Cell phone abroad

[ashleyg]

Well I checked into Rogers... they won't do roaming on a pay as you go plan, and to do a monthly plan the phone cost would be retarded. So...

I've been looking into www.cellularabroad.com . They offer an international SIM card that can be used all over Europe and gets free incoming calls. Couple that with a cheap GSM phone from EBay, and it seems like a good deal. Does anyone have experience with Cellular Abroad?

I suppose my other option is to pick up SIM cards in each country I vist. However, that seems like lot of work, espeically if I'm only spending a few days in a county. Does anyone know if it's possible to pick up a SIM card in the UK (since I'll be spending most of my time there) that would allow me to use that phone outside the UK?

[MuvverRussia]

Yeah, that should be possible. It'll be a pay as you go plan though, so the cost will be virtually exorbitant. I really doubt you'd save much over a Canadian plan.

For example, on my network (Vodafone) you're looking at paying 75 pence/minute for Spain - UK whilst roaming and £1.50/minute to call Canada. Text messages are 49 pence each. On a monthly plan this cost is reduced to 50p/minute to the UK and 20p for text messages.

[Eagle]

ashleyg, I had intended to mention that Rogers (and many other networks) don't allow roaming for those on PAYG plans. The pricing structure for PAYG plans seems to vary between networks, and it would likely be extremely complicated to figure out the cross billing (there is a "Transferred Account Protocol" that covers contract customers, and it's also very complicated!). However, this seems to be changing somewhat, as I know of some U.K. PAYG customers that have been able to use their phones on U.S. networks.

My previous comment ("and if you get the phone unlocked it will be useable with U.K. or U.S. SIM cards.") assumed that the Phone would only be purchased from Rogers but not used on their network. It would still have to be unlocked, something that Rogers tries to discourage by charging $250.00 (the last price they quoted to me).

In terms of buying a Phone, E-Bay is probably your best bet for a good deal. Again, it's possible that the Phone might have setttings configured for the network it was originally sold on (which means some functions might not work on other networks). For that reason, you might be better to start with listings from Canadian sources.

I checked some of the listings on E-Bay this morning, and there are lots of models shown that would be perfectly suitable for your trip. You'll have to decide if you want a "basic" Phone with a monochrome display, or a Phone with colour display and more "bells & whistles". When I searched the phones, I focused on Motorola (flip style) models, as that's what I'm most familiar with and these usually come with "world" chargers.

If you want a basic model, something like the V-60g would be a good choice; that's what I used on my last trip, and I had no problems at all. It has dual displays which I find useful (monochrome, but good displays), and has both the Euro frequencies. If you want more features (Camera, colour display, etc.) the V-220 is quite popular, but make sure the model supplied is quad-band; this is normally a quad-band phone, but for some reason some carriers have "blocked" one of the bands? I also saw several listings for the V-551, including at least one Canadian listing. If the phone is locked, don't let this deter you from bidding. I can forward information on how you can get this unlocked for a fairly reasonable cost.

With regard to Cellular Abroad, I believe Rudy Maxa the noted U.S. travel writer uses this service. I've never used them personally, but might consider it on future trips. This service is configured on a Liechenstein network I believe, and the advantage is that you would have fairly consistent rates regardless of which country you were travelling in. However, the rates are fairly expensive for use in North America.

Anyone calling your Cellular Abroad number would have to use long distance to reach Liechenstein. Be sure to check their rate structure carefully as far as calling between different zones, calling back to Canada and the surcharges that apply in some situations. Also review the top-up procedure (I believe you have to provide a credit card number, which they charge for top-ups).

One other possibility -- if your parents don't presently have a Cell Phone, they could sign onto a one year contract with Rogers which would provide a brand new Phone at very reasonable cost (often $0), a phone which you could borrow for your trip (using roaming) and a phone which they could also use at home for safety or just keeping in touch. Since they're the ones most concerned about you having a phone while travelling, they might agree to this option? They would be responsible for the bills, but I'm sure you could work out some "arrangement" to cover excess charges if you used the phone extensively while in Europe. Just a thought......

Hope this helps. Happy travels!!!

[WillTravel]

Eagle, I had to search around a bit on the Fido site to figure out which phone I had, but it's this one:

Sony Ericsson T237
www.fido.ca/portal/product/handsetdetail.jsp?id=erics_t237&lang=en&cat=2

My daughter has this one:
Motorola V180
www.fido.ca/portal/product/handsetdetail.jsp?id=moto_v180&lang=en&cat=1

[Eagle]

WillTravel, thanks for the additional information on your Phones. I checked the spec's on your Phones, and as the old saying goes I have some good news and some bad news. First of all the good news......

> Your daughter's phone - this appears to be a quad-band model, having frequency bands for North American networks (850/1900 MHz) as well as the rest of the world (900/1800 MHz). This should operate just fine in any European country that you'll be visiting. There are a few other minor points to cover though:

(1.) Make sure you check the Phone Charger to ensure this is a "world" model that will operate on the Euro electrical system. The spec's should be listed on the bottom, and if it states "Input Voltage 100-240 VAC" then it will be fine. Most Motorola Chargers that I've seen are designed for travel, being equipped with folding pins. You will need a Plug Adapter though, for whichever country you'll be in (most of the Euro countries use the format with two round pins; the U.K. is different, having two or three large rectangular pins).

(2.) Be sure to call Fido before you go, to let them know you'll be travelling in Europe; give them your departure and arrival dates.

(3.) Check the Fido roaming rates on their website, to ensure you have some idea how much this is going to cost. I checked last night, and the rates seem to be fairly consistent with Rogers (which is not hard to understand - the rates seem to have increased slightly within the last few months). Texting is probably your least expensive option, BUT remember that these don't always transmit quickly and it would be prudent to test this when you arrive in Europe, to ensure that the number sequence you're using for dialling is the correct one. You might have to enter the number as "+ 1 AC xxx xxxx". I'm not sure if the texts transmit to Canada and then bounce back to Europe? The network computers should be smart enough to know where each subscriber is, as Cell phones "announce" their location to the network every few minutes; therefore, the messages might stay in Europe?

(4.) With regard to your daughter receiving frequent calls, the only sure way to avoid this would be to change numbers (and NOT provide the new number to her friends, at least for the durtion of your trip). However, I imagine she's going to want her friends to contact her when she returns home, so this might not be the best option. Another possibility might be to issue a "stern" warning to her friends, not to call AT ALL between certain dates! Keep in mind that if someone does call, you'll be paying $2.00 a minute (plus applicable taxes and fees)!!! They might also call at an inopportune time, forgetting the time difference.

>Your Phone - I checked a couple of different sites, and this appears to be a dual-band Phone, having only the two North American frequency bands (850/1900 MHz). Therefore, to the best of my knowledge, this Phone will NOT work in Europe. I know it would be nice for both you and your daughter to have Phones, so a couple of solutions to look at:

(1.) Does FIDO offer a "hardware upgrade plan", similar to Rogers? For those on a contract, they are allowed to upgrade their Phone every 18 months or so at a "reduced price". The price is not usually a big savings, but every dollar helps. You could keep your existing Phone and use the new Phone for "travel", or as a "spare".

I suspect you might be better looking at a Motorola (flip) style Phone, as I checked some of the Nokia and Sony-Ericsson models on the FIDO website and many of these appear to be equipped with both N.A. bands but only ONE of the Euro bands. The Moto V190 is priced at $15.00 with a plan, and the V180 at $0 with a plan, so you should be able to do this at minimal cost, if allowed by FIDO (OR, you could be extravagant and go for the V3 RAZR!). Since this is mostly for travel at this time, a quad-band is the best option. I find that it's nice to have a "spare" on hand, in case a problem occurs with my primary phone.

If you do decide to get an additional Phone, again ensure that it is supplied with a "world" Charger. It would be a good idea to try this out before you leave, giving the battery a few charge/discharge cycles, just to make sure everything is working (on the same point, ask your daughter how the battery in her phone has been "behaving" lately). When you travel, pop your SIM into the new Phone, when you get home change the SIM to your SE Phone.

One other point -- since you'll be travelling with phones which are most likely "locked", you won't have the option of using local SIM's. I find that roaming is usually the easiest solution, as long as the phone is only used sparingly. That way it's easy for family back home to contact you if an "emergency" occurs.

FINALLY, when you arrive in Europe you may have to manually change frequency bands on your Phones (that happened to me on my last trip). Some Phones will do this automatically, some need to be changed by the User. Make sure you check the manual, so that you know how to do this. When the frequency selection has been changed, the Phone will search for a network, and should be operational within a minute or so. Of course you will have to change this back when you return home.

Hope this has been some help? Good luck with your Phone situation. Post another note if you need anything else.

Happy travels!!!

[WillTravel]

Thank you, Eagle! That definitely points me in the right direction. I'll let you know what we end up doing.

In respect to her friends phoning, I've thought of one strategy, which is that she could take my phone for the course of the trip. I would then take her phone, and only answer when she phones (presuming caller ID works). There's so many dozens of people who phone her that I don't know that a general warning would work. Very few people phone my cell, in comparison.

I was worrying a bit about the text messages, too, because sometimes they seem to be inexplicably delayed, even when we're just a couple miles apart. I got a couple last night at 3 AM, which had been sent about 7 hours before. I wonder if other text message users have this sort of delay problem, or is it just a Fido/Rogers problem?

[Eagle]

WillTravel,

sometimes they seem to be inexplicably delayed, even when we're just a couple miles apart. I got a couple last night at 3 AM, which had been sent about 7 hours before. I wonder if other text message users have this sort of delay problem, or is it just a Fido/Rogers problem?

I don't know for sure, but I suspect this is more a Fido problem? I use Rogers for text messaging quite extensively, sending messages to the U.K., U.S. and Canada and in my experience lately there has been no appreciable delay in transmission. Of course, one never knows how long these actually take, but I've always received very timely replies, so have to assume that the messages are getting through right away.

I suspect that any network can have delays with SMS service, as sometimes it's necessary to take the Servers down for maintenance or whatever. Hopefully this will improve for you.

Cheers!!!

[MuvverRussia]

eagle said:

most of the Euro countries use the format with two round pins; the U.K. is different, having two or three large rectangular pins)

The UK only uses 3 rectangular pins - 2 horizontal (bottom of plug) and 1 vertical (top of the plug, in the middle). Even if something is double insulated (i.e. no need for an earth) we still use the pin - it's just not connected. The only 2 pin plugs I can think of are used for shavers, toothbrushes etc as a safety precaution to stop you plugging other stuff into a bathroom's power supply. All other European nations use 2 or 3 pin (earth) round pin plugs, with some really old exceptions in some countries (it's unlikely you'll find them).

Otherwise, 850/1900 phones definitely won't work. As for SMS messages, I normally find that they're ok, both within the UK, Europe and further afield. They're not ideal if you urgently need to find something or someone though, as there can be a short delay (nowhere near 7hrs though).

[Eagle]

Muvver, thanks for the clarification. I should have been more specific. Some of the Plug Adapters that I've used have three pins, with the earth (ground) pin being made of plastic. This is what I was referring to in stating that these have "two or three large rectangular pins" -- only two pins are electrically connected on some models. One of my U.K. Adapters has the earth pin and one the plastic pin, but my Euro Plug Adapters just have the two round pins (I haven't bothered with the ground on those).

With regard to the "other" Euro plugs you referred to, I've seen descriptions of these on Kropla and other sites, and there sure is a confusing array of different types! I imagine the eastern European countries have quite "mixture"?

I'm curious - are all the bathroom plugs in the U.K. still fitted with different style plugs/receptacles these days, or do the newer homes use standard plugs fitted with a GFCI (Ground Fault Interrupter) unit?

Cheers!!!

[MuvverRussia]

Eagle - I'm fairly sure it's against building regulations to fit a standard socket/light switch (they have to be pull cord instead) within a bathroom. I've never seen a standard socket in a bathroom, even in relatively new houses. They're hooked up to RCDs regardless though.

The bathroom plugs we use are pretty much identical to the european 2 pin plug though, so you could feasibly use an adaptor with them (I've just tried with mine here and it works - it's not recommended though), although I think the max current draw from them is pretty low - certainly nowhere near enough for a hair dryer or similar.

[rchua]

i was thinking of buying a sim for europe. but is it worth it for only 2 weeks? i can understand if i stayed over there for a month or more it would be worth having a cellphone for emergency.

[MuvverRussia]

In my opinion it's not worth it. You'd need a compatible and unlocked phone, then there's the cost of the sim card, plus the fact that European roaming isn't that much cheaper than transatlantic roaming.

[Eagle]

rchua, as Muvver mentioned, it's hardly worthwhile to buy a SIM for a two week trip. If you presently have a tri or quad-band GSM Phone on a contract plan, your best option for "emergency" use is just to use roaming. Also, make sure your Cell Phone Charger is capable of use on 100-240 VAC.

If you could indicate what type / model Phone you're using now, and with which Carrier, I should be able to provide some further information.

Cheers!!!

[rchua]

i'm currently using a nokia 3220b model phone. i'm using tmobile as my carrier. i believe i've unlocked my phone since i emailed them on how to do it a few months back. i heard that they do this after you've been in there service for 3 or so months. of course i don't really know for sure if this is the case.

[WillTravel]

Update about the delayed messages: As mentioned, I received them sometime after 3 AM and my phone beside my bed made its usual ring to indicate they had arrived. My daughter was upstairs in her room at the time, and she told me later that she heard her phone at the same time, and it was sending those messages she thought she had sent hours before. Maybe there's a way she could have been able to see they weren't sent in the first place, but I'm not sure.

Looks like text messages will work well for us (that is, if they are sent in a timely manner). I'll just have to update my phone. Here's an email message I got from Fido, about my international questions:

Dear Ms. []:

We would like to thank you for visiting our Fido Web site.

International roaming is billed on a pay per use basis according to the
rate in effect when the call is placed or received.

Unanswered calls do not generate fees if you do not have a voice
messaging service and have not forwarded your calls to another phone number.
International roaming fees would be billed if a conditional forwarding
has been activated.

International roaming is billed by the minute. Our current rates for
the United Kingdom and Germany are :

.Incoming calls : $2.00 per minute
.Calls place to Canada : $2.00 per minute
.Calls place to a local number : $1.00 per minute
.Calls place to a international number* (Ex: from Edinburgh to London):
$3.50 per minute
.Text Messages sent to a Fido mobile phone from abroad are billed 40¢
each.
.Text Messages received when abroad are free of charges.

We suggest visiting our web site before your departure in order to
verify if these rates are still valid.
www.fido.ca/portal/packages/international.jsp?lang=en#newrates

Please note that it will not be possible to place international calls
while in roaming unless you request that this service is added to your
phone lines.

For any modification to your service, please contact our Customer
Service department by telephone at 1 888 481-FIDO (3436), or 611 if calling
from your Fido. You can reach Fido Customer Service from 8:00 AM to
9:00 PM on weekdays, and from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekends.

You may select "0" after the start of the automated menus to speak
directly with a representative, whose pleasure it will be to assist you
with your request after a brief identification procedure.


If you're abroad and need Fido's assistance, call [phone].
(There's no charge when you make this call from your Fido.)

We thank you for having taken the time to contact us. Your questions
and comments are of great value to us.

Best regards,

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