With 3G internet roaming for post-paid cell phone contracts being horribly expensive in Europe and beyond, the only affordable way to stay connected to the internet in Europe is to resort to local Pay-As-You-Go SIM cards. A bit about the PAYG scene in France, Spain and Portugal.
3G postpaid contracts in Europe - billshock holidays
Check out the cross-border roaming rates for the average postpaid flat-fee 3G internet contract and most likely you’ll find a nasty rate of several Euro’s per Megabyte. Although the price cap set by the European Union on cellular data transfers eases the pain, there’s still a big risk on bill shock specially with 3G equipped mobile phones.
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For example Vodafone charges € 2,50 per Megabyte as a roaming rate for the average post-paid contract in Europe. With a 3G equipped smart phone like the Nokia N95 or the iPhone, it’s well possible to hit yourself with a whopping charge of € 20-60,- for 15 minutes of high-speed 3G downloads in roaming mode.
Not to mention the horrible data roaming rates outside the Euro zone.
Here's an example of McAfee causing 3G bill shock with huge SecurityCenter updates.
3G Pay-As-You-Go Internet contracts in Europe
The most eye-striking condition in most 3G internet flat-fee contracts is the difference between browsing 3G cellular internet on a phone or on a laptop / notebook / netbook. Even in postpaid mode it’s usually a standard clause – unless one has specifically signed up for a 3G contract for use on a phone or on a laptop / notebook / netbook.
In most cases the cell phone company tries to sell you a (simlocked) 3G USB stick/ pen / adapter with it. The bottom line is, you don’t need one when your smart phone already has a 3G modem – however try to explain that in a foreign language.
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| 3G cellular internet connection over USB cable - Nokia N95 8Gb |
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In some case frantic enforcements are in place to prevent those with a 3G internet contracts for cell phones to connect to 3G internet with a laptop connected to the cell phone. Usually the penalty is an exorbitant deep grab into your wallet at high 3G speeds.
In a PAYG scenario the maximum damage is the loss of the prepaid balance. In postpaid mode it’s up to the watchful eye of the account owner – if not the results can be bill shocking.
More subtle and a just as lethal approach is to exclude POP/SMTP/IMAP traffic from the flat-fee 3G cell phone contract. It means one pays for the Megabyte for e-mail retrieved with mail applications – while surfing on a mobile phone falls with the flat-fee. For many it’s a difference which is hard to grasp till the bill-shock comes.
3G prepaid contracts in France, Spain and Portugal
There’s a lot to say about using 3G PAYG internet networks in France, Spain and Portugal. Here you find 3 real and practical examples how to connect a laptop / notebook / netbook to 3G PAYG / prepaid Internet;
Spain : Pay-As-You-Go High Speed 3G Internet in Spain France : PAYG High Speed 3G internet in France Portugal : Fast 3G Pay-As-You-Go Internet in Portugal |
Struggling with weak GSM / UMTS signals? Have a look at
- 3G router with external antenna and internal simcard
- Cellphone signal booster and professional solutions
The info for France is extended with techniques how to avoid extreme grabs into your prepaid balance when there are subtle conditions in the 3G PAYG contract.
