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The entire "cell phone thing" in Vietnam (and I am sure other Asian countries) is far superior to the USA (in my opinion). I can go to practically any corner an
by ericHosick 14y ago
The entire "cell phone thing" in Vietnam (and I am sure other Asian countries) is far superior to the USA (in my opinion). I can go to practically any corner and get a SIM card for 5 USD and put it in a phone. I don't have to give my name or an ID or join some plan. I just give them the phone, they put a sim in and it works.
I can get a cell phone within a few blocks of basically anywhere I am.
The carriers make money selling calls and data: not phones.
And while I'm talking about this kind of thing... I can go anywhere and get "free" wifi: even at Circle K. Ya. They have free wi-fi at the Circle K. I can sit at a coffee shop, get a 3 dollar coffee, and work all day. Restaurants are the same.
Admittedly, the internet speeds to the USA are not that great. However, internal to Vietnam, they are really good.
- grecy 14y agoAcross most of Argentina, gas stations have free wi-fi. Such a great idea.
- mtgx 14y agoThat's pretty much how it works in all of the EU zone, too.
- kome 14y agoI wonder how it works in the good ol' USA. Somebody cares to explain?
- EvanAnderson 14y agoIt works badly. If you want any kind of post-paid plan you typically are forced to purchase a phone with a carrier lock. Some pre-paid plans will let you purchase SIMs and "bring your own phone" (Wal-Mart's "Straight Talk" being the largest that I'm aware of-- they're an AT&T MVNO). The average US cell phone user has no idea that phones and service aren't one-in-the-same.
- michael_h 14y agoLast weekend I went to an AT&T store and got a 'post-paid plan'. I just asked for a SIM and they gave it to me. No one forced me to purchase a carrier locked phone.
- elboru 14y agoI studied one semester as an exchange student in the US, and it seems like everyone there is attached to a plan, prepaid contracts are not popular, actually they aren't a good deal. I got a prepaid simcard and it was really expensive they even charged me .25 dlls per every received text, I'm not sure if every company is that expensive, but I guess they are.
- mgkimsal 14y agoyes, they are. oh, and sending would cost you .25 as well, unless, of course, you purchase 'unlimited' texts for $20/month, then, you see, they're 'free'. texting is insane and I have to remind people not to text me on a regular basis.
- jsn 14y agoYou still have to show some ID in EU, I think (at least that's how it works in CZ and SK).
- jmreid 14y agoI didn't need ID to buy two prepaid SIMs when I was in Portugal. Dead simple.
- megablast 14y agoYou need to show ID in France, and a lot of stores will not have iPhone 4 sims. And they are a pain in the ass, because or the awful bureaucracy in France, it can take a while to get served. In Australia you also need to show ID, but it is very quick. Although expensive. UK was the best, and for £15 all you can eat data.
- rolmos 14y agoWe have to show ID an Spain and register prepaid SIM cards, but I'm sure that's mainly due to terrorism and security related reasons. You can go into a store, pay 5€ and walk out with a new line in less than 5 minutes though.
- langarto 14y ago> …but I'm sure that's mainly due to terrorism and security related reasons. It's mainly due to terrorism and security excuses, not real reasons.
- gebe 14y agoNo need for it in Sweden. It probably varies from country to country.
- yxhuvud 14y agoDepends on what you are planning to do with it. You need to have identified if you want to use the mobile to pay for buses etc.
- tlianza 14y agoThe USA has these things, don't they? They're just not popular options. BoostMobile, AT&T's "GoPhones", Verizon PrePaid, etc. You can either get a cheap phone, or bring your own phone, without a contract. Is it that different?
- seanmcdirmid 14y agoNot really cheap SIMs, nor can you usually pay 10 bucks a month pre pay for your voice/data needs. I live in China, and prepay is great. I still pay full price for my phones, but I come out ahead in the end.
- dmoy 14y agoYou can prepay, for example on T-Mobile. The sim card is $1, and while you won't get by on $10, if you stay in the city $30 gets you all you need. Definitely still cheaper in China and Europe.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- greggman 14y agoThe USA does not have cheap pre-paid sims with data. I visited Singapore. Got a $50 credit pre-paid sim. Got 1gig of data for $7 a week, taken from the pre-paid sim. As far as I can see there are no pay as you go data plans in the US. Only subscription plans. If there are I'd like to know of them
- benmccann 14y agoI use T-Mobile's prepaid with my unlocked Android phone. I get 100 minutes voice per month and unlimited data for only $30. They certainly don't advertise it, but you can buy a prepaid SIM card from their website for only a couple bucks and then sign up for this plan. I go over my minutes frequently and pay $.10 per minute for the rest of the month at that point, but it still comes out far cheaper than any regular plan.
- hboon 14y agoIn recent years, sale of prepaid sim cards in Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan have become more restricted and require IDs.
- hfz 14y agoIn Indonesia as well.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- nemothekid 14y agoCarriers in the US don't make money selling phones either. Flagship smartphones are subsidized by your agreement to lock yourself in for 2 years.
- jagira 14y agoIn India, they give you the sim for free (or a nominal price). And for around 10 USD a month, you can have unlimited text/voice plans. Data speeds suck, though.
- zem 14y agoindia was headed down that route, and then some idiots in power got obsessed with the fact that terrorists could be using anonymous cellphones to communicate. it's far more of a hassle to get a sim card there now :(