Mobile providers and mobile internet in Thailand?

Question

I'm traveling to Thailand for three weeks and I was hoping to get a local Sim card while there, to be able to contact home, people I meet, and use the internet.

Which networks are available and do any of these offer reliable internet access?

What sort of costs will be involved with getting local mobile access?

Answer 1

There's a new wiki site I've only recently become aware of (thanks mostly to other posters on this site!) specifically for prepaid data and sim cards.

So here's their Thailand page.

It looks like there are three main carriers - dtac, AIS and True Move, and there's quite a variety of rates. One interesting one is the unlimited data one, where the data is just speed limited. I'd be eyeing that one up, personally. Wouldn't be great for video, but most other stuff, probably.

Answer 2

As Mark said there are DTAC, AIS and True Move. I'd go for True Move because they offer free wifi access across Bangkok. But if you're not in Bangkok then AIS would be the best coverage.

AIS > http://www.ais.co.th/12call/en/sim-card.html

DTAC > http://www.dtac.co.th/en/postpaid/products/ShortStayVisitors.html

True Move > I cannot find the information in English, but the information in Mark's webpage is quite accurate.

I suggest you go to big department store to buy simcard or at the airport because they can speak English. You can easily spot the sign AIS, True or Dtac. Also, you can get all the pre-paid sims at local 7-11 shops, but they might not be able to understand you. If you want to get the fun of being in a foreign country.

Answer 3

At the airport (luggage pickup) you will see a TrueMove-H stand (usually unmanned) with free SIM cards for travellers. They have a very small deposit on them also, but can be topped up at any 7-11 (millions of them!). These are also preset with important numbers such as tourist police and EMS services and immigration etc. They are also set to receive English script text. Thai SIM cards allow for English and Thai. Non Thai phones generally do not decode Thai so you get texts with little boxes instead of characters. They have a limited data account too, but will need to be topped up to use this. Activation instructions are in English.

Three main providers (DTAC/AIS/True) all have pretty much full coverage. 3G is limited by all of them to towns, flipping to Edge in the suburbs. There is no 4G everywhere in Thailand you are likely to travel to (maybe not in the middle of the rainforest!)

Rest assured which ever SIM you chose expect plenty of adverts by text!