Mandatory registration of SIM cards in Thailand

[DrPat 423]

Thaivisa is running an item about the ‘Mandatory registration of SIM cards in Thailand’.

 

http://tech.thaivisa.com/sim-card-registration-thailand-update/3112/?utm_source=newsletter-20150122-1454&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

 

There was a thread back in 2005 about this:

 

http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/topic/14538-ids-to-be-mandatory-for-sim-cards/

 

When I first got my TrueMove SIM (about four years back) there was no mention of ‘registration’, but when I upgraded to 3G in BKK last year I was asked to show my passport, although, as I recall, a photocopy was OK. I was given some sort of contact, so I guess my SIM is registered.

 

Are other BMs registering their SIMs?

[jacko 8,813]

Thaivisa is running an item about the ‘Mandatory registration of SIM cards in Thailand’.

 

http://tech.thaivisa.com/sim-card-registration-thailand-update/3112/?utm_source=newsletter-20150122-1454&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

 

There was a thread back in 2005 about this:

 

http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/topic/14538-ids-to-be-mandatory-for-sim-cards/

 

When I first got my TrueMove SIM (about four years back) there was no mention of ‘registration’, but when I upgraded to 3G in BKK last year I was asked to show my passport, although, as I recall, a photocopy was OK. I was given some sort of contact, so I guess my SIM is registered.

 

Are other BMs registering their SIMs?

Mine are all registered, as you say there was a drive around 2005 when I did this with AIS. My True SIM was registered when I changed the Intersim to True-H. You should download the True App, it is useful for me as I have their Internet, TV and SIM and can pay the bill all in one go. I can see the phone credit available quickly too.

[atlas2 4,329]

I registered one last time…..(for what?)….I think my other phone is also registered but I guess I will have to check 'to be sure to be sure'

 

 

Dumped True Vision earlier this month…….I'd suggest you get an android TV Jacko but I've heard they don't work as well with true internet. Bit of a fag for you to start all over again.

[jacko 8,813]

I registered one last time…..(for what?)….I think my other phone is also registered but I guess I will have to check 'to be sure to be sure'

 

 

Dumped True Vision earlier this month…….I'd suggest you get an android TV Jacko but I've heard they don't work as well with true internet. Bit of a fag for you to start all over again.

After 5+ years of frustration dealing with TOT I moved my lazy ass and cancelled them. True were offering the best deal at the time, plus I have to justify the ugly cable they ran over my garden.

I still have Sophon, my True Vision actually came free (basic crappy package of channels) with the internet, and I never watch it.

They also gave me a post-pay SIM with some free monthly calls....... obviously trying to hook me into them.

I don't miss TV much.

[MM 6,562]

I registered one last time…..(for what?)….I think my other phone is also registered but I guess I will have to check 'to be sure to be sure'

 

 

Dumped True Vision earlier this month…….I'd suggest you get an android TV Jacko but I've heard they don't work as well with true internet. Bit of a fag for you to start all over again.

I'm using TRUE cable internet and it works just fine.

 

lanzalad has some explanation for that where he says it's because I have IPTV subscription as well (which I do ... 100b extra) in case the internet goes down.

[JONPAT 222]

The figure I read was that 90 million sims are unregistered. I just don't see how they can get them all registered in six months. It will end up worse than immigration where every office has their own interpretation of the rules and if you get a short tempered clerk you'll find out later that your registration didn't 'take'.

 

If I give my phone/sim to another person, will it have to be reregistered ? If I lose the phone and I in trouble if I don't report it? Will I be shook down by some official in order to report a lost sim?

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

Gawd Elpus !

[fucguman 0]

Hmmm.....Are you talk to the person at True Shop? Do they have any solution?

.

.

My no. is Dtac I still recommend to use DTAC.

&

Let go to travel that be good and better .

If you are looking the places to go please visit here I recommend you :

 

Http://somespamsite

[cbrib 354]

The figure I read was that 90 million sims are unregistered. I just don't see how they can get them all registered in six months. It will end up worse than immigration where every office has their own interpretation of the rules and if you get a short tempered clerk you'll find out later that your registration didn't 'take'.

 

If I give my phone/sim to another person, will it have to be reregistered ? If I lose the phone and I in trouble if I don't report it? Will I be shook down by some official in order to report a lost sim?

 

My Missus took ours to Telewiz at Tukcom, was home in 45 minutes

[ttk 236]

The requirement is being enforced at Telewiz ...i.e factory store. Other booths still sell without ID. I could not find anything good for 1 year....Telewiz said you had to add 100 every month to keep number. Kind of foolish since I am gone 3-5 months and can just as easily buy a new card for 100

[The_Fat_Controller 25]

DTAC allow you to extend validity for a small payment, the maximum, 180 days, costs a reasonable 12 Baht.

 

My wife registered my SIM and then I registered for an online account at the DTAC website and have managed to top up using my UK VISA credit card.

 

Only did it to see if it would be accepted by VISA/Nationwide but the 50 Baht went through fine.

[Gabor 296]

The requirement is being enforced at Telewiz ...i.e factory store. Other booths still sell without ID. I could not find anything good for 1 year....Telewiz said you had to add 100 every month to keep number. Kind of foolish since I am gone 3-5 months and can just as easily buy a new card for 100

 

Must be a misunderstanding.... you must top up a certain sum to hold your number and not to pay... However some of my friends has SIM cards a simple 3000 baht top up gives them 1 year validity... I have a 10 year old number, so I can't do the same with it, because of the old billing system. ( i can change the packages, but not the validity ) Anyway, you can ask any local, who use frequently his / her sim card to transfer validity for you. ( it costs 3 baht if I remember well )

[Gabor 296]

 

My Missus took ours to Telewiz at Tukcom, was home in 45 minutes

 

I spent there 40 seconds to check, yes my SIM card was registered under the last campaign years ago.... ( Just curious.... what if the SIM card I was registered years ago already not mine ??? Nobody checked it... )

[ozboy 31]

 

Must be a misunderstanding.... you must top up a certain sum to hold your number and not to pay... However some of my friends has SIM cards a simple 3000 baht top up gives them 1 year validity... I have a 10 year old number, so I can't do the same with it, because of the old billing system. ( i can change the packages, but not the validity ) Anyway, you can ask any local, who use frequently his / her sim card to transfer validity for you. ( it costs 3 baht if I remember well )

I have a dtac card (happy i think) that was last topped up either late December 2014 or early January 2015 and it was topped up with 300 baht and it expires either Dec 15 or Jan 2016, not sure which as i left Thailand in January and dont keep the sim in a phone that is switched on when i am elsewhere.

I think you only have to recharge the sim either once or twice before they take the validity out to one year.

[JONPAT 222]

I think this time 'they' mean business. The army is in charge and doesn't care about some small inconviniense to phone users. The phone companies only see an upside this time around; reselling millions of sim cards.

[ttk 236]

Yeah. They extend if you Top it up. But it just does not make sense to add 100 baht or more to keep the card valid until the next trip when a new ine is so chaep. I have had 2 cards that started out with 1 year but both (123 call and true) wound up changing to shorter time after a bit.

[jacko 8,813]

Yeah. They extend if you Top it up. But it just does not make sense to add 100 baht or more to keep the card valid until the next trip when a new ine is so chaep. I have had 2 cards that started out with 1 year but both (123 call and true) wound up changing to shorter time after a bit.

Mine only extends 1 month per top up.... (12 Call)..trouble is I keep forgetting that fact and when I do need to top up put 500 baht on it... just get an extra month when 5x100 would get me 5! Topping up is a 2 second exercise with the mobile banking.

Edited February 19, 2015 by jacko

[csm 4]

Mine only extends 1 month per top up.... (12 Call)..trouble is I keep forgetting that fact and when I do need to top up put 500 baht on it... just get an extra month when 5x100 would get me 5! Topping up is a 2 second exercise with the mobile banking.

I think plans change all the time, my friend has AIS and as long as he keeps is balance above 300 baht the sim does not expire. I tried to get the same and was told it was no longer available. What I got was a plan where every top up gives one additional month, what is different from the above is I only need to top up with 10 baht to get the extra month.

 

You can only extend up to 1 year max. I use all those 1 and 2 baht coins I get as change and do multiple top ups on those orange machines outside 7-11s. There is a 2 baht fee for each top up, so for 12 baht I get a month added. I make sure by the end of each trip to have a full year on the card. Another benefit is if I was not going to be in LOS for over a year, anyone can top up my phone at the same machines.

[jacko 8,813]

I think plans change all the time, my friend has AIS and as long as he keeps is balance above 300 baht the sim does not expire. I tried to get the same and was told it was no longer available. What I got was a plan where every top up gives one additional month, what is different from the above is I only need to top up with 10 baht to get the extra month.

 

You can only extend up to 1 year max. I use all those 1 and 2 baht coins I get as change and do multiple top ups on those orange machines outside 7-11s. There is a 2 baht fee for each top up, so for 12 baht I get a month added. I make sure by the end of each trip to have a full year on the card. Another benefit is if I was not going to be in LOS for over a year, anyone can top up my phone at the same machines.

Well to be honest it was my fault!

I had a plan when I first got a Thai SIM, whereby the balance lasted 12 months if I recall correctly, each time I topped up. That was suitable but I was thinking in tourist mode rather than considering my Expat status. Then I made a long call to someone a long way off on another network and all my credit got eaten up at 8 baht/min. Since then I have switched plan yet again for 1 baht/min all networks .... (although I get hit for international SMSs), but the credit duration is short. One just has to work around it. Finding all the details of the plans in English can be a challenge.

 

Later Edit. I just logged on to the AIS site to check out all their packages.... a bewildering array, and calls priced in satang/minute, satang/6 seconds and satangs/sec..... had me tapping my calculator to learn all pretty much the same!

Edited February 20, 2015 by jacko

[seanss 27]

DTAC will give you close to 12 months on phone at their shop in Big C extra but you need to top up at least 200 bhats

[Gary 4,118]

Strange things are happening with the phones here. I was having problems with Truemove H. I finally called them and was told that my SIM was not registered. ? The same with Dtac. Apparently they jumped the gun by interfering with my service. To make a long story short, my wife went and registered AIS 12 call (2 SIMs) and Dtac. I registered my Truemove H card myself because that is my main service. All the problems went away and all are now working fine. I use Dtac and the Truemove H card in a dual SIM phone. I kept Dtac rather than AIS 12 call because I can easily extend the Dtac card validity for a few baht per month. AIS does not offer that service so when it expires, I will let it die. The other True will also eventually expire because I only used it for the Internet while at my condo. My phone can be used for the Internet easily by tethering it to the computer with a USB cable. I can still get calls while it is tethered. The USB cable charges the phone while tethered so no battery problems. I will be using 2 SIM cards and have no need for more. My wife uses AIS 12 call.

[Idefix 2,275]

Hi. Several phone companies and many different plans for each one... probably not possible to give general rules.

 

- My 1-2-Call (AIS) card initially was 1-month validity. As I wanted to keep this number (I just moved to Thailand) I asked one of their offices and they changed the "plan" to a 1-year one. I think they took 30 baht on the account for this change.

 

- My Happy (Dtac) card initially was 1-month too. I kept this one they gave me at airport because it was the first I get that had Internet access included. I toped it up 2 times and the 3rd month I got a message I could get a 90-day validity by calling a special number. I did it and it cost me... 9 baht . Months later I decided I want to keep this number too. Went to Tukcom and paid a small fee (?) for the 1-year change.

 

My point: If you want to keep a number (and mainly if you don't live in Thailand) the easier way to do is to go to their office. They will tell you the options you have to keep it alive when not here (1-year validity?) and will make the change for you.

 

 

Edit: Ooops. Dtac AIS. Often mix them. Thanks MM

Edited February 20, 2015 by Idefix

[Idefix 2,275]

Strange things are happening with the phones here.

I would say "Strange things are happening... to you!" . I know absolutely nobody who got phone problems because of this registration, and I read several times already that no phone-blocking will be made before the registration end period: end of July. I can't help you on your problem though

[MM 6,562]

- My 1-2-Call (Dtac AIS) card initially was 1-month validity. A

- My Happy (AISDTAC) card initially was 1-month too.

Good advice overall, but let's not confuse people about the prepaid names used by the mobile operators.

[jacko 8,813]

I would say "Strange things are happening... to you!" . I know absolutely nobody who got phone problems because of this registration, and I read several times already that no phone-blocking will be made before the registration end period: end of July. I can't help you on your problem though

So Gary is a 'Nobody'???