Mike Jacoubowsky

For $7-$12/day, it's hard to go really wrong with iPhonetrip. You may be able to save a bit of money by going native (buying something within the country) but peace of mind and lack of hassle count for something for most of us. Yes, there's the challenge of trying to save a buck or two that can be exciting, but really, if it's something you depend on, is it really worth the effort?

I'll admit I was initially a huge skeptic of iPhonetrip, but having used it twice now, once in France, once in China, I'm a believer. It just works. And it's reasonably priced.

Haven't tried Xcom. Could be worthwhile too. OK, just checked Xcom's site; considerably more expensive than iPhonetrip since all they appear to offer are "devices" not simcards (wifi and usb modems at $17.99 and $14.99/day while iPhonetrip can cost as little as $7/day). If you've got a jailbroken older iPhone, the "killer app" is to use it as the MiFi device, as I've done. Or if you just want it for your iPhone or iPad, no problem, just plug the simcard in (assuming your iPad has 3G built in).

wco81

AT&T announced some kind of a global SIM product at MWC today.

Probably some expensive roaming deals geared towards corporations but with some kind of account management features.

The PR explicitly touts the benefits of not having to manage multiple local SIMs. Well most big companies probably are just roaming on the AT&T SIM, not having employees buy local SIMs.

nmenaker

these guys will sell/send you a sim in advance, it is about 2x the 10$ monthly fee to have it all done for you in advance.

http://www.3gsolutions.com.cn/

I've used them a couple times as have a couple others.

TAHKUCT

Any suggestions for Spain? Need voice and data.

Mike Jacoubowsky

Skype works well enough that most won't need "voice" anymore. What mobile devices will you be using?

CatJo

I'm planning a potential trip to Western Europe (likely be in France, Spain, Italy, UK and maybe Switzerland and Germany as well, total time less than a month) and thinking about which SIM card would work best for my needs - I have an unlocked GSM iPhone 4 on AT&T.

Ideally, I'd like relatively inexpensive data and low cost incoming calls as I roam through those countries. I can use various call-back/calling card systems to make all the calls I need (especially if I have cellular data access) at extremely low rates, and it helps significantly if the SIM number is a "regular" mobile in one of those countries and not one in Estonia/Isle-of-Mann etc. since it costs far more to forward my US number to the latter.

It would be great to procure the SIM and verify it works before leaving the US; so far, Maxroam appears to fit the bill with free incoming and ~$1 per Mb. Vodafone and Orange have cheaper data plans for Europeans, don't know if I can get those shipped here.

I will make plenty of use of any available Wi-Fi for the bulk of my data needs, and have several VoIP setups for calls over data (which I'll avoid using over cellular). Any thoughts and recommendations? All pointers are much appreciated!

Mike Jacoubowsky

$1/megabyte is outrageous; even AT&T offers international roaming far, far cheaper than that ($199 for 800 megabytes). Consider the oft-mentioned iPhonetrip. If you're concerned about whether it will work and want to test it out first, no problem, just pay for a few extra days beforehand and check it out. The only thing missing will be standard (not Skype) phone calls at a reasonable cost.

CatJo

I'm not sure iPhonetrip is that reasonable either - for a three-week trip, you'd pay ~$350 ($16/day) plus $1.68/minute for phone calls; you could get the 800Mb $199 AT&T data package and pay $0.99 per minute for phone calls (with the $6/month World Traveler plan).

Has anyone ordered a 3 UK (or Vodafone UK) SIM and had it delivered and activated in the US? The Vodafone Passport option looks like it would work well.

I've checked out ekit (Telestial), cellomobile, mrsimcard, etc. and am trying to decipher the different options.

Mike Jacoubowsky

Not sure why you focus on the phone charges so much; there are very few situations Skype can't handle, with little effort. It's also surprisingly miserly when it comes to data useage during a phone call. Very impressive overseas.

The iPhoneTrip options are a bit more obscure than they should be; the $8.99/day 1GB program can be reinstated when you hit the 1GB limit, so unless you go over 1GB/day the $8.99 daily figure should get you through. That brings the cost down to less than $200 for three weeks. If you're paranoid (raising my hand now!), you could order several of the 1GB simcards to run consecutively, and worry about having to send an email to get them reinstated when you hit the limit.

(For context, you can look up some of my earlier posts on iPhoneTrip where I was more than skeptical, thinking it might be something of a scam. There were a number of favorable posts from people with very little history on FT. That's not a camp I fit into.)

CatJo

I'm going to rethink my strategy; I think I can get the data-only SIM from iPhonetrip as you mention (1Gb/day is way more than enough) and just leave my SIP client running so I can make/receive calls as needed. My main hesitation was relying on quality 3G connections for voice - I imagine the networks in the UK, France, Spain, Italy etc. are all good?

Will do, thanks!

Mike Jacoubowsky

I have only used iPhoneTrip in China and France, both with excellent results. In general, anyplace you can get a decent phone connection you can get a decent 3G connection. There will be some exceptions, where Edge is the best you can do, but I've managed to use Skype even then. Don't know about Spain and Italy but in general 3G coverage is Europe will astound you, even in the mountains. The only limitations I've found have been when circuits were overloaded during the Tour de France (something about half a million people on a mountain all trying to log into Cyclingnews.com at the same time for real-time race info).

If you do find a situation where 3G is problematic, try manually switching your phone to Edge. That's a strategy I learned with the iPhone at trade shows, where you can't make a normal phone call because 3G is overloaded. Switch to Edge and suddenly all is well. For the biggest trade shows they'll bring in COWs (cellular on wheels) for added capacity. I saw just one of those in use in France, at the top of the Galibier.

TAHKUCT

Skype is not an option. It will require a wifi connection more likely. I am using a windows 6.5 mobile phone.

Mike Jacoubowsky

As I mentioned previously, I've had good Skype connections even with Edge, so wifi is absolutely not a requirement. Unless Skype works better on the iPhone than on a Microsoft product. :-;
Skype was purchased by Microsoft, Windows Mobile 6.5 is Microsoft... wow, that's pretty sad.

TAHKUCT

There is no official supported Skype version for my phone.

OverThereTooMuch

Be careful with this.

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/in...d-packages.jsp

Looks like the data plans listed there require a 1yr contract. They mention a prepaid data package, but it's only valid for computers/tablets, not devices that offer voice services. I know there's a thin line there, but that's where AT&T drew it.

Looks like there are some on ebay, not sure whether or not those can/should be trusted.

http://download.cnet.com/Skype-for-W...-10319520.html

Maybe give that a try? I would expect Cnet to do a scan for spyware before hosting the download. The reviews seem positive. (I work for Microsoft, not on the WM/WP teams; this is just one of the first hits I found when searching for it)