Sorry, just saw this. I'll send you a PM but in short, I have a friend who did this. Ended up bailing on it for the elite visa, just cheaper that way @50k baht a year.
Yes they are, just don't buy a sim card in the airport, wait until you get into the city. Plans vary, but I pay 200 baht per month for unlimited data ($6usd). No need to minutes or sms.
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