Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thekakapo]

I read the stuff on the forum from last year about Skype, but I figured things might be different since they came out with their mobile phone.

I'm going to be coming over there for SMOE's orientation at the end of August and I've been Skyping my life. I bought a Phillips cordless wifi phone for my mom and I'm thinking of plunking down the $300 for my best friend and myself to have phones we can call each other on for free. Here it is:

http://accessories.skype.com/store/skype/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.80816800

What I wondered:

-is wifi really as prevalent in Korea as I've come to believe? Are there hot spots everywhere? I'm prepared to pay a monthly fee for wifi with my apartment but I wonder if this is something I could pick up walking down the street.

-will my Skype mobile phone work in Korea as well as it does in the US? If so, would you guys suggest that I get a Korean number or have an American number associated with the phone? What I was figuring is that if I can get a Korean number, I could use it as my regular phone while I'm over there. A friend tells me that it doesn't matter what number I call but I get the impression that if I get a local number for Korea, it will be free to call from a landline in Korea. If I get a local number in the US, it will be free to call from that area code in the US. I'm very confused about this.

Does anyone use this much Skype? What have been your experiences with it? Do you think this would be a good buy or should I wait till I get over there and see about buying a phone with internet access? I figure that I probably spent at least $150 calling home during my year in France.

Thanks! Korea countdown !!

[ChinaBoy]

I use a computer and Skype.

I can't imagine needing a mobile Skype in Korea to call back home.

Isn't it like 2 cents to SkypeOut? People you're calling don't need a Skype phone. Am I mistaken?

[moosehead]

hey OP - I didn't know about the skype phone - thanks for the link - this is awesome -

I'd say you're good to go with getting one there in America - but don't know about here and how that would work as far as which number you'd rather have.

maybe you just want to wait and see when you get here; I don't know anyone here using a skype phone but skype on the pc is common; started in China and Vietnam where they lacked the infrastructure for telecom -

please post again when you do arrive and tell us more about which phone you are using and all - personally, I'm relocating back to the US next summer and this definitely looks like something I'd be interested in.

[Drew345]

1.) I checked the list of countries with online numbers from skype. It seems Korea is not on the list.
http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/onlinenumber/

So I don't think you can buy an online number.

2.) I think most people here just buy some skype credit and call America for like 2 cents a minute or so (from their computer).

3.) If you really call a lot and your friends like to call you, then you can get a monthly subscription that comes with a free skype-in number in America and unlimmited calls to America. For $6 a month, can't complain.
http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/subscriptions/?region=row

4.) I wish I knew the answer about how good the WiFi connectivity of a Skype phone would be in Korea. I get the idea that it might be spotty with most systems being locked. But I never carried my laptop around to check. I'd like to by a portable Wi-Fi device (like Asus EEE), but have this same question about WiFi availability.

[thekakapo]

I bought the phone... I figure even if I only get wifi at my school (and I should get it there at least, right?) and get it at my apartment- which I'd be willing to pay to use, of course- it would be a worthwhile investment. I have a phone number and can call out as much as I like with the subscription I got, and I like the idea of being able to talk to people as I make dinner or tidy my tiny room rather than having to sit at a computer. It's for comfort, mostly... the number is in my hometown's area code. I guess I'll still have to get a Korean cell phone just to receive calls from Korean numbers, but I'd like to use my Skype phone for everything else.

I didn't really know so much of the wifi was locked up in Seoul. It makes sense, but I hoped that there would be some hotspots where I could get it!

[siborg69]

speaking of skype.....im having problems with it!! constantly says its connecting but never does......ive tried reinstalling it and it seems to work the first time but then when i turn my laptop off and on, it goes back to having the original problem! any ideas???

[OneWayTraffic]

siborg: Try a reinstall. It sounds like you're having resource conflicts with another program.

To OP. Wifi is fairly prevalant here, but you can't count on it being everywhere. Most public places want you to have a Nespot login (which I don't have.) OTOH Wibro is all over Seoul for 20,000 a month. So if I wanted I could install Skype on my little handheld PC and skype away.

[thekakapo]

"OTOH Wibro "

That's pretty cheap for city-wide access.

I hope that I learn about all these things during my SMOE orientation...

[Tobias]

I use Skype all the time to call my friends all over the world. Sometimes I do it computer-to-computer, while other times I simply call their cell phones or home/office landlines. If I call the US from Korea, the cost is around 2 cents per minute. If I call Turkey from here, the cost is about 10 times more. Same for calling Thailand.

When I run low on credit, I simply recharge my Skype account using my paypal account. My paypal account is fed via a special bank card I reserved for internet use back before I left the states. This eliminates someone stealing my account info and hacking my account.

Overall, Skype is pretty good.

[KoreanAmbition]

All I can say is bluetooth.


Get wireless headphones and a microphone.

Then the headphones can double as useful for music as well. This way you just get to use a skype phone.


My parents are old and behind the times with computers, but even though have caught onto skype on their computer so it's free.

[blackjack]

[siborg69]

not as far as i know.....im a bit of a computer retard! ive checked windows firewall and skype is there under the exceptions. i dunno what happened really....i had no problems at all with it until a few weeks ago and then this started. i have norton ant virus which is proving to be a pain in the ass....even when i have programs listed under the exceptions, i still get pop up windows asking if i want to give permission for these programs to access the net!! would that maybe cause a problem??

[blackjack]

[jkamphof]

I recently bought a Belkin WiFi Skype phone for W120,000 in the Yongsan Belkin shop (second floor of the main building (not Space Nine, but the one you go to from Yongsan station via overpass). Works great, I also have a SkypeIn number but an American number (I am Canadian) but still cheaper for my grandparents etc to call me who are not computer literate.

I have brought it with me to a few places and spots but usually WiFi connection is luck of the draw. It will connect to any open connection or any connection I can get a network key. Hotspots will not work as you need a PC to login first.

Anyway, saves me a lot of cash each year. I also use Voipbuster for outgoing calls at home, usually cheaper than Skype if I am calling phones rather than Skype accounts.

[bourquetheman]

Since my Skype credit is low I've been using www.earthcaller.com and it is great! My 88 year old grandmother can hear me just fine. Calls from your PC to any U.S. or Canadian numbers (even cell) are free, that's right free!
It only works on the latest Internet Explorer 7 but aside from that it's great!