NextG mobile phones

I'm thinking of buying a prepaid mobile phone. In my rural location the choice of provider is Telstra or Telstra. So, lacking competition, they are not the cheapest. Having said that, the pricing is not too bad:

A411 phone price A$99:
http://shop.telstra.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=11651&productId=61561&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=30920&displayType=Advanced&SMIDENTITY=NO

T6 phone price A$129:
http://shop.telstra.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=11651&productId=72060&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=30920&displayType=Advanced

Thanks to gyro who reported the A411 works via usb cable to enable Internet access:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=27759

I went to the ZTE website (the makers of the Teltra T6) and in their FAQ they state they don't support Linux but to look in their forum -- which I did, did a search on "linux", zero hits.

...but I'm wondering, wouldn't it be the same serial usb driver, and a bit of fiddling with wvdial.conf, to talk with the T6? I could only find the one Linux-specific post about ZTE nextG mobiles:

http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=39682

Not that I really want Internet access via the Telstra NextG network though, it's shockingly expensive. As I live in a remote rural region and drive long distances, I really need a mobile for emergencies. Also, sms's are very cheap. Telstra has a A$60 prepaid card that lasts for 12 months.

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Comments

3G on Linux
Username: tronkel
I managed to get an Asus PC connected up to 3G OK using Puppy 4.1.2. The Asus has a Huawei 620 modem built-in. I used the GPRS wizard in Puppy plus WVDIAL to configure it. I imagine therefore that it will be possible to connect a mobile phone with the appropriate SIM card to 3G under Linux. Prepaid 3G access is always very expensive. Can you not find a good contract deal with one of these companies maybe? You might also find that mobile itself comes free with the contract.

Tags: general