cell phone: Orange mobicarte
Oct 4th, 2004 | 12:22 PM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,719
Likes: 0
I have an Orange Mobicarte phone. Orange is the service provider (France Telecom) and Mobicarte is the type of card. It's a pay as you go card. You can recredit the card with minutes at French Post Offices, via France Telecom phone boxes, at Credit Lyonnais ATMs, and various other places.
It will work in Italy but you'll pay a high rate to make *or receive* calls, and won't be able to recharge your minutes if you run out when outside France.
It will work in Italy but you'll pay a high rate to make *or receive* calls, and won't be able to recharge your minutes if you run out when outside France.
Oct 4th, 2004 | 12:59 PM
#3
Original Poster
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 67
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If I understand you this phone is useless for me in Tuscany during an emergency since I have to purchase the card from france.
Is there a cheap cell phone rental in Italy?
i don't intend to use the phone unless an emergency occurs on our driving in tuscany hills.
thanks again
Is there a cheap cell phone rental in Italy?
i don't intend to use the phone unless an emergency occurs on our driving in tuscany hills.
thanks again
Oct 4th, 2004 | 04:06 PM
#4
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 777
Likes: 0
Re: "i don't intend to use the phone unless an emergency occurs on our driving in tuscany ..."
The cheapest option I've seen for a cell phone, just for emergency use, is the Mobal phone. You buy the phone for $50; it's good all over the world. But calls are very expensive ($1.25 per minute, and you pay both for calling and receiving). So it's not a phone to buy for casual use.
We decided to get one because, like you, we just want the phone for emergencies.
You can read about it here:
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roa...obalrental.htm
and order it here:
http://www.mobalrental.com
We haven't used ours yet, so I can't actually vouch for the service, but unless you already have an unlocked GSM phone for which you can purchase a SIM card, I couldn't find anything cheaper.
The cheapest option I've seen for a cell phone, just for emergency use, is the Mobal phone. You buy the phone for $50; it's good all over the world. But calls are very expensive ($1.25 per minute, and you pay both for calling and receiving). So it's not a phone to buy for casual use.
We decided to get one because, like you, we just want the phone for emergencies.
You can read about it here:
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roa...obalrental.htm
and order it here:
http://www.mobalrental.com
We haven't used ours yet, so I can't actually vouch for the service, but unless you already have an unlocked GSM phone for which you can purchase a SIM card, I couldn't find anything cheaper.
Oct 4th, 2004 | 11:43 PM
#5
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 190
Likes: 0
Doesn't the GSM providers in the US provide roaming options ? Can't you get a tri-band or quad-band phone ? If you are an avid traveller make sure you get a decent 900/1800/1900 triband phone or a quad-band phone. Enable roaming and take it with you wherever you go. You keep your phone number and as long as you only want to use it for emergencies the cost shouldn't really worry you at all. Extremely convenient and practical 
Anyway that's what I do and I do use the phone for other stuff than just emergencies, but my roaming charges are pretty nice...
Sindre
Anyway that's what I do and I do use the phone for other stuff than just emergencies, but my roaming charges are pretty nice...Sindre
Oct 7th, 2004 | 11:53 AM
#6
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
The SIM card in the phone probably doesn't even work anymore. Just take the phone and buy a SIM card in Italy, it shouldn't be that expensive. You just turn off the phone, remove the battery, and you will see the SIM card in there. You remove it, insert an Italian SIM card, and voilà... you have an Italian cell phone.
Oct 7th, 2004 | 12:23 PM
#7
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,271
Likes: 0
Good questions...here are the correct answers..
1. Mobilcarte will work in Italy if it has time left on it. Mobilcarte time expires either 60 days or 90 days after last recharge. However, the number remains valid to receive calls only for six months after the last charge expires. After that, the card is useless.
2. As mentioned it can only be recharged in France;although a friend could buy a recharge ticket and then it could be recharged outside France but that is unlikely what happened.
3. in general, roaming GSM rates are never cheap. Roaming is defined using a prepaid (or any other) European SIM outside its country of origin. As a matter of fact, rates are higher than the cheapest USA GSM carrier which is T mobile whose rates are 99 cents/minute to both make and receive calls while international roaming. This service can automatically be activated for free by calling T mobile customer service. You do need a phone capable of operating on GSM 900 and GSM 1800 bands. So many people are set up, unknown to them, for international roaming.
AT&T Wireless and Cingular, soon to be one happy family, are partially GSM carriers and if so you can use their international roaming which is a little bit more expensive than T mobile USA. The problem with them is that GSM in the US operates on both 850 and 1900 bands and many of their tri band phones are 850/1800/1900 which means that in a European country which uses 900 exclusively you might be up the creek without a paddle.
But the prevailing opinion is that once you are going to be in a country for at least a week or so and intend to be reachable using a mobile phone, it is easiest to get a prepaid SIM for that country. Rarely is it expensive and do remember the way it works in Europe is that with a local prepaid SIM plan, you receive calls for free (the caller pays a premium). Also, there are many ways to use these plans to call North America as, with the exception of Virgin Mobile and Orange in the UK, it is usually pretty expensive (about $1 a minute or more) to call North America.
You can:
a. Use your long distance carrier's or a local international card and make a local call to the provider's number and then pay via the long distance carrier rates. I know I have net2phone direct which costs 15 cents a minute to call the US from Europe so if I use a local SIM to call their local access number, I pay local rates for the original call and then 15 cents a minute.
b. You can sign up for a service at www.callbackworld.com. Basically they assign you a number in the US to call. You call that number, let the phone ring twice and hang up. No charge for you as the call is not completed. The computer then calls you back on the mobile phone, no charge to you as you are receiving a call. You are instructed to enter the number you are calling and the call is completed. Something like 30 or 35 cents a minute to use this service.
Also, most remote forwarding systems for some reason which I do not comprehend do not allow you to remotely set up call forwarding to European numbers (a ridiculous restriction that has no business in the modern age of telecommunications). But you can check out telcan.net which assigns you a US 800 number which when rung will call forward to any phone in the world. The call forwarding number to can be set via the web so if you have call fowarding on your landline, you call forward to the 800 number and then call forward to your European SIM; costs around 30 cents a minute. Voila, somebody calling you on your local number in seconds will be speaking to you in Europe.
Unlike some of the posts you read, the above information is 100% correct.
If you have any questinos for Professor xyz, please feel free with the assurance that you will get correct information. If there is something I don't know, I at least admit it.
Isn't 21st century technology fun and great?
1. Mobilcarte will work in Italy if it has time left on it. Mobilcarte time expires either 60 days or 90 days after last recharge. However, the number remains valid to receive calls only for six months after the last charge expires. After that, the card is useless.
2. As mentioned it can only be recharged in France;although a friend could buy a recharge ticket and then it could be recharged outside France but that is unlikely what happened.
3. in general, roaming GSM rates are never cheap. Roaming is defined using a prepaid (or any other) European SIM outside its country of origin. As a matter of fact, rates are higher than the cheapest USA GSM carrier which is T mobile whose rates are 99 cents/minute to both make and receive calls while international roaming. This service can automatically be activated for free by calling T mobile customer service. You do need a phone capable of operating on GSM 900 and GSM 1800 bands. So many people are set up, unknown to them, for international roaming.
AT&T Wireless and Cingular, soon to be one happy family, are partially GSM carriers and if so you can use their international roaming which is a little bit more expensive than T mobile USA. The problem with them is that GSM in the US operates on both 850 and 1900 bands and many of their tri band phones are 850/1800/1900 which means that in a European country which uses 900 exclusively you might be up the creek without a paddle.
But the prevailing opinion is that once you are going to be in a country for at least a week or so and intend to be reachable using a mobile phone, it is easiest to get a prepaid SIM for that country. Rarely is it expensive and do remember the way it works in Europe is that with a local prepaid SIM plan, you receive calls for free (the caller pays a premium). Also, there are many ways to use these plans to call North America as, with the exception of Virgin Mobile and Orange in the UK, it is usually pretty expensive (about $1 a minute or more) to call North America.
You can:
a. Use your long distance carrier's or a local international card and make a local call to the provider's number and then pay via the long distance carrier rates. I know I have net2phone direct which costs 15 cents a minute to call the US from Europe so if I use a local SIM to call their local access number, I pay local rates for the original call and then 15 cents a minute.
b. You can sign up for a service at www.callbackworld.com. Basically they assign you a number in the US to call. You call that number, let the phone ring twice and hang up. No charge for you as the call is not completed. The computer then calls you back on the mobile phone, no charge to you as you are receiving a call. You are instructed to enter the number you are calling and the call is completed. Something like 30 or 35 cents a minute to use this service.
Also, most remote forwarding systems for some reason which I do not comprehend do not allow you to remotely set up call forwarding to European numbers (a ridiculous restriction that has no business in the modern age of telecommunications). But you can check out telcan.net which assigns you a US 800 number which when rung will call forward to any phone in the world. The call forwarding number to can be set via the web so if you have call fowarding on your landline, you call forward to the 800 number and then call forward to your European SIM; costs around 30 cents a minute. Voila, somebody calling you on your local number in seconds will be speaking to you in Europe.
Unlike some of the posts you read, the above information is 100% correct.
If you have any questinos for Professor xyz, please feel free with the assurance that you will get correct information. If there is something I don't know, I at least admit it.
Isn't 21st century technology fun and great?
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Oct 12th, 2004 | 07:23 AM
#8
Original Poster
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
Thanks for all the replies.
Prof XYZ thanks for the lesson.
I decided to get by without a phone for part of the trip.with the car rental I may consider renting a cell phone for the tuscany portion.
How did travellers manage before phone,email etc?
I'll rough it out and Thanks for everyone's reply.
Nono
Prof XYZ thanks for the lesson.
I decided to get by without a phone for part of the trip.with the car rental I may consider renting a cell phone for the tuscany portion.
How did travellers manage before phone,email etc?
I'll rough it out and Thanks for everyone's reply.
Nono
Oct 12th, 2004 | 09:08 AM
#9
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Good summary, xyz!
And might I add: the Siemens S46 is fully functional all over Europe, has many nifty features (<i>e.g.</i>, voice dialing, currency converter, appointment book), and can be had for $30-$40 on eBay. It does <u>not</u> have a color screen, does <u>not</u> have a camera, and does <u>not</u> play downloadable ringtones. But if you want a no-nonsense powerhouse of a tri-band phone, it's hard to beat. Lots of resources (including User Manual) here:
http://www.videobug.net/s46/
And might I add: the Siemens S46 is fully functional all over Europe, has many nifty features (<i>e.g.</i>, voice dialing, currency converter, appointment book), and can be had for $30-$40 on eBay. It does <u>not</u> have a color screen, does <u>not</u> have a camera, and does <u>not</u> play downloadable ringtones. But if you want a no-nonsense powerhouse of a tri-band phone, it's hard to beat. Lots of resources (including User Manual) here:
http://www.videobug.net/s46/
