Cell Phone Question

[lpage160]

Alrighty so I looked on here and I can't really see the answer I'm looking for so I'm just going to ask:

Where can I get a SIM chip for my phone that is NOT prepaid. Call me crazy but I cannot stand prepaid things personally. I would rather just have a plan.
I found one on Sonera but I can't read Finnish yet (I just started learning). It's the XL one. Is that a plan or prepaid? I've also read about Elisa but again, I can't tell if they do SIM chips as plans and not prepaid. I tried using google translate but apparently it doesn't translate secured pages...
I already have an iPhone6 plus so I don't need a new phone.

I'm not going to be in Finland until about January but I am doing a budget so I know how much I need to save in between then and now... also I like to be incredibly well prepared... a move like this is not something I can just do without covering every little possibility.

Thanks everyone!

[interleukin]

All the telephone companies have non-prepaid options.
Just remember that you won´t have any credit history when moving here, so you will have to pay a deposit (at least a few hundred euros) to get a contract (some companies might even decide it´s easier to not give you one).

[Jukka Aho]

Where can I get a SIM chip for my phone that is NOT prepaid. Call me crazy but I cannot stand prepaid things personally. I would rather just have a plan. I found one on Sonera but I can't read Finnish yet (I just started learning). It's the XL one. Is that a plan or prepaid? I've also read about Elisa but again, I can't tell if they do SIM chips as plans and not prepaid.

Most Finnish cell phone companies do the majority of their business in plans so that is what they're going to push most prominently on their websites. Prepaid is just sideline business for them.

A simple way to sort them out: If it's a prepaid SIM card they're advertising, it probably says "prepaid" somewhere on the page. (The word will be in English as there's no established Finnish term they would use in advertising. A direct translation is ennalta maksettu. But that's too clumsy to be used in ads.)

As for plans, they always have pricing per month (marked as "xx € / kk", where kk is short for kuukausi, a month.)

I tried using google translate but apparently it doesn't translate secured pages... :(

Copy the actual text (not the URL) to the clipboard and paste it in Google Translate.

[riku2]

if the price is shown per month, then it is not prepaid.
per month is "kk" in finnish so that immediately lets you know it's not prepaid.

29,90 €/kk/24kk

this means it's 29.90 euros per month with 24 months minimum subscription.

you don't mention were you are bringing the phone from. I read there are three types of iphone 5 which differ in which frequencies support but I didn't see the details for iphone 6 yet. Mainly this applies if you buy the phone in north america where they get up to all kinds of tricks with the frequencies for different operators.

[lpage160]

you don't mention were you are bringing the phone from. I read there are three types of iphone 5 which differ in which frequencies support but I didn't see the details for iphone 6 yet. Mainly this applies if you buy the phone in north america where they get up to all kinds of tricks with the frequencies for different operators.

Oh! I didn't even think of all that. I'm in the United States which is where I purchased my phone. It's through Verizon. I'm not a super technology savvy person unless it's graphic design or photography related So I have no idea about frequencies when it comes to cell phones.

I did talk to Verizon and they said a new chip will work fine in it. My phone isn't going to spontaneously combust is it?


Also thank you guys so much! I can't tell you how much I appreciate any and all help.

[riku2]

here are two pages

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/i ... odels.html

https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

As mentioned, in europe there is normally one model sold across every country ( a finnish Galaxy S3 is identical to a british Galaxy S3). The firmware might be different to show operator branding, some extra apps, but the frequencies the phone works with are the same.

Operators in the US (one country) are not so harmonized with frequencies, and so the phones are not the same. A Galaxy S3 from AT&T is not the same as a Galaxy S3 from Verizon. The frequencies are different. Even if the phone is unlocked, when you put a SIM in from a different network it might not work or work only with some frequencies (eg 2G on AT&T when your phone is 4G). I know this for sure since my Galaxy S3 4G from Finland works at 3G speed on T mobile but 2G speed on AT&T.

As the page says "four specific iPhone 6 models as the iPhone 6 (GSM/North America), 6 (CDMA/Verizon), 6 (Global/Sprint), and 6 (China Mobile)".

You probably have the CDMA Verizon model so hopefully it works on 3G in Finland. It will not work in 4G mode (according to the apple page) even though we have 4G here.

Since your phone is made by apple for Verizon then it's possible they made apple adjust the firmware some way and disable some features. I remember with one Galaxy in the US (I think ATT galaxy S3 4G) you could not turn off 4G (and so make it use 3G and save battery if you don't live where there is 4G). This was so that anybody using an S3 on ATT would use 4G and so free up space in the 3G network. It took me a while to realise why websites were explaining a workaround for this since in my S3 it was a simple choice in the menu (2G mode, 2G/3G mode or 2G/3G/4G mode). Samsung had removed this option at ATT's request for the ATT version of the S3.

[lpage160]

I won't lie, reading all of the information on those sites sort of made my head spin. However with the help that you gave me I think I made sense of it.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that's the iPhone I have. As for the 3G vs 4G thing, I don't think I've ever been in an area that has 4G so I'm not too worried about it. My phone doesn't even give me the option to pick which network I'm in anyways so I probably wouldn't have even noticed

Honestly, my biggest thing will be GPS and, depending upon how good my Finnish is when I finally move there in a year, a speech to speech translator app.

[tuttu]

most important is that your current provider assured you that your phone isn't sim-locked, that you can use any sim card.

it is possible to get a contract where you just pay what you use, it's generally 7ct/min or 7ct/sms, plus a marginal monthly fee (maybe 90ct).
i guess that deposit thing hasn't changed since i came to finland. i think it was something like 400euros then.

apart from that, various companies might be offering various deals that are or are not prepaid.
if you find something interesting you can post the link here, we will help.

there's a limited amount of phone companies, i think it's:

Code: Select all

sonera saunalahti elisa dna telefinland

if you only want to use your phone as a phone, any of them will do.
if you also want to use mobile broadband, i recommend dna for urban areas.

edit: sorry i missed the bit where GPS is important. what's that?

[riku2]

a speech to speech translator app.

Generally anything language related doesn't work well for finnish. there are too few people (5million) to make the development worthwhile or for anybody to put in any effort to making something work well (even if they bother to develop it in the first place for a language spoken only by 5million).

[lpage160]

sorry i missed the bit where GPS is important. what's that?

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. Basically it just tells me how to get somewhere. I'm horrible with directions Usually so having something that says "Turn left at ______ avenue" and also tells me how long it will take to get somewhere is super handy.

Google maps is the one that most people use because it will do both walking or driving directions depending on which you want. Also they have ones that will do the same but with public transit. Basically tell you where it's located and which to take them where to get off and all of that.

[riku2]

they have ones that will do the same but with public transit. Basically tell you where it's located and which to take them where to get off and all of that

I am not sure those exist in Finland. As always, too few people, no effort is made to create them. The transport companies also assume everyone knows where they are going. Buses don't announce the stops, you will need that GPS and the map to learn when you're approaching the stop you want. There is no route map inside the bus either (showing which stops that bus makes), you need to get the route map beforehand (download as pdf) and then try to understand it (they have not discovered the concept of different colours for different bus routes on the map), at least for helsinki every bus route is blue on the map!!

And I don't know about apple shop but with android shop some apps are locked by country, you cannot install them unless your google account is registered in that country. The people that make the app can decide. eg my android account is registered in finland (finnish credit card) and I cannot install some apps for UK shops. Even if I visit the uk and put in a UK sim it makes no difference, I cannot install the app even when in the UK. I had to create another google account, register a UK credit card and could then access those "UK apps". Nobody in finland can tell you which apps these are though since at least with android you either see the app or don't see it. nowhere can you see "app country must be finland" for example.

[lpage160]

I am not sure those exist in Finland.

I actually found two Stop Map Helsinki by Janne Käki. It is only Helsinki though There is also another one called SuomiRoutes by Binit Shrestha that uses data from http://www.journey.fi/en/.

So they do exist I mean their not going to say "Get off at the next stop" but they do show you how far you will have to walk, how long it will take, where to get on and where to get off, also arrival times, ..etc.

Granted I agree about at least having a map handy just incase my phone dies. At least until I get used to the routes and such... which knowing my directionally challenged self, that could be a while. HA!

Oh! I also found Reitit (Journey Planner) by Pasi Kolkkala and reittiGPS (Reittiopas Journey Planner) by Essential Solutions Oy.

[Jukka Aho]

I am not sure those exist in Finland.

I actually found two :) Stop Map Helsinki by Janne Käki. It is only Helsinki though :( There is also another one called SuomiRoutes by Binit Shrestha that uses data from http://www.journey.fi/en/.

There are several others: Bussit, Andropas, Linjat, Moovit.

Of these, Linjat and Moovit work in multiple Finnish cities whereas Bussit and Andropas are for the Helsinki Region Transport only.

These are all Android apps but Moovit exists as an iOS (Apple) version as well, as already mentioned here. I have no idea about the others, using an Android phone myself.

So they do exist :) I mean their not going to say "Get off at the next stop" but they do show you how far you will have to walk, how long it will take, where to get on and where to get off, also arrival times, ..etc.

Moovit alerts you when you're approaching your stop.

[lpage160]

Oh I didn't even see that one! Thank you so much!

It just got put on my list

Right now I seriously have a binder, flow charts, financial worksheets, contact information, .....etc of things to prep for my move.…in a year haha!
Too over organized? Probably……if there were such a thing lol

[riku2]

Of these, Linjat and Moovit work in multiple Finnish cities whereas Bussit and Andropas are for the Helsinki Region Transport only.

They don't seem quite the same thing that i've used in other cities though, they seem to work on timetable information for buses and don't track where the bus actually is on it's route.

Something like this https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... novel.ratp has real-time information. From what I saw of those android apps only the metro and tram are tracked in real time so far (not even commuter trains?)

I have not forgiven the helsinki region for a pricing structure that means if you plan to take train + bus and your train is really delayed then you must buy a second ticket for the bus since your connection time has expired (through the train being late and no fault of your own!!). You pay more when the train is late! ridiculous.