Staying connected while overseas

Darius Chang | May 22, 2009

For frequent travelers, getting online to retrieve emails or surf the Web can be a trying experience. Granted you can search for free wireless hotspots or Internet cafes, but as a tourist finding these places can be challenging, especially if you like traveling to remote places.

One solution is to purchase a prepaid mobile broadband card from a local telco. Though more expensive than a monthly subscription, the advantage of the prepaid system is that for short trips you do not need to spend a bomb on a roaming plan. If you are traveling to Singapore, local telco M1 offers a three-day 7.2Mbps mobile broadband card for S$18 (US$12.96). StarHub will also be providing a similar service starting May 23, though it offers more flexibility in that you can choose from hourly, daily, three-day and five-day plans with a choice of 2Mbps or 7.2Mbps speeds. Charges range from S$2 (US$1.44) an hour to S$25 (US$18.01) for the five-day connection. Other countries such as Malaysia's Celcom and Indonesia's Mobile-8 and Smart telcos also provide prepaid mobile broadband services.

However, note that prepaid plans usually do not include an HSDPA modem (which retails for around S$200 (US$144.04)). Instead, some operators offer a bundle deal in which you can purchase a prepaid SIM card and 3G USB device. So unless you already have a laptop with integrated HSDPA radio or a 3G mobile device, you'll probably have to factor in the purchase price or rental of an HSDPA modem to enjoy this service.

Filed under: Handhelds, Mobile Phones, Notebooks
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wilswong

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wilswong says...
I still say barking up the wrong tree. Why?

Simple. Smartphones need a lot of downloads and honestly i find that the mobile broadband for laptop/netbook and the mobile broadband for phone should be one and the same.

Yes, mobile phones may not need as much throughput as a netbook but why come out with so many plans and discounts and yet no one is biting, with this prepaid mobile broadband being the latest salvo that may be another empty gong?

I don't think this is aimed at travellers. I think it is aimed at people who still do not want to get on the mobile broadband.

The solution is simple. Based on the purchasing trend of the netbook and smartphones, it is high time to allow consumers to have two sim cards using the same phone number that comes with unlimited broadband access instead of the dual tier data packages that we have now. Forget about the measly data packages being touted with the smartphone. It just doesn't work!

May 25, 2009 17:28