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Padawan
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Quick report on what I did to get my SIM card for my mobile in Thailand (thanks to Yurune and ChicagoGuy for the help):
I took the Sky Train to Siam station, walked across the platform and jumped on the train to National Stadium station. From there you exit and make a right directly into MBK shopping center. This place is sprawling so try to keep track of where you entered. Make your way to the fourth floor and you'll be in what has to be the mobile phone nexus for all of southeast Asia. There must be over 100 vendors selling phones, accessories, and SIM cards. After finding a booth where someone spoke English, I was given vague directions to a vendor that could unlock my phone (300 baht) and sell me a Thailand SIM card (another 300 baht).
Relatively painless process and the phone is working fine for both voice and text messaging.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:38 am on Sep. 22, 2003
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mm3
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How much is a decent used mobile phone at MBK?
My hotel phone bill came to 916 baht for my two-week stay at the Manhattan. All my calls were either local or to local mobile numbers. My current mobile is from the US so it does not work in the LOS and I think it would be really nice to have a working mobile while in Thailand.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 1:04 am on Sep. 23, 2003
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DrLove
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My current mobile is from the US so it does not work in the LOS ...
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I've seen a number of American guests (eg ChicagoGuy) using their US phones in BKK. It must be unlocked though.
Anyway, a used phone starts at at little as 500 baht (nokia 5110) while some motorola cost 1,000-1,200 baht (no sim card included).
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:29 am on Sep. 23, 2003
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Padawan
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mm3,
I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the used mobiles but there were tons of them. Looks like there's a healthy aftermarket for them in BKK. Didn't check out the pricing but given the supply I wouldn't be surprised if you could find one for 1-1.5k baht.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 5:02 am on Sep. 23, 2003
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bucksfun
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Most US phones work I think on GSM 1900 which will probably be incompatible with the GSM 900/1800 standard used widely in TH.
You can use a tri-band phone bought in US, like I use my tri-band phone in EU, US, TH etc. Not all phones are locked to a network. This depends on the network operator and how the phone was purchased. For instance in the UK Vodafone and o2 dont lock their phones (not sure about pay as you go customers though) to their own network. Worth trying the sim card first to avoid having to go through an unnecessary "unlocking" process.
I use the AIS 1-2-Call Sim in TH and find it works very well and is good value for money (a rapid learning curve after a 1 hour phone call to a local mobile cost me 1600 Bht in the hotel).
I tend to equate the words "second hand phone" with stolen phone, so would stay clear but to each their own.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 8:11 am on Sep. 23, 2003
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UKYorkie
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So from that then, as my UK phone (TMobile) works over there, but hence all calls go via the uk :-( I just have to buy a local SIM and then I am good to go, I guess that would be a pay as you go one at that?
Will give it a try on my next trip........
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:28 am on Sep. 23, 2003
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Minder
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Sigh... I paid 1200 baht for my 1-2-call sim card with 300 baht of included calls at Panthip. I got royally screwed over I have since concluded - still I was so relieved to find a way out when my mobile stopped working halfway through a trip I wasn't thinking - and the little sweetie read me like a book and she took me to the cleaners - serves me right - if there is one thing I know about Thailand its the consistency. Mai bpen rai.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:53 am on Sep. 23, 2003
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DrLove
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I think official AIS list price is 888 baht with 500 baht of free calls ... MBK should have better deals ....
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I tend to equate the words "second hand phone" with stolen phone, so would stay clear but to each their own
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There are many people trading their own phones in when then buy a newer models though.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:02 am on Sep. 23, 2003
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bucksfun
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UKYorkie, as far as I know, T-Mobile lock their phones to use their network only, so you may need to get it unlocked, but I would recommend giving the new SIM a try first.
Strictly speaking if you roam from your home network your calls do not get routed through the UK, local calls are made at an agreed "roaming" rate which is worked out between the home network (TMobile in this case) and the foreign roaming network (e.g. AIS). It is possible to get a lower international tariff, from most airtime providers in the UK but this can cause other complications if you have a package of inclusive minutes/smss. The only thing which is always routed via home is your incoming calls (for which you pick up the international call cost) and your voicemail etc.
One tip if you are away working and need to be contactable on your UK number, you are better off diverting all calls to voicemail, and then just collecting these when alerted, it will work out A LOT cheaper (I guess this only maters if you have to pick up the tab personally).
That said I found the pay as you go 1-2-call rates to be ridiculously cheap and it also allowed me to just turn off my UK mobile and ignore it apart from checking voicemail for work calls.
I think I paid about 500bht for 350 bht credit with my first 1-2-Call SIM (sorted by my GF when we were at MBK) and that lasted me for almost a week. Subsequent top ups are at full value, and the more you top up the longer your service stays active, a 800bht top up in August kept my SIM active until Jan 04.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 1:29 pm on Sep. 23, 2003
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Yurune
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The deals change all the time, I have bourght 3 SIM cards in my time, and all at the right time....One was 900B with 1000 B credit, the other two were 1200B with 1500B credit. Haven't seen money makers like this for a while, they were all with AIS 1-2-Call and I suspect they were trying to keep people off the new Orange network at the time, who were advertising extensively.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:41 pm on Sep. 23, 2003
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