Phone home From India

eDicky wrote: »

If your handset is unlocked you can temporarily replace the SIM with with a local one, but obtaining an Indian SIM is so difficult for a foreigner that it's unlikely to be worth the hassle (unless you can have an Indian get it for you in their name).

Depending on how 'remote' you will actually be, WiFi will often be available in hotels etc. You can put a little credit on an app such as Viber, Skype, WhatsApp etc, to make your calls.

You can receive text messages to your UK number without charge, but using data, making or receiving calls, or sending texts will incur high roaming charges on your UK network.

Totally agree. If you can get an Indian sim the calls to the UK can be cheap as chips, but I would be inclined to get a cheap smartphone/s and use whatsapp...etc. Most establishments in India have WiFi these days.

saxonman wrote: »

Ok I’ll look at getting a cheap phone and try getting a SIM card. I’ve read in India you need a photocopy of your passport and I’d photo to get a sim. Does anyone know if this is still right.

My experience (2015 and again in 2016): the process of getting a SIM card in my name took about three weeks and a lot of trouble. I needed photocopies of my passport and Indian visa as well as proof of accommodation (my hotel was very difficult about this). There is a lot to go wrong with the process, and even once you have the SIM you need to wait a day before putting any money on it, and only then can you start the activation process...

So I avoided some of these problems on my second visit by getting an Indian friend to get a SIM in his name for my use. It still took about a week and a fair amount of trouble!

If you are going to be making specific calls then see if you can just pay someone to let you make them using her/his mobile. Although the easiest solution is to make all your calls when you have decent internet access using something like Skype.