Text 31893, 93 rader
Skriven 2009-04-30 07:50:12 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
  Kommentar till text 31865 av Roy Witt (1:397/22)
Ärende: Message prices
======================
Roy Witt wrote to Robert Bashe on Tuesday April 28 2009 at 15:35:

[SMS rates]
RW>>> You can do a few messages per month for 20 cents each or you can
RW>>> sign up for unlimited text messaging for $4.99/month.

[...]

RW>>> I'm glad I don't have to live with such a complex system.

RB>> Instead, you just pay (for SMS) around twice what we do in Germany.
RB>> We used to have that kind of system too, before the discounters got
RB>> to work.

RW> How does 'unlimited' SMS text messaging for $5/mo equate to twice what
RW> you pay?

I note you mentioned _two_ rates above. As most people except the kiddies don't
constantly send SMS messages and thus don't use a monthly rate (why use a
prepaid SIM if you're going to do that anyway?), my comment was based on the
$0.20 you mentioned, around twice the rate we now pay for an SMS.

RB>> At any rate, this is also the kind of thing we have here - assuming
RB>> no SIM lock on the (subsidized) phone to force you to use a specific
RB>> provider,

RW> Most phones can be 'unlocked' to work on more than one provider's
RW> system. The only thing you need then is a SIM from the carrier of
RW> choice.

Although it's true that most phones can be "unlocked", the procedure is often
difficult and requires special equipment and programs. If you have someone near
you who can do the job and you can bring the phone over to them, this can be
simple. But if you have to send it off somewhere, the job can become more
expensive than it's worth to remove the lock.

I might add that privately "unlocking" a phone is illegal in some countries,
such as Germany (that means that you don't wait the usual two-year "locking
period", after which you get the unlocking code free from the provider - it
costs you around EUR 100 before that - but unlock the phone yourself or have it
unlocked), but perfectly legal in others, such as the Netherlands. I don't know
the legal situation on this in the States.

RB>> Only one difference here: you don't buy "prepaid minutes" for a SIM,
RB>> but "load" it with a certain amount of money (EUR 10, 15, and 30
RB>> being common) using a code you buy from a store or vending machine.

RW> Which is 'written' onto a mag strip on the back of a credit card type
RW> of card.

May be in the States, but not here. These are so-called "scratch cards" here,
where you have to scratch the cover off a field containing a numerical code.
The code is then entered into the phone after dialing the number of the
provider, and the money is credited to the SIM card in the phone.

RW> The pay-as-you-go (PAYG) Motorola I bought didn't get a chance to be
RW> used as a PAYG phone. It was put into service on my existing account
RW> SIM card.

No problem as long as the phone has no SIM lock.

RW> To program it for PAYG, it's PAYG SIM has to be activated by the
RW> provider and then you have to call the phone number on the 'minutes'
RW> card you buy and the phone gets programmed over the air. I've never
RW> done this, however.

Interesting system, and similar to what we have here except you get a code
instead of a phone number on the card, and you buy a certain "credit" in Euro
instead of minutes. But I'm a little confused here: is what I call a "prepaid"
SIM the same as your "PAYG SIM", or are we talking about different things?

In Germany, you buy a prepaid SIM card either on the Internet or in a shop, and
must provide your personal data (name, address, birthdate and in a shop your
personal ID number) to do this - a legal requirement intended to make
"anonymous" cellphone calls difficult. The purpose is to reduce criminal use of
cellphones.

At any rate, your new prepaid SIM (bought with a certain starting balance
generally ranging from EUR 5 to EUR 10) is activated as bought, or by making
one call to the provider's computer (I've had both kinds) without any need for
entering anything - just the call activates the SIM.

You can also buy "packages" of a (usually simple, cheap) SIM-locked phone with
the SIM of some provider. These are relatively cheap (subsidized), but lock you
into an expensive rate for two years.

Apparently the situation in the Netherlands is different, as Michiel has noted
that no identification is required to buy a prepaid SIM there.

Cheers, Bob

--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-0613
 * Origin: Jabberwocky System - 02363-56073 ISDN/V34 (2:2448/44)