Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum
The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

Cell Phone Abroad

CaswynbenCaswynben Registered User regular
edited March 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
I am going to Italy this summer for a month-long study-abroad course. I live in the United States, and I want to have a cell phone to use while I am in Italy. My wireless carrier (Alltel) won't cover me over there. What is the best solution for this? I heard that you can buy a pay-as-you-go plan that you can use, since I don't want to get tied into any contracts since I will only be there for a month.

Caswynben on

Posts

  • HiredGunHiredGun Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    Figure out whether your cellphone uses a SIMM card or not. (Many US phones do not). If it does, you are in luck. You can take your phone over there, purchase a SIMM card (which provides the line/account, and the link with the carrier), and put prepaid credits onto it.

    If not, you'll need a different phone. You can ask around, because lots of people who have returned from study abroad probably have SIMM phones they don't need. Otherwise, I'm sure you can buy one used when you arrive in Italy.

    Let me say, though, that if you'll only be there a month, it may not be worth the hassle.

    HiredGun on
  • Jimmy KingJimmy King Registered User regular
    edited March 2007
    The SIM card deal still has some variables and so it's probably easiest to pick up a cheap pay as you go deal once you are over there.

    Most US GSM phones are locked to only support a SIM card from that carrier. It is possible to unlock them to allow the use of any SIM card but I have heard of people not being able to get their phone unlocked (sorry, I don't remember carriers/models).

    On top of that you've got the frequency issue. There are actually 4 different GSM frequencies that may be in use. Most everyone I know who travels between US and Europe uses a tri-band phone as otherwise you run the risk of your phone not being able to function in some places.

    Jimmy King on
    https://bash-shell.net | https://mobelux.com/
  • KMFurDMKMFurDM Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2007
    The easiest thing to do is get yourself an unlocked, quadband GSM phone.

    I have T-Mobile here in the states and when I signed with them I got a Razr. All I had to do when I decided to take my phone with me the last time I went to Europe was call T-Mobile and request that the phone was unlocked. You can do that after three months being with them. A day later I got a call back and was walked through the process of unlocking it and it was done. Pretty simple.

    When I got to Amsterdam I walked into a Vodafone store, bought a prepaid account for 45 Euro, popped the SIM into my phone and that was it. I stepped outside the store and called my family back here. It was one of the more comforting things I have done. Being without a phone and having to rely on payphones really is a pain in the ass and gets expensive. You have to remember though that calling internationally sucks up the minutes you've bought much more quickly. Not terrible if you keep the calls short.

    Since then I've bought myself an unlocked phone that supports quadband GSM, all of the 3g frequencies, has WiFi, etc, etc...so that when I travel I can stay even more connected.

    KMFurDM on
Sign In or Register to comment.
Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum