3 ms·

I'm in Europe and that is a basic plan, but a lot of people pay more. I am guessing at 10 euros a month you might get 1GB a month, which is not enough for most

by bwb 7y ago

I'm in Europe and that is a basic plan, but a lot of people pay more. I am guessing at 10 euros a month you might get 1GB a month, which is not enough for most things.

DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
You can easily get a prepaid SIM with 3 GB of LTE for 10€/month in Western Europe. 5+ GB is possible if you're willing to go with one of the less extensive networks (e.g., Vodafone), or if you're willing to sign a contract (i.e., not prepaid).
- bwb 7y ago
  Got a link? I've seen some pre-paid plans that did, but super discount carriers I didn't trust too much on speed / EU roaming agreements to other countries.
  - lostlogin 7y ago
    Last year I walked into various grotty shops and sim cards in that price range were readily available in the UK and France. Usually 4g occasionally 3g. They were prepaid.
  - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
    I don't want to advertise anything, but this website has a pretty extensive comparison of options in Germany: https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3000&minutes_included=100&select_contract=-1&young_tariff=no&with_high_rejection_rate=no&network_tmobile=yes&network_vodafone=yes&network_o2=yes&tariff_type=all&rnp=egal&tariff_activation_date=no&data_speed=0&lte=yes&hardware_nature=40&with_data_tariffs=no&fixed_traffic_automatic=egal&sms_included=all&network_eplus=yes https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3... The cheapest plans are on the Vodafone and O2 networks, which aren't as good as the Telekom (former state-owned) network. There are, however, plans with 3 GB for less than 10€ on the Telekom network. If you're willing to go with one of the shoddier networks, you can save a few more Euros each month.
    - bwb 7y ago
      Nice, I stand corrected, how does that limit of 22.6mb stack up to the big ones?
      - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
        It looks like there are plenty of cheap plans with 50 Mbit/s. It would be interesting to know what European countries have done differently from the US to foster competition in mobile providers.
urineaut 7y ago
At least in Austria 10€/month will provide you with more than just a basic plan. With 9.90€/mo, you could get a plan with 15GB/500SMS/500min, without charging annual service fees or minimum term of contract. I pay 13.90€ and get 30GB/500SMS/500min with 5.19GB available for Roaming and I'm absolutely pleased with its cost-effectiveness and support. A little bit context about the Austrian mobile market: Until 2012 we had four different carriers: Orange, T-Mobile, A1 and Drei (Hutchinson). December 2012 the EU commision approved the merger of Orange into Drei under a few conditions so that competition will not be hindered. One of those conditions required Drei to open its network for up to 16 MVNOs [1]. If I remember correctly, prices soared slightly, but after some MVNOs were successfully established, the other carriers opened up their networks too and the additional competition led to plummeting prices. It seems like it's not even that expensive to set up a MVNO. The request for dialling codes is free at the telecom regulatory body [2] and Drei's reference offer seems reasonable, even without negotiating better conditions[3] [1]: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_1361 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_... [2]: https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern [3]: https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling/ https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling...

by bwb 7y ago

I'm in Europe and that is a basic plan, but a lot of people pay more. I am guessing at 10 euros a month you might get 1GB a month, which is not enough for most things.

DiogenesKynikos 7y ago

You can easily get a prepaid SIM with 3 GB of LTE for 10€/month in Western Europe. 5+ GB is possible if you're willing to go with one of the less extensive networks (e.g., Vodafone), or if you're willing to sign a contract (i.e., not prepaid).

bwb 7y ago
Got a link? I've seen some pre-paid plans that did, but super discount carriers I didn't trust too much on speed / EU roaming agreements to other countries.
- lostlogin 7y ago
  Last year I walked into various grotty shops and sim cards in that price range were readily available in the UK and France. Usually 4g occasionally 3g. They were prepaid.
- DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
  I don't want to advertise anything, but this website has a pretty extensive comparison of options in Germany: https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3000&minutes_included=100&select_contract=-1&young_tariff=no&with_high_rejection_rate=no&network_tmobile=yes&network_vodafone=yes&network_o2=yes&tariff_type=all&rnp=egal&tariff_activation_date=no&data_speed=0&lte=yes&hardware_nature=40&with_data_tariffs=no&fixed_traffic_automatic=egal&sms_included=all&network_eplus=yes https://www.check24.de/handytarife/vergleich?data_included=3... The cheapest plans are on the Vodafone and O2 networks, which aren't as good as the Telekom (former state-owned) network. There are, however, plans with 3 GB for less than 10€ on the Telekom network. If you're willing to go with one of the shoddier networks, you can save a few more Euros each month.
  - bwb 7y ago
    Nice, I stand corrected, how does that limit of 22.6mb stack up to the big ones?
    - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
      It looks like there are plenty of cheap plans with 50 Mbit/s. It would be interesting to know what European countries have done differently from the US to foster competition in mobile providers.

urineaut 7y ago

At least in Austria 10€/month will provide you with more than just a basic plan. With 9.90€/mo, you could get a plan with 15GB/500SMS/500min, without charging annual service fees or minimum term of contract. I pay 13.90€ and get 30GB/500SMS/500min with 5.19GB available for Roaming and I'm absolutely pleased with its cost-effectiveness and support. A little bit context about the Austrian mobile market: Until 2012 we had four different carriers: Orange, T-Mobile, A1 and Drei (Hutchinson). December 2012 the EU commision approved the merger of Orange into Drei under a few conditions so that competition will not be hindered. One of those conditions required Drei to open its network for up to 16 MVNOs [1]. If I remember correctly, prices soared slightly, but after some MVNOs were successfully established, the other carriers opened up their networks too and the additional competition led to plummeting prices. It seems like it's not even that expensive to set up a MVNO. The request for dialling codes is free at the telecom regulatory body [2] and Drei's reference offer seems reasonable, even without negotiating better conditions[3] [1]: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_1361 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_12_... [2]: https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern https://www.rtr.at/de/tk/Rufnummern [3]: https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling/ https://www.drei.at/de/business/wholesale/mvno-and-reselling...