Cell Phone Question
 

I'll visiting your fair country in a couple of months and want to take my mobile phone. I understand you would call it a cell phone. I thought the best thing to do would be to buy a Pre-paid Sim card from one of your carriers and "top it up" as I went along. My question is which telco would offer me the best service as I would be travelling in the US and in Canada? Are they all the same? Any advice appreciated.

Mac123

Depends on where you will be traveling. We have Verizon. We live in Virginia and have great coverage from New York to Florida. They have an online site www22.verizon.com You can buy phone cards just about anywhere, like Wal-Mart, grocery stores or convenience stores, and use the phone cards from just about any phone.

Thanks Joy in Virginia. I have used the phone cards previously but found them inconvenient having to enter 15 numbers or so before even dialling the number I want plus having to locate a telephone in a strange city. What I am after is Cell phone carrier who provides pre-paid SIM cards for placement in your cell phone that I can top up with my credit card as needed and so have the convenience of using the cell phone.
Many thanks for your response

Mac123

No-brainer question: have you already asked your provider?

I would still recommend checking out the websites of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint or MCI because I am unaware of SIM cards in the US. I'm sure you might be able to find some answers from US providers.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help .. and have a great time in the US!

I posted a similar question before seeing this one. It seems you can get prepaid sim cards just about everywhere in the world except the US. I was in Rwanda last November, and there were cellphone booths on just about every street corner. I bought a prepaid sim, and within 15 minutes had my own phone number with Rwandacell. If they can do it in Africa, why not in the US?

I've not heard of SIM cards, either. Though cumbersome for a visitor, Tracfone offers prepaid calling cards for time. You must buy a phone from them and activate it here in the US. Actually, they have a promotion right now that gives you a rebuilt Nokia phone and 60 minutes of airtime for about $25. Offer expires May 15, though. And it doesn't work in Canada.

As an aside, I'm an occasional user, and have been quite pleased with Tracfone service.

Former telecom employee here...

Whether your phone will work in the US or not really depends on where you are coming from. European phones use the GSM operating system, and most US phones use the CDMA operating system. Think of this like Mac vs. PC. The two are very different and do not interchange. IF your phone will work on both operating systems, then it will likely work in the US. I would advise checking with your carrier at home to see if your phone has this capability. If it does, your carrier or the phone's manufacturer can advise you which SIM card to buy and where they are sold.

The only exception is that in several major cities, a GSM network is beginning to be built so phones from everywhere else in the world will work there. This was being done by T-Mobile and AT&T Wireless last I knew. The networks in the non-urban areas are still very limited, so if you'll be traveling all over the country, your phone might not work everywhere.

If you want your mobile for emergencies only, I think Tracfone is the way to go.

US is behind Europe in the adoption of SIM cards because the US providers subsidize the phones heavily and don't want users to switch except after the 12 or 24 month contract.

I was just in N.Y. with a relative from Australia and she had some kind of phone card or phone # (which had been prepaid) whereby she could call back to Australia. The whole thing worked better from a Phone Booth (not a private home or hotel). So no cell phone. She'll be traveling throughout Europe for 6 months using this system.

ChristieP, I think most Europeans are aware that GSM coverage is limited in the US, and that even then you need the 1900 band to get a signal.

European cellphones are also heavily subsidized, but they have opened a whole new sector in the cellphone market by offering prepaid SIMs. These are popular with parents, because they can buy their youngster a phone without worrying about them running up a huge bill. When the units run out, the phone can't be used again until a top-up card is purchased. These days practically every English teenager has a cellphone, and quite a few pre-teens have them as well. They save money by sending text messages instead of voice calls.

Prepaid SIMs are also popular with travelers. As long as your phone is compatible with the local signal, you can buy a SIM and start making calls at the local rate.

I will soon be in the Minneapolis area, which has T-Mobile coverage compatible with my phone. If I make a local call with my Vodafone UK SIM, the call will be routed through the UK and back, and cost me about $2.00 per minute. How much nicer it would be if I could buy a local prepaid SIM card to use while there.

Which was the company that Jamie Lee Curtis used to advertise for here in the US?

I'm pretty sure they use GSM technology(and are the only US company to do so).

There are lots of companies offering GSM coverage in the US, but they are mostly regional. Go to www.gsmworld.com/gsminfo for a listing.

Bo, that was Voicestream, which has now been bought out by T-Mobile.

Heimdall, you're correct. Most AMERICANS don't understand the different technologies and frequencies, and they seem to think their carrier is what makes the phone work or not. I WISH that we'd get better prepaid service here. My former department helped design that technology, and it was very frustrating to never see it implemented here in the USA.

Thanks for all the responses.I am surprised that the US is behind the rest of the world in the pre-paid SIM card technology. Because I use a pre-paid card here in Australia with Vodaphone and not a 12mt/24th package I can't get international access unless I sign up for the package (which I don't want to do), hence the enquiry. I have a Nokia phone which accepts any SIM card here but I will check with my carrier. I guess I might have to buy two phones with the prepaid deal - one for Canada and one for the US).
Again thanks for the responses. Much appreciated.

Mac123