I need a solution for being able to access the internet from my laptop
on the road in different European countries (mainly Spain, France,
Italy, Germany and England).

I understand that there are several European operators that provide a
GPRS service with roaming for different countries but this can be very
expensive.

I am trying to find out if it is possible to buy only one card for the
laptop and contract the GPRS service on a prepaid basis in the
countries described above.

If not, what would be the most cost effective solution? The
approximate usage would be 40% in France, 20% in England and the rest
would be divided.

---

Request for Question Clarification by hedgie-ga on 09 Sep 2003 17:16 PDT

One card for the laptop?
Yes. 
 You need laptop with Bluetooth  and a mobile with Bluetooth,
such as Nokia 6310. You may need different SIMS for yor mobil
to avoid roaming.

Do you want details on such a solution as an answer?

---

Clarification of Question by edhua-ga on 10 Sep 2003 07:51 PDT

I would not want a solution that includes the use of an external
mobile.

If it is possible to use a pcmcia card directly with the different
sims chips, it would be ok. In this case, I would like to know if the
recommended pcmcia card is compatible with the sims chips of the
different operators from the 5 mentioned countries. Also, I would like
to know if it possible to have prepaid band credited to those chips
and how much do they charge.

I’ll  give a nice tip to whoever solves this problem. Please feel free
to ask for any other clarification.

---

Request for Question Clarification by hedgie-ga on 11 Sep 2003 01:40 PDT

It is  possible to use PCMCIA GPRS wireless modem,
directly, but in such a case I need to know a bit about
your computer. The more you  tell me, the better
(make, model of the laptop..) but as a minimum I need 
the OS i.e. (win2000 or MS win??)

---

Clarification of Question by edhua-ga on 11 Sep 2003 07:04 PDT

Sony Vaio using Win XP.

---

Request for Question Clarification by hedgie-ga on 11 Sep 2003 13:03 PDT

edhua-ga

Yes.
      It is possible to buy prepaid 'national' SIMs 
 and one PCMCIA card, which will work with all those SIMS.  
 
 This indeed is the cheapest solution. 

It has some disadvantages. For example, you will not have
the same number in different countriesif you use them also
for voice.

 There are some 'international SIMS' which are 
'only a bit more expensive' and which
cover several EU countries. 
  They still  are much cheaper than 
using an US home and 'roam in Europe'   


I can describe two such PMCIA cards and  also give you single source
when you can buy the European national SIMS.    

I can give you  sample of prices per MB (Megabyte) for GPRS
in main EU countries. I cannot make an exhaustive list of GPRS rates
in all European countries, since it depends on too many factors, on
volume
transfered and packages with different options  offered  by number of
operators. There are always promotions and temporary offers,

Please let me know if this would be an adequate answer.
If this is acceptable solution,
 I will post the answer right away.

hedgie

---

Clarification of Question by edhua-ga on 11 Sep 2003 17:14 PDT

Yes. This would be an adequate answer.

Her, finally, is the answer, edhua-ga 

   0) Intro  
 
       Unlike subscription SIMs, which require a contract,  ID,
 and sometimes residence in the country in  which  they are valid,
prepaid   cards are almost like cash.
      If you lose a prepaid card, someone else can use the balance
 without being traced. SIMs can be recharged, at a bank or bankomat
(ATM)
 or in a store, when the balance is low. There is no monthly charge
but
 there is a  time limit on the validity of the card.

     1) PCMCI cards which accept GPRS-enabled pre-paid SIMs: 
            
     Nokia D211  
     Globetrotter 

Details and comparison:
 http://www.gigaport.nl/netwerk/access/ta/mip/en_gprs.html


 
     2 ) Prepaid SIM cards    - their costs  in Europe:
      
 You may want  to check the GPRS coverage offered by different
national cards.
  Often the cost of  GRX  roaming (see below) based in Europe is
comparable
  with or even the same  as the cost of   national GPRS.  
                                                    

for example:
     The national card cost in UK is   about    .06   ? per 10kB
            
  ". . .  Orange UK introduces pay as you go GPRS service. ... Orange,
the UK's most popular
  mobile phone service, today announces the launch of GPRS on pay as
you go. ...
  The charge for GPRS for Orange pay as you go customers is £4 per
megabyte,
  with customers only charged for information they view, rather than
connection time  ..."

  http://www.cellular.co.za/news_2003/
011503-orange_uk_introduces_pay_as_you.htm
 

       Compare that to   GRX (GPRS Roaming Exchange)  O2 based in
Germany
  and available in 20 countries, which offers following rates:
      
   "  GPRS Internet at home within the O2 - DE network: 0,05 ? per 10
KB.
    international rates of the german  O2:

Orange France: 0,128 ? per 10 KB
TIM Italy: 0,09 ? per 10 KB
Telenor Norway: 0,09 ? per 10
Smart Philippines: 0,204 ? per 10 KB
CSL Hong Kong: 0,175 ? per 10 KB
SingTel Singapore: 0,09 ? per 10 KB . . ."

details and countries are listed here:

  http://www.ppcw.net/index.php?itemid=1240  
  http://ppcw.net/index.php?itemid=1240&catid=1     
  

   3) Sources of pre-paid cards

    Anyone can buy them at kiosks and newstands in the country in
    which they are valid.  They can also be obtained in advance  in
    following places:

        http://www.accomms.com/simcard/line_advance.htm    
        http://cellularabroad.com/ppsc.html  
        http://www.telestial.com/prepaid_sim_cards.htm  

             It is necesary to shop around for a good deal for any 
given country.
             To check the GPRS coverage  of a given card in the 
country,
              click on the image of the  national card and scroll down
to the GPRS coverage.

 For a general  description of major EU countries GSM services, see
         http://cellularabroad.com/cellinfo.html
 
 Finally, stores  which sell or rent mobile phones with  GPRS often
carry pre-paid SIMS as well.
Here is a link to an unsorted  and un-reviewed list of  many such
offerings:
 http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=prepaid+SIM+GPRS+enabled+SIM+card%2C+Europe&btnG=Froogle+Search
  
  4) Of possible peripheral interest: 

  Some  GPRS cards have a pre-installed SIM , with the seller
arranging access. Example:
   A deall from Dell-Europe for users of Dell Notebooks
   
         ". . .There is no need for you to contact a mobile network
operator to sign up for a data contract
 Dell will look after this for you. You choose your preferred GPRS
price plan tailored to
your end users and we will do the rest...."  Rates are not available
on-line.
 http://www.euro.dell.com/countries/uk/enu/pub/local/topics/merchandising_solution_gprso2.htm#access


      b) Special promotions: 
       Data transfer in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark will be free of
charge for the duration of the
 campaign, until the end of September. In Germany, the Netherlands,
the UK, Italy, Spain, and
Portugal, data transfer in teh campaign will cost EUR 5,58 per
transferred megabyte, plus VAT. GPRS
roaming in Vodafone's Hungarian network will be free.

        ttp://www.mobile.commerce.net/print.php?story_id=3214    

 c) Discussion forums, where users report their experiences and where
    questions may be asked:

                http://forums.attwireless.com/attws/board/message?board.id=gsmgprs&message.id=9028
		
                http://www.howardforums.com/archive/topic/84091-1.html
		http://www.w2forum.com/knowledge.php?parent=112		 
                http://www.cellular-news.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=844

                http://www.cellular.co.za/news_2002/060102-live_gprs_networks_pass_100.htm
                http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5360
                http://www.drwireless.com/products/international_phones/international_phones.htm

d) More on GPRS (and other wireless services) in UK
		  
                 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=245892


     Search Terms 

     GPRS-enabled SIM
     PCMCIA modem card
     GRX, Europe

        This was interesting for me, too. I enjoyed researching your
questions.
        

 hedgie

Thanks for the excellent work.