Travel Technology - Please Help This TechnoDummy! KUL, TPE, then PEK. How to Buy/Rent GSM Phone?

Thanks in advance, y'all!

I am in these three main cities (in that oprder), a week each this month, and am completely overwhelmed by the ideas of:

1) buy or rent a mobile phone?

2) how to not get taken advantage of?

3) where to buy/rent phone or SIM card (and what does SIM stand for, anyway?)

4) I don't mind changing phone numbers and am thinking that if I find a reliable store, for phones and then SIMs, they will show me how to dial/use/install cars?

Is there a simple website where I could read more info on how this all works? The ones I am finding assume I know basic info, which I do not.

:confused: :D

Thanks, again.

Thanks in advance, y'all!

I am in these three main cities (in that oprder), a week each this month, and am completely overwhelmed by the ideas of:

1) buy or rent a mobile phone?

2) how to not get taken advantage of?

3) where to buy/rent phone or SIM card (and what does SIM stand for, anyway?)

4) I don't mind changing phone numbers and am thinking that if I find a reliable store, for phones and then SIMs, they will show me how to dial/use/install cars?

Is there a simple website where I could read more info on how this all works? The ones I am finding assume I know basic info, which I do not.

:confused: :D

Thanks, again.

First of all, is your phone a GSM phone with tri-band capabilities? Also, is your phone locked or unlocked? If you're phone is GSM with tri-band, then you can use abroad. If your phone is unlocked, then you're in luck. You can by a prepaid SIM (which stands for Subscriber Identification Module), card in each of the cities that you've listed. You can purchase these at mobile phone stores, 7 11, or at the airport. They price range for a prepaid sim starts at USD 10 to about 25. Much better than paying roaming charges.

Is there a simple website where I could read more info on how this all works? The ones I am finding assume I know basic info, which I do not.

This site has pretty straightforward explanations http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm
And this one tells you what prepaid services are available in each country
http://www.prepaidgsm.net/

It would be helpful if we knew a little more. Such things as do plan to make a lot of calls or just want to be reachable in an emergency, where do you plan to call (in country or international) are you more interested in convenience, low cost or are both important to some degree, do you have a phone in the US and so forth?

Ok, right, thanks.

I have a very inexpensive US Cell phone with Sprint. It is a CDMA, I think?, which means that it is not usable in these three citites.

I will be using the phone about 30 minutes a day to equally make and receive calls ... only from/to the USA. (If I did not to receive calls, I could just get a calling card, I think. But I do need to receive calls.)

I am more interested in low cost.

So far, it sounds I am getting these points (and from the "GSM in BKK" thread) I need to:

a)buy a "tri-band GSM phone"?

b)And get a new SIM card when I arrive at the airport?

c) But where does one get this phone and what would it cost?

d)I guess I will have to get it in my first stop in KUL and have them unlock it for me?

e) this phone will be usable in Europe and the US, too?
Thanks, again.

Joe

Okay. that helps. You can buy an unlocked, triband GSM phone from a variety of online dealers or from Ebay. Prices range from under $100 to the sky, but there are wide range of good phones in the roughly $90 to $200 range new. I have purchased phones from www.expansys.com although there are a wide range of other dealers. Expansys may not be the absolute lowest price but they are pretty good and quite reliable in my experience. Perhaps others can chime in. If you purchase a phone from Expansys or a number of the other dealers online they will usually come already unlocked. Almost all phones at Expansys are unlocked and they are marked on the website as to whether they are or are not unlocked. One caveat is the frequency. There are basically 4 GSM phone frequencies. The majority of the triband phones are 900, 1800 and 1900. That is what you want. Cingular in the US uses an 850 instead of the 900 and phones designed for them will only be able to use the 1800 frequency while travelling. That will work in most areas but may be limiting so if your use is primarily outside the US then I would recommend sticking with the 900, 1800, 1900 versions.

A phone like this will work in virtually any country in the world, including the US. Europe is blanketed with GSM coverage, I think that is all they have. Ive been able to make calls on a GSM phone from the ruins of a bronze age village in Dartmoor in Devon. You can buy prepaid GSM cards in the US as well to use with Cingular, TMobile or some smaller carriers. If you do some searches here you can find out about different prepaid options in the US. Places where a GSM phone wont work are Japan and Korea.

In most countries you can buy a prepaid card at the airport and just put it in your phone and off you go. I dont have specific experience in the countries you mention but perhaps others can chime in.

A forum like this, but dedicated to cell phones exists at www.howardforums.com It has some goofballs on it to be honest, who are rather prone to being overly dogmatic, but it also has a huge wealth of knowledge about cell phones.

In PEK in the baggage claim area, there's a small kiosk that sells SIM cards and top-up cards. I recall the SIM card being 100 CNY (about US $12) and the top up cards in 100 and 500 CNY denominations.

The 100 CNY amounts are billed in 6 second increments and works out to about US$1 per minute. You may find cheaper plans but this was the easiest for me.

There are these kiosks sprinkled through the PEK airport and the girls who man these will actualy dial the numbers and add the top-ups for you.

And lastly, they will take all sorts of foreign currency. I used a mix of HK dollars and Canadian dollars!

ebay is a good place to also get an unlocked GSM phone if you don't have one and want something cheap and basic.

In TPE exit terminal, you will find a cell phone kiosk to your right, it's not hard to miss. You can get sim cards for like 500NT ~$16, I believe it is the lowest denomination. You need two forms of ID to purchase SIM card (this rule applies to Taiwanese nationals and foreigners, they are very strict about this).
Incoming calls are free. You can also make international direct calls, the rate is the same as if you were dialing from a landline but depending on which international carrier you use, you will be charged accordingly. You do not need to purchase phone card since the rate is very competitive.
There are three major cell phone companies in Taiwan. Their rates are similar. I used this one before, I have on complain
http://www.tcc.net.tw/eng/

In KUL, you can buy a DIGI SIM card for RM8.50. With RM 5.0 talk time. Incoming calls are free. Calls to the US cost 48 sen a minute and as you talk more, the rate drops down.