Thailand mobile network suggestions for holiday

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timmmay

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#139106 28-Jan-2014 11:20

I may be pushing my luck with this question, but it's worth a crack, someone may have been there recently and worked this out.

I'm going to be in Thailand for three weeks in the not too distant future - Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok (yes I know about the protests). Roaming would be prohibitively expensive. Can any one suggest which mobile network is suitable for those locations, and where to get a SIM card for my S4.

I'm hoping for an answer like "buy a DTAC prepaid SIM in Suvarnabhumi airport, top it up by (xyz)". A simple answer would be the DTAC tourist SIM. That pages doesn't specify prices, but there seem to be add-ons here for $2/day, or here for $23/month. They have to be activated though.

Also interested in tips, experiences, etc regarding mobile use over there, and probably any general tips too. I've been there before, but ten years ago.

Dratsab

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#975721 28-Jan-2014 11:53

I haven't been there for a little while but am a reasonably regular visitor (Family reasons). I always pick up a standard dtac sim and start off with about 200 baht (roughly $8.50) on it.

timmmay

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#975778 28-Jan-2014 12:34

Thanks Dratsab. Prices seem pretty reasonable, cheaper than NZ. Most packs seem to have unlimited data, though it slows to 384kbps once you go over your limit. That could be good for image backups to dropbox or similar.

nakedmolerat

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#975780 28-Jan-2014 12:36

Are you using it for calls or data?

Vodafone has data bundle that you can buy for each region. For calls you can choose plan that is cheaper to call within the visited countries.

timmmay

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#975796 28-Jan-2014 12:54

nakedmolerat: Are you using it for calls or data?

Vodafone has data bundle that you can buy for each region. For calls you can choose plan that is cheaper to call within the visited countries.

Mostly data, some calls.

I'm in Telecom, not sure it would make sense to get a Vodafone SIM in NZ and roam using them. Telecom's roaming rate of $10/day would cost around ten times what DTAC would cost, and because it's based on what you use in NZ that would be 75MB/day for me.

Dratsab

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#975818 28-Jan-2014 13:06

What will you be using mobile data for?

timmmay

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#975825 28-Jan-2014 13:09

Email, facebook, uploading images, accessing information about tourist attractions and restaurants, perhaps backing up images from my phone and camera to dropbox.

cb1

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#975847 28-Jan-2014 13:27

You might find that you don't actually need a phone network as there are tons of free wifi places in Thailand. Use a VPN for security.

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timmmay

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#975853 28-Jan-2014 13:34

Interesting, thanks. I have WiFi at my hotels, so I should do all my backups on that, but mobile data is useful for ad hoc stuff.

I have Astrill as a VPN. Is there an easy way to "force it on" all the time? Last time I tried it I had to go into settings and enter the password every time I connected.

Dratsab

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#975854 28-Jan-2014 13:34

cb1: You might find that you don't actually need a phone network as there are tons of free wifi places in Thailand. Use a VPN for security.

Exactly along the lines of why I asked. I tend to mostly use hotel internet for data.

openmedia

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#975978 28-Jan-2014 15:12

I grabbed a dtac tourist SIM on my last visit and it was perfect for the week. 1GB data plus enough call time.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

itxtme

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#976079 28-Jan-2014 17:41

Hardest part is changing to english during setup on a local sim. Last time I was there the data was crap, very slow, and every hotel we stayed at had free WIFI so better option.

timmmay

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#976105 28-Jan-2014 17:56

That could be interesting, I'd get a Thai person to do it. Slow data is ok since we probably won't use it constantly, but if we have a "we're lost how to do we get to xyz" moment it could be handy. I have offline maps too... I think.