Thailand Retirement

Internet in Thailand

There are many options available to you with regards to the internet. There are also a number of service providers. Bandwidth in Thailand is not as cheap as what you had to come to expect in the US or on in the UK for that matter. The last reported price for 1mb/s of international bandwidth bought from TOT was in the range of 25,000 Baht per month. As most ISP’s in Thailand buy their bandwidth from TOT you can expect the high end packages to be pricey for the bandwidth you expect.

Dialup

Dialup in Thailand can be purchased either on a fixed monthly contract or you can buy pre-paid time from any 7-11 store. There are many options as to ISP’s ranging from Sanook to Ji-Net. Dialup is however still very slow and you can expect download speeds in central Bangkok of about 10kb/s. You can get better rates however this is going to depend on the apartment block that you live in. Typically older apartments use old switchboards and this also affects the speed you get.  Typically you would need to buy a telephone line and this is in the region of 4,000 Baht and it takes about 1 week to install once you have applied. TOT charges about 200 Baht a month. The call charges in Thailand if the call is in the same province is free except for the connection fee with is 3 Baht per call if you are using the special 1222 telephone number to dial in on. There are many packages available in different price ranges, but the cheaper it is the more unreliable it becomes.

DSL

Without a doubt, DSL has become not only affordable in Thailand for the average Thai however again you get what you pay for. True Internet at the moment is the most popular offering different packages. The cheapest at the moment is about 700 Baht per month with the mid range being 900 Baht a month. With broadband it all depends on where you live and how many people are surfing on the circuit you are on. In central Bangkok you would get on average 60kb/s on the mid range package whereas on the outskirts of Bangkok for the same package you would be able to top at 110kb/s – all for 900 Baht a month. 

GPRS

Connecting to the internet visa your mobile can be done in Thailand. The costs vary and again there are many packages available. There are per hour packages and monthly flat rate packages. What is nice about the GPRS connection is the fact that if you can receive a mobile signal then you can have the internet.  If you are in the middle of the jungle, you can still check your Yahoo mail. Connection speed is fast however the surfing and download rates are in the 10-15kb/s range. That would be in the same line as having a dialup connection.

IPStar

Setup costs of the IPStar system is in the range of 6,000 Baht and just under 2,000 Baht a month in ISP fees. Download speeds are in the 30-35kb/s range and varies a lot considering the type of weather we have in Thailand.

Having a computer is great in Thailand however depending on where you live; you will experience regular power surges.  Investing in the good UPS in the price range of 4-5,000 Baht will pay for itself in the long run. An American who was living on one of the islands in the Gulf of Thailand had a UPS which would switch on 1-2 times each hour as the power fluctuations were unpredictable.  Think about it. It is much better to lose a UPS than your laptop or desktop.