going from US to South Africa, help to unlock/get better rates,please

I am doing exactly the same thing - with TMobile
as my US cell phone service. I have done a lot of
research on this and have basically come to
understand that Verizon, Sprint can't help me.
They have proprietary technology that doesn't
use a SIM card. AT&T is unwilling to unlock
the SIM cards in their phones, so I am told.
As a longtime Voicestream, then taken over
by TMobile subscriber, I'm OK with them.

You must get whatever provider you are using
in the US to give you the info you need to unlock
it. It does not affect your service here at all.
TMobile will unlock my phone within 48 hours
of the time I request it.

When you get to SAfrica, you can shop around
for a decent pre-paid deal, get their SIM card, and
put it in. Obviously, keep the one for the US in a
safe place because you will need it when you return.
All of this is very simple.

MTN & Vodacom are the 2 biggest providers in
South Africa. I will probably use MTN - it has good
coverage in the Western Cape where I have a home
and will be spending several months each year.
Consult someone in the area you will be to make
a decision on which to use. They might even suggest
someone else.

That SIM card will give you a South African tel. number.
Incoming calls are free - don't count against your time.
People here can call you and it won't count against
your minutes.
For calls back to the US, take an AT&T card with you
from someplace like Sam's or Costco and dial the
access number from within South Africa. It's toll free.
Using your cell phone from South Africa to the
US will be much more expensive.

I did find some very aggressive deals for my choice,
MTN, from local dealers who sell their product.
Cheaper than from MTN itself. You buy the SIM card
and a specified number of minutes, with the always
available option to add more.

Read this over, think of questions, tell me where
you will be, and maybe I can help more.

I have also seen discussions of unlocking the AT&T phones,
so there are clearly techies out there who can give you the
code to do it. And, to use a phone you got from AT&T,
you absolutely must unlock it before you can then use
a SIM card you get in South Africa.

And yes, wait till you are there to get the SIM card.
Cell phone dealers are everywhere, and have the 'kits'
in stock with the SIM card, instructions, etc.

Here's a web page with a current offer available
from one of the dealers:
http://www.cellucity.co.za/prepaid.htm
R2.70 for the first minute is 45 cents.
R1.55 for additional minutes is 25 cents.
This would be Vodacom service, which works
very well in the Cape Town area as well as
most of the rest of the country.
These charges are for calls within South Africa.
Incoming calls are free. So, your phone would
keep you in contact with your job, lodging,
new friends in South Africa, etc.

Speaking now of your question about phone cards
to use, calling back to the US. I use an AT&T calling
card I buy at Sam's. Costco has a similar card. These
are used normally for long-distance calling within
the US at 2.9 to 3.4 cents per minute (depends on the deal
being offered when you buy the card). But in
South Africa, I call the AT&T access number, which
connects me back to AT&T in the US, and calls I make
to the US cost (as I remember) less than 50 cents
per minute. Same card. Just a different rate because
it is being used for international calling.

One other option is to buy a calling card in South
Africa to use, calling back to the US. Probably not
any more expensive.

Here's something that will surprise you. Calls within
South Africa from any phone - such as one in the
room where you might be staying, or from someone's
house, are also charged by the minute. When people
call each other, house-to-house, the caller has to pay
by the minute. Person being called doesn't get charged.
This is one reason for the high level of cell phone use.
It is not uncommon for people to have only a cell
phone. The phone book will even include cell phone
numbers, especially for businesses.

Speaking now of the duration of the flight
and I assume you are speaking of South African
Airways - which is a very good airline, BTW.

Yes, 15 hours. And that's the flight TO Cape Town.
Returning is more than 20 hours and includes a
stop on an island in the Atlantic for refueling.
I'm using British Airways right now which is an
even longer trip - Phoenix to London, London to
Cape Town. But I can get a fare that's about $250
less than I can get on South African Airways.

I have also seen discussions of unlocking the AT&T phones,
so there are clearly techies out there who can give you the
code to do it. And, to use a phone you got from AT&T,
you absolutely must unlock it before you can then use
a SIM card you get in South Africa.

And yes, wait till you are there to get the SIM card.
Cell phone dealers are everywhere, and have the 'kits'
in stock with the SIM card, instructions, etc.

Here's a web page with a current offer available
from one of the dealers:
http://www.cellucity.co.za/prepaid.htm
R2.70 for the first minute is 45 cents.
R1.55 for additional minutes is 25 cents.
This would be Vodacom service, which works
very well in the Cape Town area as well as
most of the rest of the country.
These charges are for calls within South Africa.
Incoming calls are free. So, your phone would
keep you in contact with your job, lodging,
new friends in South Africa, etc.

Speaking now of your question about phone cards
to use, calling back to the US. I use an AT&T calling
card I buy at Sam's. Costco has a similar card. These
are used normally for long-distance calling within
the US at 2.9 to 3.4 cents per minute (depends on the deal
being offered when you buy the card). But in
South Africa, I call the AT&T access number, which
connects me back to AT&T in the US, and calls I make
to the US cost (as I remember) less than 50 cents
per minute. Same card. Just a different rate because
it is being used for international calling.

One other option is to buy a calling card in South
Africa to use, calling back to the US. Probably not
any more expensive.

Here's something that will surprise you. Calls within
South Africa from any phone - such as one in the
room where you might be staying, or from someone's
house, are also charged by the minute. When people
call each other, house-to-house, the caller has to pay
by the minute. Person being called doesn't get charged.
This is one reason for the high level of cell phone use.
It is not uncommon for people to have only a cell
phone. The phone book will even include cell phone
numbers, especially for businesses.

Speaking now of the duration of the flight
and I assume you are speaking of South African
Airways - which is a very good airline, BTW.

Yes, 15 hours. And that's the flight TO Cape Town.
Returning is more than 20 hours and includes a
stop on an island in the Atlantic for refueling.
I'm using British Airways right now which is an
even longer trip - Phoenix to London, London to
Cape Town. But I can get a fare that's about $250
less than I can get on South African Airways.

(Gary Mortimer) wrote in message

The best way of making contact with home is of course SMS, you should
probably lodge some cash with some friends at home and send them an
SMS when you want them to call you and then let them call you as its
far cheaper to call from the US to here than the other way round.

Gary,
thank you very much for the info.

Dumb question - What's SMS?...