Q: How do you travel internationally and use your mobile phone … without running up a huge bill?

It is possible to save 80% on your cell phone bills when traveling abroad and to limit your expenditures. People often ask about this, so I thought that I’d post the best practices, while supporting a variety of choices, from using your own phone and service plan to purchasing a phone abroad, international dialing, electrical adaptors for charging, and more. All of which you’ll need to know. My primary recommendation is to purchase service when you are there using a “Prepaid SIM.” While the simplest choice is to take your existing phone, the least expensive is to purchase Prepaid service abroad (that works for many countries).

Benefits: 80% Savings and Limit Your Cell Phone Charges

In addition to major savings, another major benefit of using this recommendation is that you can budget and control the amount of money spent on cell phone use when traveling. I’ll describe this for a hypothetical student/traveller who is traveling abroad for the first time, but the recommendations apply to anyone traveling abroad and who is calling locally or back to the U.S.

• Budget: The amount that you wish to allocate to spend calling home is entirely up to you.  With a prepaid account, you can not accidentally run up a large cell phone bill when traveling. You can deposit a budgeted amount into your Prepaid account, and add to it if you wish.
• Savings: For example, if you send a text message a couple of times per day and makes a long phone call every other day or so, over a 3-week trip you’ll spend only $13 (and save $50 or more).

Simplest Plan: Take your existing phone

If you already have a cell phone, they you may be able to take your existing phone with you, but be prepared to pay very high rates for voice and text—over $1/minute and $0.35/text—since you will be Internationally Roaming and making International calls/texts. This is a great option to use if you expect that your son/daughter will hardly ever use the phone. This option is possible if you already have a GSM phone (the world standard for mobile phones, provided by AT&T, T-Mobile and others); if you have service from a CDMA carrier (Alltel, Sprint, Verizon) then your existing phone will not work abroad and you will have to get a new phone (your existing carrier offers special, WorldMode phones that can work abroad, but these phones are very expensive). If you are unsure whether you have a GSM phone and can use your existing phone, then please check out this post (with clear illustrations).

What to Do, Before You Depart

Just call your carrier’s Customer Care department (just dial 611 from your cell phone; it is a free call) and let them know that you want to use your phone when traveling internationally. Things to check on this call, before you depart:

• Is my phone capable of making calls on international networks?
  (Your phone needs to support the international GSM frequencies, which are different from those used in the U.S.  Your phone should be a “Quad band” phone that works on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies)
• Does my service plan allow me to roam internationally and make international calls?
  (To reduce fraud, most service plans have this option disabled, so you simply need to ask to turn it on. This will not incur a charge, but it allows you to make calls to the U.S. while roaming abroad)

Avoid Unwanted, Incoming Calls: To avoid unexpected charges from incoming calls while you are abroad, you may also wish to keep your phone turned off until you desire to use it to originate a call or text message. You would be surprised to find out, when you return, that you are charged international rates for calls that ring your phone—even those that you do not answer and that go to voice mail—for the amount of time that the caller is speaking.

Avoid Data Charges: To avoid exorbitant charges for mobile Internet (“data” charges, for web browsing, location-based services, email, etc.), you may wish to turn off data services on your phone or to simply avoid using the device for data services. International charges for data services are very costly and additional to your regular plan, and unwary travelers can incur bills of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Cheapest Plan: Take your existing phone and get Prepaid service there

The least expensive way to make calls abroad is to (a) take a phone that is compatible and (b) obtain prepaid service from a European mobile carrier. You will be able to call the U.S. for $0.07/minute and send text for $0.15—nearly as inexpensive as calling within the U.S.! Additionally, you can budget and control the amount spent on cell phone use (since the charges are quote different than those incurred at home, they can unexpectedly add up!).

What to Do, Before You Depart

If you have a compatible mobile phone, then you can take it with you and use the phone with a Prepaid account that you will obtain from a European carrier. The trick is that you will purchase your service from the European carrier when you arrive and that will provide you with the lowest possible rates. If you lack a compatible mobile phone (e.g., you have a CDMA phone or no phone), you can still use this option: you simply need to get a compatible phone when you land.

If you already have a GSM phone, then you just have a couple of things to check with your carrier’s Customer Care (just dial 611 from your cell phone; it is a free call) before you depart:

• Is my phone capable of making calls on international networks?
  (Your phone needs to support the international GSM frequencies, which are different from those used in the U.S.  Your phone should be a “Quad band” phone that works on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies)
• Is my phone “unlocked”?
  Phones are typically locked—for use only with a specific carrier—when they are purchased in the U.S. with a service plan. Just ask your carrier to unlock the phone to allow you to use it abroad with another carrier’s service plan.

Budget your Spend: You can budget the amount that you will place in your prepaid account and spend while traveling. Just give your ambassador the amount that you desire to spend, and they can deposit his amount (in their Prepaid SIM account) when they land in Europe. Like a debit card, they can recharge or “top up” their account if they use up all of their account.

Any unused funds will not go to waste, as you can always use the additional minutes after (s)he returns to the U.S.! Naturally, it would be most convenient if you provide those funds in the local currency (British Pounds if you arrive in the UK, or Euros elsewhere)—just call your bank and they will happily provide foreign currency before your trip.

What to Do, When You Arrive

You have a single, simple transaction to complete, ideally in the airport while you are waiting for your baggage to arrive (Example: Vodafone retail store in London Heathrow Airport). In the airport, go to the Retail Store of a major mobile carrier (I recommend Vodafone since they provide the best coverage across Western Europe) and ask to purchase the combination of:

• a basic, prepaid SIM card
  (allowing you to budget how much you wish to spend on calling and SMS, and you can add funds to it at any time, e.g. Vodafone’s “Pay As You Go” plan)
• an international calling plan that provides the best international calling/texting rates
  (e.g., “Vodafone International”)—a desirable option

You are ready to travel and call or text anywhere! Just remember to dial/text using International Dialing (see “Dialing an International Number”), which includes the country code, to avoid calling the wrong party.

What If I Lack a (compatible) Cell Phone?

If you do not have a compatible mobile phone (e.g., you have a CDMA phone or no phone), you can still use the lowest-cost option. You simply need to get a compatible phone first: before you travel (at an AT&T or T-Mobile store) or when you land (at the Retail Store for a European mobile provider, such as Vodafone). If you are unsure whether you have a compatible phone, please read this post “Can I use my existing phone?“. After you get your phone, go back and complete the following section “Cheapest Plan: Take your existing phone and get Prepaid service there.”

I have no cell phone and want to start using one

To get a phone before you leave, you could go to the local wireless store and sign up for a GSM service plan: monthly or prepaid. But be clear about your intent to use the phone with a different carrier’s prepaid account while abroad and insist that they unlock the phone before you purchase anything. Also, be sure that the phone is compatible for use on International networks (you’ll want a “Quad-band GSM phone” that operates on the standard, international frequencies).

• Prepaid Plan
  This can be an excellent way to start using cellular service if you do not yet have a cell phone plan. You can start cellular service that you can use when you return and get a phone that you can use abroad. Your initial costs will be slightly higher as you are paying for the mobile phone up front (instead of paying for is over many months of a service plan). I strongly recommend prepaid service for early cell phone users, as it allows you to budget your expenditures and can be far less costly than a monthly plan. You will get a GSM phone (which comes with a SIM card representing your U.S. prepaid plan). I recommend T-Mobile as they offer the lowest rates and best customer service, although you’ll want to be sure that the carrier provides good service where you’ll use it—check their online coverage map before purchasing.
• Monthly Plan
  Your initial costs will be lower since you are paying for the cell phone in monthly installments as part of your monthly plan, which you are obligated to pay for many months.

I have no cell phone and do not want to start using one

You may avoid buying a phone for use internationally (avoiding a significant cost) and simply borrow a friend’s phone for a moment to make a call/text using her phone and your service plan—by placing your SIM card in her phone before you call/text and removing it after you are done. Simply follow the section “Cheapest Plan: Take your existing phone and get Prepaid service there” and purchase a Prepaid Service plan from a European mobile provider when you arrive and periodically use a friend’s phone (see “SIM card?” section, below, for details).

Autor: ryanairblog

Schlechte Nachrichten gibt am heutigen Montag, den 30. November 2009 bekannt.
Die Visa Electron-Card, welche bisher für Flugbuchungen auf Ryanair.com kostenlos benutzt werden kann, wird zum 01. Januar 2010 gebührenpflichtig.

Im Gegenzug dazu wird die Mastercard Prepaid nun das neue gebührenfreie Zahlungsmittel.

Was mach von dieser Entscheidung halten soll, bleibt wohl jedem selbst überlassen. Das es für Tausende Passagiere, die bisher wegen Ryanair eine Visa-Electron beantragt hatten zu Zusatzkosten kommt, ist nicht von der Hand zu weisen.

Ein gutes Angebot hat mal wieder Entropay. Sie bieten eine kostenlose Prepaid Mastercard an.

Die Pressemitteilung findet ihr auf ryanair.com

Regulamin

24 November another beautiful day in paradise waiting on the same bus I’ve been taking to work every day for the last one and a half year. I see the shimmering light of the bus’ window reflection on the top of the hill, I get in line to board, I hear the bus driver say “you cannot pay cash!” to the passenger in front of me, I quickly jump in thinking I can explain to him that he is wrong, after all, I received an email from Translink several days ago and it’s not till 2010 that you can’t pay cash anymore! He wouldn’t hear of it, so I ask “do you mean to say we need to get off the bus because you don’t accept cash!?” his short answer was “yes”, a few more unkind words were exchanged that I normally would not dare take in my mouth in public, but I can tell you that I was very displeased with the disorganized planning of Brisbane’s transport. I think I can also speak for the other countless people I saw still sitting and waiting at the bus stop (for a bus that does take cash) when I drove by in the car half an hour later than normal.

The reason I was fuming with anger:

• never had I seen one sign saying “this bus is going to stop taking cash on ….. and you need to“, I have seen the ads for ice age 3 that clearly are more important than advertising something far more important
• if Translink thinks that getting the grumpy bus driver (who would rather be somewhere else) to mumble “this is a pre-paid service” is sufficient then they should seriously think about firing the person who came up with that idea, as only now do I realize what message he was TRYING to convey, but at the time it meant nothing to me, it certainly did not mean ‘from November 2009 we will stop accepting cash, you need to…’
• I came in two hours late at the job where I’m still on probation and had a very stressful morning
• when I called Translink on 13 12 30 at 8:06am 23 Nov I got to speak to John who was adamant that the bus service I’ve been taking had already stopped taking cash months ago “sorry John, but don’t tell me that I’ve not been paying cash up till today”, “John, let me speak to your supervisor”……. 6 minutes on hold, yes, six whole minutes, I assume he was hoping for me to hang up instead I was keeping track of time so I could include it in my complaint to Translink, again John came back on the phone repeating himself, not putting me through to his supervisor, I started wondering whether John could actually put me through since he sounded like he was in a country where the number one job is telephone customer disservice, you know what I mean, I gave up!

Let’s talk about this go card or (go kart as my wife understood I was needing to buy to get to work). First of all I don’t like to be forced into something, secondly I really hate it when a large organisation like Translink can’t plan something this important properly, thirdly, what in gods name am I going to do when circumstances arise where my go card credit plus topping has run out? Let’s say I can’t top up my card in time, don’t have access to the Internet or the time to do it, I certainly can’t pay with CASH! I guess I better train up to be Brisbane’s fittest so I can run to work.

Let’s have a look at some of the emails I received from Translink before the incident:

Friday 20 Nov 2009
“Single trip paper tickets will still be available under the new fare structure until they are removed in December 2010.” 2010 hence my surprise when being kicked out of the bus while still in 2009.

“go card users have realised how much easier travel is when not having to fumble through their bags looking for change, buying a ticket and putting away their change”, instead I now carry around two kilo’s in coins that I can’t spend on the bus anymore every day.

“With a pre-paid ticket or go card there is no need to look for change and fewer delays when boarding the bus, helping both passengers and drivers have a stress-free trip.” stress free!? You’ve just added to my already stressful day by having to think about touching off when exiting, not to mention all those times these go box gadgets on your buses don’t work, euh is it 20% of the time they don’t work or more? What about when you’re waiving it for 30 seconds only to find out the bus driver hasn’t turned it on yet.

Monday 23 Nov 2009
“There will be a two-week amnesty so passengers can still buy tickets if they need to on board buses until Friday, November 27.” I guess my bus must have been an exception to the rule, ooh and John, how can you say my bus has been paperless for months?

Yes I see the advantage of the go card, but don’t stop accepting cash and force me to use what YOU think is best.

PS. Thanks Translink for a great service and now not having to exchange any words at all anymore with the bus driver…

PPS. Is this part of a bigger conspiracy to phase cash out all together?

Well, i am experiencing certain problems with a company called EzRecharge.

Please check out that listing and post your experiences with the same company.

Edit: This morning i am greeted by an e-mail from Ccavenue. According to them, the transaction failed. They have promised the amount back – within two business days!

Electronic Phone Top-up - 1-2-Call

I wrote before here about how prevalent prepaid calling plans are for mobile phones in Thailand. Here’s an example of a top-up for 100 Baht generated on-the-spot at a 7-11 store. It’s only for phones provided by 1-2-Call.

This replaces the attractive printed top-up cards that have a number on a scratch-off portion on the back.

It must save 1-2-Call and its vendors a lot in distribution and security costs. Top-up cards are like cash.

I guess the only drawbacks are

• If any part of the federated computer system between the store and 1-2-Call fails they cannot sell top-ups. I have never seen any problems but I bet they happen, especially in country areas.
• There are not any advertising or promotional opportunities with these tickets printed on a thermal printer in the store. With Happy I have seen all sorts of cross-promotions on their printed cards.
• As with stamps, some people like to collect unused top-up cards and keep them in albums, trade them and so on. That’s great revenue for the telco. Nobody will collect cash register tapes will they?

Aus dem Hause eteleon stammt die neue Discount discoSURF UMTS-Flatrate
, die im T-Mobile-Netz realisiert wurde. Bei dieser Flatrate gibt es lediglich eine Vertragslaufzeit von nur sechs Monaten. Wie das News Portal Prepaidkarten-News berichtet, gibt es für die neue UMTS-Flatrate noch eine Sonderaktion. Bis zum 30. November 2009 gibt es den original T-Mobile UMTS-Surfstick für nur 9,95 Euro. Zu den rund 10,00 Euro für den UMTS-Stick kommt für den Neukunden eine Anschlussgebühr von 24,95 Euro dazu. Es bleibt also zusammen trotzdem ein absolutes Schnäppchen.

Die meisten Anbieter bieten ihre Flatrate nur in 24 monatigen Laufzeitverträgen an. Auch der Preis von nur 19,95 Euro im Monat schlägt alle anderen Discounter um Längen. Damit ist discoSURF der preisgünstigste Anbieter zurzeit auf dem Markt.

Aufgrund der Nutzung des T-Mobile-Netzes ist eine Übertragungsgeschwindigkeit von bis zu 7,2 Mbit/s beim Download möglich, weil der mitgelieferte UMTS-Surfstick sowie das Netz HSDPA unterstützen. Das maximale Datenvolumen bei der discoSURF UMTS-Flatrate liegt bei 5 Gigabyte. Wird diese Grenze überschritten, kann jedoch weiter gesurft werden. Es wird lediglich die Datenübertragung auf GPRS-Geschwindigkeit gedrosselt. Bei einer GPRS-Geschwindigkeit handelt es sich um eine Übertragungsrate von 16 Kbit/s im Upload und 64 Kbit/s im Download.

Es sollte aber dazu gesagt werden, der Preis in Höhe von 19,95 Euro gilt nur in den ersten sechs Monaten. Danach erhöht sich die monatliche Gebühr auf 29,95 Euro. Aber auch mit diesem Preis liegt discoSURF mit 10,00 Euro unter der vergleichbaren Flatrate von T-Mobile selbst.

Nähere Infos im dazugehörigen Artikel von Prepaidkarten-News.de

Sometimes reading the newspapers makes me proud.
I read some Norwegian newspapers every day and last week there was an article in the largest one about the future of banking. It was about how people will be able to use their mobile phones more to do simple payments and money transfers. According to the article this will all be available in 2012.
Isn’t it great that we have Towah? In Towah members have been able to send funds to anyone with a mobile phone anywhere in the world since 2005.
http://www.vg.no/iphone/article.php?tab=nyheter&artid=592459
So while competitors in the finance and payment world try to figure out how to do what Towah is already doing, we can focus on expanding our services and increasing our security.
Since 2005 Towah has linked the Towah accounts to the owners’ mobile phones. This is a very important system that enables Towah to develop next generation security systems as well as increasing service availability.
I suppose you all have seen the myriad of security gadgets that are presented to bank account owners worldwide.
I have several myself. Some are electronic “calculators” where you press a button and a multi digit number comes up. This is one of the systems used to help secure my money held by the bank. Other systems include scratch cards and several other gadgets.
The problem with all these small technical devices is that you may not always have them with you when you need them. And without them you cannot do anything. No payments, no transfers, nothing.
Let me ask you one question:
Which electronic gadget do you always carry around with you?
I bet most of you would answer: My mobile phone.
In Towah we have therefore focused on how to make your mobile phone your security gadget. And I can promise you this: We will launch several security systems based on the link between your mobile phone and your Towah account.
Make sure you register your new phone number with Towah if you change phone number. To see how to do it, go to this address and follow instructions: http://towahgroup.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=76&Itemid=231

Have a great week with extra Towah security and the fantastic Towah MasterCard prepaid card.

Towah – simply safe 

Recently MTNL had launched 3G SIM 80 for new customers which offers voice and video call rates at reduced call rates. The call rates were 20p on MTNL network, both Mumbai and Delhi, 50p on other local networks and 75p for STD calls. Now MTNL is offering similar call rates and benefits to its existing customers through Bonus Coupon 108. The cost of the coupon is Rs 108 with validity of 180 days. Apart from the call rates the key feature of this coupon is that voice and video call rates are similar which will encourage customers to experience video call.

Telecom space, which is marred with intensive tariff war, has forced MTNL to slash video call rates to abysmally low price. Remember, MTNL is the only operator offering 3G services in Mumbai, even then it had to equalize video and voice call rates to attract new customers which has become a Herculean task in present scenario.

Houdt u vast jongens en meisjes, het is een hele boterham. Weet goed dat wij het ondertussen al onder de knie hebben dus als je door de bomen het bos niet meer ziet, 03-789.19.42 of 052-45.17.01 bellen. Of even mailen naar info@posi-tief.com Dan helpen we u zo verder.

met herlaadkaart

Pay&Go Flex

Promo: € 0,145/min. tot de zomer i.p.v. € 0,29/min.

• € 0,12/sms
• € 0,25/mms

Na een herlaadbeurt van € 10:

• 150 gratis belminuten 24/24 naar vaste lijnen
  OF
• 150 gratis belminuten tijdens het weekend naar Proximus en vaste lijnen
  OF
• 10% extra belkrediet

Na een herlaadbeurt van € 15 of meer:

• 600 gratis belminuten 24/24 naar vaste lijnen
  OF
• 600 gratis belminuten tijdens het weekend naar Proximus en vaste lijnen
  OF
• 20% extra belkrediet

De herlaadbonussen verander je zoveel je wil.
Typ #133*1# (bonus 1) of #133*2# (bonus 2) of #133*3# (bonus 3) en druk Verzenden.

Pay&Go Generation

• Piekuren:
  Promo : € 0,50/min tot de zomer i.p.v. € 0,25/min

   

  • € 0,12/sms
  • € 0,25/mms
  • € 0,50/surfsessie
• Daluren:
  Promo : € 0,25/min tot de zomer i.p.v. € 0,125/min

   

  • € 0,06/sms
  • € 0,25/mms
  • € 0,50/surfsessie

• Na een herlaadbeurt van € 10: 600 gratis sms’en te gebruiken na 16 u en tijdens het weekend
• + 15 surfsessies om te chatten met vrienden, om te spelen, om logo’s en ringtones te vinden, of gewoon om te surfen op Facebook, Netlog, Twitter, Windows Live, enz. Surfsessies zijn 30 minuten lang en zijn gratis vanaf het Vodafone live!-portaal.
• Na een herlaadbeurt van € 15 of meer: 5 000 gratis sms’en te gebruiken 24/24

met factuur

Mobile 5

• 20 belminuten inbegrepen, geen extra voordelen
  € 0,25/min, €0.15/sms & €0.25/MMS

Evening&Weekend

Mobile 10 Evening&Weekend

• 10 belminuten inbegrepen
• € 0,24/min, €0.11/sms & €0.25/MMS

Mobile 20 Evening&Weekend

• 40 belminuten + 20 sms’en inbegrepen
• € 0,22/min, €0.11/sms & €0.25/MMS

Mobile 30 Evening&Weekend

• 80 belminuten + 40 sms’en inbegrepen
  € 0,20/min, €0.11/sms & €0.25/MMS

600 gratis belminuten ’s avonds en tijdens het weekend naar alle netwerken
Geldig op werkdagen van 19 u ’s avonds tot 7 u ’s morgens
Geldig van vrijdag 19 u tot maandag 7 u ’s morgens. Ook geldig op feestdagen
Wanneer uw minuten of sms’en opgebruikt zijn, worden uw oproepen en berichten aangerekend volgens het geldende tariefplan.
Ongebruikte minuten of sms’en van uw bundel zijn niet verloren maar worden overgedragen naar de volgende maand. Ze worden eerst verbruikt alvorens deze van de lopende maand te gebruiken.
Ongebruikte gratis minuten worden niet overgedragen naar de volgende maand.

Anytime

Mobile 10 Anytime

• 35 belminuten inbegrepen
• € 0,24/min, €0.11/sms & €0.25/MMS

Mobile 20 Anytime

• 40 belminuten + 20 sms’en inbegrepen
• € 0,22/min, €0.11/sms & €0.25/MMS

Mobile 30 Anytime

• 80 belminuten + 40 sms’en inbegrepen
• € 0,20/min, €0.11/sms & €0.25/MMS

300 gratis belminuten naar vaste lijnen in België voor Mobile 10
600 gratis belminuten naar vaste lijnen in België voor Mobile 20 en Mobile 30
Ongebruikte minuten of sms’en van uw bundel zijn niet verloren maar worden overgedragen naar de volgende maand. Ze worden eerst verbruikt alvorens deze van de lopende maand te gebruiken.
Ongebruikte gratis minuten worden niet overgedragen naar de volgende maand.
Wanneer uw minuten of sms’en opgebruikt zijn, worden uw oproepen en berichten aangerekend volgens het geldende tariefplan.

Smile Exclusive

Smile Exclusive 50

• 400 belminuten / 400 sms’en inbegrepen
• € 0,18/min, €0.10/sms
• + 50 MB om te e-mailen op uw gsm overal in België

Smile Exclusive 80

• 700 belminuten / 700 sms’en inbegrepen
• € 0,15/min, €0.10/sms
• + 50 MB om te e-mailen op uw gsm overal in België

Smile Exclusive 110

• 1100 belminuten / 1100 sms’en inbegrepen
• € 0,10/min, €0.10/sms
• + 200 MB om te e-mailen en te surfen  op uw gsm overal in België
• + 30 minuten om te bellen of gebeld te worden binnen de Europese Unie

Generation MTV

Generation MTV 10

• € 0,25/min., € 0,06/sms , € 0,25/mms en € 0,15/surfsessie
• + 600 gratis sms’en + 15 gratis surfsessies

Generation MTV 20

• € 0,25/min., € 0,06/sms , € 0,25/mms en € 0,15/surfsessie
• + 10000 gratis sms’en + 15 gratis surfsessies

Generation MTV 30

• € 0,25/min., € 0,06/sms , € 0,25/mms en € 0,15/surfsessie
• + 10000 gratis sms’en + 15 gratis surfsessies

Gratis sms’en geldig naar alle netwerken in België met uitzondering van speciale nummers (voting, 0900, enz.).
Kies Generation MTV vóór 31/01/2010 voor 18 maanden en krijg uw bundel aan halve prijs gedurende 7 maanden

Optie Family Calls

• Per gezinslid (per maand) € 5 voor 10 uren
• Na de 10 inbegrepen uren € 0,115/min (wanneer u ook belt)
• Opgelet! De hoofdgebruiker betaalt de optie van alle gezinsleden. Dit wil zeggen dat alle gsm-nummers die de family call optie willen delen op 1 klantrekening moeten staan. Je hebt dus minstens 1 tariefplan met faktuur nodig.

Mobile Internet

met factuur

Mobile Internet 15 h

• € 14,99 maandelijkse kost
• 15 u(geldig 24u/7d) surftijd inbegrepen
• € 2,49/u indien u meer verbruikt dan 15u

Mobile Internet Evening&Weekend

• € 24,99 maandelijkse kost
• 2 GB inbegrepen (geldig tijdens daluren)
• € 0,03/MBindien u meer verbruikt dan 2GB

Mobile Internet Anytime

• € 34,99 maandelijkse kost
• 2 GB inbegrepen (geldig 24u/7d)
• € 0,03/MBindien u meer verbruikt dan 2GB

U ontvangt regelmatig een sms met uw verbruik als u Mobile Internet Evening&Weekend of Mobile Internet Anytime gebruikt (niet van toepassing bij Apple-besturingssystemen).

zonder factuur (Mobile Internet Pay&Surf)

U kunt eender wanneer online uw krediet controleren. Wanneer uw downloadvolume half opgebruikt is, zult u een sms ontvangen op uw datasimkaart. U kunt online herladen (voor minstens € 5) of herladen via een bankautomaat (voor minstens € 15). Na elke herlaadbeurt blijven uw surfdagen nog 12 maanden geldig. Na elke herlaadbeurt van minstens € 10 binnen 31 dagen krijgt u extra surfdagen gratis. Surfdagen zijn berekend als kalenderdagen, ze beginnen om 00u00 en eindigen om 23u59. Als u dus begint te surfen om 23u55, bent u 5 minuten later een dag verder.

• Bij een herlaadbeurt van € 5, krijgt u 2 dagen (100 MB datalimiet)
• Bij een herlaadbeurt van € 10, krijgt u 4 dagen + 2 gratis dagen dus 6 dagen (300 MB datalimiet)
• Bij een herlaadbeurt van € 15, krijgt u 6 dagen + 3 gratis dagen dus 9 dagen (450 MB datalimiet)
• Bij een herlaadbeurt van € 25, krijgt u 10 dagen + 5 gratis dagen dus 15 dagen (750 MB datalimiet)
• Bij een herlaadbeurt van € 50, krijgt u 20 dagen + 10 gratis dagen dus 30 dagen (1.500 MB datalimiet)

Internet op gsm

Hier zijn 2 mogelijkheden, via sessie’s van 30 minuten of met een datalimiet van 50MB.

Surf on Mobile Session

• 30 minuten per sessie
• € 0,50/sessie

Surf on Mobile 50MB

• 50 MB*
• € 15 /maand

Internet op Smartphones

Indien u weinig surft, kan u een van onderstaande opties activeren op uw bestaand abonnement.
Deze opties zijn duurder per gefactureerde eenheid, maar hebben geen maandelijkse kost.
Ideaal voor een echt kleine gebruiker dus.

Internet On GSM Access Time

• € 4,99 /uur
• U surft weinig, tarief gebaseerd op de tijd dat u online bent, gefactureerd aan € 0,42 /5 min.

Internet On GSM Access Volume

• € 0,50 /100 KB
• U surft weinig, tarief gebaseerd op het volume dat u verbruikt.

Indien u regelmatig wenst te surfen, raden wij u aan te kiezen voor een van onderstaande Internet On GSM- tariefplannen. U surft supersnel én voordelig.

Internet On GSM 100 MB

• € 9,99 maandelijkse kost
• 100 MB inbegrepen
• € 0,15/MB eens de 100MB verbruikt zijn

Internet On GSM 500 MB

• € 24,99 maandelijkse kost
• 500 MB inbegrepen
• € 0,03/MB eens de 100MB verbruikt zijn

Internet On GSM 2 GB

• € 34,99 maandelijkse kost
• 2 GB inbegrepen
• € 0,03/MB eens de 100MB verbruikt zijn

met factuur

postpaid 0

• €0 maandelijkse kost
• €0.18/min, €0.10/sms

postpaid 1

€0.18/min, €0.10/sms, €0.10/MMS naar BASE, €0.20/MMS naar anderen

€10 beltegoed

+ onbeperkt bellen naar BASE in het weekend
OF
+ 90 min/maand naar BASE 24/7
OF
+ 90 sms’en/maand naar BASE 24/7

€20 beltegoed

+ onbeperkt bellen naar BASE in het weekend
OF
+ 200 min/maand naar BASE 24/7
OF
+ 400 sms’en/maand naar BASE 24/7

postpaid 3

• €25 beltegoed
• onbeperkt bellen en sms’en naar BASE
• €0.12/MMS naar BASE

• naar andere nationale netwerken: €0.20/min, €0.10/sms, €0.24/MMS

postpaid 5

€25

• 150 minuten + 150 sms’en inbegrepen
• €0.20/min, €0.12/sms, €0.12/MMS naar BASE, €0.24/MMS naar anderen

€40

• 450 minuten + 450 sms’en inbegrepen
• €0.15/min, €0.10/sms, €0.10/MMS naar BASE, €0.20/MMS naar anderen

€80

• onbeperkt bellen, sms’en & mms’en + 500MB via gsm om te surfen of mailen
• €0/min, €0/sms, €0/MMS naar BASE, €0/MMS naar anderen

met herlaadkaart

€5

• €0,24/min, €0,12/sms, €0,12/MMS naar BASE, €0,12/MMS naar anderen
• + 10 min naar BASE 24/7
• + 10 sms’en naar BASE

€10

• €0,22/min, €0,12/sms, €0,12/MMS naar BASE, €0,12/MMS naar anderen
• + 120 sms’en naar BASE
• + 10% beltegoed naar anderen

• + 60 min naar BASE 24/7
  of
• + 700 min naar BASE in het weekend

€15

• €0,20/min, €0,12/sms, €0,12/MMS naar BASE, €0,12/MMS naar anderen
• + 180 sms’en naar BASE
• + 10% beltegoed naar anderen

• + 90 min naar BASE 24/7
  of
• + 700 min naar BASE in het weekend

€20

• €0,20/min, €0,12/sms, €0,12/MMS naar BASE, €0,12/MMS naar anderen
• + 360 sms’en naar BASE
• + 10% beltegoed naar anderen
• + 180 min naar BASE 24/7
  of
• + 700 min naar BASE in het weekend

opties

Onbeperkt sms’en vanaf je herlaadkaart

• om de optie onbeperkt sms’en naar BASE te activeren voor 5€ Sms gratis BASESMS naar 1912

• om de optie onbeperkt sms’en naar alle nationale netwerken te activeren voor 10€ Sms gratis ALLSMS naar 1912

Onbeperkt sms’en vanaf je abonnement

• om de optie onbeperkt sms’en naar BASE te activeren voor 5€/maand sms je gratis BASESMS naar 1908
• om de optie onbeperkt sms’en naar alle nationale netwerken te activeren voor 10€/maand sms je gratis ALLSMS naar 1908

PS: A lot of people on Twitter seemed distraught that the government didn’t symbolically do anything to observe the 26/11 anniversary. Well maybe this is it!

I think we have a fun telco ministry here in India. They make decisions rather quickly (when they do i.e.), and some of them are probably less desirable to a lot of firms, or consumers even. In the case that I speak of, it affects a mere (!) 3.8 million consumers who have been left bereft of any mobile services, since they live in the 370-ishly (in)secure  land.

I was in Jammu on a short trip a week back, and most relatives seemed concerned with the fact that their mobiles don’t ring anymore. While they were still receiving calls, recharge was banned, and outgoing calls  stopped. My (very) educated older relatives had accepted it as a response from the heavens- abandonment is almost a natural phenomena in the state, and almost everyone has nothing to say when “security concerns” are raised as an issue.

Personally, I don’t think I am against security orders etc. and I am a great believer in getting the user verification done properly before the connection is given out. In fact, not one person I know cribbed when it took us a week to get a prepaid Orange connection in the U.K. I am sure if the expectations are set right, the consumer in India also will be fine with verification as opposed to no connection (of course this doesn’t need to take a week!). However, with the complete disconnect here are my issues:

1. I personally know people who’re moving to “post”paid by giving the ID and photograph to people they “know” in BSNL / other service providers. Could the photo and ID collection spree not be done for prepaid also?
2. A lot of people are simply getting other “known” people to shift connections for them. Some families with multi-postpaid-SIMs are just allowing someone else to use the SIM. Are they being traced for security?
3. The service providers have done “nothing” to educate customers. How do you leave 3.8 mn in a limbo without any help and just cut them off?

Incidentally, I got views of two people – one rural (a cook) and my grandmother who I think never bother the operators, probably because they don’t generate much ARPU. And both of them were clueless about the what had happened- which is such a pity!

Kale (the cook) decided I was the person to speak to for mobiles (he had seen me throw a fit after my phone cracked as my mom decided to step on it happily). Stealthily escaping the discerning eye of my aunt, he asked me pointed questions on why his mobile could no longer recharge. I explained saying, now it wouldn’t recharge and he will need to go to the “provider” to change it to postpaid. The blank look I got was, well, not helpful. So, I began again. I asked him if he understood “Airtel”, had a “Ration Card” and a “Photo”. All that done, then I told him to go to Airtel and give them all these things, and tell them he will pay a “bill” like the electricity bill every month. This didn’t go well with him either. He immediately asked how much it would cost, and to that I had to tell him he could choose the same call rates- as Airtel (God!) guys would show him. The only difference was he would not “recharge” but just pay at the end of the month. He asked if he could see “how much is left” (talktime). And I went into further explanation. At the end of it, I wondered why on earth had Airtel not held an awareness camp or something. I had clearly done what they HAD to do!

My grandmother had an easier explanation. I overheard her talking to another old lady whose mobile had stopped working. My grandmother’s logic was (which she proudly boasted of) that her phone was “special” since my uncle (who works in BSNL) had given her the connection, hence it was working. Simple. Lucid. (One of the many reason why I like my grandmother so much).

Point is, WTH are the service providers and the government officials doing?!?

©Upasna Kakroo, 2009

by Carol Politi

Yes, we have introduced a plan for $14.99 per month that includes 60 minutes of Talk time and Unlimited Texting!  We have received a lot of great feedback on this plan so I wanted to highlight this plan specifically – it really does deliver on its promise.  It is a perfect plan for most tweens and young teens (and great for the rest of us that prefer texting to talking!).

What do you do if you want to take advantage of this great monthly price, but would really prefer your child not be texting all night?   Simply use kajeet parental controls to limit texting to those times when it will not be a distraction.  You can turn off calls and texts at night, during school, etc. (while still allowing parent and emergency numbers to be called/texted).

Do you use the 14.99 plan?  Please comment here and let us know how it is working for you.

$39.99 Unlimited Talk,
$49.99 Unlimited Talk+Text
$59.99 Unlimited Talk+Text+Pics+Vids,
$79.99 Unlimited Talk+Text+Data

Prepaid plans, with Post-paid available soon.

Bring your own Verizon, At&t, T-mobile handsets, and quickly activate them.

Great prices on Handsets, accessories, etc. too!

http://tobiakazmer.globalmobile1.com

Looking for a solid phone with a great plan that doesn’t make you sign your wireless soul away for 2 years? If so, then listen up as we got something you’ll definitely want to check out (trust me, you do). It’s called the Motorola Debut i856 for Boost Mobile (the one with the TV ads going “where you at?”), and for the past few days we have been putting it through its paces, and we came away pretty impressed with both the phone and Boost Mobile as a carrier.

Design and Features

The Debut i856 is pretty much your standard slider phone design. Small, nice and sturdy. It feels great in the hand– not too light though not too heavy– and really looks like a simple, solid phone. And it is, the 2.2 inch screen is pretty solid (though we don’t recommend watching movies or videos on it) and works fine for going about day to day tasks like texting, browsing the web playing music etc. Speaking of playing music, this has one loud speaker. Now this may be is because it has a built in walkie talkie, but hey I don’t mind if it means I get a solid speaker for music. The Debut is actually also a pretty music-focused phone, with a dedicated music key on the front of the phone to launch the music player, a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the side for using your regular headphones (always nice to have), a microSD card slot for adding music, as well as a “changing navigational pad” that switches from the normal arrows seen when the phone is in other tasks like taking pix, viewing texts or browsing the web, to a play/pause, rewind and fast forward icons. This was definitely pretty cool (kinda like what Motorola has done on phone like the Rokr E8 and Zine for T-Mobile, just obviously here on a much small scale).

Once you slide open the phone you get a couple of things. First is a traditional slide out keypad. The keypad is nice and has a good feel, but the buttons were hard to press making texting intially pretty tough. Now the texting experince on the phone itself isn’t impossible, and we really liked how there were threaded conversations in texts that made them look more like IM’s and conversations. One thing that was wierd about texting– all the texts we sent out to friends on Verizon appered for some reason as MMS messages and of some “high priority” instead of just as regular text messages. Not harmful, just again, weird.

You also get a camera when you slide up the phone, it’s 1.3 megapixel and took some solid pix and videos (again not “wow” worthy and gonna replace your regular camera with, but for such a small phone like this, it was pretty good). We wish though we didn’t always have to slide up the phone to get to the camera– again not terrible, just annoying.

Also, in the phone is a built in GPS, though there is no built in app on the phone to really test this out, and you’ll need to download the Boost Navigator app (which costs either $2 a day or $10 a month).

But most importantly, the call quality was impressively clear on both ends of the phone, so you’re covered in the actual “phone aspect”.

Web

While the browser isnt as capable as the one found on the droid, it performed well when loading up mobile versions of ESPN and TeenTechBlog (we had to test that out), though it doesn’t do YouTube videos. It also was very fast, and all this is really based on a solid job on Boost’s end.

Ok, so let’s give a little background on Boost. Like the prepaid services of AT&T (GoPhone) and Verzion (formerly known as INPulse), Sprint has its its own service called Boost. In a prepaid service, rather than using your phone with a 2 year contract to their service, you can instead PRE pay for minutes–either paying per day, monthly, per minute, or even picking up a prepay card with minutes from your local CVS, Walmart, Target. No contract and no heavy fees if you want to switch carriers, and oh yeah, $50 a month for unlimted talk, text, web, and walkie talkie.

So why doesn’t everyone do this? Well, what you save in the freedom to switch around carriers and the price per month, you lose in terms of phone selection and in higher prices for the phones upfront. For example, this same Debut i856 goes for $99.99 at Sprint’s site where you sign up for a 2 year contract, while at Boost your looking at $149.99. $50 more doesn’t sound like a lot, but on Boost and other prepaid services your choosing between 5-10 phones max, not the 30+ most carriers offer (you also don’t get phones like the BlackBerry, Pre, iPhone, Cliq or Droid on prepaid plans).

Ok, so back to Boost. They run on Sprint’s iDen network, or the stuff Nextel uses, and while it isn’t 3G, for doing things like simple browsing the web, texting and making calls, it more than gets the job done. Using it around the New York area I was pretty impressed with how great the service was– in some places where I’d usually lose reception on my iPhone, I had perfect with Boost, though reception still randomly dropped, even in places where I usually get great reception. Still, I gotta say that coverage wise, this is pretty solid (and again, since Boost runs on Sprint’s iDen network, you should get coverage in most states across the country, though like with all carriers, make sure to check online how it is in your area before buying).

Wrap Up

Ok, so that’s our thoughts on the Motorola Debut i856 for Boost Mobile, and overall, it’s a very solid simple phone that should definitely please anyone afraid of long term commitments or looking for something simple, yet giving a lot of bang for the buck.

While the great music player, call quality and speaker really gave this phone a lot of plusses, the tough keypad, and simple web browser, did hurt this phone. All in all,  we’re gonna give it a solid rating of 3 out of 5.

The Motorola Debut i856 is available now for $149.99 with NO 2 year contract, and you can order it from the Boost Mobile site here. BUT WAIT!!! DON’T CLICK THAT ORDER BUTTON YET!

Now here’s where were gonna go try something a little new– GIVEAWAY! The good folks over at Motorola have given us one of these guys to GIVE TO YOU! Yup, you can get one of your own without needing to spend a dime. How you ask? Well, we’ll have all the details on how you can win one in the coming days, so stay tuned!

The Leadership Management Institute (LMI) has been around for over 44 years helping individuals in ownership, leadership, management, supervisory and sales roles. LMI is focused on helping these individuals to become more effective, productive and profitable in their roles. Over the years, LMI has worked with over 10,000 businesses and over 100,000 individuals around the world creating some amazing results.

The local LMI team (The Results Group) has worked with over 300 SW Ohio companies over the past 18 years, including JTM Foods, LaRosa’s Pizza, and McCluskey Chevrolet. We love facilitating the change process and seeing the transformations our clients go through and the significant measureable improved results they experience. Unlike traditional training companies that focus on information dissemination and do little to assure actual change, LMI changes attitudes, habits and behaviors so that the individuals are already using their new habits before completing the process with us.

Our processes combine facilitated discussions with spaced repetition and multi-sensory learning techniques that, when followed, guarantee significant measurable improved results. The process programs usually take from 10 to 16 weeks and are conducted at our facility near the Tri-County Mall or for groups of 6 or more are conducted at the clients site or our facility. Depending on the needs of the client, we have management leadership focus areas from strategic and motivational leadership to supervisory and branch management development. We also have things geared to the sales team.

The question each economic decision maker needs to ask is, “Am I, and my team, working as effectively as we should for the salaries paid?” If the answer is no, probably not, or I don’t know, we need to talk about how LMI/The Results Group can help change these behaviors.

Want to learn how you and your team can be more effective? Call me Today @ 513-254-1054.

As we move closer towards Christmas there is a marked increase in stress levels all around us. In the shopping malls there is an increase in the number of people, the number of fancy displays and – the number that comes up when the lovely lady behind the counter completes her work at the till. (Yep, I prefer to envision my sales assistant being a woman) In offices we see that there are so many things that need to be finished before the end of the year – for most of us that means before Christmas.

We work hard every day and we feel that we actually work to improve the day to day life of a lot of people around the globe. This year we have seen our company grow to customers in 152 countries worlwide. With that number of countries, there are not many places on earth where people haven’t ever heard of Towah. It is easy to be drawn into this frantic world where every inquiry has to be dealt with immediately, where meetings of great importance take place in various countries and the need to travel is a part of the daily routine. Meetings, deals and product development are on the agenda.

This week my mother in law died.

I was in Stockholm meeting with shareholders when I got a phone call during breakfast. My mother in law for 30 years will never again be the topic for my bad jokes. I wish her all the best – wherever she is now.

This week two of my grandchildren celebrate their birthdays.

Fantastic seven year old girls in the very beginning of their lives. With energy and enthusiasm they throw themselves into the adventures of experiencing a new day – every day.

So, going back to where I started, maybe the stress we put on ourselves to make the perfect Christmas is not that important after all. Maybe a perfect Christmas does not depend on fancy gifts, expensive food and drinks or whatever we think is necessary. Maybe we can include a broader vision of what life is into our hectic everyday lives.

In Towah we try to find ways where we can matter also for those who do not live a life of abundance. With our new Towah Quiz (to be launched December 1st) we hope to be able to please a few winners and that we may raise some funds for charity as we move forward.  It will be exiting to see where this new venture will take us.

In the meantime – have another great week.

Hallo Zusammen,

heute möchte ich mich dem Thema: “mobiles Internet” widmen. Namen gibt es hierfür viele:

UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, mobileData, mobiles Internet, Surfstick, UMTS-Stick, Datentarif, Datenflatrate, usw.

Die Liste nimmt kein Ende. Gemeint ist aber fast jedes mal eine Möglichkeit mobil und unabhängig vom heimischen DSL-Anschluss den Zugang ins Internet zu ermöglichen. Aber es gibt leider auch genau so viele Anbieter auf dem Markt wie es Namen für das “Internet für unterwegs” gibt.

Wie soll man da bloß durchblicken? Und warum gibt es eigentlich so viele Angebote die einem mobiles Internet versprechen? Es gibt doch bloß die vier Netzbetreiber in Deutschland. Nämlich E-Plus, O2, T-Mobile und Vodafone. Worauf Sie achten sollten, wenn auch Sie künftig mobil surfen möchten, werde ich Ihnen in diesem Beitrag erklären.

Falls Sie erst einmal wissen möchten, was sich überhaupt hinter den Begrifflichkeiten UMTS, HSDPA und HSUPA verbirgt, sollten Sie folgenden Beitrag lesen. Begriffserklärung UMTS, HSDPA und HSUPA

Für alle anderen geht es nun hier weiter.

Es gibt große Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Anbietern. In letzter Zeit sind etliche Unternehmen auf dem Markt aufgetaucht, die ebenfalls von dem neuen Trend profitieren möchten und locken mit vermeintlich guten Angeboten.

Den offensichtlichsten Unterschied gibt es ganz klar bei der Wahl des Netzbetreibers. Hier gibt es nämlich sehr deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Geschwindigkeiten. Sei es beim Aufbau einer Website, beim Herunterladen einer E-Mail, oder dem Versenden von Dateien. Aufschluss gibt beispielsweise der unabhängige Netztest der Zeitschrift connect. Wirklich gute Ergebnisse konnte nur O2, T-Mobile (D1) und Vodafone (D2) erzielen, wobei Vodafone als einziger die Note sehr gut erreichen konnte.

Sie sehen also: Die Wahl des Anbieters kann maßgeblich für den Surfspaß im mobilen Internet entscheidend sein. Auch wenn man bei manchen Angeboten fünf Euro monatlich sparen kann, so nützt es nichts, wenn Sie dann doch nicht mit gewohnter Geschwindigkeit Ihre neuen Nachrichten in den sozialen Netzwerken -wie Facebook & Co.- abrufen können.
Oder stellen Sie sich einmal vor, Sie wollten etwas in letzter Minute bei eBay ersteigern und Ihr Internetzugang lässt Sie im Stich… Deshalb wäre meine persönliche Wahl jedenfalls Vodafone. Wobei auch hier die Verfügbarkeit regional abweichen kann.

Etwas versteckter sind hingegen die Volumenbegrenzungen die meist nur im Kleingedruckten zu erkennen sind. Volumenbegrenzungen? Jawohl!
Sollten Sie des öfteren Videos auf Youtube oder Nachrichten in Form von kurzen Videos anschauen, könnten Sie mit einigen Tarifen schnell an Ihre Grenzen gelangen. Auch wenn Sie vielleicht häufiger Fotos per Mail verschicken oder auf Ihrem Profil hochladen, oder größere Anhänge per Mail erhalten, kann es geschehen, dass Sie Ihr Datenlimit erreichen. Hier wird aus der Datenautobahn dann schnell eine holprige Landstraße.

Was man ebenfalls nicht ganz außer Acht lassen sollte, aber dennoch oft vergessen wird ist der Service. Wie wichtig ist Ihnen mittlerweile Ihr Internetzugang? Möchten Sie sich stundenlang die alten Hits in einer Warteschlange einer teuren Hotline anhören, oder hätten Sie lieber einen Ansprechpartner vor Ort? Der die Fehlermeldung direkt überprüft und Ihnen bei Bedarf auch gerne den UMTS Stick auf Ihrem Laptop installiert, während Sie in Ihrer Mittagspause eine Tasse Kaffee genießen können?!
Können Sie sich vorstellen bei Aldi an der Kasse kompetent zu einem Notebook, geschweige denn zu Ihren UMTS Einstellungen beraten zu werden? Nichts gegen die Damen und Herren bei Aldi… Aber das muss Ihre Entscheidung sein. Mir wäre das jedenfalls auch den einen oder anderen Euro wert.

Ich persönlich würde mir bei der Wahl meines Anbieters auch sein generelles Sortiment anschauen. Hat er Surfsticks mit Datenflatrat eines Anbieters, oder bietet er Ihnen die Wahl zwischen verschiedenen Anbietern? Kommt der Anbieter aus der Branche und hat Ahnung von der Materie? Bietet er Ihnen, sofern Sie Wenignutzer sind, auch einen vertragsfreien also auch einen prepaid Datentarif an?
Denn wer nur ein Produkt im Sortiment hat, kann Ihnen auch nur dieses eine verkaufen und wird im schlimmsten Fall die anderen schlecht reden.

Neben der Berücksichtigung der oben bereits erwähnten Themen, sollten Sie sich außerdem folgende Fragen beantworten:

1. Wie oft möchte ich mobil ins Internet?
2. Wo möchte ich mit meinem neuen UMTS Datentarif ins Internet?
3. Benötige ich auch ein neues Notebook um mobil ins Internet zu gehen?
4. Falls ja, welche Anwendungen sollen auf dem Notebook laufen?
5. Oder genügt mir ein kleines Netbook um das Internet für unterwegs zu nutzen?
6. Benötige ich noch einen richtigen DSL-Anschluss zu Hause um beispielsweise Filme (unabhängig vom Volumen) anschauen zu können?

Gehen Sie eher selten, also maximal drei mal im Monat, unterwegs Online ist ein Prepaid Datentarif mit Sicherheit eine gute Wahl. Auch um das Surfen mit einem Laptop unterwegs zu testen eignet sich vielleicht sogar erst einmal ein Prepaidstick (Vodafone Websession, T-Mobile web and walk Dayflat oder O2 Internet Pack M).

Warum JEDER zumindest einen solchen Prepaid Surfstick zu Hause haben sollte? Was tun Sie wenn Ihr DSL Anschluss zu Hause ausgefallen ist? Was machen Sie in den Stunden, Tagen, oder Wochen, bis das Ihr Anbieter die Störung behoben hat? Genau! Sie surfen mit einem UMTS Stick im Internet.

Sie fragen sich, weswegen Sie die Fragen drei bis fünf beantworten sollten? Bei vielen Anbietern gibt es mittlerweile (ähnlich wie bei einem Handyvertrag) ein Notebook, Laptop oder Netbook bereits für einen Euro mit einem mobilen Internetvertrag. Sozusagen ein Notebook für ein Euro.

Aber hier jetzt noch auf die Auswahl eines geeigneten Laptops einzugehen würde zu weit führen…

Zum Schluss möchte ich Ihnen noch einen Überblick über die meines Erachtens wichtigsten Tarife im Detail geben:

UMTS Datenflatrates im Vergleich

Eine weitere sehr gute Übersicht bekommen Sie auf dieser Seite: dsltarife.net

Purchasing “Prepaid SIM” service at the Airport
Example: London Heathrow

Vodafone Shop at London Heathrow: Terminal 5

Location: Terminal 5, Before Security
Opening Hours: 07:00 – 22:00
Telephone: +44 (0)7826 952 062

The store is situated between the UK side of departures and customs and is therefore open to both air-side passengers and land-side airport staff and visitors. The Terminal 5 Vodafone store at Heathrow airport replaces the Vodafone store in Terminal 1 with an even more comprehensive line up of products and services.

Within Heathrow airport, the location of Terminal 5 is shown in the following diagram:

GSM phones are the dominant world standard and allow you to roam and make calls nearly anywhere on the globe (desert islands excluded). In the U.S., GSM is used by AT&T and T-Mobile (as well as many other, smaller companies), so if you are served by those companies, you are virtually certain to have a phone that can be used abroad.

Can I use my existing phone when traveling internationally?

You can tell that you have a GSM phone by removing the battery cover of your phone and looking for a SIM card that is about the size as your fingernail (see example). It is often in a slot under the battery of the cell phone and needs to be removed carefully. The SIM card contains your service subscription; the mobile phone is just a radio. By separating the subscription information and the phone, you can easily change service plans and devices: just select the SIM card and install it in the desired device!

You can change service subscriptions as easily as removing one SIM and replacing it with another SIM. The SIM card contains your service subscription information, including your telephone number and service information (a more detailed explanation is available in the Wiki article). So, when traveling internationally, you can remove your SIM card (representing your service plan with your U.S. carrier) and replace it with a low-cost, Prepaid SIM card from the country that you are visiting.

Traveling without a Cell Phone

If you wish, you can even travel without a cell phone of your own and simply borrow a friend’s phone for a moment to make a call using her phone and your service plan—by placing your SIM card in her phone before you call/text and removing it after you are done.

Note: Safely store your original SIM card, as you’ll need to reinstall it when you return to the U.S.!!GSM Phone? SIM Card??