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Old 05-10-2005, 10:10 PM   #1
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As many of you know, I aim to go on an externship to the Amalfi Coast next summer for 10 weeks, then hang around for a month afterwards and backpack.

I currently have a GSM phone through Cingular here in Los Estados Unidos, and supposedly it is an unlocked phone.

First, a few things I know:

1. Not all GSM phones are truly worldwide- Some work on some bands, but not all.
2. Not all GSM phones have the ability to work in other countries- they are locked to one frequency here in the States.
3. GSM is fairly prevalent in Europe.
4. Putting a new SIM card into a phone may render it useful in your host country.

So, the questions-

--Anyone bother to take a GSM phone abroad and use it?
--How does one go about activating it/purchasing a local SIM card?
--Is it true that a SIM from Italy may not work in Germany?

Any other stuff I missed is appreciated, and I'm sure this can help some fellow TPunk's out!
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Old 05-10-2005, 10:55 PM   #2
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Quote:
--Anyone bother to take a GSM phone abroad and use it?
Yup. My Sony-Ericsson T610 works perfectly everywhere in Europe, and it also worked in European departments in the Caribbean who had GSM networks.

Quote:
--How does one go about activating it/purchasing a local SIM card?
Europe is littered with mobile stores, roughly one every block by some estimates Just walk in, show them the phone you have, and ask them about their plans.

Quote:
--Is it true that a SIM from Italy may not work in Germany?
It depends on the carrier and whom they have roaming agreements with. Just about any major European carrier has roaming agreements with all the others, so even if you don't get your "local" price, your phone will at least still work on the foreign networks. The plans/fees are even more complex than our American versions, so make sure you have the person at the store go over all the details. For instance, a roomie of mine who was studying in France got charged an arm and a leg to make calls while in the UK, but her incoming calls were free. Personally, I have T-Mobile and because they have a presence or roaming agreements in just about every country in Europe, I'm well-covered.

Also, look at rates for texting. Usually it's a super-cheap alternative to airtime, and you'll find that people in Europe text like fiends compared to us.
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Old 05-11-2005, 06:20 PM   #3
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watch out for very high costs if you use it from one country to the next, it's over a £1 a minute for some phones. you will run up a very high bill if you use it but i always had mine just incase i did not have enough money to get home and needed a mate to bail me out.
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Old 05-11-2005, 06:59 PM   #4
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The high costs lead me to think that a prepaid SIM would be the best way to go. I can limit my calling, etc. and not get nailed with a nasty cell bill.

Anyone prepay one over the pond?
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Old 05-11-2005, 07:08 PM   #5
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I have a Motorola V800 with Cingular service that works fine in Europe but not at all in OZ or NZ. I found that bill-wise it was cheaper for me to communicate by text or access email thru the phone then it was to call overseas but you'd have to check your plan.
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Old 05-11-2005, 10:05 PM   #6
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Jokey - my brother did the prepaid sim while he was in Europe for a year. Loved it. Apparently their prepaid is better than ours (or how ours' used to be). You may just wanna hook everyone up with skype - could be cheaper if you and they will have regular acces to pcs.
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Old 05-12-2005, 09:59 AM   #7
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If you are lucky enough to have an unlocked GSM phone (which in the U.S. is rare - because they really try to limit flexibility here in the states) then you should look into getting prepaid local SIMS in countries you will be in for a bit. It will probably be much cheaper than using your home service in a foreign country, where rates might be as much as $2 or $3 per minute. I know SIMS in Asia are only around $10 or $15 USD, but not sure about Europe. I have a GSM phone that I bought in Asia, it is a tri-mode GSM so it works well in Europe, Asia and the U.S. (though I do not use it in the U.S. except for emergencies - I have a U.S. only cell phone too)and I have a couple of different SIMS that I use in different countries. The frequencies your phone can use will determine how well it works over there, however. You should check what your phone has and compare to what Europe has - the net should serve up all the info.

Prepaid phone cards/SIMS are very big overseas and you can get cards everywhere. Omi is right - texting is cheaper and people are text fanatics over there. You should see how fast they can type.
good luck.
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Old 05-12-2005, 11:50 AM   #8
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for cheep sim check out ebay.co.uk, in the high street shops they will charge you £20 on ebay 99p + P&P, send it to a hostel if your at one for 2 days or something, although you may be better with a non UK one as the call costs are high.
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Old 05-12-2005, 11:51 AM   #9
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txt 's are quite cheep though
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