Mobile / cell phone in Europe What's best?

We will be in Italy for October and November of this year. For family
reasons, I'd like to be contactable from Canada in case of emergency.
My thoughts are to take my cell phone with me and get a SIM in Italy.
I understand that my phone needs to be "unlocked". Whatever that
means.

While the primary reason to have the phone is to be contacted from
Canada, I would also expect to use it for local (Italian) calls
occasionally and no doubt for the occasional call home.

My question is, what is the best way to have a mobile phone in Italy?
Take my own and buy a local SIM? Buy a phone there? Forget
cellphones entirely and rely on local phones? I guess by "best" I
mean ease of use, coverage, and reasonable cost of calls.

There is probably an FAQ on this subject so it would be great if
someone pointed me to it.

Thanks for any advice or experiences!

Gord.

Gord Pope wrote:
We will be in Italy for October and November of this year. For family
reasons, I'd like to be contactable from Canada in case of emergency.
My thoughts are to take my cell phone with me and get a SIM in Italy.
I understand that my phone needs to be "unlocked". Whatever that
means.
Gord.

--------------------------------
Have you checked with your cellphone provider ,to see if they have
an agreement with an Italian mobile company ? And also that the phone
will work on the European system.
You should be aware though , that the rates can become exceptionally
high, when you are using your own mobile in another country. But if
you merely want to use it on occasionally it might work out better
for you.

Kristian

"Gord Pope" wrote in message
...


My question is, what is the best way to have a mobile phone in Italy?
Take my own and buy a local SIM? Buy a phone there? Forget
cellphones entirely and rely on local phones? I guess by "best" I
mean ease of use, coverage, and reasonable cost of calls.

Is your phone on a GSM network? They do exist in North America but are in
the minority. Assuming you are on a GSM network, you need to have a
dual-band or tri-band phone because the frequencies are different in Europe.

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm explains the quagmire of
international compatibility in a lucid manner and is useful for arriving at
a solution.

Lana

"Gord Pope" wrote in message
...

We will be in Italy for October and November of this year. For family
reasons, I'd like to be contactable from Canada in case of emergency.
My thoughts are to take my cell phone with me and get a SIM in Italy.
I understand that my phone needs to be "unlocked". Whatever that
means.

While the primary reason to have the phone is to be contacted from
Canada, I would also expect to use it for local (Italian) calls
occasionally and no doubt for the occasional call home.

My question is, what is the best way to have a mobile phone in Italy?
Take my own and buy a local SIM? Buy a phone there? Forget
cellphones entirely and rely on local phones? I guess by "best" I
mean ease of use, coverage, and reasonable cost of calls.

There is probably an FAQ on this subject so it would be great if
someone pointed me to it.

Thanks for any advice or experiences!

Gord.


We will be in Italy for three weeks in late June and found it was most
cost effective to rent a phone from
http://www.piccell.com Not sure, if being from Canada makes a difference. I
checked with my provider here in the US and it was going to be much more
expensive through them.

Neil

Gord Pope wrote in message . ..
We will be in Italy for October and November of this year. For family
reasons, I'd like to be contactable from Canada in case of emergency.
My thoughts are to take my cell phone with me and get a SIM in Italy.
I understand that my phone needs to be "unlocked". Whatever that
means.

While the primary reason to have the phone is to be contacted from
Canada, I would also expect to use it for local (Italian) calls
occasionally and no doubt for the occasional call home.

My question is, what is the best way to have a mobile phone in Italy?
Take my own and buy a local SIM? Buy a phone there? Forget
cellphones entirely and rely on local phones? I guess by "best" I
mean ease of use, coverage, and reasonable cost of calls.

There is probably an FAQ on this subject so it would be great if
someone pointed me to it.

If cost is not a concern: check with your service provider
if your phone can be used in Italy (international roaming
service, check also area maps covered by partners in Italy
and of course the phone has to be a GSM working with
frequencies used in Europe (900/1800 as opposed to 1900MHz
used mainly in Canada and the USA).
See also
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml
http://www.eliteelectronics.co.uk/mobile-phone-faq.html
- triband

International roaming is kind of expensive - so check also
the rates for calls to, from and in Italy with your service
provider.

Depending on number and duration of calls, usage of a local
SIM-card can save you money. This requires that your phone
is unlocked (=can be used with a SIM-card from an other
company) and of course it has to work with frequencies used
in Europe. Prepaid SIM-cards will be the easiest to get, but
not the least expensive for calls. And of course the phone
number you can be reached ist the "national" phone number
coming with the SIM-card.

Least expensive for international calls from a mobile phone
with prepaid SIM is probably using a "national" SIM-card
with an international calling card.

When travelling for a while in a foreign country, I usually
take two phones: one with my national SIM-card for being
reachable and a spare phone I will use with a "local" SIM-card
for calls within the country I am visiting. And I am also
using less expensive SMS instead of phone calls (especially
when having to deal with time-zones)

Renting a phone for a trip is relatively expensive, especially
compared to prices for entry-level phones with a local SIM-card
[but most of time locked]

Gord Pope schrieb:
We will be in Italy for October and November of this year. For family
reasons, I'd like to be contactable from Canada in case of emergency.
Thats done best with a local SIM card in a GSM phone.
The SIM is holding your subscriber identity and phone number.
INCOMING calls are free in european mobile phone systems.

My thoughts are to take my cell phone with me and get a SIM in Italy.
I understand that my phone needs to be "unlocked". Whatever that
means.
LOCKED phones can be used ONLY for your SIM or any SIM of the network.
Buy any unlocked EUROPEAN (900 + 1800 MHz) GSM phone at ebay. Should be
availabe for say 20 or 30 Dollars. (Sagem 922 for example.)

While the primary reason to have the phone is to be contacted from
Canada, I would also expect to use it for local (Italian) calls
occasionally and no doubt for the occasional call home.
Local italian calls are fine with the local italian PREPAID SIM.

My question is, what is the best way to have a mobile phone in Italy?
Take my own and buy a local SIM? Buy a phone there?
Buy the phone at ebay in advance. Buy a local prepaid SIM.

Wolfgang

"Gord Pope" wrote in message
...
There is probably an FAQ on this subject so it would be great if
someone pointed me to it.

http://nordicgroup.us/intlrate
http://www.prepaidgsm.net

--
Donald Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

Gord Pope wrote:

I understand that my phone needs to be "unlocked". Whatever that
means.

It means, that you cell phone is not only working with your SIM, but
also with another SIM.

BTW, if your phone isn't a triple band one it will not work in europe.
BTW2. take the instruction book (or a copy of the page how to change
the band) with you.

If your phone company has a roaming contract with Italy and Norway,
you can use your own SIM, but it will be expensive. You will be
charged for incoming calls, and if you make calls, you pay the normal
charge + a roaming charge.

The easiest way might be to buy a prepaid SIM in Italy to use there
and one in Norway to use there and call home twice to inform them
about the "new" number.

Greetings from Cologne

Andreas

Wolfgang Barth wrote:

INCOMING calls are free in european mobile phone systems.

But only in the same country.
If you use a CDN SIM in I or a D in P, you are paying for incoming
calls too.

Greetings from Cologne

Andreas