best Norwegian data offers (GPRS, EDGE, UMTS) ?

[LB_82]

Hi!

 

That's my first message on this forum. My name is Lukasz, age 25, I'm from Poland. I work as a radiocommuniactions engineer. I'm interested in mobile technologies, GSM, UMTS, data transmission, broadcasting, DX-ing, radiocommunications and also in travels and foreign languages. Unfortunately I don't speak Norwegian and that's why I write English here. I hope you don't mind my presence here.

 

I'm considering going to Norway for a couple of months.

During my stay there I would like to have some mobile internet connection, preferably based on GPRS/EDGE or UMTS (depending on the technology localy available).

I have a notebook and Nokia N70 phone. Bluetooth is used for connecting them.

I've read sofar a Norwegian pre-paids comparison on http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/norway.html.

It seems that the Adecco Cash offer is the cheapest (their price is 6NOK/1MB = 0,75Eur/1MB).

I suppose this comparision may be not up-to-date or very detailed as it was made some time ago. New offers might have apperad or current prices may have changed.

I was wondering if anyone could advice me a good data offer?

The best offer would be for me some unlimited data tariff (or with a big limit, for example 1 GB) for a fixed price. Because I'll be only visiting Norway for a not defined period of time, and I'm not a Norway citizen, only pre-paid solutions are acceptable.

 

Does anyone have any experience with Norwegian data plans or offers? Do you know any better than Adecco offer?

 

I also found out that there was a Teletopia Kontant International offer, where GPRS connections were free of charge. Can anyone confirm if that offer is still valid? If yes - I'll have further questions concerning their services. Yesterday I wrote an e-mail to Teletopia customer care but they still haven't replied it.

 

Anyone can help me?

Endret 12. februar 2007 av LB_82

[mckvakk]

For data i would reccomend Telenor kort&kontant. They have a maximum of NOK 50,- a day for data. After you reach 50,- the rest is free for the remainder of the day:)

 

Teletopia had free data before, i'm not sure if that's still valid. But you'll have to be in their coverage area in Oslo to use it.

[LB_82]

Thank you for a quick reply.

 

Does it mean that if some day I don't use GPRS at all I don't pay anything? And the next week if I use as much as 100MB each day, I will be charged 50NOK each day only?

It seems to be something just right for me .

Is there any monthly fee for this service? How is it activated (command via SMS, calling customer care, short USSD code, other way)?

Are there any limits od data traffic during a day, or I'm allowed to download or upload as much data as I like for a fixed price 50 NOK for 1 day?

 

 

Coming back to Teletopia - one of my questions I've sent them was if their free GPRS offer applies only to their network in Oslo, or also to Telenor network while roaming on it (as far as I know they have national roaming agreement allowing Teletopia's customers to roam on Telenor where Teletopia's signal isn't available)?

[mckvakk]

No use no pay:) No setup or monthly fee, you just need to make sure that you have more than 50,- in the card. When it reaches zero the fun stops. I have not heard of any limits, so you can use it like an regular internet connection.

 

I'm unsure about the teletopia thing, the logical answer is that it's no way that telenor would let teletopia use data for free in their network

[LB_82]

What about the activation process? Does it have to be activated somehow, or I may use it just after buying a new Telenor pre-paid card?

 

Do you know any time-limits of this offer? Is it a kind of temporary offer, or a permanent one?

 

I haven't found any information about this offer on Telenor web site, although they don't have an English version of the web-site and I hardly understand a few Norwegian words.

[zica]

What about the activation process? Does it have to be activated somehow, or I may use it just after buying a new Telenor pre-paid card?

 

Do you know any time-limits of this offer? Is it a kind of temporary offer, or a permanent one?

 

I haven't found any information about this offer on Telenor web site, although they don't have an English version of the web-site and I hardly understand a few Norwegian words.

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You will have to register the prepaid card with your name, address etc. This can be done by calling customer care at phone# 09000. The offer is permanent

[LB_82]

Thanks a lot for your advices .

 

Any other ideas? Some data-packets available as an add-on?

 

Someone has any idea about current Teletopia offer?

[Sitronkake]

You can buy a prepaid package with Kort&Kontant at most mobile retailers or gas stations, kiosks etc.

 

To register it, you will have to visit a mobile retailer. You can't register through Telenor customer service unless you have a Norwegian personal number, which I assume you do not have.

 

After registered, you will be able to charge it by buying prepaid cards and using GRPS/EDGE/UTMS for your internet connection. The price is 20,- NOK per Mb, but after 2.5 Mb you'll reach the max price of 50,- per day.

[LB_82]

You can buy a prepaid package with Kort&Kontant at most mobile retailers or gas stations, kiosks etc.

 

To register it, you will have to visit a mobile retailer. You can't register through Telenor customer service unless you have a Norwegian personal number, which I assume you do not have.

 

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You're right - I don't have that number and I don't think that I'm allowed to get it somehow.

Do Telenor mobile retailers not need that number to register my card?

 

By the way - can anyone tell me if Lebara card can be topped-up with Telenor scratch-cards?

[Sitronkake]

You can buy a prepaid package with Kort&Kontant at most mobile retailers or gas stations, kiosks etc.

 

To register it, you will have to visit a mobile retailer. You can't register through Telenor customer service unless you have a Norwegian personal number, which I assume you do not have.

 

7938260[/snapback]

You're right - I don't have that number and I don't think that I'm allowed to get it somehow.

Do Telenor mobile retailers not need that number to register my card?

 

By the way - can anyone tell me if Lebara card can be topped-up with Telenor scratch-cards?

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Retailers do not need that number. All you need is some kind of ID to show over the counter.

[cyclo]

I think you should just forget about teletopia. I got a prepaid card from them about a year and a half ago, just to use for gprs. And I ended up never using it. Datatrafick was unstable and mostly very slow.

Also the general reception on their network is lousy. I wrote a program to find and analyze the reception of celltowers using gps. And I've concluded that teletopia basically have covered a big area with a bare minimum of antennas. Also, last I checked they don't have coverage in tunnels, subways, etc.

[LB_82]

Thanks cyclo and Sitronkake for your responses.

 

It seems that I will have to use Telenor for gprs connections. Their offer with maximum charge 50NOK for GPRS per day is quite good. I'm thinking also about buying a Adecco cards because they charge only 7NOK/1MB. In case I needed to use not very much amounts of data traffic it is reasonable to use a Adecco card.

 

cyclo - do you know if there exists and if is available a database of all BTS (Base Transceiver Stations - cellular towers) from the whole Norway?

We have such a base in Poland made and developed by amateurs whose hobby is searching for these sites and localizing them (mainly using Nokia's net-monitor menu). It is available at www.btsearch.pl (only Polish version available). Data are storaged in Excel file whichcan be downloaded from http://www.btsearch.pl/btsearch.zip

[cyclo]

Thanks cyclo and Sitronkake for your responses.

 

It seems that I will have to use Telenor for gprs connections. Their offer with maximum charge 50NOK for GPRS per day is quite good. I'm thinking also about buying a Adecco cards because they charge only 7NOK/1MB. In case I needed to use not very much amounts of data traffic it is reasonable to use a Adecco card.

 

cyclo - do you know if there exists and if is available a database of all BTS (Base Transceiver Stations - cellular towers) from the whole Norway?

We have such a base in Poland made and developed by amateurs whose hobby is searching for these sites and localizing them (mainly using Nokia's net-monitor menu). It is available at www.btsearch.pl (only Polish version available). Data are storaged in Excel file whichcan be downloaded from http://www.btsearch.pl/btsearch.zip

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Doesn't exist I'm afraid. This information only available comercially from Netcom and Telenor (they make money on companies buying it for tracking services, etc.). And the "GSM hacking" community in Norway is tiny (basically doesn't exist).

I have my own database of about 2000 cells (mainly in the Oslo area) that I've generated my self. I've made the db this way:

Each cell has a main entry containing the location with the strongest reception.

Each cell has a subdatabase of every location I've observed the cell within reach.

I've also linked all of the data with google maps.

 

But it's only a "work in progress hobby project" at the moment.

[LB_82]

It sounds interesting. In Poland operators don't make their cell-sites locations and other data accesible at all. Luckily we have about 50 people (including me) interested in "hunting for BTS stations" .

What equipment do you use for measuring signals from different cells? How do you force testing the desired cell in order to get data from many locations concerning one cell? Is your software somwhere available? I've visited your sites (gsmcellspotting.com and gsmstuff.net) but they are not ready yet.

It's very nice that I could find here people with the same hobbies as mine .

[cyclo]

At the moment I can't log a cells true coverage seeing as I don't have the equipment to do it. I haven't found any available software to do this. I just don't have time to modify a dct-3 firmware to do this (it would be possible). And the only other way of doing this would be to manually log it with netmonitor wich is too much effort.

So. I use a symbian app that determines the strength of a cell based on dBm (I know there are more acurate ways of doing this, but I haven't found any available sofware, and it works just fine with dBm too). I've set it to log every single change in signal strength.

At the same time I run a GPS log of where I am.

 

I've witten some software that combines these two logs to find the position of each signal change. Also when it finds a new location with a stronger signal than previously registered for a cell, or a completely new cell it shows me a map and I choose a name for the cell based on the map. All of this is saved in a huge database.

 

I'll pm you with my email address also