Greece HSPA (prepaid and postpaid offers)

[Evan]

I'm not sure, since they all offer 2-3 different modems that change from time to time. I read that the ones of Vodafone and Wind are usually unlocked and they work as long as you use the "generic" software/drivers from the manufacturer of the modem.

[schoen]

Hi,
Does somebody of you know if the Wind F2G offers from last year like F2G1/F2G2.... exits anymore. If they sill exits how can check what I have as an offer (I think I activated F2G2, but I'm not sure if I still make call with the sort of plan?)
Thanks in advance

[goldeneyed]

Hi Evan,

Do you know if the WIND Mobile Broadband with card works for mobile phones like an iPhone or is it only just for an internet stick? The site says that in order to activate the SIM you should put it in a phone and make a chargeable call and then insert the SIM into the internet stick. If I were to put it in my iphone and change the APN wouldn't this work also? I'm interested in the 1GB for 30 Days but I think it says it ends on august 2010 is that right?

[Evan]

Originally Posted by schoen

Hi,
Does somebody of you know if the Wind F2G offers from last year like F2G1/F2G2.... exits anymore. If they sill exits how can check what I have as an offer (I think I activated F2G2, but I'm not sure if I still make call with the sort of plan?)
Thanks in advance

The F2G1,2...8 are not commercially available anymore. However, all customers that have previously activated one of those plans, still have them (except if they've changed to the new plans).

To check which plan you have, call the balance information service (1269), press 2 for English, and after the information about your remaining credit and the expiration date of the SIM, they announce which one of the 8 F2G you were subscribed.

If you still have the F2G2, I suggest not to change it, because is by far the cheapest plan in Greek market' 0.1€/min, charge per second from the 1st second. They recently increased the price of the SMS from 4 to 11 cents, but only for the national texts. International SMS still costs 4 cents.

Originally Posted by goldeneyed

Hi Evan,

Do you know if the WIND Mobile Broadband with card works for mobile phones like an iPhone or is it only just for an internet stick? The site says that in order to activate the SIM you should put it in a phone and make a chargeable call and then insert the SIM into the internet stick. If I were to put it in my iphone and change the APN wouldn't this work also? I'm interested in the 1GB for 30 Days but I think it says it ends on august 2010 is that right?

I'm in Greece at the moment and use the same plan from my mobile. I don't have an iPhone but I read that it works without any issues (as long as it is unlocked of course). Just use the APN: gint.b-online.gr and leave everything else blank.

The 1GB for 30 days is 9.90€ until 31 August and after that 14.90€, I think. However, Wind tends to extend sometimes their offers.

[goldeneyed]

Originally Posted by Evan

The F2G1,2...8 are not commercially available anymore. However, all customers that have previously activated one of those plans, still have them (except if they've changed to the new plans).

To check which plan you have, call the balance information service (1269), press 2 for English, and after the information about your remaining credit and the expiration date of the SIM, they announce which one of the 8 F2G you were subscribed.

If you still have the F2G2, I suggest not to change it, because is by far the cheapest plan in Greek market' 0.1€/min, charge per second from the 1st second. They recently increased the price of the SMS from 4 to 11 cents, but only for the national texts. International SMS still costs 4 cents.



I'm in Greece at the moment and use the same plan from my mobile. I don't have an iPhone but I read that it works without any issues (as long as it is unlocked of course). Just use the APN: gint.b-online.gr and leave everything else blank.

The 1GB for 30 days is 9.90€ until 31 August and after that 14.90€, I think. However, Wind tends to extend sometimes their offers.

Thanks Evan! You always have all the answers lol. So just to clarify you're using it on a regular WInd F2GO prepaid account? Still at 14.90 for 30 days isn't bad compared to what people pay for postpaid in Canada. Did you get a chance to find out if you are indeed able to buy another package of 1GB for 30 days, in case your 1GB runs out early, just like the english version of wind's site says?

[schoen]

Originally Posted by Evan

The F2G1,2...8 are not commercially available anymore. However, all customers that have previously activated one of those plans, still have them (except if they've changed to the new plans).

To check which plan you have, call the balance information service (1269), press 2 for English, and after the information about your remaining credit and the expiration date of the SIM, they announce which one of the 8 F2G you were subscribed.

If you still have the F2G2, I suggest not to change it, because is by far the cheapest plan in Greek market' 0.1€/min, charge per second from the 1st second. They recently increased the price of the SMS from 4 to 11 cents, but only for the national texts. International SMS still costs 4 cents.



I'm in Greece at the moment and use the same plan from my mobile. I don't have an iPhone but I read that it works without any issues (as long as it is unlocked of course). Just use the APN: gint.b-online.gr and leave everything else blank.

The 1GB for 30 days is 9.90€ until 31 August and after that 14.90€, I think. However, Wind tends to extend sometimes their offers.

Thanks
It's all correct. I called 1269 and I still have F2G2. It's the cheapest tarif plan in europe which I've ever seen.
Regards Schoen

[Evan]

Originally Posted by goldeneyed

Thanks Evan! You always have all the answers lol. So just to clarify you're using it on a regular WInd F2GO prepaid account? Still at 14.90 for 30 days isn't bad compared to what people pay for postpaid in Canada. Did you get a chance to find out if you are indeed able to buy another package of 1GB for 30 days, in case your 1GB runs out early, just like the english version of wind's site says?

Yes, it's a normal prepaid Wind Free2Go card which I use it for voice and texts as well. To activate the data add-ons just follow the instructions on their web page.

I'm not sure if you can buy another package before the 30 days are over because I arrived in Greece 10 days ago and I still have many MBs left. But mainly because, I took advantage of their older offer (1.5GB/month absolutely free) on my second F2G SIM.

However, even if it's not possible to purchase another package within 30 days, the price after you consume the 1GB is quite reasonable, i.e., 0.02€/ΜΒ (or 20.5€/ΜΒ) considering that the "normal" package will cost 15€ after 31 August. Just keep in mind to activate the package again after 30 days, because after you will pay the much more expensive "usual" data prices and not the 0.02€/ΜΒ.

Originally Posted by schoen

Thanks
It's all correct. I called 1269 and I still have F2G2. It's the cheapest tarif plan in europe which I've ever seen.
Regards Schoen

And if you add to their voice and SMS prices their previous offer of 1.5GB per month absolutely free without any prerequisite, I think it's the cheapest prepaid card not only in Europe but worldwide.

[hiro]

After finishing up the 1gb with wind the tariff gets much more expensive. When it happened to me I payed about 15 Euro for 2mb and ten minutes of use. Definitely not 2 cents per mb.

On the other hand ordering the same package twice works.
I've now been in Katerini for one month. The reception of 3g is really bad mostly anywhere, but when you have a good antenna or a sweet spot you will have proper hsdpa and full internet access (I had about 170ms of latency and 1mbit up/down bandwidth).
I would have ordered it a third time if I hadn't used up all my money because of above's issue.

[Evan]

Originally Posted by hiro

After finishing up the 1gb with wind the tariff gets much more expensive. When it happened to me I payed about 15 Euro for 2mb and ten minutes of use. Definitely not 2 cents per mb.

This is not what they state on the page of the plan. Instead they clearly write "In case of above bundle usage, the charge is €0,02 per ΜΒ" (and the bold are theirs not mine )

You were charged their "normal" price, i.e., 6.7€/MB. You can just call the customer service (1260) and request to credit back the amount you lost due to incorrect charging. Most possibly, they will credit you back in 3-7 days, as Wind was (is) notorious for incorrect charges on their data plans.

[gmmour]

Wind GR offers a new 1GB for 30 days prepaid broadband package on all wind prepaid SIMs.
You just text "1GB" without quotes to 19595 and get 1GB data for 30 days (overage 0,02 EUR / MB if you exceed the 1GB limit which is ridiculous but its prepaid so don't worry)!

Activation will cost you 15 EUR (offer 9,90 EUR for activations until 31 August 2010)! You should also count into that that to recharge greek prepaids you get 12% tax deducted so you actually need to top up 17,05 EUR to have sufficient balance for this package! Also greek prepaids have to be activated with an ID Card (for EU citizens) or passport (with valid visa for those who need one) in cellphone stores or at kiosks that have the "Activate your prepaid here" sticker, even though you can buy the (deactivated) SIM package anywhere in kiosks... Deactivated SIMs bought from kiosks won't work until activated at a store or approved kiosk (usually working hours)... Usually activation is available at kiosksk that are inside buildings, more like mini-markets, not at the omnipresent greek "periptera" on the sidewalks and squares. The news-stand on line 1 platform at Omonia station of the Metro is open until midnight or until line 1 closes (normally 2:30 on Fri&Sat) and is an easy spot for urgent prepaid activations until late! This platform is closed until late December 2010 though, together with a part of line 1 and probably the news-stand isn't working either...

Moreover, if you get your prepaid SIM at a WIND store (or Vf GR or Cosmote GR-Germanos store) they usually give them out for free (with 1 EUR free airitme every month for the first five months) provided that you activate the SIM on the spot with your ID or passport! At a store you can also topup any amount you like, so you can add exactly 18 EUR for the broadband package which is not possible with a scratch card... The Germanos/Cosmote store at the Athens Airport probably will charge you 5 EUR for a prepaid package that you will get for free in other downtown WIND/Vodafone/Cosmote-Germanos stores...

The APN for this offer is gint.b-online.gr

If you use the package 1GB bundled data before the 30 day deadline, you can buy and reactivate the package for another 30 days at any time.

I've used it on an unlocked iPhone and a Huawei E220 USB modem and it works just fine!

Link in english on the wind GR official website with full fine-print and instructions for activation, how to check your balance (text "yp" to 19595) and more: here shortened on bit.ly

(this hides the full url with all the greek letters encoded as % escape characters)
If the english page doesn't show up, just click the little Union Jack on the upper right corner and you'll get the same page in English!
Note that they haven't updated the SIM activation part in this website, so you do need to activate your prepaid SIM with an ID or passport before using it!

Important for Wind prepaids and greek prepaids in general! It is usual that you end up with a (sometimes considerable) negative balance on your account, especially with data usage where the charging system is not realtime! You can enjoy this loophole as long as it lasts provided that you exceed your bundle data limit and you have only a few cents of a balance left on your account, not zero just to keep it running until the system finds out about your data overage and gives you a negative balance and a blocked APN.
BUT! Don't top up with a negative balance or it will deduct it from your topup. Before topping up, call customer care and ask them to remove the negative balance. They will bring it back to 0 (zero) in a few days, no questions asked because greek law doesn't allow them to charge you beyond your prepaid balance even if their non-realtime system is glitchy! Then you can topup again without fear of getting less money for your topup.

PS: Sorry if I repeat anything that was reported before in this thread...