eKit global mobile phone

[googleygoo]

Has anyone had any experience with eKit Globlal Mobile? Or has anyone heard whether the service is any good? A brochure came with my RailEurope pass and the phones were linked to the STA website.

www.mobile.ekit.com

It's pay as you go, and US $0.99c per minute outgoing calls (for the countries I'll be) and US $0.59c per minute to receive a call.

I think I'll use phonecards for long chats to home, but have the cellphone for emergencies and for my parents' peace of mind.

I have a non-GSM phone with Sprint and I'm not done with my contract so I don't want to start a new service with T-Mobile. eKit seems to have decent rates, or at least comparable to other U.S. services, but I don't know how the service or coverage is.

[Eagle]

googleygoo, I had a brief look at the eKit Mobile Phones using the link you provided. While not a detailed analysis, my impression is that the service appears OK but not outstanding. I have several reservations about this and some comments:

-- first of all, as you're presently with Sprint you would have to buy a new Phone for travel in Europe anyway (whether you chose eKit, T-Mobile or Cingular). Sprint uses CDMA technology, which is NOT compatible with the "world standard GSM technology" used in Europe and elsewhere. One option would be to buy a TM or Cingular phone on a PAYG plan and continue using your Sprint phone for most of your home use. The Phones on the eKit site looked somewhat mediocre, and only tri-band models seemed to be offered. Current technology is way beyond this!

-- while the rates look quite attractive on the surface, reading the "Notes" and "fine print" raises a few red flags in my mind. Some examples:

Notes:
- Rates are quoted in US dollars.
This would be satisfactory for US customers, however in my case it adds about 25% to the bill -- not acceptable!

- A US $0.50 connection fee applies for all successful calls.
It appears this gets added to ALL calls whether incoming or outgoing, which now makes the $0.99/minute considerably higher!

- A $0.10c per minute surcharge applies for calls to mobiles.
If you call another Cell Phone, the cost now becomes even higher. They don't specify if this includes calls received from other mobiles? One doesn't always know if a call is going to a Cell phone or a "land line" number, especially while travelling and not familair with the numbering convention used in other areas.

* As of August 2004, a $2.40 per minute surcharge applies for making and receiving calls with the ekit Global service when you are located in the USA, Canada and Argentina, Bermuda, Cambodia, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Macau, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
If you were to make a call FROM one of the countries in this list, the cost becomes astronomical! Keep in mind this is in addition to the other per minute costs!

Cost to receive a call
The cost to receive a call is US $0.59c per minute*.
* As of August 2004, a $2.40 per minute surcharge applies for making and receiving calls with the ekit Global service when you are located in the USA, Canada and Argentina, Bermuda, Cambodia, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Macau, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Again, the surcharge in this case is ridiculously high!

Cost to send and receive a text message
The cost to send a text message is US$0.59. It is free to receive a text message.
This cost for texting also seems quite high. Most Cell networks allow free incoming texts, so this is nothing special. Again, not sure if there could be "surcharges" depending on where you're located when you make or receive a call?? I believe I pay $0.15 Cdn. each to send texts, so the eKit cost is way out of line!

Finally, the rates they quote are only $0.99/minute for Zone 1 calls. If the user were to call from Zone 1 to Zone 3, it appears the cost would be $2.50/minute PLUS any surcharges.

To summarize I suppose this might be an acceptable service for some, but I definitely wouldn't use it. I would prefer to travel with my existing quad-band GSM phone using either roaming service from my home carrier (Rogers) or perhaps buying a local SIM card on a PAYG plan if I'm going to be in one country for any length of time.

The benefit of using roaming with the home network is that family & friends can reach me at my regular number. They likely wouldn't even know I was in Europe, as the call is routed automatically. Of course, my location would become readily apparent after I "tore a strip off them" for waking me at some ungodly hour! If I were to change to a local SIM card, I would have to notify them of the new number, and in that case they would be dialling long distance.

The rates charged by my home network vary somewhat by country, but for most of the larger, industrialized countries (UK, Italy, Germany, etc.), the cost ranges from $0.99/minute outgoing, $1.98/minute incoming (as this is long distance), with a maximum of $2.98/minute for calls to other international destinations. These prices are in Canadian dollars, but I don't believe these include the 7% GST. Still, the costs are fairly reasonable, and quite manageable if the phone is only used for emergencies or occasional use. The charges are considerably HIGHER in some countries (Russia, for example), so it pays to check this before departing on a trip! I believe the roaming rates charged by Rogers are comparable to those of T-Mobile or Cingular?

Also, calls TO international destinations from my home area are quite reasonable. I currently pay $0.35/minute Cdn for calls to the UK, either land line or to another cell. This is quite a bit cheaper than the $2.40/minute US (plus surcharges & minute costs?) charged by eKit!

One caveat (which I learned the "hard way" on my trip to England last year): if you use the phone a lot while roaming with your home provider, the costs can add up VERY QUICKLY. Next time I'll use a local SIM for sure! One other important note: the roaming rates in Europe can also be very expensive if using a Euro SiM. For example, if using a UK SIM while roaming in Italy, calls will be very expensive! That's one reason Europeans use texting so much!

Since you would have to buy a new phone anyway, you might be better to buy a quad-band, unlocked GSM mobile off E-Bay (a bit of a risk, but usually not too bad) or from one of the dealers that specialize in "world phones". Have a look at www.importcell.com as they have a fairly good line. A dual-band phone with the Euro frequencies, or a tri-band phone would also work, as you're not primarily interested in using it in the US. You MUST have a phone equipped with at least 900 & 1800 MHz to operate in Europe! I tend to prefer Motorola phones, but have also had good luck with Nokia (unfortunately I don't think Nokia makes many quad-band models). As they are both good products, I suppose one of the main deciding factors is whether you prefer a "candy bar" style phone or a "flip" model?

One final but very important point -- if you plan on using Euro. SIM cards in whatever phone you buy, the phone MUST be UNLOCKED!

I hope I haven't confused the issue too much, but wanted to provide as much information as possible on your post. Good luck with your decision and happy travels!!!

[googleygoo]

Eagle,

Thanks for your feedback!! I think I'll go to a T-Mobile store and find out if I can buy a GSM phone and get PAYG. Their website seems to only offer a subscription service or a rental service. So on the one hand, I'd like a better phone than what eKit offers, but I don't want to get a T-Mobile phone if I can't get PAYG.

I'm going to Europe for 2 months, visiting various different countries, so I don't want to switch SIM cards all the time. I'll be in France for 2 weeks and Italy for 2.5 weeks, and I suppose I could use a French or Italian SIM card, and roam, but I guess I was hoping to have it all taken care of before I leave. Plus, if I can have a US phone number, then it's not long distance for people to call me.

T-Mobile's rates are also USD$0.99 for the countries I'll be in, so it's no different than EKit. I also have a $30 off coupon code (assuming it works). I don't plan on going to countries where the ridiculous $2.40 surcharge applies, and I already have a cellphone that I use in the U.S., so I wouldn't be answering my eKit phone while I'm at home.

I guess it seems ridiculous to own 2 phones, but it doesn't seem any cheaper to rent one.

I guess I'll sleep on it another night!

[Eagle]

I'm not thoroughly familiar with T-Mobile sales practises, but suspect they're like most other Cell providers. I'm sure they will be happy to sell you a phone on a PAYG plan, but keep in mind that PAYG Phones are usually quite a bit more expensive than the same phones provided on contract plan. The companies don't mind giving away some phone handsets for "free" or very low prices on contracts, as they know they'll get their money back over the two/three year term.

I wanted to mention a couple of other concerns with PAYG Phones and plans for travelling:

> From my limited experience, I've noticed that roaming capability is usually provided for contract plans, but not always for PAYG plans. In other words, you may buy a T-Mobile or other PAYG Phone and find that you can't roam in Europe with it because this hasn't been enabled yet between the North American & European networks. Therefore, your friends at home may NOT be able to reach you by dialling your "home based" number?
> If you buy a PAYG Phone from T-M or other GSM provider, it will almost certainly be "Locked" to that network, which means it won't accept European SIM cards. You must have an unlocked phone in order to use SIM's from other networks.
> Don't forget to also check Cingular/AT&T as they also offer GSM Phones and might have a better selection than T-Mobile?
> Since you're going to be in quite a number of countries over the two month period, it's probably not feasible to buy a SIM card for each location, both due to cost and also because every time you change SIM's your number will change. If you just buy one SIM (UK, for example), you'll probably get nicked with some fairly steep roaming charges if you use the Phone while travelling in other countries (MuvverRussia could probably give you some details on the costs).

Your least complicated option would have been a GSM Phone on a term plan, as most likely this would have roaming capability. You might send a PM to Dustoffmom to get details on how her T-M plan works while in Europe.

You might also check www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti124.html as there are lots of tips here on what other people have done to obtain Cell service while travelling (including Rick Steves).

If you're going to be travelling on a regular basis over the next few years, buying a good quality quad-band unlocked Phone would be a good investment, as it will provide long term service. I had a look at E-Bay, and there's lots of GSM unlocked Phones listed, so that's certainly one option. If you bought a Phone off E-Bay or wherever, it appears that you could still use the E-Kit SIM card to obtain service?

Plus, if I can have a US phone number, then it's not long distance for people to call me.

To comment on your quote, the people calling you in the US might not pay long distance, but most certainly YOU WILL. That's why the incoming calls on my Cell account are twice the price of the outgoing (local) calls -- I'm paying the long distance from Canada to Europe. In addition, anyone calling me from Europe has to dial my "home" number, and then the call is bounced back to Europe. Seems a bit ridiculous, but as far as I know this is how it works. This would only apply though if you were on a contract plan, because as stated above I'm not certain if any North American PAYG plans allow roaming in Europe?

You might also check some of the retailers such as Carphone Warehouse (if you have those in your area?), to see what kind of deals they might have?

One remote option would be to pick-up an inexpensive Phone in the first city you stop in. There are Cell Phone shops all over the place! Again, you'd have to deal with expensive roaming charges in all the other countries you visit. I personally don't like that option, as if you have problems with the phone, it's a long way to go for service! One other problem with that approach is that I've heard that phone service can be difficult to get in some countries, unless you have a local address (France)?

I don't have an easy answer for your situation. It would have been much easier to find a travel solution if you were on a contract with either T-M or Cingular. However, I can understand why this isn't possible.

The last (and probably least desirable option) might be to sign up for the cheapest two year contract plan you can find on T-M or Cingular. Make sure you check their roaming rates and other details first though! This will give you a free or very inexpensive phone, plus the ability to roam in Europe with your home number. Make sure it's a quad-band model. Also, I've heard that T-M will unlock the phones on request or for minimal charge. You'd have to check this with them? Not sure about Cingular?

It's great that you're doing your "homework" now and getting this sorted out. Hopefully some of the above comments will be of some help in pointing you to the solution that works best for you. Good luck!!!

[googleygoo]

Thanks again for your help, Eagle! You have been such a great help on this board, especially on technology related questions!! I think what I'm going to do is buy an unlocked GSM phone here in the States, then get a French SIM prepaid SIM card since France is my first destination, and I'll be in France for about 2 weeks, then in Italy for 2.5 weeks, which is the longest out of all the countries I'll be going. I may get an Italian prepaid SIM card if I can find one with decent roaming rates, otherwise I'll just use the French card so I don't have to keep switching phone numbers. I hope I can find a decent French card with decent European roaming rates!

Many thanks, again

[MuvverRussia]

Speaking from a UK perspective, pre pay sims cost in the region of £20 (the price is pretty much the same on the continent), so factor that into your costs. Also, Eagle is indeed correct - international roaming is the same, whether you are talking US-Europe or even within Europe. On a pre pay account you will be looking at the best part of US$1.50-2 per minute to call whilst roaming.

Personally, the easiest solution (especially for a short trip) is to roam using your existing phone. That's what I always do and it's never let me down yet. However, because this isn't possible I'd actually wait until you arrive in Europe. Tri band phones are dirt cheap here - in many cases you can get a phone, sim and airtime for less than US$60, although there may be the hassle of getting it unlocked etc.

[Eagle]

googleygoo, I did a bit of further research regarding your Cell phone problem, and have some more info that might be of help.

It appears that your best option will be to buy the phone here as you suggested in your last post, and buy the SIM card at the airport when you land (there are usually lots of cell phone shops at airports). Although it is possible to buy French / Italian SIM cards here, they're generally a lot more expensive. As far as phones, something like a tri-band with at least the two Euro. frequencies (900/1800 MHz) would be good or a quad-band (the Motorola V-180 & Nokia 3100 were mentioned (3100 looks like a reliable phone) -- check some reviews at www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/nokia-3100.htm or www.cellphones.ca/cell-phones/phone/258/ if you're interested; there's also the V-220 review at www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/motorola-v220.htm (again if you're interested); finally, the V-400 is a good solid phone also, and from what I've seen has had very few problems. There's lots of them on E-Bay, probably because everyone is upgrading to the newer models that have EDGE capability, Bluetooth, etc. You'll have to decide which model best fits your needs & preferences.

BTW, I'm using a Motorola V-551 at the moment, and have been very pleased with it so far (although a minor software update was needed within the first month or so to correct a battery monitor problem -- because of a software "glitch", the phone falsely indicated "low battery" after only about a day of use -- I took it to a repair shop in Vancouver and they flashed the phone with the most recent software and it's been OK ever since). I used a V-60 in the UK last year and it worked extremely well; it's also a good solid Phone, but unfortunately as it's an older model it doesn't have a colour display. My only complaint with the V-60 is that the ringer is a bit hard to hear - my hearing isn't what it used to be!

If you want to obtain complete details on unlocked GSM Phones and SIM cards, you might find it worthwhile to call 212-202-0862, Ext. 3 (should be a local number for you). Their web site is www.importcell.com if you want to have a look. They will be able to give you complete information. As you're in NYC, it will be no problem at all to get a phone shipped to you quickly (should you decide to order from them).

I'm not connected with the firm I've suggested, but have used their services in the past and found them to be extremely knowledgeable (especially about Euro. phones) and they provide great customer service.

FINALLY, one other important point. You might want to check the GSM World web site ( www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml ) for coverage maps and information on which network (ie: which SIM card) to sign up with. Generally speaking, the networks which provide both Euro. frequencies will have slightly better coverage. I have relatives in the UK that use both Orange and O2 and have had very reliable service (although Orange only uses one frequency in the UK). Check the coverage maps to see what kind of service you'll likely get in the areas you'll be travelling. Don't bother with the "3G" services, as your phone won't be able to use that technology, as far as I know.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, make sure that the Charger supplied with your Phone is a "travel" model, to operate on 100-240 VAC. This is important, as if it's only a North American Charger, you'll have to pack along a voltage converter also. Even with a travel charger, you'll still need a Plug Adapter however. Most of the Motorola models that I've had have all been supplied with multi-voltage Chargers, but not sure about the Nokia models?

I had thought of sending this info to you as a PM, but thought it might also be of use to others on the Board so decided to post as a normal reply instead.

Cheers!!!

[Eagle]

A couple of more web sites for you to check out:

www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm

www.mobalrental.com/gsm/handsets.asp?source=1001XXXXNDROWRED

Cheers!!!

[Eagle]

googleygoo, there was a Post here last night from one of the other members, with a link to www.cellularabroad.com -- for some reason it's missing this morning?? Wanted to make sure you had the link, in case you wanted to check it out.

Cheers!!!

[Kim]

Yeah, that's my fault. ;D I thought it was spam at first and deleted then realized it wasn't! Sorry! I'm a little delete happy, I guess!!!

[googleygoo]

Thanks for all the tips!
I was wondering what happened to the other post... I got an email notification about new reply, but then when I clicked on it, it didn't look like there was anything new. hehe.