roaming to Australia? or Australian sim card?

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hamish225

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Topic # 57251 7-Feb-2010 14:44

hai, so im going to australia on the 6th of july and comming back on the 13th.

i want to use my phone over ther but im not sure what to do.

if i roam over there its going to cost me a dollar per minute to revive a call and 89 cents to call Australia or new zealand, which is pretty good i guess.

but if i get an Australian sim card there's the whole bother about getting the thing, then choosing a plan, then explaining to the poor sales rep that your only going to be using it for a week and don't want a fancy plan.

maybe i shuold just roam with telecom then...

what do you think i should do?

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Biddle Corp

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Reply # 296769 7-Feb-2010 14:56

First question is how much usage it'll get. If you're only making a handful of calls then roaming is the easiest. If you require data then an Aussie SIM makes sence. You can pick up a prepay SIM anywhere and it'll only take a few mins, just be aware that you will require ID to buy buy a SIM.

radionut

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Reply # 296771 7-Feb-2010 14:57

I have just decided to purchase a pre-pay Dodo sim for my Telecom T-Stick while travelling in OZ. They make it difficult though, needing an Australian identification from the purchaser, and only delivering it to an Australian address, so I have arranged for a mate to do that over the counter and post it to me.

The alternative was to wait until I arrive in their country, and buy one over the counter somewhere, but I don?t really need another hassle on the trip.

My research, (including downloading the full manual and the unrestricted dialing programme for the PC from the manufacturer) indicates the device is fully compatible with the Optus network Dodo uses for new connections.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone with some experience with this though.
For my handset I have decided to continue to simply roam, as the frustration of having to tell people of a new number etc is not worth it considering the reasonably low number of calls I expect to handle.

NonprayingMantis

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Reply # 296784 7-Feb-2010 15:20

the other issue is that if you buy a SIM there, you'll have to tell everyone your number if they want to call you.

Wonder why they require ID and adress to buy a SIM? can't you just grab one at the airport like you can here or in virtually every other developed country in the world.

radionut

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Reply # 296785 7-Feb-2010 15:24

NonprayingMantis: ... you'll have to tell everyone your number if they want to call you.

I agree - so I believe this is a practical option for a data device only - avoids the $1/Mbyte roaming charge!

NonprayingMantis:Wonder why they require ID and adress to buy a SIM?

Does seem strange - maybe an Australian thing.....

nitrotech

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Reply # 296786 7-Feb-2010 15:24

Don't know much about dodo but I have several Virgin mobile sims which I use for data when in OZ and they use the Optus network too, my experience with VM is great, very fast page loads and most importantly voip including video is faultless back to NZ.

Like any mobile network it will depent on the load on the tower you're connecting to which will determine the type of experience you receive from Mobile Broadband.

Interesting that your device is fully compatible with Optus as they run a 900/2100 network like vodafone so it will work in cities but not in rural areas.

Remember with your phone to turn off data roaming - at $8-10 per mb doesn't take much to rack up a big bill!

nitrotech

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Reply # 296787 7-Feb-2010 15:26

I agree - so I believe this is a practical option for a data device only - avoids the $1/Mbyte roaming charge!

Um where does it only cost $1 - it's $8 per mb on Telecom and $10 on vodafone

radionut

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Reply # 296790 7-Feb-2010 15:42

nitrotech:... it's $8 per mb on Telecom and $10 on vodafone

I stand corrected, I looked at the cost a while back and decided it was not to be bothered with..... further reason for grabbing a local SIM (Dodo don't charge for the SIM for new pre-pay accounts either)

radionut

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Reply # 296791 7-Feb-2010 15:47

nitrotech: ...Interesting that your device is fully compatible with Optus as they run a 900/2100 network like vodafone so it will work in cities but not in rural areas

MF626 data stick, not a phone - and the expectation is low speed in rural areas, UMTS in cities.

gehenna

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Reply # 296802 7-Feb-2010 16:17

Forget about Dodo and Virgin, for data you should go with Three. Their data plans are huge and cheap, they have shops everywhere - sometimes 2-3 on the same street, plus they have stalls in every shopping mall, everywhere. A $150 prepay topup gets you 12GB that lasts 12 months. You can also get smaller topups that last 30 days, maybe $49 for 1GB if i recall correctly...

Don't forget you can also use free wifi at all McDonald's here, among other places.

radionut

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Reply # 296808 7-Feb-2010 16:33

gehenna: Forget about Dodo and Virgin, for data you should go with Three.

Hey - thanks - I assume you are over that way, and have some experience. I have been trying to research from here in NZ using the web, and Dodo seemed the best offer - free SIM, and they offer 15G for $139.

I have looked at Three's web page this afternoon, and can't find a straight answer on their prepay broadband offer - do they charge for the SIM? Their costs seem a little higher than Dodo, but maybe they are easier to deal with?

I note the other big players all charge a setup fee.

Noting this is for one or two trips a year, the setup costs can be a significant factor.

nitrotech

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Reply # 296826 7-Feb-2010 17:26

Most of the big players have a 10-12gb year expiry prepay top up, virgin do

nitrotech

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Reply # 296827 7-Feb-2010 17:26

radionut:
gehenna: Forget about Dodo and Virgin, for data you should go with Three.

Hey - thanks - I assume you are over that way, and have some experience. I have been trying to research from here in NZ using the web, and Dodo seemed the best offer - free SIM, and they offer 15G for $139.

?I have looked at Three's web page this afternoon, and can't find a straight answer on their prepay broadband offer - do they charge for the SIM?? Their costs seem a little higher than Dodo, but maybe they are easier to deal with?

I note the other big players all charge a setup fee.

Noting this is for one or two trips a year, the setup costs can be a significant factor.

three has a bad reputation for speed but no doubt is low cost, also no VPN support on prepay.

Another thing to note is that three when you are out of range of their sites seamlessly roams onto telstra but at a roaming cost for data, you don't get a warning you simply get charged.

There is no setup cost on any of the aus prepay's I have setup with Virgin, Telstra or Vodafone

hamish225

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Reply # 296847 7-Feb-2010 18:30

gehenna: Forget about Dodo and Virgin, for data you should go with Three. Their data plans are huge and cheap, they have shops everywhere - sometimes 2-3 on the same street, plus they have stalls in every shopping mall, everywhere. A $150 prepay topup gets you 12GB that lasts 12 months. You can also get smaller topups that last 30 days, maybe $49 for 1GB if i recall correctly...

Don't forget you can also use free wifi at all McDonald's here, among other places.

oooh free wifi :D

hamish225

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Reply # 296848 7-Feb-2010 18:32

sbiddle: First question is how much usage it'll get. If you're only making a handful of calls then roaming is the easiest. If you require data then an Aussie SIM makes sence. You can pick up a prepay SIM anywhere and it'll only take a few mins, just be aware that you will require ID to buy buy a SIM.

im not really sure, if my hotel has free wifi then i wont need it but if it doesn't then i will so i guess ill just wait till i get there then go for a walk to the mall haha

gehenna

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Reply # 296851 7-Feb-2010 18:37

nitrotech:
Another thing to note is that three when you are out of range of their sites seamlessly roams onto telstra but at a roaming cost for data, you don't get a warning you simply get charged.

Three roam to Vodafone now where available, not Telstra, and when they do it doesn't change the rate at which you're charged.

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