[Iatemyshorts]

Hi all, I've just arrived in Australia a few hours ago, will be staying here for 2 years for my studies. I was wondering if my Unlocked AT&T Torch will work with Australia's Optus BIS? Or should I sign up with another carrier?

[zensen]

It will work as I was considering of getting one from the states a few months back. My friend has a Storm and that was from the states.

You'll just need to change a few of the dialing codes to +61 etc.

Also de-activate any service books. Optus will sort out the service for you and should be activated within a few hours at the most.

[freethisberrydotcom]

It will work no problem.

[Cleanton]

Yes it will work but because your are romaing you have to pay high data bill. The best thing to have another BIS acoount in local operator. Cancel the old one.

[Iatemyshorts]

Alright thanks for the info guys

[ligh7ning]

If you are after phone service including a BIS plan, Vodafone has a $65/month infinite plan that includes infinite domestic calls, infinite international and domestic text messages, unlimited BIS data and a generous amount of international calls. Other than that, you can add unlimited BIS to any of their other plans for $10/month. Both of the options that I have listed can be subscribed to on a month-to-month basis so you can cancel any time you wish, which may be beneficial to someone in your situation.

It is worth noting, though, that your phone will most likely only get 3G access in major cities (on the 2100 MHz spectrum) unless you are with Telstra as both Optus and Vodafone currently use the 900 MHz spectrum in rural areas whereas Telstra uses the 850 MHz spectrum Australia wide. So I guess it depends on where you will be located during your stay over here and how important 3G coverage is to you...

[aannddyy11]

unless your in the city... avoid vodafone... they have the worst reception ever in australia, telstra has started bringing out better plans with a fair amount of credit to spend, and you will be able to use the 3G network perfectly!

[ligh7ning]

unless your in the city... avoid vodafone... they have the worst reception ever in australia, telstra has started bringing out better plans with a fair amount of credit to spend, and you will be able to use the 3G network perfectly!

True but keep in mind that Telstra charges $50/month for BIS service without a contract...

[aannddyy11]

that is where your wrong!
you can get this plan, BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone - Mobile Phones - Telstra
which includes the blackberry pearl and the 49 dollar cap, comes with full bis and everything you need to run your blackberry. The pearl comes free with the plan so you can just get that plan and pay $59 a month for the cap and bis. I think its a fair deal

[ligh7ning]

that is where your wrong!
you can get this plan, BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone - Mobile Phones - Telstra
which includes the blackberry pearl and the 49 dollar cap, comes with full bis and everything you need to run your blackberry. The pearl comes free with the plan so you can just get that plan and pay $59 a month for the cap and bis. I think its a fair deal

Actually, if you click the tab labelled 'Email Solutions' located on this page, you will find that I am completely right. I was referring to BIS as a standalone service, not part of a packaged deal on a contract.

IF the original poster even wants to sign a 24-month contract (which they most likely do not), Telstra requires new contract subscribers to be Australian permanent residents (or citizens) before they will allow them to sigh a 24-month contract and in addition, they also perform an extensive credit check-Telstra is by far the most strict of the Australian carriers in this regard.

Now, let me hold your hand while I walk you through this... If the OP is not from Australia, I think it is safe to assume that he is not an Australian permanent resident or citizen. On top of that, we can also assume that the OP currently does not have a credit rating or even a previous prepaid phone service history. Therefore, based on the two points given, it is more than highly unlikely that Telstra will allow a 24-month contract to be signed by the OP.

So, we have now reached the point where you (hopefully) realise that you are, in fact, the one who is wrong and you are also one of those people that just posts on a thread before taking a minute to think about the situation as a whole, in an attempt to prove somebody wrong and hopefully feel better about yourself. Instead of jumping at the chance to prove somebody wrong, it would have been much wiser and more beneficial to the community if you stopped to think before you posted. If you can offer any insight as to how a foreign citizen, who has virtually just landed in Australia, can sign up to a 24-month contract plan with the most strict of the phone service providers, please share it with us...

It is also worth noting that the OP wanted to know how to use his AT&T Torch in Australia, not sign up to a contract to get a Pearl 3G. And if you were trying to suggest that he should use the sim card from the Pearl 3G plan in his Torch (if this is the case, it was very poorly articulated), it would be appreciated if you could provide some supporting evidence from Telstra that this is actually possible...

[aannddyy11]

haha wow, i didnt think that far into it. I just saw hes gona be here for 2 years. Wants a blackberry plan etc... and I currently dont have any supporting evidence lol. But (not sure on this) i dont think there is a seperate bis server for each phone model... and a sim card is a sim card? as far as i can tell the only carrier here that has used a random one was 3.

I do feel much better about myself thanks for walking me through this so extensively! !
no need to be so touchy buddy! lol just adding in my 2 cents :P

[ligh7ning]

unless your in the city... avoid vodafone... they have the worst reception ever in australia, telstra has started bringing out better plans with a fair amount of credit to spend, and you will be able to use the 3G network perfectly!

I am with Vodafone and reside in rural Western Australia. I get full reception at my place of work. Two of my co-workers are with Telstra and they generally have zero reception. Once in a while they will have a single bar but most of the time they have nothing. I am not saying that Vodafone provides better service than Telstra because that is simply not true but your generalised statement is incorrect. If reception is a concern, it is worth buying a few $2 sim cards from different service providers to determine which one provides the best reception in your area...