chat apps handle basically all everyday needs.
VoIP apps are popular in the US just as they are everywhere else. The only difference is which apps are used. Line is most popular in Thailand, Japan and a few other places. QQ is huge in China. iMessage, Slack, Skype and many others are big in the US. Which apps are used has nothing to do with the carriers.
[QUOTE=MrEnternational;1815816]It is a T-mobile thing. It is a program that is installed on their phones and can only be used with their SIM card. There is no wifi calling when I put my T-mobile SIM into the new Samsung J1 that I bought in Tukcom or any other phone that I have that I did not get from T-mobile. There is also no wifi calling when I put another company's SIM into my T-mobile phone.[/QUOTE]Not that it is a big deal but I am not sure about that. The phone I have was bought from Google not from T-Mobile. Anyway, whichever way it is, it works for me for my purposes. Thanks for the update from another ATL person (if I remember correctly).