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  1. #1

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    mobile data plans

    So been looking into mobile data plans again and have come up with the following list. These are all based on what I found on each provider's website. All the plans include unlimited intra network SMS, voicemail, call forwarding. I've only really looked at plans offering unlimited data, there are cheaper plans if you don't want unlimited data.

    Peoples
    $98 (+$12 tunnel fee) a month
    Unlimited 2g
    No contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    600 inter & 600 intra minutes calling
    Free inter + intra MMS (this is a promotion, not sure when it ends)

    CSL (both 1010 and One2Free)
    $568 a month
    Unlimited 3g
    12 month contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    3,000 minutes calling

    Smartone Vodafone
    $238 (+ $12 tunnel fee) a month
    Unlimited 3g
    18 month contract
    1,000 inter & 600 intra calling

    Three
    $398 (+$36 compulsory VAS package) a month
    Unlimited 3g
    24 month contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    2,000 inter & 1,500 intra minutes calling
    This plan is only available if you purchase Iphone from Three. I couldn't find an unlimited plan with Three without the purchase of a phone.

    PCCW
    Very hard website to navigate, and couldn't find a proper unlimited plan, even though the PCCW website says the following: "PCCW mobile is dedicated to offering you the simplest and the most comprehensive tariff plans, the most superior network quality and the most pleasurable communications services", which I found very amusing.

    What I found was the following:
    $198 (+$12 tunnel fee) per month
    100MB 3g data a month
    Unlimited 3g VAS at $328 a month
    Unlimited 2g VAS at $168 a month
    Could not find anything on contract length
    Free Wifi with PCCW
    1,000 inter & 600 intra minutes calling

    I did get a PM from a PCCW rep who had offered the following:
    $198 (+$12 tunnel fee) per month
    Unlimited 3g at 1.8Mbps
    12 month contract
    Free wifi with PCCW
    600 intra & 600 inter minutes calling

    Hope this is of use to someone. With all the above plans (apart from the Three plan) you will have to purchase your phone separately. The providers to have deals with phone purchase, but there are way too many to go into any detail.


  2. #2

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    Very helpful post - thanks - (it won't let me give you a green blob, sorry, but I think this is exactly the kind of post that deserves one!)


  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    Very helpful post - thanks - (it won't let me give you a green blob, sorry, but I think this is exactly the kind of post that deserves one!)
    I've just greened him on your behalf - not sure whether you or I have more greening power at the moment though

  4. #4

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    BTW I ended up signing up for the SmarTone plan (I was originally on the Peoples unlimited data plan).

    The data plan specifically says that the data usage applies to mobile phone use only, including internet browsing, watching videos on the internet, file upoload/download, VoIP and instant messaging.

    Now, so they won't let you tether. However how is it possible to distinguish between surfing on your mobile or tethering your mobile to your computer?

    Also interesting to say that they allow VoIP (i.e. Skype) which is specifically excluded in the States by AT&T and in the UK by o2. Out of interest is VoIP excluded on Three HK?

    Another point of interest is that the cust services guy at SmarTone told me SmarTone supports up to 14Mbps download speeds (obviously depending on network).


  5. #5

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    As PIN says, I can't immediately see how they could tell what device the SIM card is in or tethered to.

    What this extra $50 may be is actually giving unfettered internet access vs a protocol- or port-limited service for the cheaper price.

    Last edited by PDLM; 15-08-2009 at 04:14 PM.

  6. #6

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    Not a bad post but, I think classifying data services on 2G and 3G is not accurate.

    It would be better list the service as eg Peoples you list as 2G is accurate. It is EDGE, and not just GPRS. Also other pepople you list as 3G are fast faster and are HSDPA capable.

    Peoples
    $98 (+$12 tunnel fee) a month
    Unlimited EGRPS/EDGE
    No contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    600 inter & 600 intra minutes calling
    Free inter + intra MMS (this is a promotion, not sure when it end


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by hk.com:
    Not a bad post but, I think classifying data services on 2G and 3G is not accurate.

    It would be better list the service as eg Peoples you list as 2G is accurate. It is EDGE, and not just GPRS. Also other pepople you list as 3G are fast faster and are HSDPA capable.

    Peoples
    $98 (+$12 tunnel fee) a month
    Unlimited EGRPS/EDGE
    No contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    600 inter & 600 intra minutes calling
    Free inter + intra MMS (this is a promotion, not sure when it end
    Not bad?? I spent quite a bit of time collating that info (and I can't see anyone else having done it, pah!!! BTW the info below is what I have gleaned from the interweb, therefore some of it may not be accurate, let me know if it isn't.

    OK, so here's my second attempt:

    These are all based on what I found on each provider's website. All the plans include unlimited intra network SMS, voicemail, call forwarding. I've only really looked at plans offering unlimited data, there are cheaper plans if you don't want unlimited data. The download speeds I'm listing are theoretical maximums and a whole bunch of variables come into play including (but not limited to) network reception and maximum speeds handled by your device

    Peoples / China Mobile
    $98 (+$12 tunnel fee) a month
    Unlimited 2g (GPRS/EDGE - 236.8 kbit/s)
    No contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    600 inter & 600 intra minutes calling
    Free inter + intra MMS (this is a promotion, not sure when it ends)

    CSL (both 1010 and One2Free)
    $568 a month
    Unlimited 3g (HSDPA - up to 3.6Mbps to 21Mbps, not clear which speed is offered on this plan)
    12 month contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    3,000 minutes calling
    Note, speeds will be slower if you exceed their "fair usage" cap on certain monitored apps (like video streaming and torrenting)

    Smartone Vodafone
    $238 (+ $12 tunnel fee) a month
    Unlimited 3g (HSDPA - up to 14.4Mbps, however I have been told, but I haven't verified this, that you have to request such speeds otherwise the default is 7.2Mbps) BTW if you are out of 3G reception, then speeds will drop down to GPRS at up to 80kbit/s
    18 month contract
    1,000 inter & 600 intra calling

    Three
    $398 (+$36 compulsory VAS package) a month
    Unlimited 3g (HSDPA - up to 3.6Mbps)
    24 month contract
    Free wifi with Y5Zone
    2,000 inter & 1,500 intra minutes calling
    This plan is only available if you purchase Iphone from Three. I couldn't find an unlimited plan with Three without the purchase of a phone.

    PCCW
    Very hard website to navigate, and couldn't find a proper unlimited plan, even though the PCCW website says the following: "PCCW mobile is dedicated to offering you the simplest and the most comprehensive tariff plans, the most superior network quality and the most pleasurable communications services", which I found very amusing.

    What I found was the following:
    $198 (+$12 tunnel fee) per month
    100MB 3g data a month
    Unlimited 3g/HSDPA VAS at $328 a month (up to 7.2Mbps)
    Unlimited 2g/GPRS VAS at $168 a month (up to 80 kbit/s)
    Could not find anything on contract length
    Free Wifi with PCCW
    1,000 inter & 600 intra minutes calling

    I did get a PM from a PCCW rep who had offered the following:
    $198 (+$12 tunnel fee) per month
    Unlimited 3g/HSDPA at 1.8Mbps
    12 month contract
    Free wifi with PCCW
    600 intra & 600 inter minutes calling

  8. #8

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    Peoples is offering an unlimited Blackberry deal for $168 a month. Its worth checking out. I am not sure if it includes voice as well.


  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by JaredHK:
    Peoples is offering an unlimited Blackberry deal for $168 a month. Its worth checking out. I am not sure if it includes voice as well.
    A one minute google search (which you could have easily done) reveals not:

    BlackBerry Service Plans_China Mobile Hong Kong

    also only 3mb data.

  10. #10

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    umm no. They have an unlimited plan for $168 if you bring in your own device. I think this is a very new promo. Just called the TST branch and they confirm that its a 24 month contract.


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