I'm trying to figure where to get a SIM from for an upcoming trip to Madrid Spain+surrounding areas, Porto Portugal, and the island of Sardinia Italy. I see they have Vodafone in all three countries. Can I just get one prepaid from them and have it for the entire 3 weeks?
I generally find all the answers to my questions here with out posting, but this is super confusing to me for some reason. I'm not even confident that I'm choosing the right providers based on the bands I have in the Tmobile N1 I have.
If someone could point me in the right direction, I would certainly appreciate it. Once I know who to shop with I can probably figure out a good plan for myself, but just in case, I'm looking for about 3 weeks worth of 3g data (hopefully) and handful of minutes that I can use for those three countries. Most of Sardinia is off the beaten path, so I dont expect much there.
Thanks everyone. :good:
smot13 said:
I'm trying to figure where to get a SIM from for an upcoming trip to Madrid Spain+surrounding areas, Porto Portugal, and the island of Sardinia Italy. I see they have Vodafone in all three countries. Can I just get one prepaid from them and have it for the entire 3 weeks?
I generally find all the answers to my questions here with out posting, but this is super confusing to me for some reason. I'm not even confident that I'm choosing the right providers based on the bands I have in the Tmobile N1 I have.
If someone could point me in the right direction, I would certainly appreciate it. Once I know who to shop with I can probably figure out a good plan for myself, but just in case, I'm looking for about 3 weeks worth of 3g data (hopefully) and handful of minutes that I can use for those three countries. Most of Sardinia is off the beaten path, so I dont expect much there.
Thanks everyone. :good:
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Firstly, T-Mobile USA uses the same frequencies as European carriers, so that's something you don't need to worry about.
Secondly, although they all have Vodafone, you can't use all 3 of them on the same prepaid sim for local prices. If you buy a Portuguese Vodafone prepaid sim, you will have to pay (higher) roaming prices in Spain and Italy. Don't know the exact prices though, but I'm sure you can find something on the world wide web about it. I'm also sure there are cheaper budget carriers available in al 3 countries, so I wouldn't go for Vodafone.
Enjoy your trip!
tommert38 said:
Firstly, T-Mobile USA uses the same frequencies as European carriers, so that's something you don't need to worry about.
Secondly, although they all have Vodafone, you can't use all 3 of them on the same prepaid sim for local prices. If you buy a Portuguese Vodafone prepaid sim, you will have to pay (higher) roaming prices in Spain and Italy. Don't know the exact prices though, but I'm sure you can find something on the world wide web about it. I'm also sure there are cheaper budget carriers available in al 3 countries, so I wouldn't go for Vodafone.
Enjoy your trip!
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Thanks for the info about Vodafone. If it seems to convenient it probably is lol.
For Spain I found Yoigo. 1.29euro a day for data. Sold! But I'm reading on another forum that it is UMTS only? Am I still good to go for that? Does that just mean it's only going to work in the city?
smot13 said:
Thanks for the info about Vodafone. If it seems to convenient it probably is lol.
For Spain I found Yoigo. 1.29euro a day for data. Sold! But I'm reading on another forum that it is UMTS only? Am I still good to go for that? Does that just mean it's only going to work in the city?
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UMTS id the data technology, just like edge is 2g. UMTS/HSPDA is 3g
Related
I have 3 quick questions please.
1) I have a UK Diamond from Orange. I am going to the US next month. Will I be able to use my phone with an American SIM card?
2) and if so, which one? My phone is unlocked.
3) any good tarrifs to recommend? (on pay as you go, as I'm only staying for 2 weeks).
Thanks a lot.
I am going to bump this because I have exactly the same set up and want to know the answer please for when I visit New Jersey in the new year
as long as it's unlocked it should work.
att charges 25 cents a minute on a pay as you go plan. And i think t-mobile is around the same.
Thanks for that info - that is a lot cheaper than using a UK SIM card on roaming in the USA. How much does it cost to buy a pay as you go SIM and are they easy to find?
e3esxt02 said:
as long as it's unlocked it should work.
att charges 25 cents a minute on a pay as you go plan. And i think t-mobile is around the same.
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thanks a lot...
peterc10 said:
Thanks for that info - that is a lot cheaper than using a UK SIM card on roaming in the USA. How much does it cost to buy a pay as you go SIM and are they easy to find?
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they should be easy to find... However, you (and I) have to consider that in the US you pay to receive calls as well.. (right? correct me if I'm wrong)
You have to pay to receive calls when roaming, i.e. using a UK SIM in the USA. I do not know if you have to pay to receive calls when using a US SIM in the USA. Can someone living in the USA answer that please?
Can you only buy these SIMs in phone shops in the US. Or do supermarkets and other general stores sell them , as they do in the Uk and many other countries? And how much does the SIM itself cost please?
Yes, you pay as much when receiving calls in the US by the use of US Sim. More details on AT&T Pay-As-You-Go can be found at http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/go-phones/pyg-plans-phones.jsp?_requestid=16571. Similar can be found at T-Mobile website, at http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/Cell-Phone-Plans.aspx?catgroup=prepaid-cell-phone-plan, where the rate depends on the number of minutes you purchase. The difference lies in the charge per minute as well as the period that you can keep/roll-over the unused minutes. For short-term visit, obviously, the charge per minute is more important. You can find the various phone cards (including AT&T's) in most grocery stores, such as food stores, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc. You chose the minutes, insert the sim with included minutes, and you call a number to activate the number.
There are international roaming SIMs that are tailored to the country (including the US of course) you will be visiting with the calling-back-home plan at a much cheper rate. Calling from China back home to the US, for example, the rate is $0.38/min as compared to 1.89/min on AT&T International Roaming. Type "International SIM" on google search to find all these deals.
Welcome and have a nice trip to the US
Hello,
I live on a US Military base in Germany, and know that the only carrier of the Nexus One here is Vodafone, and without a contract it costs €489,99, which is like $610, a lot more than the $529 you pay in America. But since I can get free/cheaper shipping to my APO address, I am wondering if I can buy a $529 Nexus One from a carrier in America like AT&T and just use my own sim card in it. Thanks.
Stevv said:
Hello,
I live on a US Military base in Germany, and know that the only carrier of the Nexus One here is Vodafone, and without a contract it costs €489,99, which is like $610, a lot more than the $529 you pay in America. But since I can get free/cheaper shipping to my APO address, I am wondering if I can buy a $529 Nexus One from a carrier in America like AT&T and just use my own sim card in it. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
The $529 Nexus One you get in the US would come directly from Google, not from a carrier. Both variants of the phone will get you 3G on all carriers in Germany and most in the majority of Europe since they both have UMTS 2100. If you have any preference for which carrier to use it on when you're back in the US, you could make a decision based on that.
cmstlist said:
The $529 Nexus One you get in the US would come directly from Google, not from a carrier. Both variants of the phone will get you 3G on all carriers in Germany and most in the majority of Europe since they both have UMTS 2100. If you have any preference for which carrier to use it on when you're back in the US, you could make a decision based on that.
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tl; dr; -> Yes.
so, basically, yes, I can get the $529 one from Google and use it in Europe, using the SIM card I already have?
Correct. It's better to do that as you don't have to wait for Voda to **** about with the firmware.
Stevv said:
so, basically, yes, I can get the $529 one from Google and use it in Europe, using the SIM card I already have?
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Yes, and as cmstlist said, the decision of T-Mo vs ATnT would mainly depend on your preference of carrier back in the US, if at all.
Rusty! said:
Correct. It's better to do that as you don't have to wait for Voda to **** about with the firmware.
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AFAIK, Voda does not "**** about" with firmwares. Google rolls updates. Google has voluntarily decided to delay the European updates, to customise the stuff I guess.
rohandhruva said:
AFAIK, Voda does not "**** about" with firmwares. Google rolls updates. Google has voluntarily decided to delay the European updates, to customise the stuff I guess.
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Well. Vodafone wants to charge for tethering, so I guess they need some "add ons".
I thought the whole point of Nexus One was to make updates carrier-independent. Even now, the N1 sold by Vodafone is not branded anywhere right?
Well maybe it's not Voda dicking about, but for no apparent reason, someone somewhere is.
My US TMo handset needed exactly nothing doing to it to run refectly on Vodafone UK, yet apparently 2.2 (which of course runs fine) needs changes to work. Hmmmm.
Rusty! said:
Well maybe it's not Voda dicking about, but for no apparent reason, someone somewhere is.
My US TMo handset needed exactly nothing doing to it to run refectly on Vodafone UK, yet apparently 2.2 (which of course runs fine) needs changes to work. Hmmmm.
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There's no "need" for changes, emergency calls and APNs are the official reason. But that's a load since everything works fine on Kang-o-rama for me.
Translated source on heise.de
My handset originally came with EPF21B. The changes are not in the way the phone or the hardware works, they are cosmetic changes which are Europe-specific. For example the spellings, the date format etc. Customising those is probably what's causing the delay.
T-MO USA version has the frequencies you are looking for to use it in Europe.
Well mine has the correct UK spellings, correct date and time format. Probably something to do with setting the language to English (UK) more than any customistion being done.
rohandhruva said:
My handset originally came with EPF21B. The changes are not in the way the phone or the hardware works, they are cosmetic changes which are Europe-specific. For example the spellings, the date format etc. Customising those is probably what's causing the delay.
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No, it's not. It's about adding an accounting technique for the sharing of mobile internet. The locale didn't change and things like voice search or turn by turn navigation are added in application updates.
There's no reason to delay the OTA other than adding provider crap ware.
N1 in Europe
I'm in the Navy stationed in Greece and I bought my N1 in Jan. before moving here. I use a local sim with a 3G data plan and have no issues. The only thing is You won't be able to purchase apps unless you have an American sim. It's annoying to have to switch sims to update paid apps but that is the only problem I ran into. If you bought one on a plan from T Mobile the you'll be responsible for that bill. I would go the unlocked route or see if there are any for sale used.
You can use MarketAccess to install/update the protected apps without changing sims - http://amip.tools-for.net/wiki/android/marketaccess
glwinkler said:
I'm in the Navy stationed in Greece and I bought my N1 in Jan. before moving here. I use a local sim with a 3G data plan and have no issues. The only thing is You won't be able to purchase apps unless you have an American sim. It's annoying to have to switch sims to update paid apps but that is the only problem I ran into. If you bought one on a plan from T Mobile the you'll be responsible for that bill. I would go the unlocked route or see if there are any for sale used.
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So, do you have to pay a lot for internet access while you are buying apps using your American sim?
Or can you not use Wi-fi to download apps?
Yes, you can use WiFi but afaik you still need that US SIM card inserted.
Also, check your PM
Hi guys,
I'll be going to the UK in August, and spain/france/netherlands/czech republic for a little bit too. T-Mobile offers a discounted international plan, but that's AFAIK only for voice minutes. What I really need is text and data plan, but I don't know if T-Mobile can do that at a reasonable price. I have no problems with getting a temporary phone number, so I suppose I'd be open to getting a pre-paid monthly sim card while in Europe, but does anyone know if those support data plans? I can't imagine traveling through Europe without Maps/all the resources my N1.
niiiick said:
Hi guys,
I'll be going to the UK in August, and spain/france/netherlands/czech republic for a little bit too. T-Mobile offers a discounted international plan, but that's AFAIK only for voice minutes. What I really need is text and data plan, but I don't know if T-Mobile can do that at a reasonable price. I have no problems with getting a temporary phone number, so I suppose I'd be open to getting a pre-paid monthly sim card while in Europe, but does anyone know if those support data plans? I can't imagine traveling through Europe without Maps/all the resources my N1.
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in czech republic you can buy "twist internet" prepair card for unlimited internet access .. it cost 850czk which is about 40$ ... but t-mobile isn't very good with 3g coverage, so you propably ends with gprs/edge
houmles said:
in czech republic you can buy "twist internet" prepair card for unlimited internet access .. it cost 850czk which is about 40$ ... but t-mobile isn't very good with 3g coverage, so you propably ends with gprs/edge
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the answer. Unfortunately, the Czech Republic is the last part of Europe i plan to be in. I specifically need a solution that I can buy in the UK that would ideally work throughout the rest of Europe. Do they even exist?
Just find yourself a prepaid SIM down there. I don't know what carriers work throughout Europe, but do some searching and see what carriers work for that. Find one, buy a prepaid SIM, enjoy. It's a lot cheaper than buying international plans from T-Mobile or AT&T.
(I've never done this myself, but I definitely hear it's the way to go.)
hello gaise,
I'm from malaysia, and about to go to the US to pursue my studies.
I'm thinking about getting this phone in malaysia, but what I'm really concern is whether this phone will be compatible with the US network or it would be end up sitting in a trashcan somewhere in states. Should I just bought my phone in the US???
Since I only know this 2 network operator, at&t and tmobile.what is the best carrier in the sense of their wireless coverage and data plans ?
thank you in advance
akukurt said:
hello gaise,
I'm from malaysia, and about to go to the US to pursue my studies.
I'm thinking about getting this phone in malaysia, but what I'm really concern is whether this phone will be compatible with the US network or it would be end up sitting in a trashcan somewhere in states. Should I just bought my phone in the US???
Since I only know this 2 network operator, at&t and tmobile.what is the best carrier in the sense of their wireless coverage and data plans ?
thank you in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wierd place to ask this question. But the 710a is for at&t and the 710e will work on t-mobile. You can go to their websites and look up their 3g/4g coverage wherever you plan to be. If money is not a problem, I would go with AT&T.
My son is leaving for Australia for ten months as I write this. We live in the USA and use AT&T. He has an unlocked iPhone 6. Any suggestion from Australian friends for best phone service, cheap temporary in Sydney?
Thanks
jcrompton said:
My son is leaving for Australia for ten months as I write this. We live in the USA and use AT&T. He has an unlocked iPhone 6. Any suggestion from Australian friends for best phone service, cheap temporary in Sydney?
Thanks
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@Heisenberg is from australia.. he might be able to help or @Art Vanderlay
jcrompton said:
My son is leaving for Australia for ten months as I write this. We live in the USA and use AT&T. He has an unlocked iPhone 6. Any suggestion from Australian friends for best phone service, cheap temporary in Sydney?
Thanks
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Telstra is the best network provider in Australia, hands down. He can pick up a prepaid SIM from Telstra stores and most supermarket chains. Their prepaid deals are pretty decent, I use them myself. Optus are pretty reliable too and they have some good prepaid deals.
Heisenberg said:
Telstra is the best network provider in Australia, hands down. He can pick up a prepaid SIM from Telstra stores and most supermarket chains. Their prepaid deals are pretty decent, I use them myself. Optus are pretty reliable too and they have some good prepaid deals.
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Thank you. He land in Sydney in about 4 hours. He will be near Shire and in an youth pastor program at a church I think is called Shire Life
Thanks again , I'll pass on to him with the new found (for us) Whatsapp app !
Heisenberg said:
Telstra is the best network provider in Australia, hands down. He can pick up a prepaid SIM from Telstra stores and most supermarket chains. Their prepaid deals are pretty decent, I use them myself. Optus are pretty reliable too and they have some good prepaid deals.
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The pastor that he is working with said that might be the most expensive provider ..... But many times normal folks who don't do some of this stuff don't know other factors ...... Any thoughts or comments??
Thanks again
jcrompton said:
The pastor that he is working with said that might be the most expensive provider ..... But many times normal folks who don't do some of this stuff don't know other factors ...... Any thoughts or comments??
Thanks again
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Telstra can be expensive if you're on a plan/contract. But in my experience their prepaid deals are very good value, I pay $30 a month and I get 1.3gb of data and plenty of calls/sms. There are many different style plans and value amounts for each plan. He could go with a cheap provider but he'll get cheap (spotty) coverage. You can have a look at their prepaid plans on their site:
https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/offers-and-rates