There have been several threads about cellphone service in Europe, and it seems there are some US companies that have cellphones that will work in Europe.Does anyone know of a Canadian service that will work in Europe, or if Canadians can rent a phone to take with them? Thank you.
Marian

Rogers/ Fido work, but you'll need at least a "European" dual band (900/1800) unlocked phone and roaming activated with your contract. However, European/international Sim cards should be preferred as discussed here. Telus doesn't work, but maybe they rent phones.

The Rogers/Fido phone can be locked of course if you only plan to use their SIM in Europe

My Rogers/Fido phone worked very well in France. It was automatically switched to the European frequency when I turned it on in Paris and I got a text message saying that my phone was activated . I have a Motorola V60i which is an older model phone and had a signal all through France. It was great for the convenience of having my own number for family to call if necessary.

Rosieg did you make or receive any phone calls? If so how was the cost?

One odd option that we have noticed is that Bell Mobility (a CDMA service) sells a phone that also takes a SIM card.

Who is your service provider? As others have said, Fido/Rogers offers international service, Bell & Telus don't although Bell has a partner where they will rent you an international phone - don't consider it as it is outrageously expensive for the rental phone and the service.

You will also need a 900/1800 - both Fido and Rogers offer several models. Drop into your local outlet.

Also, you need to call the provider and tell them you want this feature turned on; its not necesarily active.

A word of warning - you pay for every call (Connection charge) and long distance. Keep your conversations short! I generally use it in conjunction with a local long distance call which provides a 1/0-800 number, so I just pay for the connection charge.

BTW, I have used FIDO for years and they offer an excellent service and great coverage since they were taken over by Rogers. They are also cheaper than either Telus or Bell. Great customer service also.

>Bell Mobility (a CDMA service) sells a phone that also takes a SIM card.
Those are R-UIM cards for CDMA subscriber modules. AFAIK they are only used in South Korea (Japan too?) and aren't compatible with SIMs

Logos, this phone (Motorola A840), moves seamlessly between CDMA and GSM worlds keeping the same phone number. It is also possible to intall a local SIM. I have seen no information on the cost of overseas roaming.

sorry this late in coming but to reply to Gavin, my Fido charges were 2.00Cdn. per minute for both incoming and outgoing calls.Evening and weekend calls were 1.00 a minute.The total charge was 57.00Cdn. for 30.00 min. of calls. I was only charged roaming charges no connection fees. I'm not sure how this compares to other plans but I was happy with the convenience of having my own cell number.

Thanks for the info Rosieg.

I arranged with Fido to use our tri/quadband phones in Europe. The cost was $2/minute, charged on a per-minute basis. I don't believe I got the discount for evening and weekend calls; this was in August.