Internet access in Australia - Networking

Help!!
I'm due to fly out to Australia for a 3 week holiday on Saturday.
I had planned to purchase a PAYG (or prepaid as they call it) SIM and use it in my unlocked
Vario II to keep in touch with family/friends via email and also update an
online travel blog. Unfortunately I have just discovered that none of the
Australian cell networks appear to offer full internet access on PAYG.
Anyone know if this is the case, and more importantly anyone know of a way I can get full internet access whilst out there without having to pay t-mobile £7.50 per MB for roaming data (i only pay that a month for unlimited access at home!)

Hi
Im not sure about the prepay card you are speaking of..... but I just move to Sydney and spent the first month trying to sort some mobile internet out.
In the end I got an uncle to set up a vodafone account for me then I used that (they wouldnt give me an account unless I could provide 3 months Australian payslips and about 50 forms of ID)
So good luck!
Try to organise it before you leave or you may find it really difficult.
Sorry that probably doesnt help you much...
There must be someone who does prepay 3g/gprs over here!

mobile internet in australia sucks, i work for Telstra and even on my staff plan its damn expensive.
id love to get unlimited mobile net on my jam, ive often said id gladly trade my phone line for a dataline on my mobile anyday of the week.

As far as i know, none of the australian service providers have internet access on prepaid sims. I guess you are out of luck.

Related

3G + Universal + Australia

Hi,
Could those Universal owners in Australia response to this thread with...
a) What provider they are with
b) What plan they are on
c) The procedure for configuring their unit with their provider (to this point of surfing the net on mobile broadband.
Rather than trial and error I thought I'd try and cheat and just ask someone who's gone through all the pain already.
I would also be interested to hear comparisons between plans and providers.
Regards
Michael
I'm interested too! I've been looking on the net at Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Three but I can't see anything really great - all very exy!!
Most are linked with phones on plans - not good for us we've already got the unit.
I want a sim only plan that gives me reasonable rates for data download.
I'm using Three - gave the bundled phone to a friend who wanted to upgrade an old NEC. $99 Cap Plan includes $15 towards data usage, but i've never managed to get past the $99 cap yet.
The data speed is fast - to get 3G you need to create a new connection, set the AccessPoint, which is "3netaccess", and leave all others blank. Roams to Telstra GPRS when out of coverage in Oz.
Don't bother with Three if you go overseas - there's no data coverage outside Australia for Australian customers.
There is also no comprehensible FAQ on their site for the MMS setup - just lots of pages with "your phone comes preconfigured - don't change it" comments. Ringing support is no good, if you try to, they soon figure out you are not using "their" phone, and can't help you.
If anyone else here has MMS working please give the settings.
Telstra Universal on 3G
I purchased my JasJar in the UK on a business trip, and with my UK Vodafone SIM had 3G working fine.
For Telstra 3G you need a new USIM for 3G - they should supply for free if you're a post-paid customer.
It actually roams onto the joing 3/Telstra network and drops back to Telstra GPRS.
The Telstra settings are simple - telstra.internet for the APN
Also, the 3G data plans are more generous - I changed from $55/month 5MB plan to a 3G $15/month 6MB plan.
All seems to be working fine.
www.andrewgrill.com
I have the JJ and use Telstra. The process was simple, Tell my secretary to give it to me, TElstra call me back and say that I have it, use the Imate auto configure to install it and of I go.
Expensive yes, but in the overall scheme of my business costs, its not worth looking at. Telstra I believe have a special for the video call bit that they charge the same for a video call as they do for a mobile phone call, to get you to join and try it. I dont have anybody interested in video calls.
I didnt need a telstra sim to do this, and havent actually tested it for videos.
I only really use it a little bit for internet connectivity, and given that I have wireless networks at home and office, I dont use the GPRS to 3G connectivity much.
Heads up though and it is posted in these forums elsewhere that phone companies (and I suspect telstra) would limit it your speeds to the minimum required for video conferencing which is 128kb ps, whereas 3G networks are capable of 384kbps, and only switch it on when you ask for it.
I really dont have that much need, and it doesnt even come close to the capabilities and speeds, ease, costs and overall benefits of the ADSL wireless network.
Hi, I sold my Universal (O2 Xda Exec unlocked) to somebody on eBay who lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Today I received this e-mail from him after he received it:
"My sim card doesn't work."invalid or missing sim card" appears.Can you help me to figure out."
Any ideas anyone?
PS: I should add that mine was one of the 1st Execs shipped in December and was definately unlocked as I had it working with O2 and Orange. All I have changed is to install the new Extended ROM update from their web site, which I presume doesn't have SIM locking does it?
PPS: Update from user: "Thanks for your response.Australia has got a couple network. I currently use $49 cap plan Optus network. but I don't have any idea about frequency."
my friend had a problem with optusnet, told it was the phone!!
I put my telstra sim in, worked perfectly the first time.
went to optus, requested a new sim, got it tested it didn't work, logged a support call, waited for call back, tried agin with support, nothing returned, got a telstra sim the next day and never looked back...
moral, optusnet support sucks when they don't sell you a phone, the knoledge is limited and competency sucks.
BUT I do use them for adsl, and home phone, even then acknowledge that they suck.
Tell your customer to test it on a friends telstra card and run the telstra cab, its something in optusnet.
by the way, my friends phone wa the imate jam / xda mini so the problems hadn't even started with the 3g network of the exec.
my jasjar works perfectly on telstra.
pm me, or get your customer onto the forum if I can provide localised help.
Thanks. Can you please clarify what you mean by "run the telstra cab, its something in optusnet"? What is a 'cab'?
Are they the same network and would he be able to retain his account, or does he have to switch networks?
Networks in Australia
Although Optus and Vodafone in Australia actually share a 3G network (3G air interface) everything beyond that is separate so for billing etc your friend would need a new SIM card. It's likely thet Optus people did not sell him a 3G SIM card - they will have to tell them what it is for so they give him the right SIM.
In OZ, Telstra share with 3 so you 'roam' onto the 3 network for 3G even though you have a Telstra SIM
the cab file is located on the extended rom, or on the 02 website, or the imate website, I have also posted the file elsewhere on this forum if you look for telstra.
if you cant find it, i can locate it and post it, just dont have it handy now.
a cab file installs programs or settings to a device. this particular one sets up all the mms, phone and 3 g settings. if he did a hard reset, the phone itself would ask him his communications provider and do this automatically. but telstra can only be used on telstra, and optus on optus networks, and they are effectively strings of commands to access gprs, 3g, and wap sites.
he may not have run the setup correctly on this. if he installs total commander, and types into the address field \extended_rom\ he would be able to locate the file on the device already and just run it to establish his correct settings.
however, i feel it is likely that the sim card is dud.
Hi all, thanks for your previous help. The customer now has a new SIM from Optus, Australia, which works great for calls.
However, he cannot set up GPRS. He states:
"I tried everything to set up gprs setting.I couldn't.I check the my friend's xda ii series gprs setting.It has got auto config option.So it does itself.But my xda exec ask me phone number ,domain name,username password,dns setting etc.
I rang to Optus technical support.They told me they don't support this one.They gave me dns number but didn't work. But I think . if xda ii works, exec should work.I just need set up for Australia. Please help me."
Does anyone have a link to an Optus Australia auto-config util that will send him the config in a magic SMS?
Failing that, can you type all the details here or provide a link to the Optus cab?
I'm with Vodafone on a $79 cap. The cap value includes data ($1/5min), but the billing by time rather than downloads might not suit most people.
As for configuring the phone - I just downloaded the operator settings CAB file from clubimate.com. Sets up everything perfectly!
AFIK, Vodafone and Optus are the only ones that will offer Sim-only 3G plans. Of course, you can go with Three, and just discard the phone (you can get a free phone on a $29 cap!)
JJ on Three network
JJ on Three network.
I'm going to check this post and report in the near future:
http://aussie3g.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=16121&highlight=jasjar+3netaccess
telstra also offer 3g plans, but I use their phone network and sim card as part of our corporate plan.
I have sent the customer the std cab file on my imate rom, which he reports was not beneficial for him.
I am not on optus so don't actually have the configuration settings.
spludge said:
Don't bother with Three if you go overseas - there's no data coverage outside Australia for Australian customers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i never tried data, but videocalls worked fine...the only limitation being it only works on the overseas 3 network (3 - Hong Kong in my case, this was 2 years ago when i still lived in brisbane)
It's okay guys, Optus were giving him wrong details. He found the right ones -- they're all over Google

GPRS in Florida

Hi,
I am going on a trip to Florida in August and would like to know what is the best way to get low cost calls and GPRS access. I plan to either use Opera as my main browser or use the EXEC as a modem for my laptop.
I have looked at some options but was not sure whether they will work.
1. Buy a T Mobile Sidekick sim card from a US ebay seller and get GPRS for $1 a day
2. But a T Mobile SPeal Easy Sim card from a us ebay seller and get unlimited GPRS (wap only?)
But will it work with my exec and are there other ways?
If you're currently with a data package from O2, UK, you may find there is no additional cost for using GPRS abroad, i.e., no roaming fee for data connection. This was at least the case when I was travelling in China using Exec with the O2 SIM card. Of course the roaming price for voice calls is however unacceptably high.

Using GRPS abroad (T-Mobile UK)

Is there any way of knowing in which countries GPRS will work in? I've got a T-Mobile MDA Vario and on one or two occasions I wasn't able to get GPRS up and running in order to browse the net. Just wondering if it doesn't work in some countries or if that was a coincidence.
Isn't there a list of countries/companies which T-Mobile have roaming agreements with on the T-Mobile website ?
Yes but this only indicates where you can use the phone. My understanding is that this does not necessarily include GPRS/data availability or access.
Yes, just because you can roam does not mean you can use GPRS. I do not think that info is on www.gsm.org either. Drop an email to T-Mobile customer service if it isn't on their site.
Must admit I always buy a local SIM for data usage now that many operators have pre-paid GPRS.
GPRS abroad..
T-Mobile do have partners abroad - for the preferred network to use and cheaper calls - but that doesn't mean you will get any of your GPRS allowance wheilst roaming.
I have the Web'n'walk tariff , but my mobile bill was still over £160 when I got back after a week in Eire.
I think the GPRS / MMS data usage was at their standard roaming tariff.,, whatever that is.
Charlie Grillo
Some examples
I couldn't use GPRS with O2 in UK (where T-Mobile wasn't available). I had no trouble with multiple carriers in Barcelona and always found T-Mobile itself in Frankfurt and Bonn. GRPS works in Paris (didn't note the carrier) and never worked with any of NINE partners in Taiwan last year.
prestonmcafee, thanks for the examples. Your visit to the UK must have been some time ago, T-Mobile exists here now, I think they initially came in the market a couple of years back when they acquired what used to be one to one, or whatever they were called.
Yesterday!
Sorry I wasn't clear, what I meant was that I couldn't get GPRS in the UK in the places where T-Mobile wasn't available; T-Mobile is usually available but not always. Victoria Station and Heathrow have places where T-Mobile's signal is so low that the automatic connection on a US T-Mobile phone connects to O2, and in this case, GPRS will fail.
Sometimes, but not usually, a manual connection would turn up T-mobile even when the phone had connected to O2.
I just returned from 5 weeks in the UK yesterday.
LOL

Using my Vario II in Florida

I'm heading down to Florida (from UK) in early February and was wondering if I will be able to use my Vario II when I'm there?
I have a T-Mobile contract with Web n'Walk (unlimited Net access).
I would like to use my Vario to access the Internet.
Is my Web n'Walk transferable? Or will I pay a fortune to access the Net when I'm abroad?
Also, any advice about using my phone while I'm there would be appreciated (e.g. should I purchase a SIM for the duration of my holiday?).
If you are roaming then you should be able to use if no problem, though I recommend you unlock it and pick up a sim while you are there as it will be much cheaper.
Forget the damned phone and go see Florida properly!!!!
Mike
I am going to Florida on business (and pleasure).
Ask your T-mobile about net access (roaming) in Florida. If that's short trip ,use wi-fi spots ,like a Starbucks .
I was there last November MDA works great, GSM and GPRS (no G3)
don't forget to disable auto download application's (RSS, whether etc)
I the most of the hotels WIFI is for free.
Starbuck has also WIFI but you have to pay for it
even if you use your T-mobile hotspot account.
it's cheaper to use GPRS for short connections..
bobbyelliott said:
Is my Web n'Walk transferable? Or will I pay a fortune to access the Net when I'm abroad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you WILL pay for using GPRS data connections abroad. W'n'W unlimited access works only in UK.
The using hot spots is cheaper anyway. The most of Starbucks has free hot spots, some not. The most has contract with T-mobile. As far I remember , the Barnes and Noble bookstor's has free hot spots too.
I've been on Florida a year ago. Always hoked up in to the free Starbucks hot spots.
(Hello eva_d ! )

T-mobile UK htc hermes

Hi all,
Will a HTC Hermes purchased in UK work with T-MO USA
Yes as long as it is SIM unlocked.
Info is here http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Hermes_SimUnlock
S.K.
Yes
I'm just back from Florida and it worked fine - without unlocking. It picked up T-Mobile USA as soon as I stepped off the plane.
That's very interesting. Do you have any idea yet on charges? Did you use calls and data? It would be handy to know.
My hotel had wi-fi so I used that 99% of the time. I did occasionally use a data connection for e-mail (3G in Orlando area, GPRS some other places, nothing down south!) and the odd text message. No phone calls. Cost me around £5 when my bill came in.
Please note that I have an unlimited data plan in the UK but this does not work abroad. Also, I could not use my BT Zone account (even with partner sites such as t-Mobile) when in the US (my BT Mobilezone or whatever it is called) did not work outside of the UK either).
Still, £5 not bad at all really. Definitely a plus for t-mobile there.
Sorry to burst your bubles but...
1.) MDA Vario II is TOTALLY locked! however Pof's unlocker v3 works great.
2.) T-Mobile USa has Nothing to do with T-Mobile UK, or Germany, or any other T-moblie. None of your plans or minutes cross over, this is true all networks, Orange, Voda, etc.
This is how they screw us to the walls, imagin if they give that up? All those 1.50 GBP per minute roaming fees and 40P texts?
And data, forget about it! Even worse.
(The guy above must have sent like 3.5 texts and mad 1 call)
We may get a break with the EU next summer in Europe, (lower roaming fees, Check out O2 for this)
But you will not get b orderless roaming in your lifetimes, you may get reduced fees, which is a start. But NEVER in the US, there you will get screwed.
The best solutions is to BUY PayGo sim cards, in the US T-mobile is the best for that.

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