mobile 3G modem ????

[yanranmai]

Ok, I am practically at my wit's end. By the way, there is an earlier posting about this topic in the Beijing forum; I would have posted a reply but I couldn't get it to work.

I believe it's possible to get a USB-style 3G modem here in Beijing. I'm hoping I can find one that will work both in Beijing and in Tianjin, since I plan to relocate there in a few weeks. The DSL connection here is abysmal. I'm hoping against hope that a 3G connection would be better.

Can anyone give me any information on this? Where can i go to get one? I'm sure I'll have to sign a service agreement, but what are they really going to do about it if I cancel out early? I just need something to get me by for the next 7 weeks while I'm here.

If anyone out there has this, I'd be much obliged for any info you can give me, like:

1. where do you get it?

2. is the connection RELIABLE? (read: unlike DSL)

3. what kind of speeds do you typically see?

4. how much does it cost?

THANKS so much in advance. I'm hoping to go to a provider and get something set up before Monday.

~Yanran

[gato]

See this post:

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/23173-3g-internet-modems-options-in-beijing/

3G Internet Modems - options in Beijing

[roddy]

What you want is a 3G上网卡 (the modem) and a 月卡 or 2月卡. China Telecom have these I think, I'd imagine other providers have equivalents. Watch out for roaming restrictions if you're going to Tianjin - you may be better off with two monthly cards.

I'm with 电信 and have the 华为EC1260. Been very happy with it, very rarely fail to get a 3G signal, speeds are more than adequate for browsing and I even get plenty of downloading done.

Longer term deals don't involve a service agreement, you just pay in advance. There might be contract options, but I'd wager a hefty deposit is required for anyone foreign.

It's possible that the cost of the modem + two months of access may come close to the cost of a six month package with modem thrown in. If that's the case it may be worth going for the six month deal, and then selling the last four months on to someone else.