Telia SIM
On my trip to Denmark in 2006 I used a pre-paid Sonofon SIM in my unlocked Nokia N70 to get myself a local number in Copenhagen and the ability to send and receive SMS. On my return trip in 2007 I decided to try a pre-paid SIM from Telia. This was an improvement over the Sonofon SIM because it offered access to GPRS data, which Sonofon didn't. This page has some more information on how I obtained the SIM, and what it cost.
Purchasing a SIM
I purchased my SIM for 99 DKK (about $20 Canadian) from the Telia outlet at the Copenhagen Central Station. The purchase was quick and easy: the salesperson spoke English, I didn't need to provide any identification, and I was in and out in 5 minutes. Note that if you have a non-Danish credit card you'll have to pay in cash, as they cannot process credit card transactions for international cards.
Activating Service
While every pre-paid SIM I'd used to this point had a PIN number that needed to be entered when the phone "booted up" with the SIM card inserted, the Telia SIM didn't: it just started working (it appears that the default PIN on all Telia pre-paid SIMs is 1234, which you can change). The telephone number itself was pre-printed on the back of the pre-paid SIM package.
Checking Balance
I never got around to figuring out how to check the pre-paid balance from the phone. However after my first outgoing call I received an SMS from Telia that gave me a password that I could use to check my balance on the web at the Telia website. To do this:
- Visit the Telia Mobil page.
- Click on Abonnementer in the left-hand sidebar.
- Enter your mobile number and the password that was sent to you.
- Click on the Følg dit forbrug link for your balance.