Mobile Internet for Foreigners

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herman the german

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He guys,

i'm from Germany and i spend a month or two in SA every year.
I'm tired of not working, to slow or way to expensive wireless points in hotels and b&b's.

Now i'm looking for what we in Germany call a "surfstick".
You plug it in your USB, and then you are able to go online with 3G or else connection.
The cheapest one here is R 100 a month, with unlimited time and data volume.
I surfed through a couple of sites of SA providers, but this is just confusing me more.

What i need is a connection to check my mails through a server (not physically download them) and play online Poker. (Someone wrote, that this is about 20 MB per hour?)
What would you suggest is the easiest and cheapest for me?
I would prefer an airtime solution, but if it would be better and cheaper i would sign up a contract.
Maybe it would make sense, to have an SA cellnumber as well.

Thanks for your help!
 
Expect to pay a lot more here, they rape you by the minute.

Secondly we have this thing called RICA here which will be implemented soon which will require you to produce your passport and get a letter from the hotel you are staying in or an affidavit from the local police that you will be staying in the country for x weeks according to MTN. Real schlep, passport&visa should be enough.

http://www.hellkom.co.za/8ta-vs-mtn-vs-vodacom-vs-cell-c-vs-virgin-mobile-call-charges/
Look at "Out of bundle Data:" prices, CellC seems to be the cheapest at present.
 
Last edited:
I don't think you are telling the truth. I have been to Germany about two years ago and they sure as hell don't offer unlimited time and data for only R100/month. Mobile internet in Germany is very expensive, only about 2x-5x cheaper than it is here. Please prove what you are saying.

If you are staying for at least a year, the best deal is currently from CellC: http://www.cellc.co.za/packages/datapromotion_sim

Essentially you can get some of the fastest consumer internet in South Africa (faster than fixed line offerings even) but you need to pay between R1000 (24GB) and R2000 (60GB) once-off for a years worth of data split over 12 months.

This is the cheapest mobile data you will get. Otherwise look at the offerings from 8ta, Vodacom and MTN. You're probably going to end up paying in the range of 18c / MB.
 
Of course i'm telling the truth.
Why should i lie?
Prices have been going down a lot in the last couple of years, because of more providers in the market.

@ponder: What if my local friend would do that for me? Would it be easier then?
And if so, whats the cheapest?
 
herman the german said:
@ponder: What if my local friend would do that for me? Would it be easier then?
And if so, whats the cheapest?
Click to expand...

Yebo. Don't let RICA get you down. Hand your SIM card to a SA friend and get them to rica it for you. It will take them 5 minutes at a local rica agent.

Getting back to the internet... do you already own a "surfstick"? Just need to ask so that we don't end up buying one here when we could use an existing one.

Hardware-wise you'll either need to use your existing phone (assuming it is compatible with SA tech) or get a SA version of the "surfstick". You can get a entry level 3.6mbps HSDPA USB stick e.g. the Huawei K3565 modem for about R360 at any local Hi-Fi Corp. Quite worth it if you ask me. Then you'll also need a service provider. Your main choices are Telkom (8ta), MTN, Vodacom, Virgin Mobile, Cellc. But this I would chat out with your SA friend as your choice needs to take into account where in SA you will be finding yourself most of the time (no use going with CellC just to find you got no reception).

Your second choice would be how much you plan to use. So how much do you plan to use? An hour of poker a day? 20mb * 30 = 600mb a month without anything else.
 
Well, i guess an hour of poker a day in average. And maybe see the german news online from time to time. If i add this all up, i probably end up with maybe 5 gigs a month.
I got a stick here, but i would like to leave my old laptop and the new stick in SA, so i don't need to carry it back and forth every time.
Most of the time i'll be in Plettenberg Bay, maybe that helps?
Maybe it even makes sense, to buy a netbook with a contract?
Gee, i know. Bloody tourists... ;-)
 
If you are only here for a month a year then it will be best to just use Vodacom Prepaid (2.3GB = R389). Buy a second 2.3GB if you use that up.

You can buy the Vodafone K3565 stick from HiFi Corporation for R369 - it will be unlocked.

You have a better chance that Vodacom will work in Plettenberg Bay.

And there is no sense in buying the Cell C bundles if you will not be here for 11 months. Maybe later if they come out with single Prepaid Bundles. Still the Plet problem, though.
 
Prepaid is the best option for you, then get a friend to do the RICA for you. Then you can load money as you need it, look around for deals and look at the new cell c and 8ta offerings.

RICA is everywhere, I just did a trip to Dubai and India and was going to pick up a cheap sim there.... both contries wanted proof of address. It was really sucky as I opted to do SMS roaming and had no data for the entire trip :/
 
Okay, looks like the best option.
Is it only HIFI Corp selling the stick and the prepaid?
Or is it just the cheapest store?
And do i have to do the RICA before or after i bought the stuff?

@Nerherder: Dubai sucks in EVERY way...
 
Na... you can got a lot of cool stuff in Dubai, its not that bad.

I'm sure you can get a 3g stick anywhere.... HIFI will be cheap but its not my favorite place to shop. You should do the RICA when you purchase the sim but it can be done later.
 
I don't like the people and the attitude in Dubai, thats why...

Last question
Can i do the RICA in the shop when i buy it?
 
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