Data SIM cards in China?
 

One thing I am considering when taking the overnight sleeper from Pyongyang to Beijing is to have a 3G simcard available so I can surf the Internet at the very least after crossing the border. How easy is this to obtain for non Chinese residents/citizens? I have a little modem device which works as a wifi for my computer (and my usual mobile phone) where I can insert the SIM card into. I just need the data, not any phonecalls or something like that. As the train crosses over the border during the day there would be enough dead time to kill while in Chinese "railspace".

Data sims are pretty easy to buy and use (no need to register unless things have changed recently). Google Fi is also an okay option if you don't want to bother with a VPN.

The problem will be for you to have the SIM before you arrive to China unless you buy it in Dandong

There are lots of data sims on ebay at reasonable prices.

Well I plan on buying it before heading to DPRK in Beijing. Unicom looks like the largest company. I think I do remember some place at the airport selling SIM cards at PEK, but I have only arrived through terminal 2 and not terminal 3 which I will arrive in April. My knowledge in Mandarin is extremly limited though so there is a reason why I would try at the airport where there is probably more likely someone would speak any English at all.

I had to 'register' at PVG for a phone + data card last week. Well... sort of... they took a picture of me, passport, and SIM card package (with number) all in the one shot. Don't know if they send this off somewhere or just hold it 'in case'. Only took 30 seconds.

I ordered a SIM from China Unicom and had it delivered (for free! :) ) to the hotel in Beijing. I think they only deliver within China, but you can try and see if they'll ship to somewhere in DPRK if that fits your sked better.

2GB data-only is $35 USD.

https://www.mychinaunicom.com/index.jsp

Your plan will last 90d. If you add a voice package, then you'll have the ability to extend your plan by an additional 365d which is useful if you have any plans to return to China.

Sure, registration itself is quick/painless. It's spending an hour+ waiting for their number to be called that people dislike.

Delivery appears free but at this price it is already included in what you paid.

MyChinaUnicom is a lot more expensive than what you would actually get from China Unicom.

I agree. In fact, half of me thinks that it's a scam outfit trying to pass itself off as Unicom.

So do they sell this in Terminal 3 arrivals area or something? Just to make clear I am not intending to get it delivered into DPRK of course, just want to buy it in Bejing and bring it with me and then use it after crossing the border into China on the train as I do have a device which can act as a modem and share wifi. Infact my computer supports having a SIM card in it so I do not need the device really, but maybe my friend wants some connection.

There is a China Mobile counter in terminal 3 in the luggage carousel area.

Update on this - was easy to get in the terminal 3 luggage carousel area. They even accept foreign credit cards so I could pay with that (which is good in what is still a cash economy at least when it comes to foreign cards, McDonalds for instance only accept the UnionPay). The woman behind the counter also spoke English - I could easily access the Internet on the train from Dandong and to Beijing. It also worked fine with the VPN tunnel to Norway so I could access all the blocked websites - ie post out a message on Facebook that I survived North Korea and use Gmail (which is for some reason blocked in China - did not remember it was blocked on my last visit in 2014)...

Highly recommend this if you are travelling by train and things get abit boring or simply need to use Google Maps in the city etc.

I plan to go to Wuhan later. Can I get the SIM at Wuhan airport for my iphone 6?

can someone explain the Data Sim ? How does it work?

A data SIM is one that has a data allowance on it. Some SIMS are for phone calls only (or primarily for phone calls), some are for data, some are both.

Thanks for the info.
Can we use data sim for Whatsapp?
Will we have a new phone number with data sim?

Gmail is blocked because Google won't agree to Chinese censorship so China blocks all things Google. Note that this includes things like recaptcha.

As for trains--we took one, wi-fi on board (as with other public Wi-Fi in China you need to be able to receive a text message to use it--they do not allow anonymous use of public Wi-Fi, although hotel Wi-Fi doesn't use this rule.) However, the connection between the Wi-Fi and the internet was spotty once we were past Suzhou.

SIMs in China are the same as other places. A SIM will come with its own number. If you take out your old SIM and put in the new one from China then you will have a Chinese number.

Whatsap has nothing to do with the phone number. It is over the internet. If you have data you are fine. You can change your SIM card and it does not matter. Your account id remains the same.

When in China, you might also consider roaming. There are data packages in the region that cover also China. I got one such in Singapore at Changi airport, Starhub Happy prepaid. It includes roaming in many Asian countries, China included + the Anglo-Saxon ones. No Great firewall, no registration (or actually they register in S: pore when you buy it), good 4G speeds.

The same strarter pack served me well in SG, MY, HK and CN. If you travel around Asia, one such card might be more useful than the China specific ones.

Yep, when I'm in China I now use a CMHK SIM with a daily rate for mainland use when I'm here short-term (or need lots of data) and book fixed amounts of data when I'm here longer.

Hi,
thanks for the info.

Hi,
thanks a lot for the info.