>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 02:04:16 +0100
Hi
I just arrived from Switzerland and should be up-to-date on this
(however, since I am working for Swisscom my answers might not be all
objective... ;-).
> -----Original Message-----
> From: swiss-list-admin_at_swiss-list.com
> [mailto:swiss-list-admin_at_swiss-list.com] On Behalf Of Chris
> Cavigioli
> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 2:49 AM
> To: Swiss List all
> Subject: swiss-list: GSM/GPRS/EDGE in CH? data services on
> prepaid SIM?
> broadband Internet in CH?
>
> Thanks, everyone, who replied to my infrastructure Q's
> about being in
> the Lugano area for the month of Feb.
>
> more Q's:
>
> INTERNET
> how do people in CH connect to the Internet at home?
> - V.90 dial-up?
> - DSL?
> - ISDN?
> - something else?
V.90 dial-up is still there but ISDN is very common. DSL and cable are
also growing a lot (over half a million households have one of them).
> how about from hotel rooms? Do hotels offer broadband
> Internet like all
> big hotels in Asia do?
There are some big hotels that offer broadband. Recently, many hotels
team up with a telco for WiFi access. But then, you have to pay the
telco. And that's quite expensive (often value cards of some hours that
you can't interrupt. Some telco's offer also WiFi with credit card
payment or with payment using the mobile phone subscription - only if
you are their customer!).
>
> GSM DATA
> For voice calls, I plan to bring my Motorola i2000 tri-band
> GSM mobile
> phone
> ... I know it's not the latest and greatest, but it works
> worldwide. I
> expect
> to purchase a pre-paid SIM card when I arrive in CH.
In Switzerland, you have the 900 and 1800MHz frequencies used for GSM.
GSM roaming works very well! However, it is really expensive! You can
either buy a pre-paid SIM card from one of the local operators (which
could be interesting if you plan to use their WiFi service, too) or use
a calling card.
>
> I toyed around with the idea of getting GSM/GPRS/EDGE data
> services here
> in
> USA, possibly with the Treo 600 phone [ooops, it's not EDGE capable]
>
> I checked with AT&T Wireless today at the retail store near
> Market / 3rd
> about the Treo 600 phone and they:
> - didn't know about international data roaming charges
> - didn't know if Treo 600 can be SIM-unlocked [why in the world they
> SIM-lock non-subsidized phones, I'll never understand]
> - didn't think data services exist in pre-paid SIMs
> I was thinking about what would happen if I bought a Treo
> 600 and took
> it with me to CH.
EDGE is not yet there in Switzerland. But it will come this year.
Different providers are preparing for this. GPRS works fine with very
good coverage and roaming should also not be a problem. However, it is
REALLY slow...
>
> Data services in USA seem to have priced themselves out of their own
> market ...
> I imagine if I try to roam with this service in CH, then I
> will have a
> fortune
> to pay on my bill (or pre-paid SIM?).
Yes, GPRS is VERY expensive. However, if you only use it for browsing on
WAP pages, then it should be fine. GRPS pricing in Europe is often
volume-based. So, if you don't download much - just text-based
information - then you can get along quite well.
>
> HAS ANYONE HEARD if there exists such things as pre-paid
> SIM cards in CH
> that include data services?
> HAS Switzerland deployed GPRS? EDGE?
> Are data services available to visiting roamers in CH?
For the details, please check the webpages of the 3 mobile phone
operators:
- www.sunrise.ch
- www.orange.ch
- www.swisscom-mobile.ch
-> of course, I recommend Swisscom Mobile... ;-))
Regards
Andreas
>
>
> Thanks again for emailing directly to me....
> -chris
>
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Received on Wed Feb 11 2004 - 03:38:58 PST
