Travel Technology - overseas phone situation

I've been reading the threads on using a phone overseas by some method other than my carriers ultra high roaming rates. I must admit I'm probably more confused AFTER reading multiple threads than before I started. I am hoping someone her might be generous enough to take some time to assist me.

Let me begin by outlining what I have in terms of equipment and what I need in terms of performance.

I have an Iphone 4s from Verizon. I called the global support people and they told me the did the unlock on the phone - unlocked for foreign SIMS only.

I have a SIM from Maxroam which I have previously used in a nonsmart phone (old Motorola clamshell). I purchased a 206 area code number from Maxroam so that I would have a local phone number for people to call.

My landline has call following. When I am using Maxroam I set the following to my purchased Maxroam 206 number - so clients call my landline 206 number, this forwards to Maxroam 206 and connects to me on my phone (the old clamshell) via Maxroam (the underlying Maxroam number is a UK number).

This has worked fine on previous trips. The incoming rate on Maxroam is only 9 eurocents per minute so taking calls is not an issue at all.

Now that I have a smartphone I think there are better opportunities for me as well as more options for access to calls and data.

Maxroam is about 69 eurocents per minute calling back to the US - so, almost 1 USD per minute. I'd like an option where I can call back to the US without paying that kind of number.

Also, since I now have a smartphone, access to data (email mainly, the full on web access would also be desirable, if affordable). Maxroam charges 50 eurocents per MB, and from what I can suss out that might make it pretty expensive to have my iphone connected to data constantly (such as I do here at home).

For the most part, I believe I can live with making and receiving calls via Maxroam while I am out and about during the day (which in US Pacific Time will be at night). In the evening I will mostly be where there will be available WiFi (the hotel mainly).

So, my goal would be something like getting the Iphone connected to WiFi at the hotel (is this simply done? I know connecting my laptop is simple, but is connecting an iphone to a hotel WiFi network usually straightforward?). Ideally, then while I have a WiFi connection I would be able to both make and receive calls using nothing more than that WiFi connection (and not my Maxroam cellular connection at 69 eurocents per minute).

I have google voice on my laptop, which will be with me. I have a 206 google voice number. I have read in some of the threads that google voice doesn't always work in another country (I will be in Spain, France, and China). I also have Skype, but I do not have a SkypeIn 206 number (though I would be willing to buy one for 3 months at 18 bucks if it will prove useful).

Given that I can re-target my call following on the landline 206 number by using Skype or google voice, would it be possible to have an App running on my iphone where I could forward my landline number to and have it ring through seamlessly for people dialing my landline number? (such as setting to follow to my google voice number and having google voice app running on my iphone while the iphone is connected to the hotel wifi network). Would I be able to call out on google voice (using only the wifi signal from the phone to the hotel wifi connection) back to the US?

I am just completely confused as to which networks/cell networks I would be connecting to and who would be charging me for what. I can say that what I cannot have is to be paying 69 eurocents outbound unless I know that's what is happening and the situation warrants it (meaning I won't be doing much talking).

I am happy to take calls inbound on Maxroam (at 9 cents per minute via the cell network) and call outbound via an app (such as google voice) if that can be accomplished via WiFi. Is it that simple? Just use the Iphone google app for outbounds (as in the google app will NOT use a cell connection at my end under any circumstance)... ??!

I realize there are settings on my phone to control which 'portals' are open to use (the cell network, wifi, etc.). What I don't fully understand is which settings need to be set to what setting in order to be able to do what I want (use just wifi for calls) without the phone somehow deciding to route the call by another more expensive method (I would prefer the call just not happen rather than go to an alternate method that I am not aware of). Can someone clarify those settings so that if I experiment I can't do too much damage to my finances!?

I likely sound rather dense and dumb, I hope I'm not - I just can't make full sense of the posts I've searched since the folks writing them clearly know more than I do so there appear to be details missing or not understood by me.

anyone who takes a moment to sift through this blathering and offer helpful comments would be most appreciated.

thanks

NewK2

I've tried google voice app and it seems to want to route it through either my home phone (with then rings and I have to answer that and then the call moves on to the target number) or if I choose to route it through my google voice number then Siri comes on!

There seems to be a toggle for "click to call" but it is on and I can't change it - whatever "it" might mean

I seem to get further from understanding this the more I try, and it's driving me nuts

Try the following 2 companies

Telestial.com or cellomobile.com.

Each has its pros and cons.

I have both and am actually very happy.

Try the following 2 companies

Telestial.com or cellomobile.com.

Each has its pros and cons.


Wanted to annotate this thread, in regards to Telestial. Just completed an eight country trip, and used Telestial successfully in all (Sweden, Finland, Russia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, France). Many calls were made surprisingly well offshore on a cruise ship, which appeared to be connected to land based networks.

There were a few times that the automatic network selection did not work, so I just switched to manual and pinged them until one worked with the Telestial SIM. I was using a Samsung E-3222 phone BTW (had amazing battery life).

I have not done a detailed audit of the billings, but my intuition is the rates were as advertised (based upon having set the SIM refill at $30, whenever the remaining balance hit $20). Before a call is connected, a proper British woman's voice tells you how many minutes you have available for the call. Except for one call offshore of Russia that seemed to be surcharged double, each minute came out to just under 50 cents US.

The primary phone number you are assigned by Telestial is from the UK. A secondary number is available for free, and in my case it was domiciled in a Stockton, California exchange. Your caller ID will always show as the UK #.

Note that Telestial is essentially a call-back service for outgoing calls. It worked seamlessly, and the longest delay I saw before the Samsung rang was about ten seconds. It is worthwhile to test the system from your home, before you travel. The PIN code for unlocking the SIM is a bit peculiar, and has a leading digit that varies whether you are in the US or abroad.

The SIM I bought cost $19 (plus about $7 shipping), and included $10 of airtime.

I use Skype, with a SkypeIn number.

When I'm outside the US, I forward my calls to my SkypeIn number.

This then comes through to either my laptop, or the App on my iPhone, or both, depending upon which is on.

The laptop version works seamlessly, with the call quality adequate rather than excellent. The iPhone version works adequately (it's been substantially improved over the last couple of years to reach the heights of adequacy). There is a lag of some seconds before the phone wakes up and sometimes it seems to have logged itself out altogether. Also the history section is a mess. Strangely, it seems to work better over 3G on the UK 3 network than it does with wifi.

Calls back to the US with Skype are very cheap - 2.3c per minute and free to 0800 numbers.

In short, this seems to work for me; it's simple and cheap and I'm sticking with it until something better comes along.