If you’re going to Thailand on holiday for a couple of weeks you’ll probably want to have a mobile phone to keep in touch. Here we explain your options for staying connected while in Thailand.
Using your mobile phone in Thailand
Nowadays it’s relatively easy to use your own mobile phone from your home country in most other countries in the world provided they have a developed telephone infrastructure. Thailand has a very well developed mobile telecommunications infrastructure which means you’ll have good coverage in all but the most rural and mountainous areas of the country. In order to find out if your own mobile phone will work in Thailand first check to see if it’s a GSM phone. This means your phone is capable of being used on different telecom bands in different places. However, depending on what country you are in you may need to call your telephone service provider and make sure that they can activate international roaming on your mobile phone.
The advantage of using your own mobile phone in Thailand is that your friends back home will be able to keep in touch with you on your regular number; however, the costs of both making and receiving phone calls when you are in Thailand are so high that it’s probably not a good idea if you are staying longer than a couple of weeks.
Buying a SIM Card in Thailand
Buying a SIM card once you are in Thailand is probably an easier and cheaper option. A SIM card can be bought on a pay as you go basis for about 1000 Thai Baht of $30. Calls are cheap to make and free to receive. The only thing you have to consider is whether your own mobile phone is locked. Many phone providers deliberately lock their phones to make it impossible to use on rival networks. This can be overcome however for a small price at any phone shop in Thailand. Mobile phone retailers are very easy to find in Thailand even in smaller towns.