For travelers on the budget, slipping to a new SIM-card may be the best way that they will not break the bank, using their mobile phones on a trip abroad.

U.S. carriers such as AT & T and Verizon Wireless, was trying to make it easier and cheaper for mobile subscribers use their cellular phones while traveling in another country. And indeed they have. All major carriers offer phones that can be used for international roaming. And some have even added a special international packages with limited local telephony and data transmission rate to encourage passengers to their cell phones at the time they are on the move in a foreign country.

But for the U.S. cellular phone subscribers who are accustomed to free local and long distance calls, as well as free domestic roaming and large buckets of voice minutes and text messages, the “reduced” rates do not look so cheap.

But there are alternatives, especially for those who have unlocked GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) phones. By simply replace the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card in the back of your phone with the SIM cards of local operators, or those designed specifically for international roaming cellular phone users can save up to 80 percent, when to call, instead of using the U.S. carrier’s international roaming plan.

The proliferation of inexpensive mobile phones with prepaid service provider in the world has made the practice easy. But with the help of local and international roaming SIM often requires planning and a little legwork, which means that it is not for everyone. Nevertheless, the savings may be too great to pass up.

To help readers understand how all of this SIM-card in return and help them determine if this is the right decision for them, I have compiled this FAQ to answer some basic questions. If we missed any important information, feel free to e-mail and / or to share your thoughts with other readers to talk back section below.

Let’s start with the basics. What is a SIM-card?
SIM-cards in a postage stamp sized chip, which is the phone cord that slides into the back of the phone, usually underneath the battery. Replacing the SIM card is very simple.

If I replace my SIM to another SIM from another country, I will be able to use your phone number or check my United States United States voicemail using my phone?
In the majority of prepaid SIM cards, the answer is no. You will get a new phone number that is local to the country where you bought the SIM. Depending on the country and the service you have, you can get access to voice mail. However, some wireless operators in some countries do not provide for the prepaid users.

One company I found in my research, Brightroam, offers customers the opportunity to send the North American cell phone calls to its international mobile phone number. Brightroam charges users about 69 cents per minute, to take these challenges.

Where can I get a prepaid SIM-card?
There are several options. You can buy a prepaid SIM-card for the country where you are traveling or on the network, before leaving on a trip, or you can buy one from a local operator of wireless communications, when you get to your destination. Buying a prepaid SIM in the United States, probably will cost a bit more because the company is often a course of surcharge. For example, if you are going to the UK and you buy a prepaid SIM-card in the network from the site, such as Telestial, it will cost about $ 29 at the SIM-card. This will give you a little ether, between $ 1 and $ 7, depending on the provider of your choice.

It is often cheaper to buy a SIM when you get to your destination. For example, using the Orange in the UK, you can get a SIM-card for less than $ 15, which also must come from the ether.

Another option is to buy international roaming SIM-card, which you can also buy online from several companies, including Telestial, Mobal and Brightroam, to name a few. The benefits of these SIM cards is that they can make inexpensive calls to any country you are traveling with.

SIM cards purchased for a particular country often have high rates of roaming, when the SIM cards that are used outside the country. Telestial, which offers low-cost roaming in over 130 countries, offers a unique international roaming-SIM, which offers two rooms: one of the UK and one from the United States, users will receive calls and text messages when people call any number. Call rates, as the beginning of only 29 cents per minute. At the SIM-card costs $ 29 and comes with $ 10 in the air in advance.

How much can you save by using prepaid or international SIM-cards instead of using my carrier’s international service?
If you are on tight budget, and you do not like to leave your regular mobile phone at home, prepaid SIM cards are indeed the cheapest option. I use the U.K. option as an example.

Using AT & T services in the UK, it would be charged $ 1.29 per minute for all calls made while in the UK With the special discounted World Traveler package, which costs $ 5 a month extra, international roaming rate will be 99 cents minute. Text messages are 50 cents for sending picture messages and $ 1.30 each.

Compare that with the changing SIM-card for international roaming SIM-card from Telestial. With this card, calls to landline phones in the UK in nearly stationary in any other country in Western Europe and the United States and Canada will cost 29 cents per minute. It will cost 69 cents to call in the UK, Western Europe, the United States, Canada or mobile phone number. Telestial Calls to voice mail and customer support are free. All incoming calls are 29 cents per minute, and sending text messages will cost 69 cents. Receiving text messages is free.

Telephone rates for country-specific SIM cards even cheaper. In the country-specific SIM-card to order Telestial network, all incoming calls are free. For calls to landlines and mobile phones in the UK, you can expect to pay about 30 cents per minute. Text messages will cost about 20 cents each to send and receive. A call to the United States and Canada about 8 cents for landlines and 12 cents for mobile phones.

Buying a SIM-card, when you get to London from a local operator such as Orange, can offer even better deals. Orange offers a variety of service options for prepaid customers. In general, domestic calls range from 30 cents to 40 cents per minute, depending on the exchange rate. (All calls are billed in local currency.) And the text of about 20 cents to send and receive. As a special international plan, customers can also make international calls for as low as 10 cents per minute. Orange also offers free text messages to customers when they are “above” or add money to your phone. One plan offers a free 300 text messages with 10-pound supplement. And you can get 600 text messages with 20-pound and add 30-pound top up gets you unlimited text messages until the card expires.

A SIM card in any phone?
No they do not. They work only in GSM phones. A phone should be unlocked. If you live in the United States, phones from AT & T and T-Mobile USA operates in the GSM network and can be unlocked. You can call your carrier to ask for the unlock code, go online to pay a fee for the unlock code, or make cell phone specialty store and pay them to unlock your phone. Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel does not work, use GSM, so the majority of their phones do not use SIM cards, and therefore can not be unlocked. However, these operators also offer a range of world phones that use GSM. These phones can be unlocked just like any other GSM phone, and a new SIM-card can be slotted into them. Check the Verizon and Sprint websites to get a list of GSM-compatible phones.

Can I buy a unlocked phone, before I leave for my trip?
Many websites, including Amazon.com in the various partner retailers sell unlocked cell phones GSM. Also, a large phone manufacturers such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson, sell unlocked GSM phones in its stores and online. But before you buy a unlocked phone, or plan to use your phone unlocked abroad to check to make sure that your phone supports the appropriate frequencies. In the United States, GSM operators use the 850MHz and 1900MHz frequencies. In Europe they use the 900MHz and 1800MHz frequencies. It is therefore important to make sure the phone you buy or plan to use on your trip operates in the correct frequency.

Can I buy a unlocked phone abroad?
Yes, many wireless operators around the world offer cheap phones with prepaid. For example, Orange in the UK, sells a Samsung E1120, very basic phone, about $ 15. If you plan to use the phone you are buying for future travel, make sure that it is a quadband phone that supports all major GSM frequencies used worldwide.

If I do not have the unlocked GSM phone, you can get one?
Yes you can. Some international travel Web sites offer phone rentals. For example, rents Telestial phone, ranging from $ 7 per day for trips that last from one to five days. The longer the trip, the less per day rate will be. And for trips longer than 46 days, the company rents phones for $ 2 a day.

Sometimes you also rent phones in the airport. But if you want to rent a phone, it is better to check beforehand that it is, or about the same network to your trip.

So, now that I have an unlocked GSM quadband cell phone, I should get a local SIM-card or one of the international roaming cards? What is the difference?
If you use a local SIM-card or an international roaming SIM-card depends on several factors. Do you plan to stay in the country on one trip, or you will be traveling to several countries? How do you plan to travel to other countries in the future? You expect to return to the same country you are traveling on this trip?

The general rule is that the finger, if you plan to stay in the country during the entire trip, or you plan to return to the same country often, local SIM may be the best solution for you. But if you plan to move to more than one country during your trip, or if you frequent international travelers a variety of ways, and then an international SIM may be suitable for you.

So what advantages and disadvantages of a local SIM-card?
Pros: Local SIM cards offer the best rate for local calls. You will have a local phone number in a country where you are visiting, which is inexpensive to make for local people to call you.

Against: If you do not order online, you will have to spend precious vacation time and effort looking for a shop to buy a SIM-card. The instructions and the prompts to install and use the services in the local language. So if you only speak English, as you travel to Italy, for example, it can be problematic. Calling on the international level in the United States and Canada may be cheaper than what your home wireless operator charges, but the rates may be higher than the rates offered for international roaming SIM cards, which are designed for tourists. Roaming outside the country where the SIM to be used may not be available. And if it is, it is likely to be expensive.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an international roaming SIM-card?
Pluses: Calls to the U.S., often cheaper than in any other cell phone calling plan. You can order the card online and receive international phone numbers before you go on a trip, so that you can give it to friends and family. Since you have a card in advance, you do not have to waste time searching for places to buy SIM-card. You can keep your international SIM-card and phone number and use it on future trips. For example, Telestial allows to activate your phone number, even if you have not used it for a long time. Instructions, tips and customer support in English.

Against: Making calls and sending text messages will be more expensive than using a local SIM-card. You probably will have one mobile phone number that is located in a country where you are traveling. Telestial numbers from the UK, this means that local residents outside the UK will be charged an international rate when calling the number.

May I repeat my SIM-card for future visits?
Most prepaid SIM card expiration dates. If the SIM-card is inactive for a certain period, usually about three months, you will lose that money, which they put at stake, and has not yet been used. After nine months to one year, many operators will turn off the SIM-card and phone number. This means that if you return to this country after that time, you must obtain a new SIM-card.

How can I add money to my prepaid SIM-card?
There are often several ways to “replenish” your phone. You can get a card in convenience stores, tobacco shops, or the carrier’s retail store. Some operators allow money to be added through the website or by calling the special number. Some services will also automatically update your account with a credit card, if your account falls below a certain limit.

A data? Can I get a prepaid service, offering 2G and 3G data services for mobile Web and checking e-mail?
It depends on the local carrier and the SIM-card you are using. Some operators offer access to mobile Web surfing via WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) with a SIM card. If so, you can browse WAP-and web interface to check email. Some prepaid SIM-card does not offer any data service, so check before you buy. If you want 3G service for smartphones, you must also apply for that. Some carriers offer it and some do not.

Some international roaming SIM cards, such as a passport products Telestial, offering data transmission services. In Telestial service GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) data services in 71 countries and 3G services in 10 countries. Your phone must be able to handle data services, and it must also be configured to work with the data of the prepaid service. The company offers instructions for the different phones on its website.

Prices vary depending on the country in which you use the service, and they are also based on kilobytes used. For example, using Telestial services to download 1MB of data is worth $ 5 in the UK and Ireland. And rates higher than $ 30 megabytes of Chile and Australia.

With push e-mail to my BlackBerry?
BlackBerry data typically do not work with a SIM-card from a foreign carrier. This service is usually linked to an existing post-paid services in your country. Despite this, a SIM-card into the unlocked BlackBerry will give you access to voice, text messages, and in some cases on the Internet. Thus, you can check your e-mail via your mobile web browser, or using specific applications loaded on your phone.

There is at least one company under the name Brightroam which gives BlackBerry SIM for $ 30.99. Company Web-site said that the BlackBerry offers data transfer for $ 1.50 per kilobyte. The website also sells new and refurbished unlocked phones.

Here are some additional tips on buying and using SIM cards abroad:
• Be prepared to provide some personal information such as passport number, a local address, if you buy a local SIM-card from the carrier in the country you are. In the past, prepaid phones were used by terrorists to communicate with each other, and blow up bombs. Therefore, in many countries, especially in Europe, local carriers are requiring customers to register for prepaid cards. And some countries do not allow non-residents to buy prepaid phones and SIM cards, so check beforehand.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 4:38 am and is filed under Mobile & wireless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.