SIM Card wrt 3G

[grubsner]

hi ppl

I have an existing contract with Vodacom (normal business contract) with GPRS activated (and working well I must admit!)

If I acquire a 3G card do I need a new number ( in other words a new SIM card) for 3G or can my current Vodacom contract be split into two SIM cards on one contract? The 3G costs will then be reflected on my current bill and I can use the 1 Gb data bundle for both 3G and GPRS (where 3G is not availabe) from the 3G card and my current cellphone.

Some notes on GPRS...the data cost for GPRS (and 3G) is R 2 / MB out of bundle and this cost is great compared to the GPRS launch price of R 45 /MB out of bundle a few months back. Thanks Vodacom!

Data costs remains the same all 24 hours a day, no peak and off peak tariffs.

The only problem with GPRS is that after 8 pm the connection slows down significantly, on my BS anyway, maybe it's off peak traffic slowing the connection. During the day and early evenings the speed is faster than my now less used 56K dailup modem.

I can't get my Telkom emials via GPRS, got something to do with the IP address I think? Any ideas how to resolve this. I'm using Worldonline account for GPRS. I can even connect with my Telkom account via GPRS but still no email download possible...

Maybe V3G can shed light on the slow data speeds.

Grubs

 

[vodacom3g]

grubsner,

You can buy a data bundle and strap it to your existing contract. This will allow you better than R2/M rates as well as access to 3G.

To use 3G, you're going to need a 3G data card or phone. You can buy one outright and use your normal SIM.

If you're going to use a lot of data, it might make sense to get a dedicated SIM just for data. This way you can still make calls while you're online. Have a look at the sticky thread for the various options.

The international lines do get very busy at times, this might be what you're seeing. All these 3G users using Skype (Just kidding!)

To access Telkom mail via 3G/GPRS you must do the following:

1) Configure your smtp server for asmtp.saix.net (not smtp.saix.net) and activate username/password authentication on your mail client.

Telkom will not allow non-native traffic over their normal mail server: smtp.saix.net, so if you access telkom mail from anywhere else (like 3G/GPRS) you need to use asmtp.saix.net but MUST use username/password authentication.

2) If the above fails, try smtp.vodacom.co.za as a relay. But try option 1 first. That way if you use another method of access you won't need to change your mail client settings.