Post by jbtc on Jun 10, 2018 15:07:56 GMT
o, I have accepted a job offer at Saudi Aramco and have passed all of the contingencies, and am scheduled to move there (to Dhahran) in late July. I have several questions on how cell covee and internet service works over. I'm not a tech guy, so some of these questions may seem very basic. Thanks for any assistance.
1) I currently live in the US and us T-Mobile as my provider. Will my current phone and US phone number work in Dhahran? I'm planning on getting a local cell there, but still would like my current US phone number to remain active to be able to receive calls from folks who attempt to contact me on my US cell number.
2) In terms of getting local cell service set up, how does that work? Do I buy a new phone there along with a SIM card, or do I buy an unlocked phone there? After I get a phone and SIM, how does covee/service plans work? Is it similar to the States, where with T-Mobile for a fixed monthly fee I get unlimited minutes, text and data, or is it different in Saudi Arabia? Are there particular cell service companies that you recommend?
3) Do any of the cell service plans there provide for free international calls back to the States? If not, what are the best options for calling from there to the US?
4) For internet service in my home/apartment on the Dhahran compound, will my home/apartment already be set up with WiFi covee, or do I need to set that up myself and locate an internet service provider? If the latter, how do I do that?
5) I've been told to get a VPN for internet use in Saudi Arabia. I'll be honest, prior to going through the hiring process for Aramco, I did not even know what a VPN was and had to google it to learn that it stands for Virtual Private Network. I don't have a VPN here in the US. Why do I need one in Saudi Arabia and what exactly does having a VPN account accomplish?
Any insight anyone can provide would be very helpful. And if there is anything else I need to know on these topics, please advise. Thanks all.
1) I currently live in the US and us T-Mobile as my provider. Will my current phone and US phone number work in Dhahran? I'm planning on getting a local cell there, but still would like my current US phone number to remain active to be able to receive calls from folks who attempt to contact me on my US cell number.
2) In terms of getting local cell service set up, how does that work? Do I buy a new phone there along with a SIM card, or do I buy an unlocked phone there? After I get a phone and SIM, how does covee/service plans work? Is it similar to the States, where with T-Mobile for a fixed monthly fee I get unlimited minutes, text and data, or is it different in Saudi Arabia? Are there particular cell service companies that you recommend?
3) Do any of the cell service plans there provide for free international calls back to the States? If not, what are the best options for calling from there to the US?
4) For internet service in my home/apartment on the Dhahran compound, will my home/apartment already be set up with WiFi covee, or do I need to set that up myself and locate an internet service provider? If the latter, how do I do that?
5) I've been told to get a VPN for internet use in Saudi Arabia. I'll be honest, prior to going through the hiring process for Aramco, I did not even know what a VPN was and had to google it to learn that it stands for Virtual Private Network. I don't have a VPN here in the US. Why do I need one in Saudi Arabia and what exactly does having a VPN account accomplish?
Any insight anyone can provide would be very helpful. And if there is anything else I need to know on these topics, please advise. Thanks all.
