Suggestions for mobile 3G / GPRS connectivity

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funkypenguin

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#14257 24-Jun-2007 06:32

Hi folks,

I see there was a post on this about 6 months ago, but I'm hoping that things may have changed..

I'll be in travelling to NZ for a month, and will need data (3G / GPRS) connectivity for the entirety of the trip. I see that Vodafone has 500MB / 1GB data bundles, and from what I can gather, they are also available on prepaid, at an extra $10 / month. Am I correct so far?

Secondly, can anybody offer suggestions on the best / cheapest route to a month's data connectivity? I'll be bringing my own phone with, obviously, and will just need the SIM.

Thanks!

Regards,
David Young

freitasm

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#75750 24-Jun-2007 08:57

TRicky question. Let me answer this question with another question: whereabout are you travelling?

Telecom CDMA EVDO coverage is much wider than Vodafone's WCDMA, and for all reports (and my own experience) you will find out it's a bit faster and more resilient.

Now, both offer a $49/1 GB plan (with Vodafone offering an extra 100% bundle for another $10) but this is available on accounts only, and generally on a contract (two years). And with Telecom you'd have to buy a data interface (PC Card, Express Card, USB options are available), which you could of course sell on your way out of the country. But you would be stuck with the contract.

Prepay connections do not have (yet) a data plan, so you will be stuck on paying $10/ 1 MB which is outrageous.

As for GPRS, you don't want to use that, unless it's for downloading e-mails (single connection to a server) - and even so only in good signal. Any browsing (where mutliple connections are required) is useless with GPRS.

This limits a bit the usage, right?

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coffeebaron

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#75754 24-Jun-2007 09:41

Assuming that your own phone you are bringing is 3G capable (and you can connect to your laptop), then you should be able to sign up on account (no term), and add a data package to that. Then when you leave, cancel the plan. More expensive than signing up on a term contract etc, but would be a lot cheaper than $10 per MB.

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#75755 24-Jun-2007 09:49

It is possible to sign up on both the 200mb and 1GB plans offered by Vodafone/Telecom, however you will have an additional $10 monthly open term fee and if you don't have a data device already (GSM can use 'imported' devices), then you would need to pay for it outright (no contract subsidy).

Though if you have a compatible datacard/device, you will be able to connect to Vodafones network and just get the open term plan. Alternatively look at hiring a data device for a month with the right plan on it.

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