Mobal GSM Phones
 

I've read about Mobal GSM phones from another travel website and it sounds great. Has anyone used these phones while traveling in Europe?

Oh, yeah! a little search reveals:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34587164

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34573040

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34569406

Also:
Author: rsb99 <threadselect.jsp?screen_name=rsb99&fid=2&g t;
Date: 10/14/2004, 06:21 pm
Here's my follow-up report on Mobal. The phone worked perfectly everywhere we were. Because the company is based in Britain, the service searches for a local provider when you turn the phone on. In our case TIM was always easily accessible. For our very limited usage I think this was a fine solution. We did feel some pressure to keep our calls short (because of the rates), but I expect our total bill to be no more than about $50 (plus the initial purchase of the phone). Voicemail is available, but we did not need it.

This is not to say that in the long run pre-paid doesn't make more sense. But for the occasional traveler (and light phone user) who wants a simple solution Mobal meets a need.

Author: real_goose <threadselect.jsp?screen_name=real_goose&fi d=2>
Date: 11/09/2004, 12:23 pm
I purchased a Nokia 3310 from Mobal with SIM chip for $49. It seems to be a good bargain since the phone was unlocked and has a better warrenty than an Ebay purchase. The Mobal service is from a British Cell company called O2 and you only pay for actual usage.

We spend several weeks in Greece every summer and use CosmOTE prepaid service. CosmOTE alledgedly has roaming, but we've never been able to make a call from the Amsterdam airport in the event of a delay. (I've since read that we can only receive calls while roaming.)
Now our plan is to travel with the Mobal SIM in the phone for emergencies and then to use local SIM's when we spend more than a few days in a given country. A few minutes of calls looks cheaper than an initial SIM purchase in many countries and it is not always easy to find a shop immediately on arrival. It's good to have a working backup phone until you get service in a new country.

Author: TopMan <threadselect.jsp?screen_name=TopMan&fid=2& gt;
Date: 11/09/2004, 12:49 pm
I have a Mobal that works in 144+ countries and I use it only when needed. It has consistently worked and been very convenient. I do not check e-mail while overseas, do not routinely call home, and if someone wants to reach me they have been given an itinerary with hotel phone numbers, etc., and been told to use my Mobal # (which is a UK phone number)ONLY in the event of an emergency. I've been very pleased with the service.

ttt

Thanks to all, especially Travelnut on your input.

I have had a T-Mobile GSM for over two years, and just upgraded to a GSM Sidekick II. It has worked great all over the world. Much less hassel than phone cards, trying to find a booth, etc. I didn't need to make that many calls, or receive that many, but it was nice to have it as I spent a summer in Italy two years ago going to school and will be going back in a few weeks, then we go to the Middle East in the fall. I will be glad to have a global phone that is reliable. There are plenty of companies that offer them. I just happen to use T-Mobile.