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elliemk
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Sparkling Korea!
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 Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:52 pm Post subject: Cell phone or home phone when I get to Korea? |
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I have several questions:
1. Should I get a cell phone or home phone or both? I have both here, but hardly ever use my cell phone (except when I drive, which I won't be doing in Korea)..
2. What cell phones from the states will work in Korea? I have a Sony Ericsoon W300i with Cingular, and they tell me it won't work there. Darn. Maybe someone who's coming home wants to buy it? I'll have to post on the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum. No luck selling it here (US) yet.
3. Total cost for cheapest cell phone and monthly service in Korea? I don't want to spend an arm and leg if I get both.
Thanks again for all your kind replies as in the last couple of weeks!
Ellie  |
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boyne11
Joined: 08 Jul 2007
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: Cell phone or home phone when I get to Korea? |
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| elliemk wrote: |
I have several questions:
1. Should I get a cell phone or home phone or both? I have both here, but hardly ever use my cell phone (except when I drive, which I won't be doing in Korea)..
2. What cell phones from the states will work in Korea? I have a Sony Ericsoon W300i with Cingular, and they tell me it won't work there. Darn. Maybe someone who's coming home wants to buy it? I'll have to post on the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum. No luck selling it here (US) yet.
3. Total cost for cheapest cell phone and monthly service in Korea? I don't want to spend an arm and leg if I get both.
Thanks again for all your kind replies as in the last couple of weeks!
Ellie |
short answers:
Unless your school has a phone in the apartment already you probably won't get a land line. You are not the holder of record on the apartment so you cannot do it yourself.
Cell phones from home do NOT work here. Don't bring one and hope to get service. It will just be an expensive alarm clock.
Cell phones here are cheap and plentiful. 1 year old "used" models (with cam and mp3) can be had from 30k won. As a new foreigner you will probably (again, unless your school gets one for you (in their name)) get a phone with prepaid /pay as you go service. Phone shops are everywhere (at least one on every block) so there whould be no problem. |
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elliemk
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: Sparkling Korea!
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:25 pm Post subject: RE: short answers |
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| Thanks for your advice! |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: Cell phone or home phone when I get to Korea? |
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Unless your school has a phone in the apartment already you probably won't get a land line. You are not the holder of record on the apartment so you cannot do it yourself.
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not true. I had a land line set up in my own name with KT for a few years. They even let me change my number when some random Korean decided he wanted English lessons every day at 3 am |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject: Re: Cell phone or home phone when I get to Korea? |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| Quote: |
Unless your school has a phone in the apartment already you probably won't get a land line. You are not the holder of record on the apartment so you cannot do it yourself.
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not true. I had a land line set up in my own name with KT for a few years. They even let me change my number when some random Korean decided he wanted English lessons every day at 3 am |
OK... possibly misleading....
It is very difficult to do this yourself and most give up in frustration before ever getting connected. This is especially true for a newbie.
So let me change my statement to:
"without significant help from a Korean (Korean speaker) AND permission from the holder of record AND your ARC it is virtually impossible to do. "
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IncognitoHFX
Joined: 06 May 2007
Location: Yeongtong, Suwon
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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I call home (Canada) on my cell phone relatively often. Probably 3-4 hours this month so far. However, I use an international calling card (I buy the same one each time from the 7-11).
I noticed that when I use it on a cell phone I get half as many minutes than if I was to use it from a landline. This doesn't bother me, what does bother me is that some foreigner friends told me that even if I'm using an international calling card, I'm going to be paying like $2,000 WON per minute just for using the service on my mobile regardless of what phone/plan I have.
Is this true? It kind of freaked me out... even though a Korean did tell me that it'd just be charged the regular per-minute-local-rate. I don't know which to believe, because foreigners are the ones who call Canada... |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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| IncognitoHFX wrote: |
I call home (Canada) on my cell phone relatively often. Probably 3-4 hours this month so far. However, I use an international calling card (I buy the same one each time from the 7-11).
I noticed that when I use it on a cell phone I get half as many minutes than if I was to use it from a landline. This doesn't bother me, what does bother me is that some foreigner friends told me that even if I'm using an international calling card, I'm going to be paying like $2,000 WON per minute just for using the service on my mobile regardless of what phone/plan I have.
Is this true? It kind of freaked me out... even though a Korean did tell me that it'd just be charged the regular per-minute-local-rate. I don't know which to believe, because foreigners are the ones who call Canada... |
It all depends on the local number you are calling. Some are free from a cell phone, some are not and you pay for the local airtime as well.
If the number you call locally begins 080 or 1588 then there is no charge for local airtime. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Unlocked 3G phones from Europe or Japan using WCDMA 2100mhz would work in Korea (through roaming). The W300i is GSM and pretty much an alarm clock or phonebook. |
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