Mobile Roaming: Cheapest Calls When You're Abroad

Raven

Well I went for the www.simstogo.co.uk which also use www.sims2go.co.uk.



I didn't like the look of the website for "Sim2go" (notice its sim not sims) it had a lack of info. :think:




Raven

malid

Raven wrote: »

Well I went for the www.simstogo.co.uk which also use www.sims2go.co.uk.



I didn't like the look of the website for "Sim2go" (notice its sim not sims) it had a lack of info. :think:




Raven

This is confusing. my preference is also http://www.simstogo.co.uk/index.php which as you say has simstogo on its front page. So I should note that my earlier post is incorrect in that I meant to say sims2go not the sinular sim2go!

redux

Peelgirl76 wrote: »

Can anyone give me some advice about what to do about a mobile phone/camera when my 17 year old goes to Peru for a month at the beginning of July, with World Challenge? At first his group weren't going to take a mobile at all, now they've decided to all get a cheapie payg from, say ASDA. But what about the Sim, which one would be best? He hopefully won't be using it much to ring home, just if in dire need. And would it be better just to get a cheap disposable camera? Any advice is appreciated, as I don't know where to start!

There aren't any cheap roaming deals there, either with UK or roaming SIMs, so it would be a local one.

They use different frequency bands there, so you might not necessarily go for the very cheapest phone from here, and check.

Claro uses 1900 MHz, which will be the third band on a triband phone bought in the UK

http://www.claro.com.pe/opencms/opencms/claro/detalle.html?idSeccion=1&idPadre=2&idContenido=1028&idItem=9

Movistar uses 850 MHz, which would need a quadband from here if not waiting to get a cheap one there

http://www.movistar.com.pe/default2.aspx?id=21

Nextel uses 3g at 1900 MHz, which might not be on all 3g phones bought here. I wouldn't bother

http://www.nextel.com.pe/portal/server.pt/community/prepago/331

None of them have full coverage of the whole country - see if you can find a coverage (cobertura) map on their sites

I'd suggest a cheap secondhand phone and he sees if there are mobile shops in the areas he'll be, but make other arrangements as well, maybe calling cards from there, maybe callback providers, or you call wherever he is using cheap call providers

redux

Ziggy_Stardust wrote: »

There seems to be two different Sim2Go companies

http://www.simstogo.co.uk/index.php
http://www.sim2go.co.uk/default.aspx

how confusing! :eek:

isn't it!

the one with the number in is a copy of free2roam

It's been a reseller of the original Callkey SIMs using Manx Telecom.

Now that it also has the multi-IMSI SIMs, these will be the Wire9 based ones from Callkey resellers

So if they both have a multi_ID SIM version, they are exactly the same underlying product, though rivals

redux

Raven wrote: »

Done a couple of test calls here in the uk, looks like it costs 12p per min to call from your 3 or vodafone mob to the international sim. 10p from bt and 18 or 14 from Ntl.

Interesting, as some of these numbers fall outside contract inclusive minutes and are charged more

Does your number start with 078722? If it was 077000 or 079245 I'd expect it to be more expensive. Some count 078722 as an O2 number even though it actually isn't.

Ziggy_Stardust

redux wrote: »

Interesting, as some of these numbers fall outside contract inclusive minutes and are charged more

Does your number start with 078722? If it was 077000 or 079245 I'd expect it to be more expensive. Some count 078722 as an O2 number even though it actually isn't.

I e-mailed them last week to ask where their calls were routed through and got this reply:
"Our calls are routed through a British Telecom switch at telecoms house in the UK. Our SIM card number range is +44 78722 which is also routed through a UK company O2 Isle of Man."

Raven

Hi redux

Yes, its 078722 but was hoping it would be able to come out of inclusive minutes cant have everything I suppose.



Raven

redux

Ziggy_Stardust wrote: »

Thanks . Which brand do you have? Its just that my daughter is going away for a month to Kenya and we need something reliable otherwise she will panic and not know what to do if she can't contact us - kids eh?

well, you might consider having more than one global SIM for peace of mind

I'd suggest 2 or even all 3 from one of these brands discussed recently, ekit and maybe Traveltalksim

The last two use Manx Telecom, but they are separate platforms

ekit have several variations of tariff possibilities, targeted at use in different areas. Their SIMs look a bit expensive on their own website, but they also sell some on eBay - you want the £10 Home and Roam one which has incoming in Kenya at 9c US, not the £1.99 with higher outgoing rates and free incoming in only UK France Spain and Italy

Traveltalksim I havent tried, though I will do, and it has quite attractive rates compared to these others. It has its own number series which may be included in more UK networks inclusive minutes than the IoM numbers, though I haven't tested this recently either

redux

Ziggy_Stardust wrote: »

I e-mailed them last week to ask where their calls were routed through and got this reply:
"Our calls are routed through a British Telecom switch at telecoms house in the UK. Our SIM card number range is +44 78722 which is also routed through a UK company O2 Isle of Man."

errrm, well they might need a bit of education on the last sentence then

all of those number series I mentioned are allocated to Wire9, though as I said the 078722 may be counted by some as O2 - O2 have the adjacent 07872n numbers and you may get told O2 if you don't specify the next digit on a look-up

there isn't a company O2 Isle of Man

redux

Ypaymore wrote: »

Does the caller who phones you pay a high tariff for the call?
Not at all. Because Sim2Go customers are given a normal UK mobile number, their callers simply pay the same rate as if they were calling an UK mobile phone. If the caller has cross-network minutes available on their monthly contract, calls to a Sim2Go are free.

I don't think I'd like to be quite as confident. If it's as like free2roam as it looks, I'd expect the number to be 076241 or possibly 079240 if the earlier single ID SIM (I know people with 2 of the former; don't know if they used the latter like other resellers), and one of the Wire9 series already mentioned if the later dual-ID,