Mobile Internet in Thailand 2021 – overview of prices of all operators

There are three main mobile operators in Thailand: Dtac , TrueMove and AIS . Each of them provides its own set of tariffs for mobile Internet. Let's take a closer look at each and determine the budget one.

About the Internet in the Kingdom

As I wrote above, Thailand keeps up with the times, so all new technologies do not bypass it. It has both 3G and 4G, and some operators have started testing 5G networks.

Internet speed in Thailand

• Home Internet speed from 1 to 300 Mbit/s.
• Mobile Internet speed from 128 kbit/s to 300 Mbit/s.

Internet price in Thailand

• Internet cafe - from 20 baht/hour.
• Unlimited home Internet – from 699 baht/month.
• Mobile Internet – from 299 baht/month.

Due to the terrain, not all operators are equally good, since the network coverage area is different for everyone. From my experience of traveling in Thailand, I can say for sure that TrueMove is the best in this regard, then AIS and only then Dtac . Therefore, if you plan to spend a lot of time in the mountains and on various islands, choose from the first two.

If you are lucky, you can get a SIM card from one of the operators for free right away at the airport; sometimes they are given out as part of various promotions. To obtain it, it is enough to have a foreign passport or a photocopy of it.

Let's now look at each separately and look at the proposed mobile Internet tariffs.

Current mobile operators in Thailand

Mobile communications and the Internet in Thailand are represented by three major operators:

• True Move H
• DTAC Happy (DiTek)
• AIS One-2-Call (AIS)

Mobile operators in Thailand - DTAC, True Move, AIS

Market division

As of the 4th quarter of 2021, there were 97.6 million mobile subscribers in the country. More than 99% of the market belongs to three large operators: AIS (Advanced Info Service) - market share of 46.5%, DTAC - 28.5% use the services, and True Move with a market share of 24.26% - rapidly gaining subscribers due to bright advertising companies.

Other operators, including state-owned TOT Public Company Limited (TOT) and private company CAT Telecom, hold 0.57% and 0.17% of the market respectively. TOT and CAT Telecom held leading positions in the 1980s and 1990s.

Communication technologies

At the moment, all listed operators use technologies from the GSM / 3GPP family, including GSM / EDGE / UMTS and LTE.

Which operator should you choose?

Each of the presented operators, be it True Move, DTAC or AIS, can offer high quality communications and service.

For a short trip to the main tourist destinations - Pattaya, Bangkok or Phuket, you will not notice a significant difference in the quality of service. But when planning a longer trip, to remote provinces or wintering in Thailand, it is still advisable to study the details of each operator before deciding to connect.

True Move and DTAC operators do not show the best results in remote cities and provinces, for example, when traveling to the provinces of Naan, Loy or Mae Hong Son, these operators experience interruptions, low signal levels, or in some places a complete lack of communication. The optimal choice in this case would be the AIS operator.

Mobile Internet from TrueMove

Frequencies at which True operates: GSM 1800, 3G 850/2100 MHz, 4G LTE 2100 MHz.

Current tariffs for Internet and cellular communications offered by True

1. Package for 1 day. Price 49 baht*. Included: 15 baht for calls, 0.99 baht per minute. Unlimited social networks and instant messengers. Free Wi-Fi. Internet is not included, paid at the rate: 1.5 baht/MB.
2. Package for 8 days. Price 299 baht. Included: 100 baht for calls, 0.99 baht per minute. Unlimited social networks and instant messengers for 8 days. Free Wi-Fi. 3 GB of Internet at a maximum speed of up to 300 Mbit/s. After 3GB are used up, the speed will drop to 384 kbps, and the Internet will become unlimited for the duration of the package. Each subsequent MB at maximum speed is charged at the rate: 1.5 baht/MB.
3. Package for 15 days. Price 599 baht. Included: 50 baht for calls, 0.99 baht per minute. Unlimited social networks and instant messengers for 15 days. Free Wi-Fi. 8 GB of Internet at a maximum speed of up to 300 Mbit/s. After 8GB are used up, the speed will drop to 384 kbps, and the Internet will become unlimited for the duration of the package. Each subsequent MB at maximum speed is charged at the rate: 1.5 baht/MB.

Tariffs for additional Internet packages

1. 3 days. Price 150 baht. To connect, dial: *900*8984# 1 GB of Internet at maximum speed up to 300 Mbit/s. After 1GB is used up, the speed will drop to 128 kbps, and the Internet will become unlimited for the duration of the package.
2. 8 days. Price 250 baht. To connect, dial: *900*1756# 3 GB of Internet at maximum speed up to 300 Mbit/s. After 3GB are used up, the speed will drop to 384 kbps, and the Internet will become unlimited for the duration of the package.
3. 30 days. Price 550 baht. To connect, dial: *900*1720# 6 GB of Internet at maximum speed up to 300 Mbit/s. After 6GB are used up, the speed will drop to 384 kbps, and the Internet will become unlimited for the duration of the package.

*Add 7% tax to prices

Current prices and new company promotions can be viewed on the official website: https://truemoveh.truecorp.co.th/international_service/visit_thailand/en.

Additional options for True mobile operator

To activate a SIM card from True, dial the combination: 9302, wait for the dial tone, and then hang up the call.

Code for international calls: 00600

Call pattern: 00600 (Country Code) (City Code) (Subscriber Phone)

To find out the cost of a call to a particular country, dial the combination: *600* Country Code # Call.

Operator codes True

• Current balance is #123# or 9302.
• Find out your phone number - *933# or 9303
• Change the language to English for service SMS - 9304

True support phone number: 1242

How and where to buy a SIM card from the TrueMove operator

To purchase a SIM card you will need a passport. You can buy a SIM card at the airport at company counters, as well as in any store, for example, in the 7/11 or Family Mart minimarket chain.

MTS roaming in Thailand in 2021 – tariffs, cost and connection

MTS in Thailand works and works stably. Mobile communication clients must have a good connection in many tourist destinations, because this is an indicator of two basic parameters - functionality and market profitability. Firstly, the client receives high-quality communication, uninterrupted calls, high-speed Internet, without the need to buy a SIM card from a local operator and configure it. Secondly, the company does not lose potential profits from users who regularly travel around the world.

Mobile Internet from AIS

The AIS operator operates on frequencies: GSM 1800, 3G 900/2100 MHz;

Current tariffs for Internet and cellular communications offered by AIS

1. Package for 30 days.
   Price 49 baht*. Included: 15 baht for calls, 1 baht per minute. Free Wi-Fi for 7 days. Internet is not included.
2. Package for 8 days.
   Price 299 baht. Included: 100 baht for calls, 1 baht per minute. Free Wi-Fi for 7 days. Unlimited Internet for 8 days.
3. Package for 15 days.
   Price 599 baht. Included: 100 baht for calls, 1 baht per minute. Unlimited Internet for 15 days.

Tariffs for additional unlimited internet

• 1 hour.
  Price 9.63 baht. To connect dial: *777*380#
• 1 day.
  Price 50 baht. To connect dial: *777*7081#
• 10 days.
  Price 270 baht (speed up to 1.5 GB). To connect dial: *777*7082#
• 15 days.
  Price 690 baht (speed up to 3 GB). To connect dial: *777*7083#

*Add 7% tax to prices

Current prices and new company promotions can be viewed on the official website: https://www.ais.co.th/travellersim/?intcid=getpage-en-header_menu-consumer_menu-prepaid_submenu1-newsim_package_submenu2-traveller_sim_submenu3

Additional options for cellular operator AIS

To activate a SIM card from AIS, dial the following combination: *120#

Code for international calls: 003 Call pattern: 003 (Country Code) (City Code) (Subscriber Phone)

Useful codes

*121# — current balance

AIS support phone number: 1175

How and where to buy a SIM card from the AIS operator

To purchase a SIM card you will need a passport. You can buy a SIM card at the airport at company counters, as well as in any store, for example, in the 7/11 or FamilyMart minimarket chain.

Special option

Do you want to significantly reduce your call costs? It's worth paying attention to. The following conditions are offered as an option:

1. 10 minutes of incoming calls per day are provided free of charge.
2. From 11 min – 25 rub.
3. Outgoing: 1 minute – 115 rubles, from the second to the fifth – 25, from the sixth – 115.
4. Subscription fee – 95 rubles per day.

Using this option, you can optimize the costs of communication services. You can receive up to 10 minutes of incoming calls for free and get a discount on outgoing calls. For many clients, the service will be beneficial.

Mobile Internet from Dtac

The DTAC operator operates on frequencies

: GSM 1800, 3G 850/2100 MHz, 4G LTE 2100 MHz;

Current tariffs for Internet and cellular communications offered by Dtac companies

1. Package for 30 days. Price 49 baht *. Included: 15 baht for calls. Without Internet.
2. Package for 7 days. Price 199 baht *. Included: Unlimited Internet for 7 days at a speed of 384 kb. High-speed Internet is available only for a volume of 500 MB.
3. Package for 8 days. Price 299 baht . Included: Unlimited Internet for 8 days at a speed of 384 kb. High-speed Internet is available only for a volume of 3 GB. Calls for 100 baht.
4. Package for 15 days. Price 599 baht . Included: Unlimited Internet for 15 days at a speed of 512 kb. High-speed Internet is available only for 6 GB. Calls for 100 baht.

Tariffs for additional unlimited internet

• Package for 1 day. Price 29 baht. To connect, dial: *104*911*9# Unlimited Internet for 1 day at a speed of 128 kb. High-speed Internet is available only for a volume of 500 MB.
• Package for 7 days. Price 129 baht. To connect, dial: *104*913*9# Unlimited Internet for 7 days at a speed of 128 kb. High-speed Internet is available only for a volume of 1.5 GB.
• Package for 30 days. Price 399 baht. To connect, dial: *104*914*9# Unlimited Internet for 30 days at a speed of 128 kb. High-speed Internet is available only for a volume of 3.5 GB.
• Package for 30 days. Price 799 baht. To connect, dial: *104*916*9# Unlimited Internet for 30 days at a speed of 384 kb. High-speed Internet is available only for a volume of 10 GB.

*Add 7% tax to prices

Current prices and new company promotions can be viewed on the official website: https://www.dtac.co.th/en/prepaid/products/tourist-sim.html#faq-1

Additional options for the cellular operator Dtac

Code for international calls:

00400
Call pattern:
00400 (Country Code) (City Code) (Subscriber Phone)

Useful DTAC Codes

• *102*9# is your phone number.
• *101*9# - current balance.
• *101*1*9# — remaining traffic in the package.

Dtac Help Desk Phone:

1678

How and where to buy a SIM card from the Dtac operator

To purchase a SIM card you will need a passport. You can buy a SIM card at the airport at company counters, as well as in any store, for example, in the 7/11 or FamilyMart minimarket chain.

Set up your cellular data roaming plan with Dtac Happy eSIM

Your home plan uses a nano-SIM and the Happy eSIM(or others) uses an eSIM. If you don't have a nano-SIM and your carrier supports it, an eSIM can serve as your only cellular plan. The eSIM provided by your carrier is stored digitally in your iPhone.

To activate your Happy eSIM cellular plan, you can scan the QR code, or you can enter the information manually:

Scan a QR code

1. Go to Settings > Cellular.
2. Tap Add Cellular Plan.
3. Use your iPhone to scan the purchased eSIM QR code.

If you're asked to enter a confirmation code to activate the eSIM, enter the number that provided.

Enter the information manually

If necessary, you can manually enter your plan information. Tap Enter Details Manually, at the bottom of your iPhone screen.

You can store more than one eSIM in your iPhone, but you can use only one at a time. You can switch eSIMs by tapping Settings > Cellular > Cellular Plans and tapping the plan you want to use. Then tap Turn On This Line.

The next sections give you more information about the remaining setup screens on your iPhone.

Label your plans

After your Dtac Happy eSIM plan is activated, label your plans. For example, you can label one plan Primary and the other plan Dtac Happy SIM.

You'll use these labels when you choose which phone number to use for making or receiving calls and messages, to designate a number for cellular data, and to assign a number to your contacts so you know which number you will use.

If you change your mind later, you can change your labels by going to Settings > Cellular and tapping the number whose label you want to change. Then tap Cellular Plan Label and select a new label or enter a custom label.

Choose how your plans work together

Set your default number, which iMessage and FaceTime use and which you will use when you call or send a message to someone who isn't in your Contacts app.

On this screen, choose a number to be your default, or you can choose which number is to be used only for cellular data. Your other number will be your default.

Use Secondary Dtac Happy eSim for cellular data only: You might want to select this option if you're traveling internationally and you want to keep Primary for voice, SMS, iMessage, and FaceTime. This will allow you to use Secondary for data.

How to top up your account and renew your internet

You can top up your card in several ways:

1. At the company's offices. The operator has an office in almost every large shopping center, where you can top up your account without commission.
2. In the chain of minimarkets 7/11 or Family Mart or hypermarkets BIG C, Tesco Lotus . To do this, just tell the cashier the top-up amount and indicate the operator. But at least 50 baht. No commission.
3. Through terminals that are usually located near 7/11 or Family Mart . But in this case there is a commission, but you can deposit at least 20 baht.

How to enable or disable international roaming

Beeline abroad offers services based on user preferences. You can subscribe to unlimited traffic in Europe, cheap calls from exotic countries, and a large SMS package that allows you to write to friends and relatives about your impressions.

When crossing the border, the parameters of the standard tariff are rearranged, payment for each item takes into account roaming.

Important points and tips

• All amounts in Thailand are indicated without tax of 7%, this should be taken into account when replenishing your account. That is, if the tariff requires replenishing the card by 50 baht, this means that to activate the service there must be 50 baht + 7% = 53.5 baht in the account. Otherwise, you will have to go to the store again and top up your account with the missing amount.
• If a tourist manages to connect to unlimited Internet for a certain period, then he needs to take into account that in Thailand the period is determined by astronomical days (from 0:00 to 24:00), and not from the moment of connection. If you need to extend your unlimited limit, you should wait until a new day arrives, and only then reconnect the service.
• For those who have flown to Thailand with a family or a company, it makes sense to take SIM cards from different operators in order to use the most successful option (price/quality ratio) as a distribution router.
• There is no internal roaming in the country. Therefore, you can travel around the country and not worry about double tariffs.

How to call your Thai number from Russia

To call a local number from Russia, you must dial it in international format. If the number starts with 0 when calling within the country, then callers from other countries need to replace it with the Thailand code +66. For example, calls within the kingdom to the number 0912345678, calls from Russia +66912345678.

You can call via instant messengers for free. To do this, you need to save a Thai number in the international format +66*****.

When making a direct call, you must check the tariff with the mobile operator you are using.

Understanding Thai operators and tariffs is not easy, but it is possible. Make a minimum of efforts in advance so that you don’t have to deal with communication problems while on vacation.

5 / 5 ( 5 votes)

Similar articles:

Balms and ointments from Thailand: application and beneficial properties

Minimum amount for living in Thailand in 2021

7 most popular resorts in Thailand

Option #3. Travelsim / toursim / tourist sim card

The best solution for those who travel frequently and want to save money in Thailand. With TravelSIM, upon arrival in a new country you won’t have to look for and connect a local SIM card or spend money on roaming. Order a one-time SIM card from a virtual GSM operator, top it up and you can make calls to Thailand and use the Internet in any country.

We recommend using the popular travel SIM card Drimsim. The main advantages of the card:

• Compatible with phones, tablets, routers.
• Automatic configuration and connection to the local network.
• Expenses can be controlled through the application.
• There are no limits or subscription fees. Payment is per minute/per megabyte. Thailand tariffs: 0.015 €/1MB, 0.5 €/min for calls to Russia, 0.55 €/min for calls to Ukraine.

A Drimsim SIM card costs €10 plus delivery (to Ukraine – approximately €5, in Russia – free). Learn more about Drimsim.

Photo: facebook.com