KarensuePDX

I am having trouble finding out where to rent a cell phone here in Shenzhen.

My phone isn't "unlocked" so buying a sim card isn't an option.

I would really appreciate some help with this.

Thanks!

BDLORD

Rumor has it some Verizon phones work.
Try the airport, google it.
You can also call the hotel you are staying at and ask.
Good luck

KweezyFlyer

www.pandaphone.com

erik123

You could buy one for (much) less then the rental fee.

Internaut

Yes, according to a friend who is teaching English near Shanghai, just find a phone shop where someone speaks sufficient English to sell you something.

SMS might be complicated without help though (something to do with having to register the phone/number and address - my friend still cannot send or receive SMS messages though I can call him - I've not had time to deliver some tech support in that respect).

Regards
I

driftings

If hopping over to Hong Kong is an option, they have excellent prices on unlocked GSM phones and sell Chinese SIM cards as well. Plenty of English spoken at the airport and elsewhere. Good luck.

moondog

low end phones start at around y300. ....and, if you really want to cut costs, you could always pick up a used phone at an electronics market like the one on women's street in beijing.

but, a good phone might not be a bad investment if you are a frequent traveler. many of the current top end nokia and sony-ericsson phones work pretty much everywhere, including japan/korea.

it's true that hk is a better place to buy phones than the prc because they get the new models sooner and prices are a bit cheaper. that said, china isn't that bad.

phones purchased in the us/uk/etc are much cheaper, of course, because their prices are subsidized by subscription agreements. furthermore, unlocking a phone (whether done by cingular et al or a private party) is pretty easy these days. the only downsides i can think of going this route are: 1) us cell providers rarely offer the latest models; and 2) you're unlikely to get asian language support. software upgrades can often address #2

dtsm

Moondog is right re new phones: USA/UK, etc. have better buys but you must also sign up for 1 or 2 yr contract.

Both HK and China have outlets for used (and key here: unlocked) phones that are reliable and just what the doctor ordered. Tri/quad band more costly than dual-band. If you plan to use only in non-american areas, dual-band is more than adequate.

In the end, used phone with prepaid sim is better way to go. Most prepaid can be topped off so that at least one year term.

PTravel

Verizon phones do work in many cities in China. The roaming charges are on the high side (as I recall, a couple of bucks a minute), but the service is pretty reliable. I keep a quad-band GSM phone I bought on eBay for $60 bucks just for travel -- SIM cards are cheap in China and readily availble; there are shops and even SIM street vendors everywhere.

GadgetFreak

Going to Beiing in a couple weeks. Am I reading the United Mobile info on www.prepaidgsm.net correctly that incoming calls are free on the cell phone in China?? Im just a bit confused about the origination and destination zones but think that those apply only to outgoing calls. Also, has anyone used a United Mobile card in Beijing and can comment on the service? Thanks.

moondog

I just sent you a PM, but for the benefit of the rest, the "perks" gap between China Mobile and Unicom has closed quite a bit over the past 2 months; now, they are pretty much on even footing. The flipside (and the motivation for CM's competitive responses) is that Unicom has made significant improvments in the reliability arena recently so the playing field is more or less level.

But, some of the old tenants still hold true (e.g. never buy a SIM at the airport and definitely pay the Y10 for free incoming if you think you'll need it).

As an aside, CM international rates have dropped substantially in recent months. While I'm not positive the new rates apply to prepaid (I think they do), it only costs y1.2 per minute to call the US, Canada, Japan, and Korea now, and y2 to call ~25 other frequently called countries.

civicmon

There are SIM cards for sale all over PEK itself. They sell'em in the arrivals/customs hall, right outside and in little stands all over the place.

Not sure what those prices are, but in all honesty, gotta be blind to really miss them.

moondog

You'll pay a solid y100 premium if you buy there (not such a big deal, but kind of silly IMO).

civicmon

oye, that's good to know....

like most things, usually a catch. That's it.

dtsm

Does that mean we don't need to dial the 17951 access code to get the cheaper IDD rates now?