Prepaid SIM card for Pattaya: Where to Buy

For tourists planning travelling to Thailand, it is very important to have at least some access to the network. From the material, you can learn about all the important features of the local Internet in Thailand: its varieties, speed, and price.

Rumor has it that the cost of the services of local mobile network providers is extremely low; well, let’s see how this information is true.

Mobile data in Thailand

When the Internet began to develop in Southeast Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand actively did not stand aside from these processes and picked up the general trend. Already in 1996, this country, the third in the region, connected to the World Wide Web; since then, the network has been constantly expanding and modernizing.

Already a third of the country’s population (27 million people) have become regular and active Internet users, and access to the network is available in any part of the country, even in remote villages.

In terms of quality and speed of the Internet, the largest cities and resort centers of the country have leading mobile connections:

• SIM Bangkok;
• SIM Chiang Mai;
• SIM Pattaya;
• SIM Phuket;
• SIM Krabi;
• SIM Samui.

In these places, there are all types of high-speed communications: Wi-Fi, 3G, LTE (4G), as well as cable, dedicated, and fiber optic Internet.

Mobile Internet

To use the mobile Internet, tourists need to buy a SIM card in Thailand from local mobile operators.

There are several of them here:

• DTAC;
• AIS;
• true move.

These operators work on all existing communication standards:

• GSM 1800 MHz – available in every province, even if it is a remote village in the middle of the jungle or mountains;
• 3G 850/2100 MHz – available in all provinces of the country, mainly near large settlements and tourist areas;
• LTE/4G 2100 MHz is present in the largest cities and resort centers of the country.

You can take any phone with you on a trip, even one that works according to the CDMA standard (850 Mhz).

REFERENCE! Internet speed in Thailand varies between 2-7 Mbps for 3G and 10-17 Mbps for LTE/4G.

Which SIM card to choose?

The rating of tourist SIM cards in Thailand from mobile operators in the current year is as follows:

DTAC – This is the largest and most popular mobile operator in the country, whose coverage covers all provinces of Thailand without exception. It provides very high-quality mobile and Internet services and has the most favorable data plans; for example, only DTAC provides a loan of 30 baht when spending all the funds in the account.

AIS – AIS is the second most popular mobile phone operator in Thailand. Its coverage level is close to DTAC, but the SIM card packages scale is less favorable than that of the main competitor. If you buy their starter package, you can use 3G communication almost anywhere in the country, but it will cost a little more.

True Move – This operator was the first in the country to start providing Thai SIM card 4G Internet access services, but this is where its advantages end. 4G True Move coverage is only available in northern Thailand. It is worth using this operator in cases where the speed and quality of communication on DTAC and AIS deteriorate due to a large number of subscribers (an actual problem for large cities).

Price

The SIM-card price in Thailand from operators is from 50 to 60 baht. The most popular starter pack from DTAC costs 49 baht, and the Internet needs to be connected to it separately, so it is recommended to buy starter packs with already connected tariffs for 299 baht (week) and 599 baht (14 days).

How to connect the Internet?

You can order a package with the Internet using the USSD code. The code number depends on the specific tariff. You can find the number on the “tariffs” tab on the operator’s website when calling the voice menu or by consulting the seller of starter packs. As a rule, most SIM cards costing from 199 baht already have an activated internet tariff.Moreover, if you have a new smartphone, you can use the eSIM technology to have an access to mobile data. Just go to esimway.com and choose the most favorable data plane.