mp413

I was planning on unlocking my phone and using local SIM cards (and likely will for part of my trip) but I just heard about Cingular deal you add on to your monthly bill (like $6 per month) that discounts roaming minutes. Has anyone done this, and was it a good deal?

Patty

Have you checked the roaming rates on Cingular's website for the countries you'll be in? I believe Kenya/Tanzania is somewhere around $4 per minute incoming or outgoing.

Patty

Example for comparison - I pay 25 KES per minute only for calls to the US using a Safaricom SIM in Kenya. Calls within Kenya are less than that and incoming is free.

mp413

I know the roaming rates are ridiculously high, but there's supposed to be some sort of monthly add-on to your plan that discounts minutes if you're using international roaming. But you're right Patty, it probably won't come close to the discount of using a local SIM. Is it pretty easy to find one that will work on your phone, and figure out how to use it? Does your number change?

sundowner

I used my cingular phone in Kenya. The rates were expensive so I just used text msg. I just wanted to be able to say I arrived safely and to tell the kids hello every day or two. It worked great for that. Fifty cents outgoing TM, ten cents incoming TM.

My phone is locked so I couldn't just switch SIM cards.

Patty

I don't believe the rates for most African countries are discounted even if you sign up for the discounted intl roaming plan. You can find all of these rates on Cingular's website.

Yes, your number changes with a local SIM. As long as you have an unlocked GSM 900/1800 phone, it's an easy process.

Cingular used to not give out the phone unlock codes, but lately I've had more success when requesting these.

Patty

Wanted to add that for example, in Kenya, you'll have a Kenyan mobile number when using a local SIM, so anyone calling you from home will pay long distance on their end.

mp413

Thanks Patty! That's good to know. Is it easy to come by SIM cards that fit a Cingular phone in most places? What do they tend to cost? And then how do you set it up with the new number and everything?

Patty

All SIMs are the same size. I've never seen otherwise. I bought my Kenyan Safaricom SIM a couple of years ago and at the time it cost me 300 KES, but I understand the prices have come down. You can buy airtime in various denominations starting at 100 KES. The SIM will come with instructions on activating and topping up. Usually, the vendor/shop employee will know how to do it too.

You can go to www.gsmworld.com and find a list of providers for each country you'll be in. Generally, rate information will be on their websites.