Just after leaving customs at Schiphol Airport, there is a shop selling unlocked phones and SIM cards. There, I bought a prepaid SIM from an MVNO called Ortel.
€24.95=€9.95(sim card) + €7.50 (call credit) + €7.50 (credit for other plans)
You use this credit to purchase internet/data access. There are 2 plans:
50MB/€2.50 and 150MB/€5
To purchase them, dial *120# or *121#, respectively. The SIM is a standard-size SIM [1], so I first put it into an IDEOS and tried dialing [2]. A USSD dialog then appeared, confirming that the purchase had succeeded.
When I immediately tried to connect to the internet, it did not work. Naturally, since no APN had been configured at all. So I searched Google for “Ortel APN” and entered the values from the page that came up, but it did not work. Looking closely, I saw that it was oretelmobile.de. I collected myself, opened ortelmobile.nl, and entered the settings listed there, but it still did not work. After checking into the hotel, I cut the SIM down and put it into an iPhone 4s. It had default settings for KPN, so I tried those, but it still did not work. Meanwhile, my conference calls began, so I gave up and tried again after the calls (there were 2 of them). Still no luck. I went to sleep, woke to the sound of bells at half past 3, collected myself once more, and tried again. The settings that finally worked were as follows.
APN Name: Ortel MMS
APN: protalmmm.nl
Proxy:
Port:
Username:
Password:
Server:
MMSC: http://mp.mobiel.kpn/mmmc
MMS proxy: 10.10.100.20
MMS port: 5080
MCC: 204
MNC: 08
Authentication Type:
APN: type:
It will not connect if Authentication Type is configured ← this was probably why it did not connect at first. The iPhone also connects with the same settings, but Personal Hotspot / Tethering cannot be used on it (the tethering settings can be entered, but the menu for starting it does not appear). So it may be more convenient to continue using the IDEOS. (Update: In the end, tethering on the IDEOS was also a letdown: it appeared to be working, but actually was not.)
Incidentally, if you have time, it seems cheaper to buy one at a T-Mobile shop in town. Apparently it is 1GB/€10. (Update: This one cannot tether either.)
[1] If you ask the woman at the shop, she will cut it down for you. I carry a SIM cutter, so I cut it myself.
[2] This SIM is PIN-locked. The default is 0000.
Related posts
Is This Really a Good Idea? The UK Follows Australia in Moving to Ban Social Media for Children under 16
Prompted by the UK’s ban on social media use by those under 16, this article examines the legislative basis and proportionality of social media regulation intended…
Surveillance or Efficiency? The UK’s Major Shift to a “Mandatory Digital ID Wallet”—More Than 1.6 million Sign a Parliamentary Petition in a Single Night
I posted breaking news on X, but on September 26 the UK government announced a plan to introduce digital ID through the "GOV.UK digital wallet." It…
Age Verification: The UK Online Safety Act Is Being Toyed With in All Kinds of Ways—Bypassing It With VPNs and Evading Biometrics With Death Stranding
What Is the UK's Online Safety Act? The UK's Online Safety Act formally became law after receiving Royal Assent on October 26, 2023, and came into…