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Phone and Internet in China
For those of you who wish to
remain plugged in and keep in touch with your loved
ones and friends back home, you have a multitude of
options:
Email and Social Media:
For those of you with a Gmail account, please bear in
mind that it can be interrupted frequently and can be
denied in some places in China, especially in Beijing.
Make sure you have a backup, like a Hotmail or Yahoo!
account. Of course, you could also utilize a corporate
account and experience less trouble. However, that is
not always guaranteed.
Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube- Please keep in mind that all of
these sites are officially blocked in China. To gain
access you may have to use a VPN service. There are
some VPN service providers who target the China
market. Install the most reliable
ExpressVPN app to survive the hardest Internet
censorship in the world during your visit to China.
Internet
Not all hotels and
hostels are equipped with WiFi. In fact, a
majority of hotels do not have WiFi in their
rooms (although most high-end and luxury hotels
will). Instead, you may be given wired Internet
access. If you need to get online from your
hotel room, you can buy a travel router such as
D-Link DIR-510L.
Voltage and Adapter
For computers and
smart phones (e.g. iPhone), there is no need
to purchase a voltage converter or adapter
if you take your computer or cell phone to
China. Laptops and smart phones use a
universal charger and adapter that are used
in China with a voltage ranging from 110V to
220V. For other electronic devices, you may
need to purchase a voltage converter or
adapter before you go. Please visit Frys or
Best Buy for more professional advice.
Phone Coverage
All major American
carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and
T-Mobile have roaming agreements with the two
major Chinese carriers, China Mobile and China
Union. In most cases they utilize 3G speed. The
3G speed provided by Chinese carriers are
generally solid within the major metropolitan
areas. Our recommendation for the best equipped
American phone in China is to have T-Mobile for
phone calls and unlimited Internet roaming.
With T-mobile, it costs
only 20 cents/min to call back home (USA) or to
call a number in China. With their Simple Plan,
you'll have unlimited Internet roaming at 3G
speed while enjoying a pretty smooth service.
Here is what T-mobile says on
their Website:
Unlike our competitors, there’s no need to
purchase an expensive international plan—it’s
now automatically included with our Simple
Choice Plan.
Truly unlimited texting: T-Mobile is the only US
wireless carrier to deliver unlimited
international data and texting from 120+
countries and destinations, PLUS we’re now
adding international texting from the U.S to
virtually anywhere*– all at no extra charge.
The world is your network: Simple Choice
customers can enjoy unlimited data, texting at
no extra charge, and flat-rate calls for just 20
cents a minute, while traveling in 120+
countries and destinations—and growing.
Because T-mobile does not lock your phone, you
can hook up to a Chinese service if needed.
Please contact T-Mobile for their latest rates
before you go and switch.
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