Using Your Mobile When Abroad: Roam For Less Article Discussion Area

jago25_98

I'm planning on using Virgin pay as you go for the internation data rate and txts through a java app

To make calls, swap to a international SIM.

At home I use T-Mobile pay as you go as it's £1 a day for data and 12p/min voice.

Reepacheep

Hope this is the right board? I bought 2 Amena simcards on ebay for use in Spain for myself and OH for holiday use. Fitted them and everything worked fine.However I was unable to contact an English speaking customer service operator,which,according to the paperwork that came with the simcards I should have been able to do so.It would be handy to know how to do this for when I next go there.Does any kind person know how to do this - note I tried speaking to the spanish speaking operators in pidgin but no luck!
Thanks in anticpation.

jicms

Could anyone advise what's the cheapest way of making/receiving calls in South America as I will be spending around a week in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. I guess they will all need different local SIMs?

Ivrytwr3

Hi all,

I'm after a bit of advice if possible. I'm off to Basrah for a 4 month tour with the RAF, i have an unlocked Samsug D600 and would like to mainly send and receive texts and if possible send/recieve photos and not essential, but would be nice, to be able to call home on the phone every once and a while.

Can anyone advise the best/cheapest way to do this?

redux

jicms wrote: »

Could anyone advise what's the cheapest way of making/receiving calls in South America as I will be spending around a week in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. I guess they will all need different local SIMs?

Probably, yes. Of the global roaming SIMs, only 09 Mobile has coverage in all these countries, but only free incoming calls in Brazil and Bolivia. Argentina is always expensive for roaming (about €2)

You can find details of networks and tariffs on

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.html

http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml

And also look into callback services, which are very likely to be cheaper than local tariffs for international calls

Ivrytwr3 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm after a bit of advice if possible. I'm off to Basrah for a 4 month tour with the RAF, i have an unlocked Samsug D600 and would like to mainly send and receive texts and if possible send/recieve photos and not essential, but would be nice, to be able to call home on the phone every once and a while.

Can anyone advise the best/cheapest way to do this?

For sms, you might look at the various mobile Java client programs which send via wap/gprs, like smsbug, mobisms, vyke and vgsmail.

You might take a Virgin UK SIM as back-up for sending data, but it looks like some of the local data tariffs might be cheaper (Asiacell $1/MB, half-price Fridays). I don't know anything about sending pictures, and whether they need different settings.

I haven't found international tariffs yet, so take a browse yourself

Find network details on http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_iq.shtml

As above, it would also be worth looking into callback services, which might be cheaper than local tariffs for international calls

HarryR_2

Skype SkypeIn and SkypeOut are not free but much cheaper than roaming calls abroad.

Before leaving the UK I forward my mobile calls to my SkypeIn number and activate vmail.

When I first arrive in a foreign country the first thing I do is buy a SIM card and put it in the phone.

I can then configure Skype to forward the calls to number of my overseas SIM card if I wish.
If I don't answer the caller leaves a message on Skype vmail.

The caller doesn't need to be aware that the call is being diverted and doesn't get confused by having another (perhaps temporary) number to call which they continue to call even when you return to your home country.

I use Skype but would expect all the VOIP services to be able to do the same.

anne_h_3

I ordered and payed for the SIMple roaming SIM and it arrived as promised this morning. Great! just in time for me leaving the country. Ah, not so great..not a penny credit on it! where is my £25? Not to worry must be a SIMple mistake, customer services will sort it out. I phoned customer services and a real person answered straight away. Ithought brilliant! no long queues pressing different buttons but was soon disappointed when the guy told me that customer services wouldn't be back at work until Tuesday and there was nothing he could do. Said he would phone me back. 3 hours later I phoned him back and he said he had dropped an email to Customer Services and when I pointed out that he had already told me there was no-one working until Tuesday he said he'd phoned someone at home and was waiting for them to call him. Let's see shall we. I will update.

slej

I travel around europe regularly and am paying through the nose for sms back to the uk, I'm on vodafone so its costing me 35p per txt even though I've got 1000 inclusive txts for uk use!
Can anyone suggest how to get a better rate eg global sim, another uk payg sim... I've looked around but its quite difficult to find out what they charge for sms to uk from eu countries.
There must be a simple solution to this, I just can't seem to find it!
Thanks.

jago25_98

Use http://www.smsbug.com/default.asp immediately.
Import further by finding cheap international GPRS; Virgin PAYG I think?

slej wrote: »

I travel around europe regularly and am paying through the nose for sms back to the uk, I'm on vodafone so its costing me 35p per txt even though I've got 1000 inclusive txts for uk use!
Can anyone suggest how to get a better rate eg global sim, another uk payg sim... I've looked around but its quite difficult to find out what they charge for sms to uk from eu countries.
There must be a simple solution to this, I just can't seem to find it!
Thanks.

slej

jago25_98 wrote: »

Use http://www.smsbug.com/default.asp immediately.
Import further by finding cheap international GPRS; Virgin PAYG I think?

Thanks, I've looked at smsbug site. Looks like exactly what I need