Travel Technology - Prepaid GSM- China/Taiwan- Buy in US or There?

I have a trip scheduled to China, Taiwan and Hong Kong in about 2 weeks. I've searched the threads but couldn't find conclusive information regarding my questions.

I have a GSM Cingular account in the US. My phone is a tri-band Sony Ericcsson T616 which is unlocked. I've used it in South America where I have a prepaid chip from "TIM".

I searched the internet and found many places advertising international prepaid SIM cards. I'm tempted to just go ahead and buy one (or two) to prevent me having to look for one when I land in Asia.

My questions:

1) Is there a single SIM chip that allows me to talk within Taiwan, Hong Kong and China or do I have to buy specifically for each region?

2) Should I buy them online or are there places in the airports where I could pick them up at a fraction of the cost offered on the internet?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Timfucius

I can't speak for HK or Taiwan, but in the PRC, you can buy a SIM card in any cell phone store. Price varies from 88-288 yuan ($10-35) depending on whether or not you have 4s (bad) or 8s (good) in the number. Cards to add value are available there as well. My T616 worked well in China 2 weeks ago.

Keep in mind that the T616 won't roam on GSM900 networks (GSM850, 1800 and 1900 only).

Winkydink, how were you able to Roam in China, if I am not mistaken both major Chinese networks (China Mobile and Unicom) are GSM 900.

Are there already large GSM1800 networks in China?

Keep in mind that the T616 won't roam on GSM900 networks (GSM850, 1800 and 1900 only).

Winkydink, how were you able to Roam in China, if I am not mistaken both major Chinese networks (China Mobile and Unicom) are GSM 900.

Are there already large GSM1800 networks in China?

I dunno, I just stuck my prepaid China Mobile card in there and it worked fine in Beijing. The label under the battery says my phone's a T616, so it's not a case of mistake identity (unless it's mislabelled). A quick google says Nokia has been rolling out GSM 1800 there for a while now.

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll attempt to buy them at the mobile stores while in China. I also know from the Far Eastone's site (Taiwan), that there is a store at the CKS airport. I think the premium price some of these online sites slap on these are excessive and not really worth the trouble.

Also, BTW, how easy is it to get an unlocked phone in Taiwan/China? Does it work the same way here in the US where the price is better with a service plan (and wait 30 days to request your phone to be unlocked)?

Sorry for the newbie questions.

Very easy to get an unlocked phone in the PRC, I'm not aware of any that come locked, but my Chinese isn't so good. :) Prices are similar to the US.

Great. Thanks again. I'll look for those in the PRC and report back.

Timfucius ^

SIM cards are sold everywhere in little convenience shops in HK, Mainland China, Taiwan. I'd just get a prepaid one for each location.

For example in Taiwan, any 7-11, Happy family, etc. will sell you one. They are just behind the cash register. Expect to pay 600 - 1000NT for a card and minutes.

Same for HK and Mainland China. I wouldn't even stick around the airport. Just walk out of your hotel and you'll find a shop within 2 blocks.

Timfucius, please keep us updated on how it worked out. I'm going to Shanghai in 5 weeks and it would be great to buy a "local" pre-paid SIM card.

Interesting, could you make international calls with those prepaid cards in China. When I was in Shanghai last fall I went into the retail store of one of the phone companies and they had SIMs but said they wouldnt work internationally (at least for outgoing calls). I was quite surprised by this, but was with 2 Chinese hosts who were interpretting for me so I didnt think it was a language issue. Are there different classes or cards or something?

Are there different classes or cards or something?

This is a good question that I'd like to know as well. Being unable to call internationally will be pointless for me. But some of these that are advertised on the internet say that dialing int'l is OK.

Being unable to call internationally will be pointless for me. But some of these that are advertised on the internet say that dialing int'l is OK.

I'm not certain this will be a "perfect" answer, but I've had good success using a company called Global Phone at http://www.gphone.com which allows you to make "local" calls and then use their system to place calls back to the States (or wherever). Perhaps this would get you around any issues surrounding "international" calling.

Not sure about "classes" of cards but for China I did purchase the SIM in the US through telestial.com as I wanted to have the number before I left. I realize I probably paid $40 over the cost in China. Anyway, the China Mobile card has not problems making any international calls either through normal dialing or IP.

This is a good question that I'd like to know as well. Being unable to call internationally will be pointless for me. But some of these that are advertised on the internet say that dialing int'l is OK.

My prepaid China Mobile card allows IDD, but blocks numbers like that used for Sprint's calling card (10813, if memory serves).

I also had china mobile prepaid card. Making international calls was not a problem but i kept it very very very short as it ate up the time on the sim card pretty darn fast.

Interesting, could you make international calls with those prepaid cards in China. When I was in Shanghai last fall I went into the retail store of one of the phone companies and they had SIMs but said they wouldnt work internationally (at least for outgoing calls). I was quite surprised by this, but was with 2 Chinese hosts who were interpretting for me so I didnt think it was a language issue. Are there different classes or cards or something?


there aren't different "classes" but sim cards are issued by different companies and/or regional branches of the same country. without going to into too much detail on why, some local cards are very difficult to charge when traveling: the popular 13818 series here in shanghai can be a real pain in beijing.

in order to minimize such hassels, i recommend getting a shenzhouxing card (very easy to charge on the road, but airtime costs a little more than average):

http://www.shmc.com.cn/English/fivegreat/shenzhou.htm

most, if not, all 136 numbers are shenzhouxing.

my personal strategy:

-i carry my shanghai phone with me whereever i go
-i have a second phone that i travel with and separate sim cards for frequent destinations

I'm back from Asia and thanks to your tips it worked out beautifully. I did buy all my chips in their respective locations and it was very easy.

In Taiwan I got my Chunghwa Telecom Ideal Card GSM chip on a 7-11 next to my hotel. The only thing was that an application had to be faxed in order for my number to be active. I had to wait 24 hours for the activation.

In Hong Kong, I got my Smartone GSM chip at an airport bookstore. It was pretty straight forward too. No activation was needed for this one.

In China, I had our staff buy the China Mobile chips for me so I didn't do it myself. The activation and recharging was pretty easy though. The only problem was that I had a hard time buying RMB credits when I was in Beijing like the above poster mentioned. I couldn't find recharge cards for it. Weird. Someone told me that because my number was from Shanghai, I had to do it there and the recharging coupons were only for Beijing. But then I was able to have my phone recharged at the PEK airport.

So, for travelers heading that way, wait to get your chips there. It's very easy and not worth the extra $$$ if you buy them from the internet. In fact, go ahead and buy your phones there too. Prices are pretty competitive but there are models you can't find in the US.

Thanks,

Timfucius