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Cell phone for European travel



 
 
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  #11  
Old August 21st, 2013, 07:45 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Doug Anderson
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Posts: 78
Default Cell phone for European travel

"Erick T. Barkhuis" writes:

Tim C.:

On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 20:57:29 +0100, Mike O'Sullivan wrote in post :
:

On 20/08/2013 20:15, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote:


Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days.

not in my experience


Mine neither.


I start wondering...have you guys ever actually tried to get across the
pond as a US citizen and buy/register a new SIM in Western Europe?


It took me about 15 minutes to buy two sims from an Orange shop in
France for my phone and my mothers. This was in 2011.

It took a similar length of time in 2007, also in France.

Faster to buy a tmobile sim in Bonn in 2008.

I may have needed my passport in some or all cases. I know I had it
with me just in case.
  #12  
Old August 21st, 2013, 08:07 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Tim C.[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 920
Default Cell phone for European travel

On 21 Aug 2013 06:32:30 GMT, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote in post :
:

I start wondering...have you guys ever actually tried to get across the
pond as a US citizen and buy/register a new SIM in Western Europe?


No, have you?

But I have, very recently, bought 3 "vertragsfrei" SIM cards here without
any documentation or anything. It is clear I am not local, from my accent.
Instantly. No-one would ever know you're American. You can even buy
contract-free SIM cards at (some) supermarket checkouts here - though I
have never done that.


--
Tim C. Linz, Austria.
  #13  
Old August 21st, 2013, 08:39 AM posted to rec.travel.europe
Erick T. Barkhuis[_3_]
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Posts: 180
Default Cell phone for European travel

Tim C.:

On 21 Aug 2013 06:32:30 GMT, Erick T. Barkhuis wrote in post :
:

I start wondering...have you guys ever actually tried to get
across the pond as a US citizen and buy/register a new SIM in
Western Europe?


No, have you?


I had a friend over from Rhode Island several months ago and went with
him to a Vodafone shop in Enschede to buy a SIM. He had to fill out a
form, produce a photo copy of his passport and then was told, that
"things would work the day after tomorrow. If not, please check back
in".
It worked the next day, late afternoon.


But I have, very recently, bought 3 "vertragsfrei" SIM cards here
without any documentation or anything. It is clear I am not local,
from my accent. Instantly.


I didn't know that was possible. Next time I see them offered
somewhere, I'll have a look.
Thanks.

--
Erick
  #14  
Old August 21st, 2013, 12:11 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
tim.....
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Posts: 1,591
Default Cell phone for European travel


"Frank Clarke" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:15:42 +0200, Erick T. Barkhuis
wrote:


Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:16:46 -0400, Frank Clarke
:
I need advice on a CHEAP way to have a cell phone available for

travel in

If you're visiting several countries on your trip, don't bother.
Firstly, initial SIM registration may take several days. Secondly,
you'd be roaming anyway.
So, bring your US phone and give it a try, first.

On top of that, many countries still show phone booths at street
corners.


My US phone is CDMA -- guaranteed not to work in Europe.

I will need a new phone. The base question is "Where to get an
inexpensive
unlocked GSM phone


Why does it need to be un locked?

You're not going to be signing up for a new "contract" in each country that
you visit, are you?

and if you get a PAYG SIM you will find that "local" call charges are not
any cheaper that the EU imposes roaming charges (mine aren't anyway). And
whilst incoming will be free you will have the added aggro of informing you
callers of a new number each time you visit a new country.




  #15  
Old August 21st, 2013, 01:07 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Josef Kleber
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Posts: 87
Default Cell phone for European travel

Am 21.08.2013 07:36, schrieb Erick T. Barkhuis:
Erilar:

Erick T. Barkhuis wrote:


On top of that, many countries still show phone booths at street
corners.


I don't remember seeing any at all on recent trips 8-(


Where did you look?
For instance, in Germany, almost every village and town has one or more
pink 'Deutsche Telekom" booths.


I very much doubt that. There was a report in the newspaper a few weeks
ago, that the last booth got axed. And it's not a village but the
Kreisstadt.
There are for sure some in bigger cities, e.g. in Munich i know. But it
will be a long walk, if you know were it is. If you are lucky it will
even work! ;-)

Josef


  #16  
Old August 21st, 2013, 03:38 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Tim C.[_5_]
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Posts: 920
Default Cell phone for European travel

On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:16:46 -0400, Frank Clarke wrote in post :
:


This question is mostly for the USians on the group but anyone else is,
naturally, welcome to chime in.

I need advice on a CHEAP way to have a cell phone available for travel in
Europe. It doesn't have to be fancy (God, please let's not get into another
****ing contest over the glories of smart phones!). All it has to do is make
and receive voice calls.

Some years ago I got a bottom-of-the-line Motorola C123 from CallInEurope.com
operating out of Connecticut somewhere. $60 complete w a French SIM and all the
doo-dads; I lent it to someone and they lost it :-(

CIE seems to have gone out of business, but if they were still around, I'd pick
up another just like it.

Any alternative suggestions?

FrankC
(chg Arabic# to Roman to reply)


I just checked the 3 website in Austria.
For example:
You can get a SIM card, no registration, no contract, for about €10.
€0.08/minute within Austria, €0.28 within EU. Or you can add - for €6 more
- a 200 minutes package for EU, USA, Turkey and Canada.
Then you only need an unlocked 3G phone (available almost anywhere second
hand).
I believe Austria is relatively cheap compared to most other EU countries,
so expect to pay a bit more, but roaming charges are capped by the EU, so
there shouldn't be too much variation in reality.



--
Tim C. Linz, Austria.
  #17  
Old August 21st, 2013, 05:13 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Erick T. Barkhuis[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 180
Default Phone booths (was: Cell phone for European travel)

Josef Kleber:

Am 21.08.2013 07:36, schrieb Erick T. Barkhuis:


For instance, in Germany, almost every village and town has one or
more pink 'Deutsche Telekom" booths.


I very much doubt that. There was a report in the newspaper a few
weeks ago, that the last booth got axed. And it's not a village but
the Kreisstadt.


Statistics* show, that the number of cell phones in Germany decreases,
but there are still about 50.000 such public phones available. With
11,000 communities in the country, that's an average of about 5 of them
in each community.

There are for sure some in bigger cities, e.g. in Munich i know. But
it will be a long walk, if you know were it is. If you are lucky it
will even work! ;-)


Two places where you'll be almost guaranteed to find at least one phone
booth:
- the central railway or bus station
- the central town square

In the village where I live, with only 1,100 inhabitants, I know of two
phone boxes.


Increasingly, public phone booths are equipped with hot spot facilities
as described on http://mwl.telekom.de/mwl/public-services/infrastruktur
Assuming that many hot spots are phone booths as well, these can be
located using http://www.t-mobile.de/funkversorgung/ . I had a look at
small cities like Lingen(Ems), Rheine and Nordhorn, and found the
location of several dozens of hotspots, which I know as phone booths.
In these towns, however, I know of more phone booths, which are
apparently no hotspots (yet).

Tourists, who tend to visit the town's centers, will still easily find
public phone booths, at least as shown above for Germany.


*
http://de.statista.com/statistik/dat...and-seit-2006/


--
Erick
  #18  
Old August 21st, 2013, 05:50 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Erick T. Barkhuis[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 180
Default Phone booths (was: Cell phone for European travel)

Erick T. Barkhuis:

Statistics* show, that the number of cell phones in Germany...


Not cell phones. Phone booths.

  #19  
Old August 21st, 2013, 05:51 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Erilar
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 599
Default Cell phone for European travel

"Erick T. Barkhuis" wrote:
Erilar:

Erick T. Barkhuis wrote:


On top of that, many countries still show phone booths at street
corners.


I don't remember seeing any at all on recent trips 8-(


Where did you look?
For instance, in Germany, almost every village and town has one or more
pink 'Deutsche Telekom" booths. These are usually just half booths, a
metal pole with a sign and a pink/silver phone. This is what they look
like:
http://media.billiger-telefonieren.de/13/239.jpg
Any geocacher will be able to point you to these, because many of them
are hiding places.
In Belgium, you can't miss these:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...elefoonkot.JPG

Side note: in Bad Zwischenahn, a closed, yellow phone booth is now in
use as a free public library. An amazing sight!


Aha! I don't look for them any more, but would only notice the yellow full
booths I used to use phone cards in.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad
  #20  
Old August 21st, 2013, 08:34 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Frank Clarke
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 90
Default Cell phone for European travel

On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 12:11:14 +0100, "tim....."
wrote:




My US phone is CDMA -- guaranteed not to work in Europe.

I will need a new phone. The base question is "Where to get an
inexpensive
unlocked GSM phone


Why does it need to be un locked?


Doesn't it have to be unlocked in order to load a SIM? Mercy, guys; I'm at the
stage of not even knowing which questions to ask.

You're not going to be signing up for a new "contract" in each country that
you visit, are you?

and if you get a PAYG SIM you will find that "local" call charges are not
any cheaper that the EU imposes roaming charges (mine aren't anyway). And
whilst incoming will be free you will have the added aggro of informing you
callers of a new number each time you visit a new country.


I actually expect to use it only for (a) contacting other members of my party
"Where the hell did you go off to NOW??" or (b) calling ahead to my next lodging
"We're stuck in heavy traffic, but we'll be there. Don't give our reservation
away." or (c) drunk-calling the kids at midnight Paris time to tell them what a
great time we're having on their inheritance :-)


FrankC
(chg Arabic# to Roman to reply)
 




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