ASTTRU: Thailand Mobile Phone Service Tidbits

Here’s a collection of information that some of you may find interesting should you be coming to or leaving Thailand concerning mobile phone service. I’ve divided this by service provider and also provide my experience of having my smart phone unlocked in Thailand.

AIS

If AIS is your service provider, there are some cool things you can do to manage your account via the internet. Through their E-Service web portal you can do a number of things: change calling and data plans, service options such as call forward, turn off the caller ring tone option and a number of other things. In my opinion one of the best things you can do is extend the number of days before your phone number expires. If you have a considerable amount of cash on the account but the expiration is coming up you can extend the expiration date for some of the Baht credit. Another interesting feature is the ability to transfer a balance from your number to another AIS number.

These services are available at: http://www.ais.co.th/eService/en/ – if you happen to get the page in Thai look for the “EN” icon which is on the top right hand side of most pages. Click it and the page will reload in English. Enter your Thai phone number 08xxxxxxxx and click the “Get One Time Password” image link – you’ll get a text message with a 4 digit password that you have 15 minutes to use to login to the AIS portal. Type in your number and the password again and you’re logged in and able to manage the services on your number. This will work even when you’re out of the country if your home carrier has a roaming arrangement with AIS.

For example, I’ve done this on both my AT&T and T-Mobile phones while in the USA. I insert my AIS SIM into my unlocked phones and wait a minute or two for network authorization to take place. I get the 3 or 4 (free) SMS messages about IR (International Roaming) and data plans and after requesting the password on the AIS website the SMS with the password is received. Hasn’t failed yet.

I give AIS top marks concerning the number of things you can do on their website to manage your account although I found it a bit difficult to find everything.

DTAC

DTAC has some of the same services available online as AIS, but you need to speak to DTAC’s customer service to get a permanent password beforehand. Check out the DTAC e-service portal (note that their translation to English effort needs work and their flash graphics are huge): http://www.dtac.co.th/2009/eng/e-service/index.html

For plans: http://www.happy.co.th/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=34&Itemid=68〈=en and for the type of SIM cards with the plans already set go to http://www.happy.co.th/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=66〈=en

TRUE

I couldn’t find a way to manage services online through an e-portal, but services are available through a call to their customer service. They are doing quite a few things through ATM’s, kiosks and partners and via interactive text, but their online account management is non-existent: http://truemove.com/en/home.aspx

For those of you who need to call other countries frequently, or don’t want to have your Thai girlfriend calling you every few days for topup money, check into True’s interSIM. It’s a regular SIM card, but special promotion packaging advertises a 1baht/minute rate to the USA, Canada and a handful of other countries. I saw these special promotion SIM packages at several of the phone stalls at MBK. Look for the longer, rectangular shaped packaging (not the square packaging format shared by AIS, DTAC and True).

For more information on the interSIM: http://www.truemove.com/en/Inter-SIM-Prepay-condition-1.rails

Comparing the three networks for 3G service, TRUE’s is the best right now and they are the best positioned to provide nationwide 3G service.

Unlocking

I mentioned that you can get phones unlocked in my Smartphone post. Unlike some people, I don’t make things up for the sake of being right. Several months ago I had to purchase a prepaid smart phone from AT&T (they market their prepaid phones and SIM packages as GO-Phones).

The model I purchased was the LG-Thrive (Unbranded model number LG-P506 with AT&T model number LG-P506GO).  Smaller than an iPhone and most smart phones, it’s a very nice Android smart phone with a massive battery. The phone was a SIM and network locked phone on the AT&T network, meaning when I inserted a valid T-Mobile SIM card into the phone and it wouldn’t connect to T-Mobile’s network. Even when I popped the AT&T SIM card into the phone it wouldn’t connect. It was necessary to go to the AT&T website listed on the GO-Phone instruction manual and activate the SIM card with the card in the phone.

On my last trip to Thailand I took the afore mentioned AT&T LG-Thrive for some work related activities and also wanted to see if the people at MBK could in fact unlock this phone. Along the way there were some surprises.

I arrive in Thailand and once checked into my hotel I make way to the 7-11 and purchase a DTAC SIM card and an AIS topup card (I already had a fully loaded True SIM card).

I get into my room and turn on my phone with the AT&T SIM in the phone but didn’t expecting much since the phone is using a pre-paid SIM and is network locked and I haven’t signed up for any roaming services. The first surprise is the phone successfully handshakes with the True network and I get a signal.

After another minute I get a couple SMS’ about network and data roaming and surprise – 3G connectivity. AT&T has roaming agreements with both AIS and True, but at $1.29-$1.99/minute I’ll keep the SIM in just to see who’s trying to reach me and call back on my True SIM.

 

So I know the phone works with the AT&T SIM and I get 3G on True. What will happen when I insert each of the 3 SIM cards from the Thailand carriers? DTAC? Nothing. AIS? Nothing. TRUE? Same message. I get the same message with all 3 SIMs in the phone:

 

Enough for that particular afternoon. Time to line up more R&R, commencing with a foot massage. Tomorrow I’ll make my way to MBK and see if they can unlock the phone.

The next day at about noon I take my phone over to MBK. After walking around to inspect prospective shops I make my decision on sophistication of the tools on the workbench and the number of computers they have available for unlocking iPhones. One shop looks like it has potential, with a guy testing a cell phone hooked up to a frequency analyzer/oscilloscope. Yea, I think there’s at least one guy who knows what he’s doing. It’s probably overkill but I give it a go. I ask the girl at the counter if the phone can be unlocked as I show it to her. I tell her I want a firmware unlock and not a SIM unlock (note that some places have the capability to reprogramme the SIM chip so the network code is different on the SIM, thus the phone thinks the correct SIM is installed and will handshake with the network but with that SIM only) She asks oscilloscope guy and he takes a quick look and says, “chai”. I ask how much and how long. We settle on about $15.00 USD and she says come back in 1 hour.

Walking around during my wait I’m amazed at the number of good quality, used cell phones available. Blackberry, iPhone, HTC, Nokia. You name it, they’ve got it. Now I have an idea what many Thai girls do with their expensive phones once their farang boyfriend of the week leaves the country. Most phones are in excellent condition. They should be, as you can find almost any case for any phone made.  Want a new white 32GB back for your black 3GS 16GB iPhone? No problem. Watch out about the phone pricing though, as I found the prices most places wanted for second hand smart phones on the high side. An example: used 8gb 2G iPhones were listed between 5k and 6.5K baht. You can find them on Craigs list in the USA for $70-$100. I check my watch and I’ve been gone 90 minutes, so time to get back.

I get my phone back with dtac SIM installed…3 bars showing on the phone. She calls, phone rings, I answer. I call back, no problems. Money is paid and I’m on my way back to the hotel. Now time to satisfy my curiosity before I test some LBS apps.

AT&T – Still get my connection by roaming on TRUE with 3G service
AIS – Connection and Edge
DTAC – Connection and Edge
True – Connection and Edge followed by SMS message about registering. Delete message. What going on here? 3G with AT&T SIM but no 3G with TRUE SIM on TRUE network? Check TRUE website. Nothing I can find there of help. Turn off phone. Remove battery, remove SIM. Reinstall SIM, battery and turn back on. SMS about registering again. OK, why not. Register. Just agree and say Yes. A few minutes later, 3G.

(BDK – Insert 3 photos here – Thrive_AIS  Thrive_DTAC and Thrive_TRUE_3G)

Sorry to those of you who find most of this uninteresting, but there may be readers who have locked 3G-850Mhz capable phone outside of Thailand or other tri/quad band GSM phones who prefer spending around 400.00 baht to use that phone (with all their contacts and customizations retained) as opposed to 16,000.00 baht on a phone that still isn’t 3G capable in Thailand.