Broadband on the go
Discussion
Some advise please, For upcoming holiday to Italy I have purchased an eee 900, I suspect that the hotel will have wifi but also wanted to have the option to go online in non wifi area.
I have a N95 with Vodaphone does that mean that I must go with Vodaphone or can I get a USB thingy from another pay as you go provider or am I stuck with Vodaphone.
In addition any reccomendations for other providers appreciated.
I have a N95 with Vodaphone does that mean that I must go with Vodaphone or can I get a USB thingy from another pay as you go provider or am I stuck with Vodaphone.
In addition any reccomendations for other providers appreciated.
clonmult said:
Roaming internet charges will be pretty steep though - it could cost you a good few hundred quid unless you can find some decent tariff.
Roaming is usually at about the £7.50 per Mb of data 
I'd stick to the hotel / local free wifi only.
Other option may involve a locally sourced prepay SIM and using your N95 as a modem (assuming your N95 is unlocked, and the data charges of the local operator are not prohibitive)
Did you hear the news yesterday of the lady called "Helen" who watched an episode of "The Apprentice" (& a couple of other programs) on iPlayer whilst on holiday using her 3G modem...
Her bill was £4900 when she got back to the UK
Chris
Mobile internet access, abroad?? eek! Open wallet and watch them fly out!!
Even "normal" surfing can be costly, let alone whilst abroad.
Only thing you can do is ask Vodafone what sort of arrangements exist.. I guess at least you should
be able to hook up to Vodafone Italia or something..
Wi fi at the hotel is the best bet, but even that may be expensive.
Even "normal" surfing can be costly, let alone whilst abroad.
Only thing you can do is ask Vodafone what sort of arrangements exist.. I guess at least you should
be able to hook up to Vodafone Italia or something..
Wi fi at the hotel is the best bet, but even that may be expensive.
It is not nearly as bad as people make out.
When I travelled regularly I got 200Mb bundled with the price plan, downgraded that now I travel less but still only costs a tenner each day for up to 400Mb when abroad.
I think the bad news is that you won't be able to use your phone as a modem and get any of the bundles.
Three will let you roam on your pre-pay bundled data in Three operating countries (not many, but Italy does and that make it probably the cheapest way if you can predict where you are going).
The roaming charges are complicated, so best bet is to phone around. Yes, you can pay £10 a Mb if you are not careful but that is not the norm.
So would suggest Three PAYG. Means you are not paying for it when you get home, but can top up if you need. "Always connected" is very addictive and very useful for so many things.
When I travelled regularly I got 200Mb bundled with the price plan, downgraded that now I travel less but still only costs a tenner each day for up to 400Mb when abroad.
I think the bad news is that you won't be able to use your phone as a modem and get any of the bundles.
Three will let you roam on your pre-pay bundled data in Three operating countries (not many, but Italy does and that make it probably the cheapest way if you can predict where you are going).
The roaming charges are complicated, so best bet is to phone around. Yes, you can pay £10 a Mb if you are not careful but that is not the norm.
So would suggest Three PAYG. Means you are not paying for it when you get home, but can top up if you need. "Always connected" is very addictive and very useful for so many things.
Edited by Noger on Wednesday 21st May 19:17
Agree with Noger.
Don't use data tariffs that are attached *to your voice plan* whilst travelling. That really *can* get expensive, because data on a voice tariff seems to be stupidly expensive.
However using a data-only tariff USB modem abroad with the correct 'partner' doesn't necessarily get stupid (well not £4900 stupid). I used my Macbook Air and a Vodem in Switzerland over Easter and the monthly bill doubled to £200 (this bill is for two voice tariffs, one 200 MB data tariff attached to one of the voice lines and a Vodem business 'unlimited' tariff). Obviously I was being sensible and using email and static websurfing - not running torrents or downloading video - but although I'll admit £100 for data access in one weekend is excessive (I was using it quite a lot - no Wifi in the hotel) it isn't the thousands that some people claim. That extra hundred included a bunch of voice calls back to the UK which cost a fair amount as well.
I could look up the exact charge for foreign data on the Vodem but CBA.
Travelling data is still too expensive but if you know what you *need* and take precautions not to download more than you need (e.g. don't have any automatic package update download switched on, whether it's Linux, OS X or Windows, they all can download updates in the background and they can be many MBs) then you should be OK. Check with your provider who they have the best deal with, but the phone often sorts this for you...
Don't use data tariffs that are attached *to your voice plan* whilst travelling. That really *can* get expensive, because data on a voice tariff seems to be stupidly expensive.
However using a data-only tariff USB modem abroad with the correct 'partner' doesn't necessarily get stupid (well not £4900 stupid). I used my Macbook Air and a Vodem in Switzerland over Easter and the monthly bill doubled to £200 (this bill is for two voice tariffs, one 200 MB data tariff attached to one of the voice lines and a Vodem business 'unlimited' tariff). Obviously I was being sensible and using email and static websurfing - not running torrents or downloading video - but although I'll admit £100 for data access in one weekend is excessive (I was using it quite a lot - no Wifi in the hotel) it isn't the thousands that some people claim. That extra hundred included a bunch of voice calls back to the UK which cost a fair amount as well.
I could look up the exact charge for foreign data on the Vodem but CBA.
Travelling data is still too expensive but if you know what you *need* and take precautions not to download more than you need (e.g. don't have any automatic package update download switched on, whether it's Linux, OS X or Windows, they all can download updates in the background and they can be many MBs) then you should be OK. Check with your provider who they have the best deal with, but the phone often sorts this for you...
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