DTAC Upgrade

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RichLB
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DTAC Upgrade

Post by RichLB »

I've been told Dtac is requiring users to upgrade their sim card by September 15 from G3 to G4. Failure to do so supposedly will result in a termination of service on that date. So, a couple questions...
Is there a way to find out if I already have a G4 sim card without going to a Dtac office?
Does the process take a long time?
Where besides the Dtac main office can one go to do this?
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Undaunted
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by Undaunted »

RichLB wrote:Is there a way to find out if I already have a G4 sim card without going to a Dtac office?
Why not call their service number and ask.......they have offices in Tuk Com, Big-C extra Pattaya Klang, Big-C Pattaya Tai, Central Mall, I have been a DTAC customer for years and know nothing of this requirement.
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Gaybutton
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote:I have been a DTAC customer for years and know nothing of this requirement.
I have also been a DTAC customer for years and I do know of this requirement. It was actually publicized in the Bangkok Post a few months ago.

For those who don't live in Thailand and may not know, DTAC is one of Thailand's mobile phone service providers

A few days ago I received a text message from DTAC saying their towers throughout all of Thailand are being upgraded to 4G and as of September 15 3G, apparently now obsolete, will no longer function. If you have not upgraded your SIM card to 4G by then, your phone will no longer work.

I don't know if similar upgrades are happening with Thailand's other mobile phone services. I have no information about that.

I called DTAC to check. They told me my phone number indeed needs the upgrade. I did it at the Central Festival DTAC shop. It's on the 3rd floor.

I don't use a top-up card. I have DTAC subscription, meaning I receive a monthly bill. I have no idea whether the upgrade requirement also applies to top-up cards, but based on the message I received from DTAC, my guess is that it does. It certainly can't hurt to call them and check.

The upgrade is free, but you have to go to a DTAC shop, any DTAC shop, to arrange it. You do not receive a new SIM card. Your telephone number remains the same and nothing changes other than your phone will become 4G. Of course, if your phone cannot do 4G, now your phone is a paperweight.

After they take whatever information they need, the SIM card will automatically upgrade from their end at some point on September 15. That's what they told me. I hope my phone is still working on September 16.

To check if your telephone number needs the upgrade, I suggest calling their service number: 1678. They speak English. There is a whopping 3 baht fee for the call . . .
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by Undaunted »

Gaybutton wrote: To check if your telephone number needs the upgrade, I suggest calling their service number: 1678. They speak English. There is a whopping 3 baht fee for the call . . .
I just called 1678 and was told that my sim was 4G so no need to do anything. I also have a contract, not a top up.....do not know if that makes a difference?
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote:I just called 1678 and was told that my sim was 4G so no need to do anything. I also have a contract, not a top up.....do not know if that makes a difference?
That lets everyone know a simple phone call to the DTAC service number can tell you whether you need the upgrade.

I think, but am only guessing, whether you need the upgrade depends on how long you have had the same telephone number and SIM card. My telephone number has been the same for at least 10 years, probably more, by now, so that may be why I needed the upgrade and why I received a text message from DTAC while others did not receive a text message.

In any case, for anyone in Thailand using DTAC, I suggest calling the service number and making sure rather than risking suddenly finding yourself without telephone service.

Since apparently the upgrade is done on their end, having to physically go to a DTAC shop to arrange it is now on my "I Don't Get It" list. Why this couldn't have been handled with a phone call, an Email, their web site, or text message goes beyond me, but that's how they're doing it.

If you do have to go to a DTAC shop to do the upgrade, make sure you take your passport with you. You're going to need to show it. No passport, no upgrade.

RichLB asked how to know if you have a 4G SIM card. The only way I know is to call DTAC and let them tell you.
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ilz
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by ilz »

Not fair for those who currently are not in Thailand ....

Thank you for the information
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by Gaybutton »

ilz wrote:Not fair for those who currently are not in Thailand ....
There are several considerations if you're a DTAC user, but not currently in Thailand:

1. Your SIM card might already be a 4G SIM card, meaning you won't even have a problem upon return to Thailand.

2. You can upgrade at any DTAC shop upon return to Thailand.

3. Unless it is essential for you to keep the same telephone number, you can buy a new SIM card, meaning a new telephone number, when you return at any phone shop or convenience store.

4. You could switch to a different telephone service such as AIS (1-2-Call). If you're going to switch to a different service, you might want to check if they have plans to do the same as DTAC is doing, when they're going to do it, and whether the SIM cards currently on the market are 4G capable.

As far as I know, the major difference between 3G and 4G is speed. 4G is much faster than 3G. Other than that, I'm not aware of any essential differences.

Sometimes when technology significantly improves, it can be a minor pain to go through the transition when the technology you're accustomed to becomes obsolete. It wasn't all that long ago when you were at the high end of technology if you owned a Commodore computer and a 300 baud modem. Today's smartphones contain more computing power than all the computers that were used to send the astronauts to the moon.

Look how technology has rapidly advanced over just the past few years. Within recent memory everybody wanted to own a VCR. Now try to even find VCRs and video cassettes. Today it's DVDs and flash drives. One can only imagine what's going to be next and how soon new technology will make everything we have now become obsolete and forgotten.
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Undaunted
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by Undaunted »

ilz wrote:Not fair for those who currently are not in Thailand ....
Why is it not fair? They are improving their system and are making you aware of the change and how you can comply.
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by mahjongguy »

Gaybutton wrote:Since apparently the upgrade is done on their end, having to physically go to a DTAC shop to arrange it is now on my "I Don't Get It" list.
There are reasons, I'm sure. One scenario is this: you've got a SIM that is detected as being old but not too old to update, and you've got a phone too old for 4G, which is something DTAC cannot determine remotely. If you could update from home by punching in the required codes, your phone would go dead.

Also, even if your SIM doesn't need to be replaced but is unregistered (per the 2015 requirement), they need you to show up in person with your passport.

This situation is something that True and AIS customers have already been through.
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Re: DTAC Upgrade

Post by ilz »

Undaunted wrote:
ilz wrote:Not fair for those who currently are not in Thailand ....
Why is it not fair? They are improving their system and are making you aware of the change and how you can comply.
Not fair as at first sight I thought that I would lose my current number ("termination of service"). After second thought and especially after Gb"s explanations above, I guess I will just have to change my Sim Card after arriving in Thailand if it is an old one.

Would RichLB not have opened this thread, I would have been quite upset next month when arriving in Thailand and seeing that I had no service.

Thanks to all
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