American moving to Poland. How do I get/What is the cost of a cell phone, cable, etc...?

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Sep 11, 11, 22:26 #1

I'm planning on going to university in Poland and live with my grandmother (who is on "emeryturze"). She only has basic television and no internet because she doesn't really understand technology very well. My parents will be sending me some money every month, especially since the school I will be going to in Poland is much cheaper than the school I was going to go to in the States, and I'm wondering how much all of this will cost.

Since, I'll be staying with my gran instead of on campus, I'll have to sort out things everything there for myself.

So, How do I get/What is the cost of...
Internet?
A Cell Phone (with or without international calling)?
Cable (With English-speaking channels, if possible)?
A Laptop*?
A Bike?

*Should I get a laptop in Poland or in the States? I'm considering a Mac or an HP laptop. I haven't decided which yet.

Zman	Sep 11, 11, 22:32 #2
Buy hard/soft ware in US. Then get here, find facts that interest you and decide.

kikulaThreads: 1 Posts: 2 Joined: Sep 11, 11 ♀	Edited by: kikula Sep 11, 11, 22:40 #3
My internet right now is 25 mbs download speed. How much will it cost to get the same speed?

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Sep 11, 11, 22:48 #4

I'm planning on going to university in Poland and live with my grandmother

Are you sure you want to do this? A retired Polish lady might not be too understanding of the student lifestyle ;)

How much will it cost to get the same speed?

It's impossible to say - there are so many different companies in Poland that serve different areas. As a guide though, I pay 69zl a month for the same - but this is cheap. More realistic would be about 100zl for the same thing.

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Edited by: gumishu Sep 11, 11, 22:50 #5

*Should I get a laptop in Poland or in the States? I'm considering a Mac or an HP laptop. I haven't decided which yet.

go for HP (actually go for some Chinese make - like Asus or Acer or maybe Lenovo - I guess they are cheaper and actually HP is on the same level of serviceability as MAC in Poland) (if it's gonna be Windows or Linux powered) - there is very little in terms of Mac presence in Poland which will definitely be reflected in the cost and availability of service in case anything happens

cell phone is easy if you just need it to talk - or just surf occasionally (you need to have a set with a built in modem or by a modem unit for your laptop) - you just go to any shop that sells phones - you can then buy a pre-paid card in a newsagents ('kiosk') - this is also where you top up - if you have an American handset check if it works with the European GSM (frequency mismatch - most new phones sold here in Europe are said to be designed to operate both in Europe and the US but have no idea if it's the same on your side of the pond)

as for internet - I guess you wouldn't settle for a GPRS speeds of transfer so you need a contract - in order to have a contract you have to be established here - have a residency etc (e.g. some papers to confirm that you live here legally, have and adress etc) , then you can apply for a contract with either cable internet companies (main telecom companies (Telekomunikacja Polska, Netia, Dialog) or cable TV networks) or if in a bigger city a GSM (or rather its younger brother LPT) internet providers (LPT is provided by Polsat only, lower speed GSM internet is provided by the main cellular operators (Orange, Plus GSM, TMobile) - the GSM in the cities can have some 500 kbps transfers (at least they say so - I am not completely up to date with that information cause I don't live in a city an such things as EDGE, HSDC are not present where I live) - the cable telecoms and cable TV networks in the cities provide very high speed transfer internet including fiber optic connections (but the latter must be quite costly) - an avarage internet contract will set you back some 40-60 PLN (our currency)

EDIT: a 25 Megabit internet is not your average internet in Poland (more like 4 Mbit)

peter_olsztynThreads: 8 Posts: 760 Joined: Apr 18, 07 ♂	Edited by: peter_olsztyn Sep 11, 11, 22:52 #6
What is the cost of...Internet? 50zł - 80zł pcm Cable (With English-speaking channels, if possible)? 60zł pcm *A Laptop? 1200zł - 2700zł A Bike?** 200zł - 2500zł upc.pl Fiber Power 5 Mb/s 56 zł Fiber Power 10 Mb/s 66 zł Fiber Power 25 Mb/s 80 zł Fiber Power 50 Mb/s 101 zł Fiber Power 150 Mb/s 150 zł

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Sep 11, 11, 23:00 #7

go for HP (actually go for some Chinese make - like Asus or Acer or maybe Lenovo - I guess they are cheaper and actually HP is on the same level of serviceability as MAC in Poland) (if it's gonna be Windows or Linux powered) - there is very little in terms of Mac presence in Poland which will definitely be reflected in the cost and availability of service in case anything happens

So what you're saying is that HP and Mac computers aren't really supported in Poland? I haven't had much trouble with them, but I have had a lot of trouble with Acer computers in the past. Could you give some more brands that are supported in Poland?

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Sep 11, 11, 23:12 #8

go for HP (actually go for some Chinese make - like Asus or Acer or maybe Lenovo - I guess they are cheaper and actually HP is on the same level of serviceability as MAC in Poland) (if it's gonna be Windows or Linux powered) - there is very little in terms of Mac presence in Poland which will definitely be reflected in the cost and availability of service in case anything happens

So what you're saying is that HP and Mac computers aren't really supported in Poland? I haven't had much trouble with them, but I have had a lot of trouble with Acer computers in the past. Could you give some more brands that are supported in Poland?

well actually it possibly depends on your location - I guess in Warsaw Mac and HP service may be readily available (but the cost will still be high as with car service with main brand dealers) - the other thing with Mac in most cases you receive equipment and software with from your internet provider and these may well not have Mac support

as for other makes of laptops - it's not that there are cheap brand approved service outlets - it's the cost of privately run independant service that often makes use of canibalized parts (but will occasionally order original parts for you if you insist or they can't find anything of the type) - you won't find tons of canibalizede parts of HP laptops here because it is not a popular brand - Poles buy cheap

having said that - I don't suggest you go cheap - if you think HP is much more reliable equipment than the Chinese makes go for it - I just presented you with the service caveat

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Sep 11, 11, 23:29 #9

btw my bro bought a Samsung laptop half a year back - quite nice and no problems so far - I wouldn't go for Sony - presumably they have built in copyright and DVD-zone checkers and you may not be able to watch DVD's in Poland as a result (this was the case a couple of years back - as I said before I'm not really up to date with the computer news)

from the upper end makes Toshiba was once pretty popular in Poland (in the times were laptops were not your average computers)

gumishuThreads: 17 Posts: 3,943 Joined: Apr 6, 09 ♂	Sep 11, 11, 23:51 #10
here's the list of services that are partners of HP in Poland http://www8.hp.com/pl/pl/pdf/punkty_serwsowe_hp_tcm_169_960537.pdf - not many as you can see mostly major cities (and still not all of them no Kraków on the list for example - you have to go to Katowice or Bielsko Biała)

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Sep 12, 11, 15:04 #11

We just moved to Gdynia, Poland from Chicago. We live in a condo with an association, so we had to go with a company that services our building called UPC. For $138 USD a month we get the standard cable package with a DVR, 25Mb of internet (we did have to buy our own Linxys wireless router - $150 PLN at AGD), and home phone with free local & international dialing to the States. We also had free installation with the package. FYI - You have to have proper IDs (resident card and/or Pesel #) to enter contract. Also this plan was a 2 year contract. The same "ID rule" applies to cell phones. Rather than enter contract we brought our Blackberry's from the States and bought pay-as-you-go SIM cards from PLAY (cell phone company)...we pay $30 PLN a month for local calls & texts and $10 PLN for Blackberry service (but the service is not all inclusive...you get BBM, email & facebook...any other online time you pay for). We also have 3 Dell computers that we use here without any problems and I have seen several stores that sell and servive them. They do have a store, called ISpot, in the area that service MACs but it can be pricey...by your computer in the States and bring it with your carry on luggage because electronics can sometimes be more expensive here and less selection. Hope that helps! Good luck to you!

PWEIThreads: 5 Posts: 894 Joined: Jul 28, 11 ♂	Sep 12, 11, 15:20 #12
actually go for some Chinese make - like Asus or Acer or maybe Lenovo Get a Lenovo: the things aren't literally bulletproof but they're certainly a lot harder to break than pretty much any other brand.

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Sep 12, 11, 21:48 #13

My advice is to buy an Apple stateside. There is excellent Mac support in Poland. Windows here is the SAME problems as everywhere else (maybe worse with viruses). I know that ther is Apple support in Poland:
www.MacPomoc.pl near Warsaw and there is another one in Kraków called RCS that I've heard is ok.
As for internet - I have 2MB symmetrical with a static IP and pay 73 PLN monthly. The USB modems that phone companies offer is likely *MUCH* more comfotable. A company called PLAY offers good packages with a free USB stick modem for 80 zloty a month. If you have a laptop, I'd recommend that. The guys at MacPomoc helped me get mine set up without any funky software or drivers to mess with.

Bike - It's too difficult to transport and there are TONS of neat ones here for not too much casg. Buy that here. Probably around 400 to 600 zloty for an average mountain bike.

Phone - GSM phones only (unlocked AT&T, T-Mobile GSM phones would be ok, but I recommend buying or unlocking here. If you know you have a multi-band GSM it'll be fine.). Servies cost about 100 zloty per month give or take a lot depending on what you need. Just a general number to answer your general question.

IN GENERAL - you need to immediately have your Grandma get you zameldowane "signed" to her flat at the local town hall (GMINA). Then go through the process of getting a Carta Pobytu from the Immigration Office. You'll need that as well as a PESEL and NIP to get most services in Poland. The easy way is probably to have grandma sign all the documents in the beginning. You can search this forum and online to find out more about the process of what I described above. They aren't difficult, but mostly just time consuming. Best to do it in the spring and summer months as standing in line outside immigration (or potentially other government offices) in the cold can get old fast. I'd advise you leave yourself 2 months prior to studies to get all that worked out (or at least leave time in your "working hours" schedule to go to the government offices). As I said, it's quite a process if you don't speak Polish and/or have little or no help. usually most places have translators swarming around willing to help for a fee. Just make sure if you hire them you get a written price in advance. Those costs can add up fast. Expect to put aside about 300 +/- zloty for that karta pobutu. I know it is easier now, but it does take a bit to get it all done.

Keep searching the forum and you'll find a lot of your question have already been asked/answered. Good luck!

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Oct 10, 11, 01:25 #14

I'll be staying with my gran instead of on campus

Internet highly depends on your area within the city (i.e. which street you are on), you have to check which companies provide service to your street and also which kind of service (companies may not have infrastructure to support fast advertised speeds on your particular street). If stuck, you can always order internet from TP (the national telephone company) but make sure you do so early because these guys may take their sweet time to install.

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