Posts Tagged ‘SIM’
Tuesday, March 29th, 2016
All three local telcos will sell the new NFC transit SIM cards. Supported handsets can be used to pay for MRT, LRT and bus rides; as well as at retail transactions.
EZ-Link introduces NFC transit SIM for contactless payments.
The NFC transit SIM is a next generation, full-service NFC (near field communication) SIM which can be used for public transport, as well as at more than 30,000 ez-link acceptance points islandwide including shopping, retail, food & beverage and taxis payments.
“Transit is the ‘killer phone app’ Singapore consumers have been looking forward to, and we are pleased to be the first to offer customers the convenience of making payment with the one device that is always with them, their phone,” said P. Subramaniam, Chief Marketing Officer, M1.
Jointly developed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and EZ-Link, the NFC transit SIM will enable commuters to pay for public transit rides using just their NFC mobile phones.
M1 customers will be the first to enjoy contactless transit payments with their NFC transit SIM cards available at M1 Shops from today.
The NFC transit SIM card will cost S$37.45 (including GST).
As a launch promotion, the service activation fee of S$9.10 (including GST) will also be waived for customers signing up from tomorrow until 30 April 2016, while NFC transit SIM card stocks last.
(more…)
Tags:ez-link, LRT, M1, MRT, NFC, SIM, Singapore, SingTel, StarHub, transit, transport
Posted in Accessories, Announce, Launch, M1, newArrivals, Press Release, Prices, SingTel, Specifications, StarHub | No Comments »
Sunday, December 28th, 2014
In addition of making overseas calls from your home country, you can also use Skype to call family, friends and colleagues who back in your home country on their landline or mobile – when you are travelling overseas. All you need is Wi-Fi access or mobile broadband on your smartphone, and some Skype credits.
Check out Skype as an additional affordable means of voice/SMS communication when you travel overseas.
When I first arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, while waiting at the customs, I logged on to the free Wi-Fi network in the airport and used Skype to call a local sight to make enquiries and make reservations for a day trip to a wildlife rescue centre in Petchaburi.
Free airport Wi-Fi in Thailand
I found out when writing this article that the AOT Wi-Fi network at Suvarnabhumi Airport is provided by True Move and is available at the main internaltional airports in Thailand.
These include the airports at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Hat Yai.
The Suvarnabhumi Airport serving Bangkok provides a pretty decent free Wi-Fi to travellers in its terminals – good enough to make VoIP calls using Skype.
First you need to register in the login page for the AOT network in the airport and you get to use the network for free for up to 2 hours a day.
Don’t bother to memorise the complicated userid and password they issue you, the next time you use the network – which is probably when you leave Thailand – you can register as a new user again and use a new set of userid and password.
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Tags:airport, AOT, broadband, Microsoft, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Skype, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move, Wi-Fi
Posted in App, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Microsoft, Network, Office, Skype, Software, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Wi-Fi | 1 Comment »
Sunday, December 14th, 2014
A dual-SIM phone allows you to stay contactable to your regular contacts yet enables you to take advantage of more affordable local data/voice rates to avoid expensive overseas roaming charges – without having to carry two separate mobile phones.
The Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) is one of the increasing number of smartphones that support a dual-SIM capability.
Nowadays, it is increasingly easy to get a local SIM card when one travels overseas for work or leisure.
The local SIM allows you to make/receive calls at affordable local rates and more significantly, to stay connected via mobile broadband – without chalking out a huge bill.
You can read
over here all about the benefits of getting a pre-paid local SIM card whenever you travel overseas.
But most mobile phones allow only one SIM card to be installed – so if you put in the local SIM card, you’ll have to remove your regular SIM card and become uncontactable to those who call you on your regular number, unless you forward those calls to your local number.
Otherwise, you’d carry a second single-SIM card phone, which is a hassle.
Not too long ago …
I remember in the early days of smartphones, people were selling dual-SIM card adaptors the size of regular sized SIM cards that you could place two micro SIM cards in.
You’d have to cut your regular sized SIM card yourself into micro SIM card size and it was a daunting proposition for most people to risk damaging your SIM card in the process.
These adaptors only worked for certain models of mobile phones, and you need to switch off and on the phone to switch between the SIM cards.
Fortunately, smartphones have evolved and nowadays, you have dual-SIM card phones that enable you use both SIM cards at the same time.
I brought along a Motorola Moto G (2nd Generation) dual-SIM card phone during my short break to Thailand and it was such a blessing.
There are two micro-SIM card slots so I could keep my regular SIM card in one slot and plug in the prepaid local SIM card that I bought at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the other.
The guy at the True Move counter did all the set up for me.
So after five minutes of queueing and five minutes of installation and payment, I was as connected in Thailand as I was at home back in Singapore.
I could receive roaming calls on my regular number from my friends back in Singapore and other parts of the world, while at the same stay connected on email and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the mobile broadband on the local SIM card.
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Tags:airport, broadband, Lumia, Mi-Fi, Microsoft Devices, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move
Posted in Android, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Holiday, Lumia, Microsoft, Microsoft Devices, Moto, Motorola, Nokia, Phones, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, travel, Windows Phone 8 | No Comments »
Saturday, December 13th, 2014
First thing I did when I exited the gates in the Arrival Hall in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok was to get myself a pre-paid SIM card that gave me a local number for voice calls and seven days of mobile data broadband at 299 THB.
The truemove shop is one of the first things you come across when you exit the gates at the Arrival Hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Immediately after exiting the gates in the Arrival Hall, you’ll come upon this telco shop that sells pre-paid SIM cards, as well as other mobile plans.
The 7-day prepaid SIM card offered by True Move is one of a few pre-paid mobile plans available in Thailand. This package bundles 7 days of unlimited data, free call credits of 100 THB and incoming call, your own local number, attractive international call rates – all for 299 THB or approximately S$12.
Here’s where you can grab an affordable and convenient pre-paid SIM card that gives you mobile broad band as well as voice calls, and a local number.
I’m here for seven days, so I was delighted to grab the 7-day SIM card that costs 299 THB, or S$12.
You get seven days of free broadband mobile data as well as 100 THB of free call credits, which gives you 100min of local talk time at 1 THB/minute.
The seven days are calendar days and includes the day you bought the card, ending at 2359hrs on the seventh day.
What I found useful was not only the free call credits but having a local number that you can give out for others to contact you via local calls.
My wife can now call me at local rates, through her autoroam.
Otherwise, she would have to make an overseas call just to get me on my Singapore mobile number – you know sometimes we get separated in crowded places, or we deliberately split up to visit different shops etc.
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Tags:airport, Bangkok, broadband, Changi, Hua Hin, Mi-Fi, mobile, Moto G, Motorola, prepaid, SIM, Suvarnabhumi, Thailand, Thailand 2014, tips, travel, True Move
Posted in Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Howtos, Internet, Network, Phones, Promotions, smartphones, Thailand 2014, Tips, Travel | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 17th, 2014
StarHub’s new TriSIM card comes in three different sizes – Standard SIM, MicroSIM and NanoSIM.
A TriSIM card can be used for mobile devices using any of the three SIM card sizes.
Depending on the specific model of the smartphone or tablet being used, consumers have to choose from one of the three form factors depending on their mobile device.
Customers who sign up for a StarHub Mobile plan can get the new universal SIM card at $37.45, while existing subscribers can replace their current SIM card for $26.75.
The universal SIM card is also available for mobile pre-paid customers at StarHub Shops and selected 7-Eleven stores.
This could be a hassle for some customers who regularly switch between devices that operate on different sizes of SIM cards.
StarHub’s is offering Singapore’s first universal TriSIM card, bundling all three form factors in a compact package at no extra cost to consumers.
(more…)
Tags:MicroSIM, mobile, NanoSIM, SIM, Singapore, smartphones, StarHub, tablets, telcos, TriSIM
Posted in Accessories, Announce, Phones, Prices, smartphones, StarHub, Tablets, tablets | No Comments »
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Curve 9360 are the world’s first SIM-based smartphones to receive the MasterCard PayPass Handset Certification.
The two smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM) are the first SIM-based NFC (Near Field Communication) smartphones to be certified by MasterCard Worldwide as PayPass-approved devices.
The certification was granted on the basis of the BlackBerry smartphones meeting the functionality, interoperability and security requirements of MasterCard. With this certification, any MasterCard PayPass-issuing bank globally will be able to deploy MasterCard PayPass-enabled accounts to the SIM card of these smartphones.
“MasterCard is proud to be the first to certify these popular BlackBerry smartphones for mobile payments, and offer consumers another simple, easy, safe and convenient way to pay,” said Mung Ki Woo, Group Executive, Mobile at MasterCard Worldwide. “The availability of NFC on popular BlackBerry smartphones is an important milestone for the mobile contactless payments business.”The ecosystem to allow customers to take advantage of the certified BlackBerry smartphones for NFC payments is already growing. France Telecom – Orange is the first operator worldwide to have commercial NFC launches in two countries, UK and France, with trials in several European markets.
France Telecom – Orange believes that mobile NFC has the potential to enable a new revolution in mobile by further connecting people’s mobile digital world with the physical world around them.
In Singapore, I don’t think citizens probably will see NFC payments in place until at least middle of 2012 and beyond.
Tags:BlackBerry, Bold, Curve, MasterCard, NFC, PayPass, RIM, SIM
Posted in BlackBerry, Bold, Curve, Gadgets, Phones, RIM, Security, Tech news, Utility | 1 Comment »