Mobile/Cell Phones And Shit Like That

[hedonist]

OK, i got a few questions about mobile/cell phones and whats the best thing to do

1) Are all the ones you buy in Thailand sim free, and therefore can be used with a UK sim when i get back home from imminent trip?

Its not so much the use over in Pattaya that i am concerned with, but its usage or lack of it back home will influence the decision whether to get a cheaper one with less on it, or an all singing, all dancing model, if the price of it is cheaper there than UK (That's question 2)....Are they that much cheaper there then here? We can get them locked to a certain network on a pay-as-you-go deal (T-Mobile, O2, Virgin etc) and are cheap as chips sometimes..compared to sim free ones of same model are sold for.

I wont ask for specific model recommendations, but wouldnt mind a few pointers as to stores other than Tukcom that sells them.

Must admit i am leaning towards taking a cheap one from here, getting it unlocked there and see how i go one with that for starters, and looking around for a deal while in Pattaya.

Question 3 is:

What the deal with call charges? I have a bookmark for deedial, but am a bit unsure how that works tbh.

For instance, do you need to register with them if you just get a topup from 7-11 or wherever?

 

I will prolly have a few more questions to ask later on after some replies (hopefully!!!!)

 

Hedonist

[caltexman]

I just bought a second hand cheap old nokia in MBK in bkk and got them to put a sim in it, bought 300 baht of credit and that was it.

Can buy the credit top ups at any 7/11 and at some bars.

 

It never worked in oz..............lol.

 

But thats fine as i only need it to use in LOS!!!!!

[Dr.Winston]

Generally speaking it's safe to assume that the mobiles that you buy in Thailand are unlocked. The reason that they lock them elsewhere is to tie you to a particular network if you sign a monthly contract with them, that contract system in Thailand doesn't dominate like it does in the UK for instance. Even second hand ones that they've bought from tourists would be unlocked by them before they offered them for sale.

Edited October 10, 2008 by Dr.Winston O'Boogie

[hedonist]

Thanks for the replies, guys

I know all about the tying into their networks thing.....you get the phone considerably cheaper that way.

The question NOW is are the prices in Thailand for an unlocked phone about the same as the locked ones here in UK or not?

I will give an example of one:

The Nokia E51 is about £175 sim free

Same phone on Vodaphone newtwork is............... FREE (But you are tied into a monthly contract)

Thats possibly a bad example lol, so heres another:

Sony Ericsson K800i

Around £80 on PAYG with various networks, but £120 sim free

How do those sim free prices compare with Thailand?

Anyone got any websites for stores listing phones?

 

Hedonist