Cell phone abroad

[MuvverRussia]

The V220 is an ok phone (as long as the US model is similar to the UK one). It's triband so it will work over here. One of my friends has it and it's reliable enough- also the battery is pretty good which is a bonus (this is a big issue when you're travelling- I found myself charging my phone every 3 days as the battery life isn't too hot on it (Nokia 6230)).

[Eagle]

Muvver, Thanks for the feedback on the V-220. I haven't had time to check the Forums yet to get further information on this. The model sold in North America is a quad-band model as far as I know, so it should work well anywhere there is GSM service available.

You brought up another good point. If the phone model is capable of different batteries, it's a good idea to buy an extended life (larger capacity) battery. I bought a larger battery for my V-60 which sure provides extra operating time, although I had to put a slightly larger "back" on the phone to accomodate the slightly larger physical size.

Cheers!!!

[MuvverRussia]

Yeah- I had an extended life battery for my old Ericsson (T39) a couple of years back. Unfortunately Nokia don't make an extended battery for my 6230, so I'm stuck with the battery life .

[skye]

I have been with Rogers for about 5 years, and recently my contract expired. I started looking into Telus, Bell etc. Here's the trcik for any of you when you go to renew: call the competitor's directly, get their 1-800 number. Don't go into the store!! The customer service departments are authorized to do deals that the stores aren't. Basically, I called around and found out what everyone was offering, then called Roger's back to cancel my plan. They matched what the competitor was going to give me, plus I didn't have to go through the hassle of switching. So, I got a $25 plan, with unlimited incoming calls and 1000 evening/weekend outgoing minutes, a new free camera phone, plus my first year on the contract is free!! It was a crazy deal I couldn't pass up. Now my friends can call me all day long and it doesn't cost me daytime minutes. Anyways, the moral of the story is twofold: shop around, and play them off each other to get yourself the best deal!

[Eagle]

Skye, I'm pleased to hear that you stayed with Rogers, as that will offer you the ability to travel with your phone if desired. There are about 1.2 billion GSM users now, so it's by far the way to go. There's a LOT more choice in handsets (which stands to reason, as the manufacturers are going to make a greater variety of handsets for the market where they sell the most), and the phones are useable in MANY more areas of the world than the "Belus" phones. BTW, which phone handset did you get?

I've been with Rogers since about 1992 and have been pleased with their service and network coverage for the most part. They sometimes make errors in billing, but in my experience they have always been willing to correct these. There seems to be an increased emphasis on customer service lately, which can only be a good thing for consumers!

I'll have to remember the techniques you used at renewal time. Maybe I can get a similar deal (although I have a "family plan" so the circumstances are a bit different).

Thanks for the info. Cheers!!!

[skye]

Eagle, I have the Nokia 3220. At the time I renewed, I could get this one or the Motorolla V220 for free (I like free!). Everyone told me the Nokia was a better phone and would last longer. It has been great, it has a camera/video function, internet browser etc. The only thing I don't love about it is the 5-way navigator button, it can be a bit tricky to get it to hit on the right function if you're not very dexterous! I haven't had any problems with Rogers, the only thing I ran into was I recently moved from Vancouver to Calgary, and my cell is my home phone #. They weren't able to give me a new phone # in the new area code until I swtiched off the old one, a bit of a hassle when you are trying to give forwarding addresses etc. Not the end of the world though!
And thank you for the info, I had no idea I could take my phone travelling! I might just do that as I am a single girl travelling alone, it might give me (and more importantly my family) some peace of mind!!

[Eagle]

skye, thanks for the reply - this clears up a few things. As far as I know at this point, the Nokia 3220 is a good and reliable phone. As a matter of fact, I just bought one for my Son, and he's been quite pleased with it so far.

You will be able to travel with this to a certain extent, as this appears to be a tri-band phone - it has one of the Euro frequencies (1800 MHz) so should work in most areas of Europe (depending on the individual networks in any given area, of course). For example, in the U.K. both Orange and T-Mobile operate only on 1800 MHz, so you should have good coverage there); in Italy the networks operate on both 900 & 1800 MHz, so I'm assuming the coverage will also be good (not sure if they use both frequencies in all areas though?).

If you plan on using other SIM cards with your phone while travelling, it will need to be "unlocked". This is usually quite easy with Nokia phones, often as simple as just entering a remote code. Rogers usually charge about $250.00 to unlock their phones (obviously trying to discourage the practise), but I've seen sites on the net which can provide these for as little as £3.50 (depends on brand and model though - Moto's are a bit more difficult to get codes for, so connection to a PC is often the bet method, at a cost of about $50.00 Cdn.).

In my experience I've found that for occasional calls, just using the roaming from Rogers is usually the best and easiest option. However this can add up very quickly if the phone is used a lot! I discovered on a recent trip to the U.S., that the roaming is not much cheaper there than it is in Europe. However, even if using a SIM from a Euro network, the roaming charges can also be very steep if you travel from country to country. I usually budget the roaming costs into my trip, as it's not unreasonable to pay for the convenience of having a mobile. It really helped me a lot on my trip to England last year, on a couple of occasions.

I've always had good luck with both Motorola and Nokia, so I always use one of those two brands. At the moment I'm using a Moto V-551 and it's been fantastic so far (excepet for one minor problem with the battery monitor software, which has now been corrected).

Thanks again for your reply, and for the tips on "contract renewal".

Cheers!!!

[skye]

Eagle,
you are an absolute wealth of knowledge!! This board is lucky to have your input! I will definitely take the phone with me, and hope for the best in coverage. For the long calls home I will plan to use a phone card as others have mentioned, but I must admit I am a bit of a cell phone addict and never go far without mine! It will definitely give me some peace of mind to have with me. This will be my first trip to Europe, and I'm doing it on my own, which is exciting, but still a little scary! I appreciate all the tips!!

[LHR02]

For long. chatty calls you will surely do better with a phone card. They are cheap and a great value. But I too take my cell with me and like you it is a comfort to know I can be reached in an emergency, and likewise can call for help if I need it. I am with T-Mobile and am well pleased with that service here in the US. But for that 30 minute (or more) chat with my daughter, I used the 10 euro phone card and still had over 3 hours time remaining...this in Italy.

[LHR02]

Paying bills this morning and noticed the flyer included with T-Mobile. As of 01 August they are changing their international long distance rates. Every 'major' country in western Europe will be 34 cents per minute, incoming or outgoing. This is a significant drop in rates....thought I would pass the info along.

[originalfothespecies]

hi! im goin to London and Portugal for 2 weeks.... i have Telus Mobility..and i have no clue what to do...im kinda really stupid with technology.... any help?

[LHR02]

Eagle will be your best bet with help for this....I am surely no 'geek' myself and find myself floundering along for the most part.

Eagle? Help!

[Eagle]

originalfothespecies, unfortunately it won't be possible to use your Telus Mobility Phone in Europe, as Telus and Bell use a cellular technology (CDMA) which is different than the rest of the world (GSM). Rogers and Fido (which is now owned by Rogers) use GSM, so it IS possible to travel in Europe with a Rogers phone (this must be a tri-band or quad-band handset though, as N.A. networks use different frequencies than those used in Europe and other areas).

Based on personal experience, I've found it can be extremely helpful to have a Cell Phone while travelling, however the roaming charges can become very expensive if the phone is used a lot! For example, the current rates for calls in the U.K. are $0.98/minute for outgoing local calls and $1.98/minute for incoming calls; for Portugal the charges are $1.49/minute outgoing and $2.48/minute for incoming (long distance calls cost more). If you just use the phone occasionally for checking Hotel reservations or for emergencies it's not too bad, but if you use the phone frequently you will have a LARGE bill waiting when you get home!

One excellent benefit of GSM phones is that the number and all account information is contained on a small memory card (SIM card), so it's possible to buy a Pay-As-You-Go SIM in different countries, which provides a "local" number at much cheaper rates. I wouldn't recommend this for a two week trip though, as I don't believe you'd save much money.

I'm not sure what the best solution might be for you? If your contract with Telus is close to expiring and you wanted to switch to Rogers, you would be able to obtain a Phone that will work in Europe. You would most likely have to sign on to a contract though, for two reasons:

> the purchase price of phone handsets is MUCH cheaper on contract plans, than for Pay-As-You-Go plans. For example, the Motorola V551 is currently $69.99 on contract, while the same phone is $239.99 on PAYG.
> roaming (in Europe) is generally only available to contract customers. This is not always available to PAYG customers, especially as it could be a problem to obtain "top ups" in Europe, as the infrastructure isn't set up for that yet.

It's possible to rent GSM Phones from companies such as www.cellularabroad.com (and others), but again for a two week trip I'm not sure this would be worthwhile? These generally use a phone account/SIM card from one of the cell networks in Liechenstein (not sure why?), so the rates are somewhat stable for people who are moving around Europe.

Another option would be to buy an unlocked GSM Phone off E-Bay (there are LOTS of them), and use either a Cellular Abroad SIM or buy a local PAYG SIM when you arrive. There are cell phone shops on just about every street corner (I've found Orange and O2 to be quite reliable in the UK). Of course, as with anything on E-Bay, you have to keep the "buyer beware" principle in mind! There are other options also, but not sure how important this is to you?

If you need any further information, post another note and I'll try to offer some further suggestions.

Cheers!!!

[originalofthespecies]

thanks so much Eagle... ur post made everythin more clear... do u advise me to get a phone card instead?

[Eagle]

I'm perhaps not the best person to comment on phone cards, as I always travel with a Cell Phone so haven't used them. Dustoffmom or one of our other "regulars" would be the best ones to advise on that.

It would help a bit to know what you need the phone service for -- calling home, making hotel reservations, emergencies or???

Any comments anyone?