What You Need To Know

At Thailand Property Search, we know there are a few essentials that you will need to know about. Some of these are listed in our Frequently Asked Questions section. Here we give you some of the information you will need to make your life easier in the Land of Smiles: 

Cable Television (UBC)
Telephone and Internet
Maids and Other Services
Purchase of Appliances (Washing machines, TV, etc)

Cable Television (UBC)

The only form of cable television in Thailand for expatriates who are not fluent in the Thai language is UBC (United Broadcasting Corporation). This is where you will get all of your favorite sports, news and broadcasting such as HBO which is available in Thailand.

Each apartment building will have a choice in what UBC service it subscribes to, so if cable television is your number one decision factor in an apartment, then ask us to verify which cable package the apartment is using.

Thailand Property Search can help you with the connection of your UBC if you are moving into a condominium or house.

Telephone and Internet

Telephone services, both land lines and mobile phones, are where Thailand makes a lot of its money. This is why, at the time of this writing, VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol - or using the internet for telephone service), is mostly illegal in Thailand.

Land Lines

You will have your choice of two providers for telephone for your home - True and TOT. There will be some variability in service and pricing. This website cannot capture all of this information, because there is a lot of it and it is constantly changing. If you are getting an apartment building, you will probably only be able to use whatever service the apartment is already using. If you are getting a condo or a house, you may have options.

TOT Corporation
TRUE Corporation

Mobile Phone

For Mobile Phones, you will have the choice of the following: AIS, True, DTAC and Hutch. We cannot recommend one over the other, as many people use services in different ways. At the time of this writing, DTAC is usually more reliable for connecting to others, but the cost is higher. This may change year to year.

Starting in 2006, all mobile phones have 10 digit numbers. Previously, a number which might have been 01.234.5678 will now be 081.234.5678. Please notice the 8
number "8" which has been entered between the "0" and the "1".

AIS
True Move
DTAC

Internet

There are several providers of internet connections in Bangkok now. True is by far the most popular (but not necessarily the best), but you have your choice of many others.

Most internet connections will provide you with 256k down, 512k up. You will be offered this speed at several different prices.

Now you may ask - "Why would I pay more for a 256k connection when you can get it cheaper?" Because of something called "Contention Ratio". The Contention Ratio is essentially the number of people using a connection at the same time. For the cheaper services, there are more people using the same connection as you - so at peak times, your internet connection may grind to a halt. The more expensive packages will have less people, which means you will always be closer to the optimum 256k which is advertised.

NECTEC Thailand provides an updated chart of Internet providers and their domestic and international connectivity in Thailand. Please click the image to view the chart.

Maids and Other Services

Often times in Thailand it is cheaper to have a maid than not to have one. Most people's salaries far exceed the average monthly salary of a maid, and having someone around to help you with your home, chores and children. If you can take out 10 hours of your week, this translates to 40 free hours a month - usually at a cost of less than 250 baht an hour.

However, there are some problems with having maids, drivers and other live in services. Depending on the person you hire, you can have major annoyances such as theft and broken items to minor annoyances such as gossip and everyone in your neighborhood knowing about everything you do!

The first suggestion is to try to get a maid which has been recommended by a friend, or a friend of a friend.

The second suggestion is to make sure you copy your maid's ID card and you subtly ask where she lives and get to know her better.

Purchase of Appliances

In most cases, the owner of an apartment will charge extra for the TV, and possibly for the refrigerator, washing machine and other appliances in your new home.

Typically, they will charge 500+ per month per appliance. If you plan on being in Thailand for a long time, it will eventually be cheaper for you to purchase your own appliances. Televisions … well, the cost of those will vary depending on your tastes. Washing machines can be purchases for about 7,000 - 10,000 baht. Which means that if you are going to be in Thailand for more than a year, you will make your money back, as well as have a nice piece of equipment in your home.