Toggle Mobile for abroad? What about in the UK?

Poq

So I've come accross Toggle Mobile, which is best explained on their site: http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/ — you save money when you travel in Europe.

But does anyone have experience of using it as your main provider in the UK?

For example, to replace something like GiffGaff?

Does it come out the same, or cheaper/more?




Right now there's a promo where you can order a free sim from Toggle: https://account.togglemobile.co.uk/Freesim/default.aspx?lang=EN

redux

I have a SIM, but I haven't used it yet.

If the rates stay as they are, I think it makes a lot of sense for some people to use it here.

One potential drawback for some users though is that some networks (T-mobile was the first culprit) won't include the Lycamobile numbers in their inclusive minutes, so you need to be a bit careful about telling other people the number and letting them call to it.

Poq

Thanks for the reply

redux wrote: »

One potential drawback for some users though is that some networks (T-mobile was the first culprit) won't include the Lycamobile numbers in their inclusive minutes, so you need to be a bit careful about telling other people the number and letting them call to it.

Wait, what? Lycamobile?

grumbler

Can you not just port any regular mobile number to them?

Im_just_careful

Sofia,

The implied question was how do other UK networks see the number once ported to your network, is the cost to call in any way "unusual" (as with the Lyca mobile numbers called from T-Mobile) ?

It appears that you have a MVNO arrangement in different countries and associate the same SIM with the network appropriate for the country you are in (with prior set up).

blackguy52

I am also interested in this..please answer toggle as im very interested in this

grumbler

As you wanted it to make calls in the first place, not to receive, just get the sim, port a regular number to it, check and tell us. I am pretty sure that it will cost the same to call you as to any normal UK mobile number.

NFH

You have an innovative product which can be commended in many ways. However, I have three questions:

1. When will you issue genuine micro-SIMs and nano-SIMs? A nano-SIM is 0.67mm thick so a genuine one cannot be cut by hand from a 0.76mm-thick SIM card. Although a manually cut 0.76mm-thick SIM can be forced into an iPhone 5, this has the potential to invalidate the iPhone's warranty.
2. According to Toggle's published prices, outgoing calls from Norway and Italy are charged at £0.34/min, which breaches the European Commission roaming regulations which apply to roaming throughout the European Economic Area. When will these unlawfully high charges be rectified?
   • For a UK-based operator, the maximum permitted charge when roaming in Italy is €0.29 x 0.8293 x 1.20 = £0.2885964.
   • For a UK-based operator, the maximum permitted charge when roaming in Norway is €0.29 x 0.8293 = £0.240497.
3. Why does Toggle Mobile not publish its VAT number on its web site in accordance with Regulation 6(1)(g) of the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002?

grumbler

Why is it without VAT for a UK-based operator in Norway?

NFH

grumbler wrote: »

Why is it without VAT for a UK-based operator in Norwey?

A UK VAT-registered business may charge VAT on telecommunications services only if those services are used and enjoyed within the European Union's VAT area. This is defined by Article 19 of the Value Added Tax (Place of Supply of Services) Order 1992. The Åland Islands (Finland), Canary Islands, Ceuta & Melilla, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and French overseas departments are all outside the European Union's VAT area, so UK VAT is not applied when roaming in these EEA countries and territories. Look at the roaming charges for any of the big four UK mobile networks and you will see that they charge VAT correctly (although some don't get it quite right in parts of Spain because the same Spanish networks cover the whole of Spain). Vodafone is the only one to get it right throughout.

redux

grumbler wrote: »

As you wanted it to make calls in the first place, not to receive, just get the sim, port a regular number to it, check and tell us. I am pretty sure that it will cost the same to call you as to any normal UK mobile number.

Normally if you port a number, the tariff is that of the destination network not the number.

If someone on giffgaff calls their friend on giffgaff who has ported in a number from another network, the call would still be free.

I have an old O2 contract with inclusive minutes to O2 and landliens. I'm pretty sure that if I called a phone on Orange with a ported in O2 number I'd be paying 50 pence a minute.

So I suspect the point I made earlier will apply here, that T-mobile users will be charged rather than find these calls included in their minutes. It's a separate argument really, and T-mobile could be seen as rather duplicitous about this, as they are quite happy to accept termination fees for incoming calls from Lyca users.

Two possible solutions are get the people that will call you most on Toggle to also get a Toggle Mobile SIM, or take two phones and use the other for incoming calls on the regular number. The incoming roaming rate in Europe will be dropping to either 4 or 5 pence a minute later this summer, which will be cheaper than forwarding one's normal number to the Toggle SIM.