currency used on this page: chinese yuan (CNY) = renminbi (RMB). currently one euro buys around 10 CNY/RMB.

a prepaid sim card costs around CNY 10 (plus the prepaid value you want to put on it) (prices might vary slightly from region to region in China). Can be bought from any China Mobile outlet, first you select a number from a list at a machine and then go to cashier. Passport is needed for registration. Go there with a chinese-speaking friend / translator.

China Mobile so far has no 3G. (They are working on their own, chinese version of UMTS). EDGE is available in cities and well-built out. Overall, coverage excellent even in rural areas.

Current (Mar 09) prices for data packs that can be signed up for with the prepaid card:

5 CNY for 30 MB per month, 20 CNY for 150MB, 50 CNY for 500MB, 100 CNY for 2GB, 200 CNY for 5GB

Renews monthly automatically as long there is enough money on the card.

The data packs work for connecting the notebook to the internet via your mobile as modem, contrary to what shoppeople might say. Also, the data packs are valid all over the country (no roaming charges when used in a different region from where you bought the sim card).

Settings: APN: cmnet
number: *99# (tried successfully with nokia 6630)
no password or user name necessary

http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20070621_pre-paid_gprs_sim_card_in_china.htm

http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archives/20070401_gprs_package_from_china_mobile.htm