sb1020

Hi all. I leave for a 2 week trip to Egypt next week-end. and will of course need a cell phone.. What is the best thing to do ?-I have no clue what is available there Thanks

P_M

Do you have a cell phone already? If so there's a good chance it will work over there. Do you plan to use it much or just in case of an emergency?

sb1020

Hi. I have a Motorola Crazer with a SIM card. I will be calling mostly Canada. Is it better to buy SIM card there for the long distance or text message using my own SIM card or -does Egypt have a good calling card that can be purchased?
Canadian rates for long distance on the cell are quite high (When I was in Lisbon last year the price for a Vadaphone and a lot of talk time included was very cheap compared to Canadian rates) I was wondering if it is inexpensive to purchase a pre-paid Egyptian phone that you can top up? thanks

P_M

When I went to Egypt I had a Moto Razr and I did mostly texting on my own SIM. I have also heard buying a SIM there is a good deal. But since I took my phone for emergency use I didn't bother getting a SIM. I bet one of our resident experts can help with SIM questions. Enjoy your trip.

Elizabeth_S

sb1020 - is your cell phone unlocked? If you are on Rogers or Fido you cannot automatically put another carrier's SIM card in - the handset won't recognize it. Rogers will not unlock it for you but you can do it on the internet (or at a lot of malls) for under $50.

If it is unlocked you can buy a Vodafone SIM card all over Cairo - mine was about $20 with plenty of minutes.

sb1020

Thanks to all. I will unlock my phone -my daughter's friend, as it turns out, just happens to work at Rogers and will get a code for me on Ebay -these kids know everything !!

Elizabeth_S

A couple of other things to remember - when you buy the SIM card make sure your phone is set up so you can make and receive international calls.

And inbound calls from Canada are free to your Egyptian SIM card (but calls to mobile phones in Egypt from Canada are more than calling a landline in Egypt - if your relatives call your cell phone they should check out how much it will cost per minute - YAK is 49 cents per minute from Canada to Egypt and can be used on any landline)