Switzerland PAYT SIM - Desire General

Hi,
I'm off to Switzerland shortly on holiday and would really like to take my Desire and use my internet based applications (Endomondo, Picassa etc).
I'm currently with T-Mob who state that data transfer using their SIM cost £7.50 per MB, which I seriously do not want to risk.
Can anyone recommend a cheap (ish) Swiss based SIM card that has a competitive data rate. I've tried Swisscom, Sunrise and Orange, but they are either too expensive (one was 0.10CHF per 20KB!!!) or it doesn't state the cost.
I've noticed there is a Migros shop nearby who sell SIM but they also don't state the data rates.
My fall back plan is to disable data on the phone and let GPS record everything but then only upload when I find a free wifi zone.
Leaving on Sunday so would ideally like to find the answer beforehand.
Really appreciate any help / advice

I can recommend
- Sunrise Prepaid SIM Card
- Sunrise surf
www1.sunrise.ch/Angebot/Sunrise-go-dayflat-pul3bAqFI.obkAAAEkYZFQzDCg-Sunrise-Residential-Site-WFS-de_CH-CHF.html
You will pay 20CHF first and this is directly your prepaid money you can use. For the "Sunrise surf" option you pay 7.50CHF/Month and you have 250MB included.
Best ist if you go to a sunrise shop (Zürich Airport or somewhere else maps.sunrise.ch/shopfinder.php?lang=de&objID=Address&val1=8000&val2=&val3=&val4=) and tell them you want those two things and they will arrange that.
have fun in Switzerland,
Dave

JBristowUK said:
I'm currently with T-Mob who state that data transfer using their SIM cost £7.50 per MB, which I seriously do not want to risk.
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Click to collapse
This is incorrect. Since you are on T-Mob UK, you can just get one of their Euro Internet Boosters (see here). According to the FAQ, it is valid in Switzerland.
It's probably more expensive than a local PAYG solution (£10 for 50mb), but it is much better than £7.50 per MB. I'd suggest that you keep mobile internet turned off though unless you actively want to use it to keep the usage down.
Regards
Dave

These are both really useful thanks. I may leave the data off until I can find a sunrise shop. If there isn't one local I'll opt for the T-Mob £10 solution. I've just spoken to them and apparently the phone will prompt me to purchase either of the 3 packages. Makes it quite simple and certainly cheaper than my current charges.
Thank again.

JBristowUK said:
I've just spoken to them and apparently the phone will prompt me to purchase either of the 3 packages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that it does work. When I went to France a couple of months ago, I was unable to get email etc on the phone until I'd opened up a web browser and "bought" a Euro Booster.
Regards,
Dave

Related

Using Orange sim with O2 ROM

Hi folks, this is my first post here so go easy on me, you all seem to know your stuff!
I've got an unlocked XDA Exec and I've upgraded the ROM once from the O2 website.
When I do a soft reset I see:
R.1.04.02
G.42.37.P8
D.1.13.82 WWE
I'm sure that will mean something to most of you. I assume the R stands for the radio version.
I have recently changed from an O2 PAYG sim to an Orange contract, and just want to know if there would be any benefit to changing to an Orange ROM (or iMate, Qtek etc)
(I don't need push email by the way - I'm happy to poll my gmail every 30 mins.)
P.S I am supposed to be on 3G but the little indicator at the top always says "G".
When I was with O2 it said "U" when I was in 3G range.
Any advice would be much apreciated.
Personally I'd upgrade that ROM, not for push email, but for general bug fixes and to get Radio 1.09.xx The newer ROM seems more responsive too.
As for changing to the Orange ROM, I'd say definately not. Orange have a bit of a reputation for releasing the worst versions of phone software, and unless you actually need things like line 2 there will be no benefit. The only thing you will need to do is enter the connection settings for GPRS, MMS and redirect the answermachine number.
As for the 2.5g (G) instead of 3g (U), I would be amazed if there was somewhere that O2 had 3g coverage but Orange didn't as O2's 3g coverage is still poor in comparison. Just check that under start -> Settings -> Phone -> Band that the network type is set to auto and then under Network that your current network is UMTS Orange.
Thanks Gajet, I'll probably upgrade to the latest O2 ROM then.
With regards to my phone Band etc - it is set to auto, GSM Band is "EGSM+DC1800" and UMTS Band is "UMTS 2100"
Under the Networks tab, my current network just says Orange.
If I look under preferred networks, there are 2 called Orange, 1 called @Orange, Orange CH and Orange F.
And you're sure the SIM is a 3g one? What phone if any did it come with? Working from memory I think Orange 3g USIMS are green and Orange 2.5g SIMs are white, they may have a g at the start of the printed number too, but that might be O2 I'm thinking of.
My sim is purple :?
I specifically asked Orange for a 3G sim, but I guess that's no guarantee they sent me one. It came with the SPV C600, which I will probably be selling on ebay when I can be bothered.
There is no "g" anywhere on the sim card - I'll just have to call Orange and find out what is going on. I've only just had my old number ported over today, if I have to do it again I won't be happy - especially as I left O2 because their customer service was USELESS.
lex_london said:
P.S I am supposed to be on 3G but the little indicator at the top always says "G".
When I was with O2 it said "U" when I was in 3G range.
Any advice would be much apreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because Orange are crap. They claim to have UMTS (3G) coverage in Derby but I don't have it.
Changing your ROM won't make it work, sadly. And O2 have been actively extending their 3G coverage - I started off with no 3G coverage, then I had it at work, and now I have it at work and at home.
I personally use the latest QTek ROM and it runs very nicely for me though some people say it's unstable with some software packages - though I've yet to see a reliable list of which packages these might be. Provided Linux meets with my expectations (which I consider bare minimum for 'Joe Public') I'll probably be ditching Windows Mobile altogether - in which case the ROM will be completely manufacturer- and network-independant.
lex_london said:
- especially as I left O2 because their customer service was USELESS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eeek Out of the Frying pan and into the blast furnace. Sorry mate all CS are crap nowadays and I'm afraid I would rate Orange as worse than O2 from personal experience.
They obviously have changed the colour schemes a bit with SIMs, but 3g USIM's were deffinately green. My suspicion is that they sent you a c600, looked at that handset and thought that you did not need a 3g USIM and have not sent you one. Defo phone em up to check, er don't be suprised if they say to upgrade to a 3g USIM costs £10, you can fight that one out with em.
lex_london said:
I left O2 because their customer service was USELESS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to email a billing query in to O2 and they replied with bullcrap about reading usage data off the SIMcard. So I cancelled my Direct Debit and emailed them again to tell them that it would remain cancelled until the issue was resolved. 3 weeks later it was still unresolved and they had ignored all my emails. This month they tried to hit me with £43 (before VAT) of 3G data usage charges, having ignored my Welcome Browse & Download 5Mb allowance and having not updated my Usage online until after my first bill (thereby not allowing me to check my usage!!)
So I called them. They refunded the 14p for the text message to Romania as per my original billing query (I wanted to get that straight in case I find another 200 messages to Romania on my next bill and they try to use the defence that I didn't complain about the first one!), gave me £15 credit for the 5Mb of data I had been billed for wrongly, gave me a £10 "good will" refund and also provided me with an email address to make a formal complaint.
Oh dear. I didn't think anyone could be worse than O2! When I told O2 I wanted my PAC number to change my number to Orange, their "last line of defence" bloke offered me 1kb of data a month for free if I stayed with O2. I pointed out that I was already getting 1MB for free, which is actually quite a bit more. He said, "No, no kb is bigger than mb, I'm telling you!". :lol:
Anyway, I'd love it if Orange try to charge me £10 to upgrade to 3G seeing as I asked for a 3G sim in the first place. Any excuse to shout at them and get some money back!
I'll let you know how it all pans out, thanks for all the help.
lex_london said:
He said, "No, no kb is bigger than mb, I'm telling you!". :lol:
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Click to collapse
Ever tried to talk to *any* broadband "support" people about Kbit vs Kbyte? Not a f#@king clue.
You should have asked for 1Gb!!
Well I spoke to Orange today and they confirmed that I have NOT in fact been sent a 3g sim card, despite the muppet on the phone assuring me that he would send me one with my new 3g phone.
As it turns out the phone isn't 3g either. :evil:
They told me I would have to cancel my current contract, start a new one on 3g and then transfer my number (again).
I was so angry at this point that I said a rude word :shock: told them I was going to cancel my direct debit, my contract and tell everyone I know to steer clear of them.
Too harsh?
Maybe.
Fun?
Oh yes!
But now I have no idea which network to use. If anyone out there can help - I need about 200txts 60mins and minimum 20-30mb data per month, as cheaply as possible. Less than £30 would be nice, but I'm guessing unlikely.
If I can draw on some of your experiences it would be a great help.
Thanks in advance.
T-Mobile for the win at the moment I'd say.
Get a Flext tariff to suit your needs and have web and walk added onto it, that's unlimited 3G GPRS (2GB fair useage policy) £7.50 a month or if you want to use as a modem for a laptop it's web and walk pro at £10 a month extra. These data prices can't be even closely touched by any other network at the moment.
Flext 20 would allow you 200 texts, 60 mins voice and a further £2 worth of credit to use on either, add web & walk and your total bill would be £27.50 a month. If you were being cautious on the voice and text needs, there is a flext 25 which gives £60 credit to spread over voice and texts for an extra £5 a month.
OK typing this I feel sick to have to keep on paying O2 what I currently do.
Thanks Gajet, I stumbled on to the T-Mobile site and snapped up the flex, web and walk offer thing. They say in the small print that VOIP, P2P filesharing and video streaming is not allowed but email and browsing is fine, which all suits me, and apparently the reception with T-Mobile is pretty good.
How would they know if I was using VOIP though? Doesn't it all just look like data traffic to them, or can they monitor what programs you are using?
I also just spoke to O2 to see if they could entice me back with a decent offer. Needless to say, their data prices for non-business users are ridiculous compared to T-Mobile, so I politely declined, which is unusual for me - but the girl did have a very nice voice. 8)
Looks like I'm finally sorted.
This forum is great, thanks to all for your help!
Also keep in mind that instant messaging software is currently not allowed, however I believe there would be a way round that in using web based system that sends replies to you as texts.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/11/t-mobile_voip_ban_responds/
I'll probably just stick with plain old sms and email for now. It sounds like t-mob will be introducing their own IM client at some point, but to be honest I'd prefer to use google talk.
Actually, thinking about it, you can access your google talk history from within gmail, but i'm not sure if you can actually use IM from within the browser. I'll have to test it out at some point.

Using my Dash overseas??

The past 2 summers I've gone to the Philippines with my Sidekick 2 with an unlimited data plan.. However, each visit gave me a bill of over $700.. I remember the first summer I used the internet on my phone. So thinking that was the only reason why my bill was sky high I reverted to just text messaging on my second trip.. however, still a high phone bill..
This summer I plan on going back as well as visiting Europe this year. Now that I have an unlocked Dash with unlimited text and $5.99 T-Zones I hope my lesson is learned and I will just buy a sim card when I get there. However, if there is a chance that perhaps I can use my current plan to just make few phone calls, few texts, and even fewer web browsing, will I be in good shape? Lol or is that a dumb question should I simply buy a sim card over there? Thanks.
Best bet would be to ask the question on the T-Mobile forum of HowardForums http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52
Just ask about phone/data charges when abroad. I read there some time ago that it is also recommended to forward all calls to voicemail before traveling. Can't remember all the details - otherwise I would gladly supply information here.
Yes, buy a prepaid SimCard. There are sometimes deals where you can get a Phone and a simcard for the price of the prepaid card, depending on where you go. I got 4 brand new (crappy) phones laying around from those purchases. Make sure you dissable Cellular Data, otherwise you will run through your prepaid minutes in, well, minutes.
I try to keep it on the low and usually get like 500 minutes for 2 weeks of stay. Right now however, the Euro is very high, or the dollar low, depending how you wanna look at it, so don't expect minutes to be as cheap as here. A starter package with 100 minutes ist E15 (E for Euros). Calls within TMo Austria are free and E0.05 to landlines.
BTW, T-Mobile in Austria (will be) is the iPhone provider, that might be a place to buy it if you are interested (and want to spend E500 ~ $800), it should work here as well on TMo.
Almost forgot, You can look up phone rental places. They will rent you the phone, with or without Data and talk rates are lower as they don't use prepaid rates. You still pay per minutes you use but at a lower rate than prepaid usually goes for.
If you need data that is your best solution. I don't use data overseas as Live Search only works in US and UK.
Why dont you just add T-Mobiles International Option while you are traveling?
Because they charge you an arm and a leg (and a few toes of the other foot).
daleksic said:
Because they charge you an arm and a leg (and a few toes of the other foot).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, $9.99 to add it then guaranteed prices when you are overseas (depending on where you are going and how long you plan to stay you can "lock in" a preset amount anywhere from .34 cents per minute to 5.20 per minute). I was in France last year and locked in a .50 per minute rate which was far better then any pre pay I found. The plan activated when I left, and deactivated when I came back. Simple, no fuss no mess. I was very happy. I went from paying over $800.00 to less then $300.00 for the same amount of calls.
Bupahs said:
Why dont you just add T-Mobiles International Option while you are traveling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what I did. I go to England and my phone works fine over there. It usually connects through Vodaphone.
I download, email and surf while over there and see no extra charges unless I call someone. It is one dollar a minute, but okay for short, urgent calls.
Pretty cool surfing my local home town news site while driving down the M4- I am a passenger of course, but still in the left seat, which can be disorienting....
rushless said:
....but still in the left seat, which can be disorienting....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I never could get used to that, it just feels weird LOL

Traveling Abroad

What is the best way to travel abroad with the GNEX? I'm currently on AT&T with an unlocked GNEX and plan on going to France in the next few months. Would it be better to setup international roaming with AT&T or find a prepaid sim from a French cell provider? In my situation, having a solid data connection>voice minutes.
Would the gnex automatically setup the correct APN's for a particular carrier or would they have to be manually entered? Also, since this is a "pentaband" device, wouldn't I be rocking a 3G connection?
A couple of years ago when I visited Israel, I setup international roaming with AT&T which worked flawlessly with my iPhone 3GS, albeit only Edge speeds. What sucked is coming home to an $800 cell bill..lol.
Local SIM > international roaming. The fees are outrageous on roaming. Its even better if all you care about is data. You can get good cheap options with data-only SIMs.
Go with local sim unless you absolutely have to keep your US number in use while you're there.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
romaing agreements arent usually too bad for calls and texts for 'normal usage' - they tend to be next to useless for any sort of data usage.
I am from the UK and get a pitiful 25mb a day when i travel to europe, so data services are usually switched off until i check my email etc or find decent wifi.
So if you are going to need a lot of data usage probably a prepaid local sim is the way to go.
I dont know about france (most of my travel is to italy) but always get your sims from the official stores - not the independent ones (i have waited 3 days for sims to be activated).
you should also be able to just stick the sim in and be good to go.
Thanks for the replies!
Yep your phone will set itself up for the new provider once you insert the new simcard. Failing that you could always ask someone in the shop for the manual settings just in case.
In any case you'd be getting a full 3g or h/h+ service on your GN just like I do in the UK.
Rik.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I use TMoUS. I always just roam. Its a pain to send everyone I would need to a new number. I just eat the cost as part of my trip budget.
Sent from my GSM Galaxy Nexus on TMoUS using Tapatalk
I've been out of the country pretty much the entire time I got my Galaxy Nexus, I've been roaming on Swisscom and using WiFi. I'm going to Paris in a few days and I don't expect to have WiFi so I'm going to get a prepaid data SIM. That's what I did when I went to London earlier this year. I texted over Google voice used Whatsapp, twitter Facebook because I knew I wouldn't have WiFi most of the time. You can also tether to other devices such as a tablet or laptop.
If you do decide to pick up a local SIM card, you will need to bring (as a minimum) your passport to prove to the local government that you aren't hoarding SIM cards and selling them to third world country terrorist organizations. Some places won't even accept cash, and will require a credit card when a non-EU citizen is buying a SIM Card.
...and most of the place you go to buy a simple SIM card are NOT the places you are gonna want to leave your credit card number with. Shop wisely (i.e. T-Mo, Vodaphone, Citrus, etc chain stores...) and keep an eye on your credit card statements.
Check with AT&T as well about switching to an international plan for the length of your duration. They were willing to switch my wife's plan when we moved to Germany, but the rates weren't all that attractive. In the end, we simply just bought a new SIM card as you suggested, as the data limits imposed by AT&T USA in Europe were ridiculously (250M / month).
One more piece of advice, do not expect to "leech" onto open WiFi hotspots with the same frequency as the USA. There is a heightened sense of internet paranoia (in Germany at least) and VERY FEW people leave their WiFi networks open. If you DO happen to find an open WiFi is usually because there is a third party proxy involved in getting a valid IP address.
Good luck and have fun!
Best bet is to use an old dumb phone, setup roaming and put your AT&T sim in there. Then you'll at least receive urgent calls. Then pick up a local Pay as you go sim, and use it in your nexus for data. I personally keep an unlocked nokia 6100 handy, as its small and has great battery life on standby and talk time.
Don't worry too much about all this passport, terrorist business, its NOTHING at all like that. Just walk into any big carrier's store over there and they'll sell you a sim no problem at all. No passport, credit card, or ID needed. If you try and buy 10 or 50 or something they might impose a limit. Its got ZERO to do with terrorists or third world countries, and more to do with GSM gateways where people route minutes using VOIP and GSM boxes. If you only buy 1 or 2 sim cards they won't ask you anything.
There's a few countries in the east and africa where they insist on ID, and that's due to them being used on the black market for crime. I think its fairly obvious france isn't one of those countries lol.
I travel a lot for work, so I know first hand.
EDIT: Yeah you'll get full 3G, and since its a GSM nexus you'll get HSPA+ too. Roaming data is usually over £1 or $1 a mb, so don't even bother. A local sim will probably give you unlimited (possibly capped at 3gb) for a 10 or 20 EURO topup. (haven't checked rates recently).
If you do travel a lot and only need data, you can also pick up a world sim (there's loads of them so check thoroughly), and for a £50 credit per month (about $75) you get unlimited data in most countries.
Europe is great for prepaid sim cards with decent rates for calls and really good prices for data especially if its only for a short while on vacation. Just bring your phone into one of the many cell shops and they will be more than happy to program the new SIM and also add whatever money you want on the card. Too easy. I have separate SIM cards for Germany, Italy and The Netherlands.
While most European countries have a very simple process to get a data enabled SIM, it is almost impossible in France. I tried 5-6 shops during my vacation few months ago with no luck. Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Belgium, Germany were all a breeze (most airports and train stations sold data enabled SIMs for around 10 euros)
Get a local SIM card or use xcomglobal for a MiFi.
I am in Europe often and either way works great.
Skickat från min ASUS Eee Pad TF101
Overseas right now, picked up AT&T international traveller feature and only using WiFi for data with a local backup SIM handy for trips. Just not worth the inconvenience to use two phones personally.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

[Q] European Prepaid plans - Which is the Best?

I am planning a trip to England this summer and possibly France as well. One of the main reasons I purchased the GSM Galaxy Nexus was the pentaband radio and it's ability to work everywhere.
What I would like to know is what plans are you guys (and I think I have seen one lady here as well) who are in Europe are using. I will be looking for a plan that would be good for up to 2 weeks, I don't really care about having too many minutes or text messages but Data is a must. I estimate 2GB of data use when traveling, knowing I will be able to use a lot of hot spots too. Not living there I do not know what the regional carriers reputations are, who has the fastest network etc.
I have been doing a little research and it looks like most carriers offer good prepaid sim only plans, I could just use some local knowledge for this.
Thanks in advance...
bmolloy said:
I am planning a trip to England this summer and possibly France as well. One of the main reasons I purchased the GSM Galaxy Nexus was the pentaband radio and it's ability to work everywhere.
What I would like to know is what plans are you guys (and I think I have seen one lady here as well) who are in Europe are using. I will be looking for a plan that would be good for up to 2 weeks, I don't really care about having too many minutes or text messages but Data is a must. I estimate 2GB of data use when traveling, knowing I will be able to use a lot of hot spots too. Not living there I do not know what the regional carriers reputations are, who has the fastest network etc.
I have been doing a little research and it looks like most carriers offer good prepaid sim only plans, I could just use some local knowledge for this.
Thanks in advance...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm from Texas and just moved to the UK... I'm sure you will find many great pay&go sim cards..... I prefer o2.... just go to the web site or shop and get a sim... you can bolt on as much data as you need and the calling/sms start around 15 pounds.....
I would recommend Three whilst in the UK if you need lots of data. Their coverage is excellent in most places for 3g/HSPA+ I get 5-7meg in most places I go. Other UK networks aren't that great for data speed.
Go to https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order for a free pay and go SIM.
A £15 add on gets you UNLIMITED DATA, 300mins to UK landlines and any UK mobile network, and 3000 texts for 30 days.
They have other add ons too(make sure to select pay as you go phone). http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Get_better_value_with_an_Add_on
It's free to receive incoming calls on any UK mobile network by the way. If you go to France you would be best off finding a SIM card for a french network too as it will cost you to receive calls to a UK SIM card whilst outside the UK.
Hope this helps.
Rik.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
My €0.02...
It also depends on where you're going... 'Europe' is a mish-mash of different countries with different carriers, plans and systems.
If you're travelling to multiple European countries on your visit, and especially if you don't want to change your phone number all of the time, it may just make sense to get a Vodafone pre paid SIM.
Whilst Vodafone aren't the least expensive, they are the most expansive across Europe. Dealing with one company can often just be simpler.
If you get a Vodafone pre paid SIM and load on the "Passport" service you can then buy a data bundle that will work pretty much across Europe at a lower rate (but still somewhat expensive - expect around €10 for 25MB). Casual roaming data rates can be as high as €10 per *single* MB.
I don't think you'll get this flexibility on another carrier but I could be wrong.
Finally... price also depends on where you get your SIM card from in the first instance. With this approach you only buy one SIM and the country where you buy it establishes the price you pay across Europe. If you purchase in Turkey or Greece (for example), you will pay less than if you purchase in the UK or Netherlands (per min and per MB typically).
Edit: Here's an old article... http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/index.php/cheaper-data-roaming-with-vodafone
Thanks for the replies. It is surprisingly overwhelming looking at how many prepaid options there actually are in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. In the States prepaid sims are almost non existant, and when you do find some service that offers it Data is super expensive.
Here is another question. I saw that the 3 Mobile prepaid sims do not allow for tethering. Has anyone with a GN been able to get this to work, or will I have to pay for hotel wifi the whole time? I haven't seen if O2 blocks this, I will have to look into that as well.
Most don't seem to allow tethering on pre pay but they don't disable the option on your phone either(they just stick it in their terms). I think you'll be OK. The worst they can probably do is take off pre paid credit if they found out.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Hi bmolloy, how was your trip?
like u, im planing a trip cross european, basicly france, london, budapest and barcelona; so i have de same cuestion, what is de best option for me?
here in mexico i have an option to contract traveler plan but the cost is huge, is 20MB for 52USD, if i cant find an option y will buy this one.
i will loking into the vodafone options and i imagine i will have to buy that there in europe.
tnks for all guys

Android app for calls internationally?

I am going to Israel and need a app that can provide me with a International number (obviously using the web -- sorta like google voice but i need to accept phone calls also and the whole thing needs to be thru the web as any calls i make would be considered roaming ) obviously I'd like something that is cheap and would also allow for txt messages.
I dont know why it would matter but I have a verizon plan. I'll be using WIFI mostly but will be purchasing the 100 mb international plan
Thank You
Shalom man u should go into any cellstore there buy a unlimited orange gsm card for internet then get skype international and ur in business mamish like 25 the whole thing unlimit u can't go wrong..good luck dude lshana habo biyrshlyim.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
worldpants said:
Shalom man u should go into any cellstore there buy a unlimited orange gsm card for internet then get skype international and ur in business mamish like 25 the whole thing unlimit u can't go wrong..good luck dude lshana habo biyrshlyim.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He has a Verizon (CDMA) phone. He can't simply pop in a standard SIM.
galaxy nexus - in israel
patruns said:
He has a Verizon (CDMA) phone. He can't simply pop in a standard SIM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so what would you recommend to get the galaxy nexus to work in israel?
or should i just rent another cell phone?
and if so, go with one of the many places that rent phones (amigo?) or rent one at a store once there?
thanks
kingsfan33 said:
so what would you recommend to get the galaxy nexus to work in israel?
or should i just rent another cell phone?
and if so, go with one of the many places that rent phones (amigo?) or rent one at a store once there?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would just buy a cheap unlocked gsm phone here in the states and buy a sim card once I get to my destination. I would imagine international roaming is quite pricey, both for data and voice, and its cheaper and less complex to just switch to a gsm phone for the duration of the stay.
mendezj666 said:
I would just buy a cheap unlocked gsm phone here in the states and buy a sim card once I get to my destination. I would imagine international roaming is quite pricey, both for data and voice, and its cheaper and less complex to just switch to a gsm phone for the duration of the stay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any recommendation for a place to pickup a sim in israel?
thx
kingsfan33 said:
any recommendation for a place to pickup a sim in israel?
thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, the Minister of Communications really shook up the market here, and now there are like 5 new cell companies, and all are offering unlimited Calls, SMS and data (3GB) for 99 NIS a month (~$25) and the Sim cards usually cost a one-time fee of 40 NIS, no contracts, you can disconnect any time you want without fees by law here.
I just moved over to Golan Telecom, which are great, but you can only receive a sim card by ordering one off the Internet, and it takes about 4 days to arrive.
If you don't want to, or can't, go with Rami Levy (yup, the supermarket chain). I was very happy with them before I moved to golan telecom, and they now also offer an unlimited plan, with 1GB data plan, for 88 NIS a month, and the sim card costs the same, but you can pick it up in-store.
And as far as bringing the Gnex here, I'm pretty sure you can't use a CDMA phone here yet... I'll post the frequencies doc here when I find it and you can figure out if your phone will work here and on what provider.
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-Psycho- said:
Honestly, the Minister of Communications really shook up the market here, and now there are like 5 new cell companies, and all are offering unlimited Calls, SMS and data (3GB) for 99 NIS a month (~$25) and the Sim cards usually cost a one-time fee of 40 NIS, no contracts, you can disconnect any time you want without fees by law here.
I just moved over to Golan Telecom, which are great, but you can only receive a sim card by ordering one off the Internet, and it takes about 4 days to arrive.
If you don't want to, or can't, go with Rami Levy (yup, the supermarket chain). I was very happy with them before I moved to golan telecom, and they now also offer an unlimited plan, with 1GB data plan, for 88 NIS a month, and the sim card costs the same, but you can pick it up in-store.
And as far as bringing the Gnex here, I'm pretty sure you can't use a CDMA phone here yet... I'll post the frequencies doc here when I find it and you can figure out if your phone will work here and on what provider.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
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Thx a lot, lots of useful info...
If i google israel sim card there is so much out there
Can you recommend a site to get the sim youre referring to?
Thx again
kingsfan33 said:
Thx a lot, lots of useful info...
If i google israel sim card there is so much out there
Can you recommend a site to get the sim youre referring to?
Thx again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, here it is - Golan Telecom
Oh, btw, forgot to mention, Golan Telecom also offers free international calls to 30 something countries (landlines), and to the USA and Canada for free also to cell phones (and the International numbers that aren't for free are for a ridiculously low price, you can look around at the site.
In any case other companies offer very similar deals as well, with free international calls, I can just tell you from my experience that it's pretty hassle free and the costumer service is good (in comparison to other companies where I've waited for over an hour on the phone, they usually answer right away, 3 mins tops).
No matter what company you choose, if you encounter trouble with the internet connection, some companies (like mine) require you set up the APNs manually. Highly recommend APN Israel app, just one click and your set.
Finally, as promised, here's the frequency list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtSH6N4JBcwrdGdEaXRwaU0zczRnS1dOTW1EQTNsZGc
Good luck!
PS. I am not an employee of Golan Telecom or anything of the sort, just a really happy customer. I can just as well recommend Rami Levy, and Orange, all of which I was happy with, but for my own needs Golan Telecom was best for me
Psycho has a lot of useful information in his post and you have a few options. Anytime I travel internationally, I buy a sim card on ebay and get it sent to me from the US. Then, depending if they allow it, activate it here in the US or wait until I arrive in the country Im going to. I always buy prepaid and most sim cards already have credit on them. This way will be more expensive than if you were to just buy the sim card when you are in the country you are visiting but I have found it worth the extra cost. Once activated in the US, I will already have my international number for my family/friends to call me and just give them that number before I leave. Its all a matter of preference and convenience so just have to find out what works for you. GL and wish I could provide more info specific to Israel.
mendezj666 said:
Psycho has a lot of useful information in his post and you have a few options. Anytime I travel internationally, I buy a sim card on ebay and get it sent to me from the US. Then, depending if they allow it, activate it here in the US or wait until I arrive in the country Im going to. I always buy prepaid and most sim cards already have credit on them. This way will be more expensive than if you were to just buy the sim card when you are in the country you are visiting but I have found it worth the extra cost. Once activated in the US, I will already have my international number for my family/friends to call me and just give them that number before I leave. Its all a matter of preference and convenience so just have to find out what works for you. GL and wish I could provide more info specific to Israel.
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I was told that unless you have an Israeli ID/passport that you cannot just go into any super market and buy a sim card.
Of course the person telling me this was a company similar to talknsave that wants $7 a day per phone + $1 for US #. (for 2 phones it really adds up).
I am leaving this Sunday 9/23, so any help asap would be appreciated.
Thanks!
p.s. I did get the Galaxy Nexus International gsm version that is unlocked for this trip.
kingsfan33 said:
I was told that unless you have an Israeli ID/passport that you cannot just go into any super market and buy a sim card.
Of course the person telling me this was a company similar to talknsave that wants $7 a day per phone + $1 for US #. (for 2 phones it really adds up).
I am leaving this Sunday 9/23, so any help asap would be appreciated.
Thanks!
p.s. I did get the Galaxy Nexus International gsm version that is unlocked for this trip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just talked to my companies customer service, and you're right. I wasn't aware of that. You do need an Israeli ID number and address.
After discussing it with the rep, if you have someone in Israel who you can purchase the card just under his name and address, then you're good to go.
You won't be able to (at least with Golan Telecom, I'm assuming it's the same with all the companies) freeze the account completely for future use, but rather lower the bill to the basic 10 NIS (~$2.5) a month plan. But unless you're really traveling every couple of months you're better off just canceling the account and buying a new sim card next time you come for 40 NIS...
Thanks a lot lot!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

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