PrePaidGSM.net Forum (Archived) - Global Prepaid Overview

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Effendi

11-11-2005 08:26

Global Prepaid Overview

From the idea of AdmiralAK on HowardForums, we try to do something very similar here too on PrePaidGMS.net.

The goal of this thread is to make a global overview of all the prepaid offers we have tried throughout the World.
Since our forum is divided geographically, we'll open a similar discussion in all the different rooms of the forum in order to have a smaller thread easier to read.

Here below I personally will add a list, with shortcuts, to all the reviews we are going to write.

Thanks to AdmiralAK I attach a template rtf document to use for the reviews, so we have a similar look for all of them which is easy to read. So I kindly ask you to download the template before writing any review, compile it and just copy/paste here on the Forum; it's very easy, so I think there's no need for further instructions.

Please write here only the reviews, for discussions about prepaid offers we can always open new threads, but I'd like to keep this one "clean" and with reviews only.

Thank you in advance and good reviewing! :beer:

PrePaid Offers

ESTONIA
- Elisa

FRANCE
- SFR
- Bouygues Telecom

GERMANY
- e-plus

GREECE
- TIM
- Vodafone
- Cosmote
- Q Telecom

ITALY
- Wind
- 3 ITA
- Vodafone

LATVIA
- Amigo

LITHUANIA
- Tele2

POLAND
- Heyah

Effendi

11-11-2005 08:57

Quick Facts

Country: Italy
Network Name: Wind
Prepaid Card Name: Prepagata Wind
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): ? 10.00, including ? 5.00 of credit
Documents Needed: ID card/Passport and Italian Fiscal Code
Prepaid Package Validity: 11 months, plus 1 month to recharge
CSD access: Yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, GPRS only, EDGE in testing
UMTS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes, you can configure your 64k simcard from Internet, and add/remove applications from it
Manual included: Yes, in Italian only
Refill amounts: ? 4/3, ? 10/8, ? 25/20, ? 45/40, ? 60/60 (cost/credit)
Availability: Wind shops, big department stores
Competitors: TIM, Vodafone, 3 ITA

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
It's quite easy to find a Wind shop (just look at the sign with the blue/orange wave logo), but it's better to go to a MondoWind (official) shop, which are usually better. The prepaid kit is cheap and the card is usually active in a couple of hours (but sometimes you can wait also up to 48 hours).

The Bad:
The usual big problems with Italian Fiscal Code, you need one otherwise you cannot buy any Italian prepaid card. Sometimes, expecially on weekends or in August (=holidays), you have to wait quite a lot for the card to be activated.

Usage: 

The Good:
Wind is usually the cheaper solution for GSM in Italy. The preactivated plan is called Wind10 which is very good for messaging and not so short calls (per minute biling). You can switch to another plan for free (only the first time). SempreLight is the best plan for short calls (no set-up fee. per second billing).
Wind's coverage is usually good in bigger towns while can have some problems in the countryside. In some places you can roam on Vodafone net for free. In the bigger towns Wind mainly uses GSM 1800 frequency plus some EGSM 900 channels. In rural areas they use mainly GSM 900.
There is 3G W-CDMA coverage too in all bigger towns throughout Italy (mainly in the north); prepaid customers can access to the 3G network without any special configuration; videocall service is active by default.
Packet data connections (GPRS or UMTS) are available for all prepaid customers as well as Voicemail service and other services like "who called you" (when phone is turned off or out of coverage).
Wind is the only Italian operator with international SMS at the same price as national ones.
You can set English as your preferred speaking language for IVR and messages.
There are some "mini-forfaits" for voice and SMS which can be very useful and cheap for longer journey in Italy with other Wind customers.
International roaming is available and active by default.
With the "Dialoga International" cards (you hav to buy them at newsstans, tobacco shops...) you have the cheapest international rates from an Italian mobile.
Complete cost control through *123# on the phone and through internet (with much more information) at www.155.it.

The Bad:
Wind has the worst GSM coverage in Italy compared to TIM and Vodafone, but still quite ok and growing. National roaming with Vodafone is nowadays very limited.
UMTS network has big problems these days, so I suggest to use the GSM network only which is very reliable.
Customer Service (155) is free but in Italian only, you will get lost if you try to use it. The online service 155.it is good but in Italian only.

TIPS: 
Usually in Summer and during main holidays you can find special promotions for new prepaid sim-only kits; if you plan to stay in Italy for a long time consider to activate some offers you see listed on Wind page here on PrepaidGSM.

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
Wind is the best solution in Italy... unless you plan to go to some place with weak coverage. I'm a Wind customer since 2000 and I never had big problems. It's a reliable operator and the cheapest by far. It's expecially suggested for travellers and foreign people due to the cheaper international calls (with Dialoga International) and SMS (also SMSbug works well).

Effendi

11-11-2005 09:21

Quick Facts

Country: Italy
Network Name: 3 ITA
Prepaid Card Name: Tua
Frequency and Technology: WCDMA 2100 (plus national GSM roaming)
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): ? 30.00, including ? 20.00 of credit
Documents needed: ID card/Passport and Italian Fiscal Code
Prepaid Package Validity: 12 months, plus 1 month to recharge/receive only
CSD access: No
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, GPRS on national roaming (at extra charge)
UMTS access: Yes
SIM applications: No
Manual included: Yes, very small manual in Italia, plus some brochures about 3G services, in Italian
Refill amounts: ? 10/7, ? 15/5, ? 30/24, ? 60/54 (cost/credit); the recharge cost can be used on the Mobile Portal 3.
Availability: only at 3 shops
Competitors: TIM, Vodafone, Wind

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
You can find a prepaid kit by 3 quite easily at any 3 shop, we suggest once again to go to official shops (very nice ones) in bigger cities. You can choose your preferred rate plan, for free, when you buy the new kit (if you say nothing you keep the preactive one, TuaSemplice). The card is usually active in a couple of hours.
If you don't have a 3G phone you can buy one, sim-locked, ad quite cheap price.

The Bad:
Some shops could have no sim-only kits, 3 usually sells much more phone-kits since not many people have UMTS phones. During main festivities and holidays the activation could be slower. Usually you have to wait 1/2 days before using MMS and some advanced services.
As usual you need an Italian Fiscal code.

Usage: 

The Good:
3 has the best W-CDMA coverage throughout Italy, and national roaming with TIM is available everywhere in the country, including 3G covered areas. The audio quality of calls is very good, while video calls are not so good and quite expensive.
UMTS data connections is great for speed, but tariffs are too high; there's a mini-flat for ? 9/month to get 5MB of UMTS data every day which could be useful for some mail and messaging.
Voice calls are rather cheap with the SuperTua plan (very similar to Wind10), unless you hate per minute billing with set-up fee (not the ideal for short calls).
International rates to many EU countries and the USA are the cheapest ones (25 cent/min) also to mobile phones.
Customer Service directly on the Mobile Portal is well done, you can find information on the credit and also send e-mails to the service. All is in Italian only.
When you receive calls you get a lot of extra credit, but only in the next month.

The Bad:
International SMS are expensive (30 cent), there's a setup fee of ? 0.60 for all data connections (unless you download less than 6KB) which makes small surfings really expensive (SMSbug will work for 1/2 messages without paing the 60 cents).
Customer Service is in Italian and you have to pay 60 cents per call to speak with a human being. The online service is shitty too and in Italian only.
If you are at a "borderline" place between 3G and GSM coverage you will go crazy.
You cannot use 3 u-sims on GSM phones, and you need a 3 ITA branded phone to use the Mobile Portal and MMS without delays (8 hours usually).
All 3 phone-kits are operator-locked (you can use 3 u-sims only) and most of them are sim-locked too (you can use the sim sold with the phone only). Some new phones have "mini-sim" too, which are just normal simcards cutted at every side.

TIPS: 
If you have another friend on 3 you can activate the VideoNoi option for free and videocall at 5 cent/min to your friend for 6 months.
Use SMSbug for messages but only max 2/3 at a time or you'll pay extra 60 cent for the connection.

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
If you are a 3G fan and have a 3G phone you can try 3 services and their best coverage in Italy, otherwise I think it's better to choose Wind for a cheap product or the other 2 for best coverage.

Effendi

11-11-2005 09:58

Quick Facts

Country: Lithuania
Network Name: Tele2
Prepaid Card Name: Pildyk
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): LTL 9.49/7.00 - ? 2.75/2.02
Documents needed: none
Prepaid Package Validity: 100 days for credit, 300 for the card
CSD access: no
GPRS/EDGE access: no
UMTS access: no
SIM applications: no
Manual included: Yes, in Lithuanian with some few info in English and Russian too
Refill amounts: LT 10, 20, 35, 50
Availability: almost everywere: kiosks, drug stores, petrol stations (Statoil, Lukoil)...
Competitors: Omnitel, Bite

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
Pildyk is really easy to find, everywhere you see a Tele2 sticker they have the prepaid kit and refills too. And it's very cheap to buy. No documents are needed, it's really a joke to have it! :)
Pildyk is the cheapest prepaid starting kit in Lithuania by far.

The Bad:
Nothing bad, maybe you have to speak some Lithuanian sometime! :)

Usage: 

The Good:
Pildyk is great, a bit cheaper than the 2 competitors, coverage was good everywhere I went (mainly Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda), I really cannot complain. I refilled it a couple of times very easily. Great "free" roaming in Latvia and Estonia, you do not pay incoming calls and "Baltic Calls" are cheap.
Longer validity period compared to the competitors.

The Bad:
There seems to be no data connection available.
The billing is per 30 seconds after the first minute, international SMS are more expensive than national ones.

TIPS: 
No tips, just use it! :)

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
I think Pildyk is the cheapest option for travellers to Lithuania, but if you need more services, such as data calls, I think Bite could be better. The validity with Tele2 is very long, so it could be a good choice also for this reason.

Effendi

11-11-2005 10:19

Quick Facts

Country: Latvia
Network Name: Amigo
Prepaid Card Name: Amigo
Frequency and Technology: MVNO on GSM 900/1800
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): LVL 2.99/3.00 - ? 4.30/4.31 or LVL 3.99/4.00 - ? 5.74/5.75 or LVL 5.99/7.00 - ? 8.61/10.07
Documents needed: none
Prepaid Package Validity: 30 or 60 days depending on the kit you choose
CSD access: No
GPRS/EDGE access: yes
UMTS access: No
SIM applications: don't remember
Manual included: Yes, in Latvian and Russian
Refill amounts: LVL 1.99/2.00, LVL 2.99/3.50, LVL 4.99/6.00, LVL 9.99/13.00 (cost/credit)
Availability: very easy to buy at any kiosk or LMT shop
Competitors: LMT, Tele2. Bite

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
Very easy and very cheap to buy, you can find it in many kiosks; I bought it at Riga's central station at a LMT shop (they sell both LMT and Amigo prepaids there).

The Bad:
Really nothing bad, if you speak Latvian or Russian it helps! :)

Usage: 

The Good:
Amigo is a Virtual Operator using LMT's network which is the best, by far, in Latvia. Using Tele2 LT in "free roaming" on Tele2 LV I found several no-network places, expecially in rural zones, while with Amigo it was always fine.
All rates are billed per second which is good, SMS interconnection with Italy worked fine (while I had big problems with Tele2 and italian simcards in roaming).
GPRS is available now (not when I was there) and that is surely a plus.
"Free roaming" in Lithuania and Estonia is available on Omnitel and EMT networks.

The Bad:
Not the cheapest solution... with Amigo you pay usually less than with LMT O'Karte, but Tele2 and the new operator Bite are surely cheaper, but coverage is weaker.
You pay incoming MMS too.

TIPS: 
If you just stay in Riga ora bigger towns it's probably better to buy Tele2 Zelta Zivtina

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
I didn't want to buy any Latvian card since I thought to use my Lithuanian one in "free roaming", but international calls were too expensive with it and I bough an Amigo card just for some calls to Italy, and to test it. It's surely the most reliable offer, LMT network works fine and you have GPRS, MMS and SMS services all running well. By the way rates are quite expensive for an Eastern country.

Effendi

11-11-2005 11:13

Quick Facts

Country: Estonia
Network Name: Elisa (former Radiolinja)
Prepaid Card Name: Zen
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): EEK 50 (? 3.20) with EEK 50 of credit included
Documents needed: none
Prepaid Package Validity: 6 months plus 1 for receiving/refilling
CSD access: probably yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, GPRS can be activated for EEK 50
UMTS access: No
SIM applications: not that I remember
Manual included: Yes, in Estonian and Russian
Refill amounts: EEK 50, 100 and 250
Availability: at any Elisa shop, gas stations, kiosks...
Competitors: EMT, Tele2, Zorro

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
Very cheap and very easy to buy throughout Estonia. I bought my Zen card at a gas station in Valga. Many Estonians speak English too, so there are really no problems. Card is valid for 6+1 months, no documents are needed.

The Bad:
No bad things at all.

Usage: 

The Good:
Rates are very similar to the competitors', but Elisa's coverage is perfect (much better than Tele2) and you have "free roaming" in Finland, which is a plus that other prepaid cards don't offer. In any case national calling and messaging is cheap, GPRS is available for data connections. Billing is at 10 seconds increments for national calls. International calls are rather cheap.

The Bad:
International messaging is too expensive, and GPRS is not so cheap too and you have to pay to activate it. International roaming is not active by default and again you have to pay to activate it.

TIPS: 
Go for Zen if you want great coverage, cheap rates and if you plan to visit Finland as well

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
I think Zen is the best option for Estonia. Rates are a bit more expensive than Tele2, but quality is much better, and you have Finnish free incoming roaming. The only bad thing is the high price for International SMS (when I used it they had the same rate as national ones).

AdmiralAK

11-11-2005 17:28

Quick Facts
Country: France
Network Name: SFR
Website: http://www.sfr.fr
Product Name: La Carte
Owned by/Major partner: Vodafone
Operational Frequency: 900 and 1800 GSM
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): 35 Euro (5 Euro SMS credit, 5 Euro talk credit)
CSD access: Yes
GPRS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes
Manual included: Yes
Refill amounts: 15, 25, 35, 60 euro cards
Availability: SFR shops, "Tabac" shops and Telecom shops, they are easy to find!
Competitors: Orange, Boygues

More In-Depth Information

Buying:
The Good:
Buying the prepaid package is really straight forward. You can go to any Tabac, or SFR company store (major cities have at least one), or you can go to an independent dealer and buy a package. Recharging is straight forward. You can buy recharge cards in the same places you can buy a prepaid package, and every post office has the ability to sell you recharge cards. Personally I would buy a 35 or 60 euro card since they give you 20% and 30% (respectively) more airtime than you pay for when you buy those recharge amounts.
The Bad:
Sorry, no american credit cards (unless you've got one with the smartchip on it). The french don't seem to grasp that you can key in the credit card number if the swiping motion does no work. Also because of French regulations you need to declare your name and address when buying the prepaid package. I think this is pointless since I do not live in France (gave the hotel's address) and I was never asked for an ID - so I could have lied. As of today (7/15/04) if you want to buy in advance and have it activated while still in your country of origin, this is impossible :) YOu have to activate your account in France.

Usage:
The Good:
CSD and GPRS are available on prepaid accounts! You can surf the net on your mobile. Signal was pretty good almost everywhere I went. The SIM has SIM applications on it that allow you to connect to SFR's TEXTO services (get movie, weather, banking, ringtone and other services). Getting on GPRS is easy, and their service is called "Vodaphone Live!", it has some interesting things on it. As I mentioned earlier it is very easy to get refills, and they give you free time as well. They have various promotions going on. While I was there I got 90 minutes free of night-time minutes as well as 2 months free of caller waiting.
The SIM app tookit called "Services SFR" contains the following categories:
(1) Recharger (recharge)
(2) Messages (access to voicemail, texto, the email account they give you, and access to other messages)
(3) Services (various services)
(4) My favorites
Finally, the SIM has numbers preprogrammed on it that can let you access customer service, emergency services such as police and ambulances, and the numbers for their various services.

The Bad:
I was vacationing in the area of Languedoc-Roussillon (in an village called Gruissan, near Narbonne). The signal was pretty good, unfortunately in the house (in the bedroom and bathroom) I only had 1 bar of signal (out of five) - I was still able to GPRS though. Another bad thing is the fact that TEXTO seems to have an SMS counterpart as well but it did not seem to work when I tried to use it. Thirdly, in theory I am supposed to be able to roam while I am here in the states, but I am getting only "Emergency call only" on my mobile. Finally, the most retarded thing is GPRS related. I could use *only* the built-in "internet" browser on my P800 to access the GPRS connection. I could not use Opera, Worldmate and I could not use the mail client of my P800!!! I am not sure if I goofed on the settings but I could not get my mail to work! This was annoying.
On a smaller scale, the SIM apps are all telephone based, so you need to call in order to get things done, doing things by SMS is not really an option as it seems for the built in apps.

TIPS:
1) Read the Manual, it's interesting - the package comes with manuals and reminder cards
2) Buy yourself a 35 or 60 euro recharge card if you are going to be in France for 2 or more weeks (based on your perceived usage)
3) Do yourself a favor and go to sonyericsson.com (if you own a sonyericsson phone) and get the configurations for you phone BEFORE going on vacation. I looked around at many websites for settings and nothing worked until I went to SE's website
4) CSD is active instantly once your SIM is active, even though it says you need to call customer service to activate it. GPRS takes 3 days to come online once you activate your account. Get both CDS and GPRS settings for your phone!
5) Be careful of pickpockets.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Since it is the only package that I have used in France and given that I did not have to call customer service at all, and that I had GPRS access makes me want to recommend this to anyone visiting France and that needs prepaid! I give it 4/5 stars.

Screenshot of Vodafone Live! WAP site
http://www.sfr.fr/FR/vodafone/servic...img_icones.gif

AdmiralAK

11-11-2005 17:29

Quick Facts
Country: Greece
Network Name: TIM (formerly Telestet)
Website: http://www.tim.com.gr
Owned by/Major partner: TIM
Operational Frequency: 900 GSM and 2100 UMTS
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): 19 Euro
CSD access: Yes
GPRS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes
Manual included: Yes
Refill amounts: 9, 15,30 Euro (Higher available in Airports)
Availability: TIM stores, Independent Dealers, Kiosks, "Psilikatzidika"
Program Name: Free2Go, For All
Competitors: Cosmote, Vodafone, Q-Telecom

More In-Depth Information

Buying:
The Good:
I bought a "B-Free" package ("For All"s predecessor) online from an amazon.com like store in Greece. It was fairly cheap, back then I paid only 13 euro if memory serves me correctly. Getting prepaid packages from TIM is pretty easy, there are TIM company stores in major cities and there are a lot of "Germanos" stores around which sell prepaid packages (they specialize in hi-tech gismos). The package costs 20 euro (19.90 actually) and you get 8 euro talk credit.

The Bad:
When I bought the package online I paid 50 dollars for shipping! Ouch! I would suggest that you either get the prepaid packages in Greece, or have a friend or relative send you a package via Snail mail, it is cheaper!

Usage:
The Good:
I had travelled to a lot of places in Greece, Athens, Ioannina, Patra, Zakinthos, Olympia and many other places (got relatives everywhere!) and I never had a signal problem, even up in the mountains and out in the boondocks. The SIM applications were a bit useful, I was able to get horoscope info, lotto scores (played the lotto while in Greece), soccer match scores and so on. TIM now also offers information via MMS as well as by SMS (examples: MMS video news, MMS radio dedications, MMS weather, MMS comics and more), and they offer WAP connectivity. GPRS connectivity is included as well I believe! I did not have any need to contact customer service to activate my SIM once I bought it, just put it in the phone and used it. Finally, roaming. No hassle, no extra steps roaming. You can roam abroad without any problems. You can send and receive SMS messages and you can receive calls. In order to make calls I believe you need to contact customer service to authorize it.

The Bad:
When I was a prepaid subscriber (between 2000 and 2002) GPRS access was not allowed for prepaid users. I believe now GPRS is not instantly on once you activate your connection, you might have to call customer service to activate it. My dealings with customer service were good, I did not have any problems with them, even when they did not activate my GPRS connection. TIM offers UMTS coverage in Greece in selected cities - Athens, Patra, Heraclion, Thessaloniki (as of 06/2004), however UMTS coverage is only for post-paid customers. Also reception in the Athenian Metro system was not that good.

TIPS:
1) Determine which package is for you, Free2Go and For All offer different 2 different pricing schemes, determine which one fits you best (Free2Go is better for SMS users while For All has better deals on voice calls). Their website is bilingual, check it out for more package and tariff info.
2) In the airport get yourself a package and a recharge card higher than 18 euro, it is the best place to get one. I know that there is a Germanos store in the Greek Airport in Athens.
3) If you need GPRS contact customer service to let them know that you want it and that they should activate it for you.
4) if you want GPRS, go buy the package at a TIM store, have them activate it for you and have the store clerks activate GPRS for you, chances are that they speak English.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I liked TIM (telestet when I was using it). It had great coverage in all the places I went, I found the free caller ID useful, and I liked that I wasn't hassled with giving out my local info (landline, address, etc). I am a bit apprehensive to suggest them though as a prepaid service because I still do not know if they let prepaid users use GPRS or not. If GPRS does not matter to you - go for it! CSD is offered, and where there is CSD, GPRS is not far behind - give them a try! Oh by the way, the manual and all the SIM applications are in Greek

AdmiralAK

11-11-2005 17:29

Quick Facts
Country: Greece
Network Name: Vodafone (formerly Panafon)
Website: http://www.vodafone.gr
Owned by/Major partner: Vodafone
Operational Frequency: 900 GSM and 2100 UMTS
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): 20 Euro
CSD access: No (according to se.com)
GPRS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes
Manual included: Yes
Refill amounts: 9, 18 Euro (Higher available in Airports)
Availability: Vodafone Stores, Independent Dealers, Kiosks, "Psilikatzidika"
Program Name: CU, a la carte
Competitors: Cosmote, TIM, Q-Telecom

More In-Depth Information

Buying:
The Good:
I bought a CU connection package in 2002. The package is 20 euro (19,90 euro to be precise) and it comes with 8 euro of airtime. The process of buying was smooth and I did not have to give my local info (address, landline number, etc) in order to get my account activated.

The Bad:
Nothing bad!

Usage:
The Good:
Overall I liked my CU account. Everywhere I went I had good reception, even underground in the metro system! I was pretty impressed. The SIM applications are on par with TIM's applications. They give you info such as news, horoscope, weather, movie info and more over SMS. Vodafone now has an online WAP portal called Vodafone Live! and you can access this by getting online with their GPRS connection (I think you can do this with the CSD connection as well). I personally bought a CU package because half my friends use vodafone CU and calls to them would be cheaper (calls to other carriers were a bit more expensive) and also SMS messages were cheaper. When it comes to roaming, there are no hassles and no extra steps. You can roam abroad without any problems. You can send and receive SMS messages and you can receive calls. In order to make calls I believe you need to contact customer service to authorize it.

The Bad:
I had to call customer service to activate GPRS - on the good side, I was able to use it within 2 days of when I called Customer service to activate it and customer service was polite and knowledgeful. UMTS is not available yet on prepaid.

TIPS:
1) Don't order online! a 20 euro package is not worth paying 70 dollars for!
2) As always get your GPRS settings before you leave home, conveying info to customer service about getting the settings can be tricky, especially if you do not speak Greek.
3) I believe that the Germanos store at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport in Athens has prepaid packages. Also take this opportunity to see if they sell higher euro amounts of prepaid packages, it is worth it.
4) Research which program you want before you leave, a la carte and CU are geared toward different needs. Their website is bilingual, check it out for more package and tariff info.
5) if you want GPRS, go buy the package at a Vodafone store, have them activate it for you and have the store clerks activate GPRS for you, chances are that they speak English.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I was more content with service from Vodafone than I was with Telestet (now TIM). They did not hassle me for accessing GPRS and getting connected was easy, and cheap. I liked them and I would recommend them without hesitation.

---- Updates ----
7/14/04 - it seems that CSD is no longer available, post edited accordingly
-------------------

AdmiralAK

11-11-2005 17:30

Quick Facts
Country: Greece
Network Name: Cosmote
Website: http://www.cosmote.gr
Owned by/Major partner: NTT DoCoMo
Operational Frequency: 1800 GSM and 2100 UMTS
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): 20 Euro
CSD access: Yes
GPRS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes
Manual included: Yes
Refill amounts: 9, 18 Euro (Higher available in Airports)
Availability: Cosmote Stores, OTE stores, Independent Dealers, Kiosks, "Psilikatzidika"
Program Name: Cosmokarta, What's up?
Competitors: Vodafone, TIM, Q-Telecom

More In-Depth Information

Buying:
The Good:
I do not own a Cosmote prepaid account but a lot of my friends do in Greece and I have looked into getting one next time I go to Greece. You can get a cosmote prepaid package at any Cosmote store, at Germanos or other Technology stores and at OTE (state run landline telecom) stores which exist in every city! I do not believe that you have to give out any information like address, landline number and so on which expedites the process. There are two packages, Cosmokarta and What's Up? What's Up? is described as "the youth tool" which I would assume gives you more services geared toward trendy, young, hip people. Price is 19.90 Euro and you get 8 euros worth of airtime.

The Bad:
You cannot yet buy UMTS prepaid in greece.

Usage:
The Good:
From what my friends have described, signal is good and they have had no problems with communication. I think that the Athenian metro system (underground) has some reception problems but so do other carriers I believe (with the exception of vodafone I think). Their GPRS is called i-Mode and it is usage on prepaid which makes these two prepaid packages good for the internet users. They also have a SIM application set called "My Cosmos", which are services which include Voice services, SMS based services, and a WAP portal called "My Cosmos" with info such as Airport and Port itenerary information (is my flight delayed? is it on time? what about my ship?). I also believe that they have lotto, horoscope, news and more info provided by other providers like TIM and Vodafone. Roaming is a no-hassle deal. You can roam to other networks abroad without problems. For making phone calls I think you might have to call customer service. With i-mode you've got access to over 130 services on your cellphone (newspapers, banks, entertainment etc.)

The Bad:
Need to call customer service to activate GPRS (I think). I believe that the My Cosmos services are in Greek only, I hope they are in English too by now. I do believe that i-Mode is in Greek, so if you do not speak Greek you might be left out in the cold.

TIPS:
1) Decide which package is for you, What's Up? and Cosmokarta are not identical. Check the website out, it is in Greek and English, look at the tariffs and decide.
2) Get your CSD and GPRS settings before you leave.
3) if you want GPRS, go buy the package at a Cosmote store, have them activate it for you and have the store clerks activate GPRS for you, chances are that they speak English.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I would give cosmote a try - I know so many people that use them without problems. They weren't the first in the UMTS business in Greece but they are quite innovative. The Airport and Port info is a nice service for travelers (after all, you are going to Greece for traveling, right?).

AdmiralAK

11-11-2005 17:34

Quick Facts
Country: Greece
Network Name: Q-Telecom
Website: http://www.qtelecom.gr
Product Name: Q-Card 1
Owned by/Major partners: Q-Telecom
Operational Frequency: GSM 1800 and GSM 900 through roaming
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): 19 Euro
Prepaid Package Validity: 18 months from activation of SIM
CSD access: No
GPRS access: No
EDGE access: No
SIM applications: Yes (Named "MyQ")
Manual included: Yes (Greek)
Refill amounts: 5, 10, 20 euro
Availability: Authorized Q-Telecom resellers in Greece
Competitors: Vodafone, TIM, Cosmote

More In-Depth Information

Buying:
The Good:
There are quite a few other authorized dealers that have sprung up since Q initially started business and it it easy to locate them on Q's website, their english website version seems good enough (at least to me). You might notice that resellers outside of Athens might include a lot of "ACS" stores. This is a UPS and FedEx like company in Greece (I think they partner with UPS for international). When you buy the package, you can choose your own number, how's that for customizability?

The Bad:
Initially, the only authorized Q-telecom dealers in Greece are located in Athens and Thesalloniki. Since you most likely be arriving by plane, this will most likely not be a problem. The problem has been addressed since. Even though they sell nationwide, it is still easier to find and purchase a Vodafone, TIM or Cosmote package than Q.

Usage:
The Good:
In major cities like Athens and Thessaloniki Q has their own network and it is pretty good in terms of coverage (side note: it runs on GSM 1800 - coverage based on what their website says - not personal usage). Prices are quite good! In comparison, it seems to have some very decent international rates and pretty low national rates. This is a cheap service, but it doesn't skimp on the extras. You get voicemail included with prepaid and you have the ability to switch the language (good for non Greek speakers). The SIM application, called "MyQ" have sections on the Stock Market, Entertainment, News, Weather, Sports, Horoscope, Ship schedules, Lotto, ringtones, images and Greek Holidays (just in case you are wondering why Athens is so empty on August 25th lol). In terms of validity of time, your card is valid for 18 months from the time of activation. When you top-off it seems like the you expand your validity period (by how much I do not know).

The Bad:
Q is somewhat new to the game and does not have any global roaming partners yet, so if you wish to use up all your credit, do it in Greece because you will not be able to do it elsewhere. Coverage in Greece in non-major cities is the same as Vodafone's coverage (side note: runs on GSM 900), so it runs more like a virtual network rather than an actual network. The SIM cart is reported to be using "java Technology" and to have "large capacity" however you still only store up to 30 SMS and 200 numbers (so this is similar to all other SIMs these days - nothing new). The main thing that would prevent me from using Q as my service provider is the fact that they do not yet provide CSD and/or GPRS access. I suppose if you have your own service provider you can dial-up, but Q does not offer it natively, a price to pay for lower calling prices I guess - hopefully things will be better once Q further develops their own network.

TIPS:
1) If you wish to buy a Q-telecom package know where you are going to buy it prior to leaving your place of origin!
2) Consider whether or not you want GPRS access prior to buying into Q

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Q-Telecom seems to have a great package if what you want is voice communication. For "seasoned" users that can't bear to be offline Q is not the optimal package.

NOTE: Q-Telecom has been bought by the owners of TIM Greece. While they are still in operation as of Nov 11 2005, We do not know if their operations will continue separate of TIM, or if they will merge

Triband81

11-11-2005 23:25

Here's my take on E-Plus:

Quick Facts

Country: Germany
Network Name: E-Plus Deutschland
Website: http://www.e-plus.de
Owned by/Major partner: KPN Telecom Mobile (77.49%) and Royal KPN (22.51%)
Operational Frequency: 1800 GSM, 2100 MHz WCDMA (UMTS)
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): 40 Euro with 15 Euros of credit, valid for 12 months
Prepaid Package Validity:
15,00 (6 months)
30,00 (12 months)
60,00 (24 months)
>60,00 (24 months)

Grace Period before complete number deactivation: 2 months

CSD access: Yes
GPRS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes (64k sim card)
Manual included: Yes
Refill amounts: ?15, ?30 & ?60 (Credit card and bank transfers only)
Availability: E-Plus shops, Multibrand phone dealers, German electronics giants: Saturn, Mediamarkt and Pro Markt, tobacconists (for top-up scratch cards)
Competitors: T-Mobile Germany (D1), Vodafone Germany (D2), O2 Germany (E2).

More In-Depth Information

Buying:
The Good:
Readily available at any E-Plus shop, Saturn, Pro Markt and Mediamarkt location as well as any major electronics store.
E-Plus shops are located in all large German cities as well as some small towns. When no E-Plus shop is located in a town, you can get the refill cards at any newsstand, most supermarkets (Rewe, Kontra and others - look for the E-Plus Free & Easy sticker in the windows, if not, just ask ). If you plan to roam with the Free & Easy SIM, be sure to take enough Free & Easy Cash cards with you to refill abroad or register your CC with E-Plus to refill abroad. The service number 1155 is free from abroad but you only have the option of refilling the SIM with a CC outside of Germany.

E-Plus also has a large array of partner stores so look for these as well. You can locate the E-Plus Shop near you here:
http://www.eplus.de/meta/shopsuche/....asp?d=eplus.de (Enter the ZIP Code or the city name, i.e. K?ln for Cologne).

No registration or proof of German residency is required. All you need is your national ID card or passport.

The Bad:
None.

Usage:
The Good:
GSM coverage is usually good everywhere. No problems in the subways in cities like K?ln and Bonn due to extensive microcell coverage, major cities and urban areas/small towns are also covered quite well.
SIM cards are preactivated, once you go out of the shop you are ready to go. GPRS and MMS are available, you need to call 1155 (Free & Easy Service number, free from anywhere within Germany). Select Option 6 and then press 1 to have GPRS/MMS activated, it can take a few minutes or up to 24 hours to have this made available. GPRS is active once you see the applicable GPRS indicator on your screen.

UMTS was launched in August 2004 but there is currently no prepaid UMTS option for E-Plus.

SMS works very well, I have no problems sending and receiving SMS from the US from Cingular users in California. SMS works quite well when roaming as well, E-Plus is expanding their roaming selection bit by bit. Right now, it's possible to roam/dial directly in 28 countries with Free & Easy prepaid SIM cards and also to be reached in 110 countries.

Useful SMS tells you if you have voice mail as well as when the caller hung up with their number (if available) without leaving a message, SMS is also sent to confirm a successful SMS submission to the SMSC. Very cool, SMS is sent right after refilling to confirm successful top up. International roaming is preactivated, and it works by dialing directly in 28 countries, in other countries one has tio Direct roaming is available with some operators.

The Bad:
GPRS is useful but a bit costly if you do a lot of GPRS surfing.

Roaming expenses for prepaid are quite high so don't get caught unaware (http://www.eplus.de/tarife/2/2_5/2_5.asp). GSM coverage is available nearly everywhere (shaky when traveling by train (the ICE trains are equipped with repeaters to keep a stable signal) but good coverage in most German cities with subways (own personal experience is that coverage is flawless in K?ln and Bonn U-Bahn. UMTS coverage is unconfirmed at this time, E-Plus gained sites and 3G licenses in 2002 from the failed 3G provider Quam so this should add coverage but is untested by regular uses as of yet.

TIPS:
1) Check for latest SIM card prices and special Free & Easy price plans: http://www.eplus.de/tarife/2/2_0/2_0.asp, http://www.eplus.de/tarife/2/2_2/2_2.asp

2)Choose the Free & Easy plans carefully (there are different options, the best one depending on what your calling habits are: Free & Easy Weekend: Cheap Weekend calls, Free & Easy Weekday: Cheap Weekday & Night calls). All calls made are charged per second, but a fixed connection rate may apply (depending from the plan).

3)To know the available credit and the last charge, call 1155 (free of charge within Germany, not available when roaming!!) or enter *100# to check your balance while both in Germany or abroad. Your balance is then displayed on your phone's screen.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
E-Plus is great for occasional cell phone users and those who wish to be reachable. For heavy volume callers, I suggest that a visit to each of the 4 German providers be made so you can be advised in person on what the best rates/plans are for your own needs.

I have been using E-Plus since October 2000 and they are quite great, also a big plus for students, they have a monthly contract rate plan for those studying in Germany: (Time & More Student plans - 20/60/120 Minutes plus 30 inclusive SMS/month): http://www.eplus.de/tarife/1/1_4/1_4.asp (Scroll to "F?r Studenten).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some additional thoughts:

E-Plus also has several special prepaid offers, check the German Operators page here on PPGSM.net.

A number of Germany's MVNO's also operate on E-Plus' network so if you think you'll get a better deal with them, then look at Simyo, blau.de, Schwarzfunk, uboot or at base which is a postpaid offer.

Effendi

21-11-2005 21:06

Quick Facts

Country: Poland
Network Name: Heyah (MVNO on Era)
Prepaid Card Name: Heyah
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): PLN 20, including PLN 15 of credit
Documents Needed: none
Prepaid Package Validity: 1 month, plus 1 month to recharge
CSD access: Yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, GPRS (must activate through Heyah's web site)
UMTS access: No
SIM applications: don't remember
Manual included: really brief instructions, in Polish only
Refill amounts: PLN 20 and 50
Availability: almost everywhere, most kiosks, look for the red hand logo
Competitors: SimPlus, Era Tak Tak, Orange, Sami Swoi, Pop

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
It's really easy to buy a prepaid card by Heyah, just go to the first kiosk with the red hand logo and pay PLN 20, the simcard is ready to go.

The Bad:
Really no problems, if you don't speak Polish just use hands gestures! :)

Usage: 

The Good:
When I went to Poland Heyah had just started the revolution of prepaid tariffs and was the best option, along with Nowy Pop. Now it's probably not the cheapest solution for national calls in Poland, but surely it still is great for direct international calls (but Sami Swoi plus some international prepaid card can be cheaper). If you have a friend with Heyah too it's great also for messaging and in net calls.
Now Heyah also offers full data capability and national MMS. Voicemail is free of charge and international roaming is preactivated.

The Bad:
I really had no big problems with Heyah, the only hassle could be that everything is in Polish, so I understood nothing about the little manual or the SMS I could receive. But here on PrepaidGSM you can find everything about Heyah and all Polish offers thanks to Przemolog, so it's really not a problem.

TIPS: 
No particular tips

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
I really enjoyed using my Heyah card, along with an international prepaid card, calling and messaging with Italy and Polish friends every day was really cheap, I really spent little compared to my Italian roaming fees. Heyah is not the cheapest offer anymore now, but surely it's still very reliable and easy to use so I can suggest it without any doubt.

Andytel

14-12-2005 10:49

Quick Facts

Country: Italy
Network Name: Vodafone IT
Prepaid Card Name: Vodafone SIM
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800, W-CDMA 2100
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): ? 10.00, including ? 5.00 of credit
Documents Needed: ID card/Passport and Italian Fiscal Code
Prepaid Package Validity: 11 months, plus 1 month to recharge
CSD access: Yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, GPRS only, EDGE not implemented
UMTS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes, you can configure your 128k sim-card from Internet, and add/remove applications from it, as well as phonebook
Manual included: Yes in most cases, it is just a quick guide in Italian only
Refill amounts: ?3/2, ?10/8, ?25/20, ?50/45, ?100/95, ?150/145 (cost/credit)
Availability: Vodafone shops, big department stores
Competitors: TIM, Wind, 3 ITA

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
Very easy to buy a prepaid card.
Vodafone shops can be found in most towns, even smaller ones.
The prepaid kit is cheap and the card is usually active in a couple of hours (but sometimes you can wait also up to 24 hours).
It's very easy to top-up, nearly any "tabacchi" and "lotto" shop can recharge your account,as well as any newsstand. You can top-up from abroad using scratch-cards from other European Vodafone or Partner networks.

The Bad:
The usual big problems with Italian Fiscal Code; you need one otherwise you cannot buy any Italian prepaid card. You don't need to be born in Italy to have one: if the shop assistant is smart enough, he can calculate it for you.
Sometimes, especially on weekends or in August (=holidays), you have to wait quite a lot for the card to be activated.

Usage: 

The Good:
GSM coverage is usually good everywhere, even if -in remote areas of southern Italy- TIM is sometimes better.
3G-UMTS coverage is limited to urban and touristic areas.
SIM cards are activated at the shop, once you go out of the shop you just have to wait a couple of hours for activation. GPRS is enabled, while you need to enable MMS (just by sending one from your phone) if you want to be able to receive them. Prepaid customers can access to the 3G network without any special configuration; videocall service is active by default
Credit check is simple and updated in real-time: just dial 404 or 414; you can check through internet (with much more information) and set-up all options at www.190.it.
You can set English as your preferred speaking language for IVR and messages.
Useful SMS tells you which calls you missed while your phone was turned off or off-network, and when a turned-off phone you tried to call is again available ("Recall").
SMS work well, while to access all the sections of the WAP-portal you need to have a Vodafone Live! compatible phone.
UMTS data connection works fine, but you need to activate some promotional bundle to make it affordable! (there's a wonderful UMTS/GPRS pc connect card available, in case you need).
International roaming is preactivated, and it works by dialing *123*phonenumber# . Direct roaming is available with some operators.

The Bad:
Vodafone is not the cheapest solution for GSM in Italy, although one of the most reliable. The preactivated plan is not good for short calls (per minute biling). You can switch to another plan for free (only the first time). Easy Day is the best plan for short calls (no set-up fee, per second billing). Vodafone People is the cheapest towards other Vodafone IT customers.
International SMS cost two times the national ones.
Videocalls to non-Vodafone customers and to abroad are very expensive.
Leisure and additional services accessed via Vodafone Live! are also quite expensive.

TIPS: 
In some periods you can find sim for ?5.00, including ?5.00 of credit.
As an alternative, sim for ?25.00, including ?26.00 of credit are also usually available.
Ask at the shop to activate also promotions for international traffic ("My Country" cards), and Vodafone Passport, if you need them.
There are some promotional fares for voice and SMS, during Summer and Christmas which can be very useful and cheap for longer journey in Italy with other Vodafone and italian customers; if you plan to stay in Italy for a long time consider to activate some offers you see listed on Vodafone page here on PrepaidGSM.

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
This is an updated version of the review I posted on HoFo some time ago.
I still think Vodafone and TIM are the two best italian operators and are quite similar in terms of price for value, Wind is cheaper but less reliable (especially in terms of coverage), while to use 3 ITA u-sim card you need an UMTS phone (usually sold sim-locked), otherwise it just won't work.

Marc	13-01-2006 00:31

Quick Facts

Country: France
Network Name: Bouygues Telecom; www.futur-client.bouyguestelecom.fr/
Prepaid Card Name: Carte Nomad
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): ?15, includes ?5 calling credit
Documents needed: Passport--other ID might be accepted, too
Prepaid Package Validity: Normally (see Usage below) 1 month credit (for ?15), 8 months phone number
CSD access: Yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, if phone configured properly (advice at: http://www.bouyguestelecom.fr/client/nomad.htm)
UMTS access: No
SIM applications: Yes
Manual included: Yes, but French only
Refill amounts: ?10, ?15, ?25, ?35, ?50, ?75
Availability: Club Bouygues stores, other phone stores (some, not all), tabacs (not all); certain bank ATMs
Competitors: Orange, SFR

More In-Depth Information

Buying: 

The Good:
Card worked immediately in an unlocked US T-Mobile Nokia, and signal strength was good throughout Paris, including all but the deepest Metro tunnels. Length of credit validity varies with the denomination of the card, but all denominations ?15 and up have a line validity of 8 months (and a recharge extends that a further 8 months). When buying the start-up kit, I was asked for ID and an address. As others have also reported, a hotel address will work fine, and, though I provided my passport, other ID may have been acceptable, too.

The Bad:
Fewer outlets seemed to carry the Bouygues start-up kit and recharge cards/tickets than those of its competitors. Still, finding either start-up or recharge was relatively simple.

Usage: 

The Good:
The standard Carte Nomade ("Classic") has a single price structure for calls to anywhere in metropolitan France--0,50? per minute--24/7 (SMS are 0,12? each), whether to mobiles or fixed lines. The good news is that charges are calculated by the second from the first second, except to certain specialized numbers. Normal features, including picking up messages and checking the amount of credit left, are free. Incoming calls are free. Bouygues also offers three variations (called "Advantages") to Carte Nomade Classic, which you can choose at the moment you recharge the card: (1) Advantage Flash, which cuts the per minute (or SMS message) charge in half, but which also cuts the credit validity in half (so a ?15 recharge is effectively worth ?30 worth of calls, but is only valid for 15 days instead of a month); (2) Advantage Soir & Weekend, which has a slightly higher daytime rate (0,60?), but reduces that to 0,25? for calls made after 9 p.m. and on Sat. and Sun.; and (3) Advantage Spot, which can effectively cut per minute calls in half by your agreeing to listen to an advertising spot before the call is put through to the recipient (you can choose to use this option on a call-by-call basis).

The Bad:
All service operations, including recharges, are conducted by phone, and with menu instructions in French only. (On the other hand, the voices speak a very clear and slow French, so, with only a moderate amount of French, it's relatively easy to follow the instructions.)

TIPS: 
(1) Buying bigger denomination recharges gets you extra call credit. (2) Watch out: while recharges of ?15 and up extend the validity of your phone line and number 8 months, recharges of only ?10 do not extend the validity of your line. (3) I used Advantage Flash because I was only going to be in France 2 weeks anyway and thus got a lot of bang for my bucks. (Good thing, too. I used the phone a lot.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: 
This is the only pre-paid card I ever used in France, so I have no grounds for comparison. Nor did I need to use customer service, so I can't comment on how helpful that might have been. But the card worked flawlessly and message retrieval and recharging were straightforward, even with French menus, so I'd have no hesitation recommending this card.

tha_bulldog

26-11-2007 22:38

Quick Facts

Country: The Netherlands
Network Name: Vodafone NL
Prepaid Card Name: Vodafone iZi, Vodafone Prepaid
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): € 10.00, including € 5.00 of credit
Documents Needed: None!!!
Prepaid Package Validity: 11 months, plus 1 month to recharge
CSD access: Yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, GPRS/UMTS/HSDPA(1,8MBit/sec)
UMTS access: Yes
SIM applications: Yes, you can configure your 64k simcard from Internet, and add/remove applications from it
Manual included: Yes, in Dutch only
Refill amounts: € 20, 30, 40
Availability: Vodafone City points, big department stores, phone shops
Competitors: KPN, T-Mobile, Telfort, Orange

Usage: 

The Good:

Vodafone NL (formerly known as Libertel or Libertel-Vodafone) is one of the major brands in The Netherlands. It uses the GSM900 network which is best for long range signals. The signal of Vodafone NL is great in NL, you have a coverage of 99,2%.

The UMTS data offer called Zorgeloos Online, which means Get online without any care, is really great. When available, the speed on HSDPA is 1,8MBit/sec and on UMTS/GPRS it's full speed. The price: 9,50 per month, also on a prepaid card.
The Bad:
Data limit is around 250 MB. But you don't get charged if you get over, Vodafone will instead contact you and ask to minimize your data usage.

TIPS: 
Usually in Summer and during main holidays you can find special promotions for new prepaid sim-only kits; if you plan to stay in The Netherlands for a longer period try google and see if you can get any promotional material.
FINAL THOUGHTS: 
For UMTS or HSDPA internet, Vodafone Netherlands is the way to go. The coverage is really great and it's big value for money!

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