Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jphill9990]

I am coming to Korea in August and I have a Razr M from Verizon. I was wondering how well I could get around on just using wifi by using apps like kakao and other free calling services .vs. getting a smartphone here. I'd even be more likely just to get some basic, low cost flip phone for calling if the wifi is present enough for messaging, checking email on the go, etc. How likely is that to work out? I will be living in Yongin, Suji.

[kpfogey]

i think your best choice will depend on how much you use your phone and how long you'll stay here. since you're not living out in the boonies (suji is close to suwon and bundang), there are a lot of free wifi hotspots in subways, coffee shops, convenience stores, etc. the caveat is that most free wifi hotspots are tied to phone carriers. the big three are kt, sk, and lg. if you have a phone plan with them, connecting to their respective hotspots is free. if not, you'll have to pay on a daily/monthly basis. but if you plan on getting a feature phone (in korea, they're called 2g phones), you may be able to tie the phone that you want to be able to connect to their wifi hotspots to your razr. i'm not sure if that's possible because the phone carriers may treat feature phone plans and smartphone plans differently.

since your phone is from verizon, i'm not sure if it is compatible with korea's cell towers so unlocking it and just getting a plan is i think, not a plausible route to go.

another way to go is to buy a cheap used android phone that is unlocked and compatible with korea's cell towers and get a non-contract plan that you can use by itself or have your razr tether to it.

[Deja]

LG I think still used CDMA only, like Verizon.
SKT had both CDMA and WCDMA (3G) Samsung Galaxy S3s, so I reckon they also have CDMA coverage.

The question is whether it is the same band as Verizon's RAZR.

Here's a link to Korean S3s discussion on XDA:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28230420#post28230420
You can get the specific model number and get its CDMA bands and compare whether your RAZR has the same ones (I can't tell which one is specifically used by SKT/LG, sorry)


As for WiFi, you can use WiFi on any device if you have access to the AP, there are no different bands that you need to worry about between your RAZR or Korean phones.
I think your best bet on that is to get a T-WiFi/Olleh username/password from someone who trusts you and has a KT broadband at home. We can use their wifi on the subway with the same username.

[jphill9990]

So there are not many WiFi spots that I can tap into without phone service. Hmmm mostly I'd want the WiFi just to use kakao or certain apps. I rarely talk on my phone and between kakao and fb messenger that cancels out texting in Korea. I figured I'd just put money on Skype in case I really needed to call someone's cell.

[Deja]

Note: If you intend to use Skype in Korea, ADD CREDIT BEFORE YOU COME TO KOREA! Otherwise, you'll be bambuzzled by Daesong

[CentralCali]

For the times you can't find a free WiFi spot, you can purchase "daily pass" cards at convenience stores.

[jphill9990]

[jphill9990]

[wishfullthinkng]

i have no clue why you wouldn't. korea is in the top three most wired (and wireless) countries in the world.

you only get as much out of something as you put into it, and life here is much more enriched with a smartphone. some of the luddites on the board might disagree with me but they obviously haven't learned how to maximize a smartphone here as the koreans do.

a cell phone plan is cheap. don't hinder your experience here by not getting one. if the cost of a phone is a heavy factor you might want to consider coming here at all.

[jphill9990]

Well that is why I am doing do diligence. Overall the price of the phone isn't an issue, but I rarely talk on the phone. Kakao can be used on wifi. As can skype. I didn't know wifi was attatched to phone carriers. For example. I use about 100 minutes a month (which will probably go up here a little) average around 500 texts and have never went over 2gb on data, which I would probably use more of here. At verizon I am paying almost $100.00 a month here. I don't know what it would cost here for something similar. So that is why I am exploring.

You talk about the smartphone enhancement. What ways do you mean? I know the subway/bus apps are really nice. But what are some other things you wouldn't want to miss out on?

[wishfullthinkng]

i rarely talk on my phone either. that's why i have the lowest amount of minutes you can get. as for kakao being used on wifi, have you ever tried hopping from one wifi hotspot to another when you really need to send one message right now? plus many wifi hotspots are like airport hotspots where it's like pulling teeth to send one picture over kakao. korea's 3g is unlimited, super quick compared to other countries and super cheap to boot on all carriers.

we don't use texts here really, it's all about data. i use around 2.5gb of lte data a month and i'm a very heavy user. as for smartphone enhancement, koreans love coupons and memberships. there are a lot of good discounts and bonuses to be had using some of the apps that koreans use. plus i don't carry around any of my membership cards anymore thanks to apps like smartwallet, etc. you can supplement your 3g data with wifi for about 5 bucks more a month if you really want but there's little point in it.

a free 3g android phone with the lowest 3g unlimited plan would probably run you around 55usd a month here. it's much more reasonable than verizon.

[jphill9990]

Good info, I appreciate it. Sounds like that will be the way to go for sure. I'm not trying to watch TV on the subway or anything so a basic smartphone will do me fine.