Thanks to many of you I've received lots of good information about using a cell phone in Shanghai. Now I have another question. Below is the link to the China Mobile site. Their charges seem to be much less than other carriers. Does anyone have any experience renting or buying their phones and using their SIM cards? Their per minute charges look like they are much less than other providers. We are considering buying a phone and having it delivered to our home in the U.S. before our son leaves for China in a couple of weeks. He'll be there for 4 months. Thanks for the help.

http://www.china-mobile-phones.com/

I used China mobile for years. The only other realistic choice is China Unicom. but CM has the better coverage nationally.

There are two basic ways to get on the network. One is a monthly billing system, and while slightly cheaper, it is extremely complicated for a non-shanghai resident to open an account. Usually non-locals use their business or shanghainese friends to help open an account. But since your son will be there just a few months, the complexity of this is not worth the few $'s saved. On the other hand, if you want to give him an introduction to the complexity of transactions in China, this is a great opportunity! Or have him try to open a local bank account

The second (and recommended method) is a rechargeable SIM card (shen zhou xing). Once this SIM card is purchased, your son can purchase minutes at practically every convenience store. Slightly more expensive, and more work to keep the phone charged in minutes, but just an all around easier experience.

They are just a dealer. The per minute charge is determined by the operator in China - China Mobile (not the same company) or China Unicom.

It seems like they're charging you $29 for most cards with about $8 in airtime. So, that's their margin. The only benefit is to have a number before he leaves.

Also, with 4 months in China, he may want to get a post-paid SIM instead of pre-paid. The charges should be significantly lower if he talks a lot.

I'd just get him a phone (or he can just buy one there). His local contacts can recommend the best SIM (post- or pre-paid) once he get there.

nice catch rkkwan, I misunderstood the question.

I would recommend NOT using this service. He can buy a real China mobile pre-paid sim Card at the airport when he arrives there, if you are worried about him being out of touch.

Unless you have someone on the ground who is willing to spend a few hours with your son in the China mobile office AND agree to cover any phone charges in the event that he defaults, a post-paid solution is not recommended.

My son is also going to be going to China for 5 months in Shanghai. I needed the info on cellphones also,so thank you for doing the leg work.

Hi gabebash, as I mentioned on your other thread, I just returned from a month in China where I put a prepaid China Mobile SIM into my Cingular/AT&T unlocked phone without any issues. Your son can easily get and use recharge cards from any newsstand or convenience store (I did this even in a small Sichuan village); you can also get them at China Mobile retail shops (similar to wireless storefronts here in the US). Buy the SIM at the airport, or at a China Mobile retail shop; it was pretty easy to do even though I spoke no Chinese! The refill cards are issued in 50 and 100 RMB increments.

The other option since his stay will be longer than mine is to look into getting an "international local number". The company I am looking into is called Cel Trek (celtrek.com) but there are others. This is a SIM you purchase here in the US that will provide a local number in Shanghai...

We actually decided to purchase a phone through China Mobile. I realize it would have been less expensive for him to buy something after he arrived, but we wanted to make it as easy as possible. This way the phone will be delivered to our home before he leaves, we can make sure he understands exactly how to use it, and it will be ready to use from the minute he lands in Shanghai. Plus, with the prepaid cards it will be easier to control costs. For us the peace of mind is worth the additional cost.

I'd be curious to hear how the service is from this company. Their website looks a little dodgy, but it's probably fine.

I'm not sure if I understand what you mean by dodgy. They've been extremely responsive to my questions via email to this point. The phone was sent Friday from Shanghai and I received it in my office this morning (in Washington, DC). They also emailed me a PDF of the user guide, which I printed this morning. We'll try to make sure our son understands how to use the phone (you have to use an access code to get the reduced charges) over the next few days. Of course we won't know how it all works out until he is actually using it in China, starting next week.