Best/cheapest way to "buy data" in the US and Germany - General Questions and Answers

Hi people,
Looking for some help from US and German users specifically, but the question could/might apply to other countries in the future....
I work for a UK based company; we use the O2 network for our WinMo devices which our staff use to sync email/calendar etc., PLUS they often tether their mobiles to their laptops for web browsing etc. when they are away from the office (this applies mostly to sales and implementation teams, who spend a fair amount of time in the US and Germany).
We are finding that our bills for roaming data usage are getting scarily expensive; it's not uncommon to see bills of £1000GBP PER USER PER MONTH - roughly $1500USD or €1200EUR....
SO.....my question is this - can we buy something like a "Pay-as-you-go SIM" in the US and in Germany, which is preloaded with - say - a 1GB, 2GB or 5GB data allowance?? I'm thinking that we could give the users a broadband USB adapter and they could plug in the appropriate SIM card and use the "local data" for that country. Sure, the WinMo device would still have the O2 UK SIM in, but the email syncing could be set to manual when roaming which would/should keep the costs/data usage to acceptable levels.
If anyone has similar experiences, I'd be interested in hearing how they manage this sort of thing in their environment....
Thanks for reading...and hopefully, thanks for your advice!!!
Mark.

Related

LG KS20 in Japan

Is anybody using LG KS20 in Japan? Can you teach me how to setup the MMS with a softbank network. I have found and tried many solutions here but I just dont know why all unsucessful.
Thank you so much.
I am not using your phone but my Universal here. Works like a charm and so will yours. As for MMS, you may be able to get it to work - I think there is even a translated version of the Softbank mail application somewhere floating around in the forums. But unlike SMS you have to have a data tariff to use that feature. Be very careful! Softbank literally punishes people for using their WM phones here in Japan.
If you don't use the flatrate 1 MB translates to 1,000 Yen transaction cost. Do the math and watch all those horrifying scenarios unfold in your mind You can use their packet flatrate, but your device will automatically be recognized and you will be billed about 10,000 Yen at the end of the month. On paper that flatrate may start at 1,000 Yen, but there is no way that you can get below the max if you even remotely use your device.
It's not too expensive compared to the other scenario, but it definitely makes you think twice before abandoning SMS. Those are free to other Softbank customers for just 980 Yen (and you get free calls from 1am until 9pm every day). But if you want to send them abroad, be careful again - It's possible to do so, but each and every SMS goes out for 100 Yen. They even warned me at the Softbank store about this...
All in all, if you need lots of data you might want to consider E-Mobile. They cater to the smartphone crowd with a 6,000 Yen flatrate and even offer roaming for voice into DoCoMo's network for some of their devices (not that you need it with VoIP). I think that your device might support their frequency - it's at least worth a try. SMS might not be an option, but with a full blown flatrate you can just use an internet SMS service.

Buying a phone/SIM/contract in the USA

Hi,
This could possibly be the dumbest question you've ever heard asked, but.....
I work for a UK based company and one of our members of staff is on a long-term contract in the US - based in New York, looking for new business etc... She has a Touch Pro device - on a UK contract with a data package - that she uses to make calls, send/receive email (via our Exchange server in the UK) and is very concerned about the size of the phone bills she's been generating!!!
My question is this: can she buy a contract SIM from a US provider to use in the Touch Pro, or will she need to get a CDMA-type phone - whatever she ends up with, will need to talk to our Exchange server in the UK
I have no idea as to what options are available - and also which option is the most cost-effective. I know we're gonna get shafted on the data charges whichever way we go, but hopefully the phone calls to US numbers from a US phone will be considerably cheaper as they won't be classed as roaming.
Any suggestions you guys may have would be most welcome; I'm relying on the expertise of the XDA members in the US
Thanks in advance - and apologies again for the dumb question!
Mark.
Mark Crouch said:
Hi,
This could possibly be the dumbest question you've ever heard asked, but.....
I work for a UK based company and one of our members of staff is on a long-term contract in the US - based in New York, looking for new business etc... She has a Touch Pro device - on a UK contract with a data package - that she uses to make calls, send/receive email (via our Exchange server in the UK) and is very concerned about the size of the phone bills she's been generating!!!
My question is this: can she buy a contract SIM from a US provider to use in the Touch Pro, or will she need to get a CDMA-type phone - whatever she ends up with, will need to talk to our Exchange server in the UK
I have no idea as to what options are available - and also which option is the most cost-effective. I know we're gonna get shafted on the data charges whichever way we go, but hopefully the phone calls to US numbers from a US phone will be considerably cheaper as they won't be classed as roaming.
Any suggestions you guys may have would be most welcome; I'm relying on the expertise of the XDA members in the US
Thanks in advance - and apologies again for the dumb question!
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me be the first to say there are no stupid questions....just stupid people who ask them....LOL and just kidding. Actually your thinking is right on track. If she has sim version of the Pro 2 then she can go ahead and get either t-mobile or AT&T. Either way when she leaves she will be required to pay an early termination fee. The package for AT&T completely unlimited is $99.00 but don't hold me to it. Also if she is using the UK version, no 3G for her, unfortunately, but if you read those who have the blackstone here in the US then you will see that Edge seems good enough for them. One more thing to consider is if she is in New York City, is all the wifi hotspots available. Those along with her unlimited plan should get her through the mess. T-mobile is the next option, but I don't use their service so no dice on that one.
Tell her to go to an AT&T store and also a T-mobile and find out what she can from each and then make a decision based on what her needs are.
I hope this helped a little.
Thanks for that - I'll take a look at the AT&T site and see what options are available for her. Looks like the phone/data are separate packages, but that's no problem; whatever she ends up with will be less than the last two bills we've had (about $1500USD a month ). Even the termination fee is "only" $175, so that won't hurt too much
Hey, thanks for the tip about the wi-fi - hadn't even considered that!! Are there a lot of AT&T wi-fi hotspots in the NYC area or is there just a lot of wi-fi generally (I ask because the AT&T data plans I've seen so far include access to their own hotspots).
Certainly some food for thought - I'll go away and digest it all
Many thanks,
Mark.
Mark Crouch said:
Thanks for that - I'll take a look at the AT&T site and see what options are available for her. Looks like the phone/data are separate packages, but that's no problem; whatever she ends up with will be less than the last two bills we've had (about $1500USD a month ). Even the termination fee is "only" $175, so that won't hurt too much
Hey, thanks for the tip about the wi-fi - hadn't even considered that!! Are there a lot of AT&T wi-fi hotspots in the NYC area or is there just a lot of wi-fi generally (I ask because the AT&T data plans I've seen so far include access to their own hotspots).
Certainly some food for thought - I'll go away and digest it all
Many thanks,
Mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The touch pro in the US is called the Fuze, it is the only GSM Touch Pro available. Both US Touch Pros are CDMA ( Verizon and Sprint ). But since the hardware is the same I am sure that a european TP will work just fine on the AT$T network with an AT$T sim.
The unlimited calling package is $ 99/mo and the data package ( internet email, weather, MMS ....) is $30. Of course international calls are always extra. ( called Aruba last week to the tune of $12.50 for 15 min )
So $129 for unlimited calls, texts, and data to @4GB /mo.
You can also cut down the minutes package and save more considering all unused minutes from one month " rollover " into the next month. Nights and weekends are free and AT$T to AT$T calls are free.
Here is my package for 4 phones. TilT, iPhone, LG Vu and Samsung Propel.
59.99 +9.99+9.99+9.99= $86 for 900 shared minutes ( the kids rarely talk, just text, so we always have a good pile of rollover minutes left just in case someone gets " chatty " one month.
Data Tilt-30 ; iPhone-30 =$60 Unlimited Texts on all four phones = $30
So $ 176 for four phones, not bad I think ? ( better deals welcome )
Since you are not subsidizing the phone, no contract, no early termination fee. Hope this helps
OK, I think we're getting close......
Thanks for the responses; I think we're now armed with all the facts
I think she's been told to go to an AT&T store and get something sorted. Only problem (?) now is that she's decided she doesn't want the Touch Pro any more, so she'll be looking to get a new handset through AT&T too (our UK sales people had TP's, but hated them and now have the HTC Snap - think that's the way she wants to go too!!).
Cheers,
Mark.

T-Mobile UK has Lost Their Mind

http://support.t-mobile.co.uk/help-and-support/index?page=home&cat=DATA_CHANGES
Changes to Mobile Internet fair use policies
T-Mobile is the only operator to give customers the Mobile Internet for a fixed-price. We never charge our customer's more than they expect for their Mobile Internet in the UK.
Therefore you'll never need to worry about how many emails you've sent, how long you've been on-line or the ‘data / GB’s’
Browsing means looking at websites and checking email, but not watching videos, downloading files or playing games. We’ve got a fair use policy but ours means that you'll always be able to browse the internet, it’s only when you go over the fair use amount that you won’t be able to download, stream and watch video clips.
So Whats Changing? - From 1st February 2011 we will be aligning our fair use policies so our mobile internet service will have fair use of 500MB.
What Does This Mean? - We’ll always let you email and browse the internet and you’ll never pay more than you agree to. We do have a fair use policy but ours is there to make sure we deliver the best service possible to all our customers. This means that you’ll always be able to browse the internet.
So remember our Mobile Broadband and internet on your phone service is best used for browsing which means looking at your favorite websites like Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, BBC News and more, checking your email and looking for information, but not watching videos or downloading files.
If you want to download, stream and watch video clips, save that stuff for your home broadband.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like T-Mobile UK decided that their new year's resolution would be to get rid of all of their customers...
I Don't get it. A lot of these streaming services have fee's attached to them which i understand. What I don't understand is why double charge for the service and the connection.
I think that it would be harmful to all the companies that thrive from these types of use. The only way I would justify this is if we away with the high cost of talk plans. I do not want to be forced into some overpriced talk plan when I do most of my talking via the web.
in before xda hacks a way around it.
Only a tiny percentage of mobile phone customers use more than 500MB a month.
Rather than cut off internet access completely, they'll still allow web and email, just no heavy use types.
Tarriffs seem completely different in the US from what people have posted too.
Over here it's normal if you're on a contract to always pay just the contract fee, due to the free minutes/texts/internet included.
The knack is to work out how much you use, how much that would cost, and pick a tarriff which costs less but gives you the same use.
All operators are bringing in or have brought in a 500MB a month AUP, they'd be crazy not to as any network that doesn't will be swamped by all the heavy users.
Meanwhile all the low and medium users will benefit through the freed up bandwitdh.
So what about all these new so called services. I mean this isnt just one company its all of them.
How can att support the atrix and data. While docked it uses a full web browser. Thats gotta consume way more data.
3 UK has done the opposite. I have the carrier and I have been happy with their plans. I brought my Nexus One from the US (ATT Bands) and have happily been using unlimited skype, 2gb data, 300 mins, 3000 txt and more for only £15 / mo with monthly contracts.
T-Mobile almost got my business with the 3GB plan, but wanted me to buy an android device from them to qualify for it!
Well that sucks. Are there bigger (more expensive) plans available?
All the cheap prepaid carriers here in Germany are offering 5GB, which seems to be becoming the norm. I figured the rest of the world would be following suit...?
This is completely removing the reason I joined T-Mobile in the first place.
T-Mobile are turning my smartphone dumb!
T-Moblie have always had terrible customer support, and this has just tipped me over the edge. They're losing me as a customer.
T-Mobiles Internet cap
Guys does this cap effect Recent T-Mobile plans only?
I'm asking because I've had my Unlimited Data, Internet package with T-Mobile for over 8 Months now ...
regards
raziel123 said:
Guys does this cap effect Recent T-Mobile plans only?
I'm asking because I've had my Unlimited Data, Internet package with T-Mobile for over 8 Months now ...
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI M8t
Just got off the phone with T-Mobile, and it is affecting me too, Damn them
Are on a Unlimited Data, Internet package with T-Mobile and so think it affects u 2 m8t.
Asked how they can do this because we do have a "contract" with amount and time duration of the contract, but they say as long as they give "us" 30 days notice they can do anything, but still we can not just give them "30 days" notice. Will leave them as soon as i can!
And don't you think they gave me the **** excuse that this was to free up bandwidth! Told the to stop this B$%**** excuse and upgrade there infrastructure instead!!
I'm positive that if they change the usage policy for ALL customers.
You are entitled to cancel your 'contract' as they will have breached the one that was signed by you.
My phone bill with them is £275, and if they try and cap my data, I'll be cancelled by the 2nd Feb!
xaccers said:
Only a tiny percentage of mobile phone customers use more than 500MB a month.
Rather than cut off internet access completely, they'll still allow web and email, just no heavy use types.
Tarriffs seem completely different in the US from what people have posted too.
Over here it's normal if you're on a contract to always pay just the contract fee, due to the free minutes/texts/internet included.
The knack is to work out how much you use, how much that would cost, and pick a tarriff which costs less but gives you the same use.
All operators are bringing in or have brought in a 500MB a month AUP, they'd be crazy not to as any network that doesn't will be swamped by all the heavy users.
Meanwhile all the low and medium users will benefit through the freed up bandwitdh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All good and well, But it is rather Dubious to claim that you were offering an Unlimited internet package and then claim to restrict it using a 500 MB per month "Fair Use Policy" ... which incidently was not amentioned or stated in the terms and conditions ...
clearly the T-Mobile numpties tried to consume more than they can physically swallow ...
regards
unubtanium said:
HI M8t
Just got off the phone with T-Mobile, and it is affecting me too, Damn them
Are on a Unlimited Data, Internet package with T-Mobile and so think it affects u 2 m8t.
Asked how they can do this because we do have a "contract" with amount and time duration of the contract, but they say as long as they give "us" 30 days notice they can do anything, but still we can not just give them "30 days" notice. Will leave them as soon as i can!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate,
I'm gonna have words with them, I'll see what happens when they get my 30 Days Notice ...
long as they us 30 Days Notice, they can change any terms and conditions?
regards
Raz
raziel123 said:
All good and well, But it is rather Dubious to claim that you were offering an Unlimited internet package and then claim to restrict it using a 500 MB per month "Fair Use Policy" ... which incidently was not amentioned or stated in the terms and conditions ...
clearly the T-Mobile numpties tried to consume more than they can physically swallow ...
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember your contract (you did read it didn't you?), it will say that they're able to change the terms and should also say you're able you cancel because of the change.
Many companies have had their knuckles wrapped because while stating unlimited they've imposed (in many cases hidden) limits, so in response they're now making the limits public.
Don't like it? Check your contract for the get out clause and tell them you're off, just don't expect them to be sorry to see you go.
This was the only reason I put up with their crappy network coverage. I do hope I'm able to cancel.
Slogan change?
Life's for sharing ... as long as it's not via videos or pictures
or
Life's for sharing ... just do it on somebody else's network, not ours
Sent from my dragon 32
zytron said:
Slogan change?
Life's for sharing ... as long as it's not via videos or pictures
or
Life's for sharing ... just do it on somebody else's network, not ours
Sent from my dragon 32
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL.........
Life's for sharing ..... but use your home broadband for that stuff.
Been with T-Mob 8 years, I prob don't use that much data, but I'm still leaving them for being underhand. I signed an unlimited data plan so they can kiss my ass goodbye...
I'll be sending them a letter to cancel my contract and then cancelling my direct debit...!
xaccers said:
Remember your contract (you did read it didn't you?), it will say that they're able to change the terms and should also say you're able you cancel because of the change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just chatted with my friend(assistant manager at t-mobile shop) and hi mentioned that you can not cancel a contract because of them changing the terms.
Or is my friend wrong?? Please say so, so i can cancel my contract!

[Q] PAYG Data options for visitor to USA and Canada

I'll soon be taking a three week trip equally split between the USA and Canada. Like most people on this forum, I'm going to want data access from my GSM smartphone for the duration, especially Google Navigation. Of course using my Orange UK contract SIM is out of the question because I don't intend to remortgage my house. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good SIM which will allow reasonable data changes across both countries?
In the past I've used T-Mobile for USA-only trips, but it appears the charge $10 a Mb in Canada which is out of the question. AT&T appear to be similar. The best deal from the Canadian networks in the USA appears to be $1 a Mb which is also too much. Is the only solution really to get two SIM cards?
I know their are many specialist roaming SIMs available, but I haven't come across any which cover this combination well. Any insights would be welcome.

[Discussion] Carriers! Discuss, compare, and/or hate on your carrier(s)

Hello my fellow XDA members!
This is a thread about companies that provide us with the ability to call, text, browse internet and do other stuff on our mobile devices, and go all-out-rage or all-out-love thanks to the level of customer service - the carriers.
Here you can talk about them, discuss the current/past/future data/call plans, share your thoughts on %carrier_name% in %country_name%, compare them between each other. Tell us what, in your opinion, could your carrier improve based upon your personal thoughts or upon other carriers' experience.
If you have ever visited other countries and used the local carrier - tell us how it compares to carriers from your contry, or just ask about prices/plans/etc. about carriers from other countries.
And, if you can, make a top-3/5/7/etc. carriers. You may compile such lists either from the local ones on even include the foreign ones.
So, let's start!
carrier : Mobile one
Country : Singapore
2GB 4G LTE per month. which is too little.
500 free sms.per month. I don't text a lot though, so it really doesn't matter.
free incoming calls. per month. heh, my favourite phrase is "could you call me instead"
I don't remember how much it costs to have outgoing calls though.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2
carrier : Vodaphone
Country : India
changed my carrier a while back because of their poor service
their 3g stops working at 12 in noon and started to work again in evening wtf???
Fatal1ty_18_RUS said:
Hello my fellow XDA members!
This is a thread about companies that provide us with the ability to call, text, browse internet and do other stuff on our mobile devices, and go all-out-rage or all-out-love thanks to the level of customer service - the carriers.
Here you can talk about them, discuss the current/past/future data/call plans, share your thoughts on %carrier_name% in %country_name%, compare them between each other. Tell us what, in your opinion, could your carrier improve based upon your personal thoughts or upon other carriers' experience.
If you have ever visited other countries and used the local carrier - tell us how it compares to carriers from your contry, or just ask about prices/plans/etc. about carriers from other countries.
And, if you can, make a top-3/5/7/etc. carriers. You may compile such lists either from the local ones on even include the foreign ones.
So, let's start!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, this thread is dead pretty quickly
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2
Well, let's not let it die then
Carrier: Beeline
Contry: Russia
2GB of 3G per month, free incoming calls from any other Russian carrier
This carrier has pretty much the most suitable costs for calling, texting, browsing and more. What definately differs this one from the other two is that you cal find yourself a plan basically for anything
Are you a granny/grandad? Grab this plan
Do you want to provide your kids with a plan? There you go
Browse internet from your phone/tablet? You have 6 options of 3G internet and 7 options for 4G
Plus Beeline also provides a home internet, the digital TV, AND it has WiFi Hotspots across Moscow, and probably in other cities too
Sadly their 4G coverage is just awful - it works only within Downtown of Moscow, so if I'd need LTE - I'd had to use other carrier's services for that
We have been using T-mobile pay-as-you-go in the US for years. Lowest price we can find if you don't call very often. May not fit everyone's needs but fits ours perfectly. No monthly fees, no contracts, very low cost. The downside is that the cell coverage is not very strong in the suburbs. But we can live with that. YMMV.

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