Which UK Sim for Voice and Data
 

I will be in London for 5 days in Feb. I have an unlocked Nokia E 71 (European version) which I want to use for local calls in the UK, calls from the UK to the States and to check e-mail. Any suggestions as to which SIM to go with would be appreciated.

For London, look at Three. Great data and US rates. I've also many many VOIP Over 3G on their network.

This might be a good choice.

http://www.truphone.com/en-US/Produc.../Rate-Checker/

Looks like a much better option than truphone. ^

3p/minute for calls to the US. Price guide - http://www.three.co.uk/_standalone/L...=1220460947016

They also have an "all you can eat" data plan for £15, including 3000 texts + 300m.

Truphone isn't your best SIM for the UK, it is handy for someone who splits their time between the US and UK. For example, my best friend is An American ex pat who lived in the UK for ten years (until the summer). He now lives in Oz. he is an occasional cell phone user. He only makes a couple of calls a month and receives six or seven calls a month when he isn't travelling. He is made for Truphone. He doesn't get robbed in the three places he goes and can simply use the phone like he is at home regardless of where he is.

If you are a heavy Truphone user and want to use it as yor contract phone, look at their business packs. I recommended it to a British performer appearing in the US and going back and forth. I can't mention names, but he/she is making over 20 grand per episode is not trying to be completely el cheapo, but was sick of being gouged. And loved having his/her US and UK mobile on one SIM. Paying $300 a month for a simple solution that worked fine in both countries and giving him/her data, phone, SMS that worked in both countries without hassle.

I use a Truphone for Oz because their prepaids expire so quickly. When I am in Oz, I stay at my friends and make most of my calls over wifi. I find Australian prepaids complex with flagfalls, and the fiction that they will "sell you $250 for $50" which really means you'll get 250 credits reduced by a complex formula.

Truphone is also helpful as a spare US phone which gives me access to TMobile's network, for foreign guests, etcs. I've rarely used it in the UK because my UK SIMs never seem to expire.

tep
 

You might try a MiFi from tep if you have multiple devices, Phone, tablet, laptop, etc. (www.tepwireless.com) I used one this past Oct and it worked fine.

Cheers

All of my research pointed me toward 3 but I wasn't sure. Thanks for confirming.

An eBay seller suggested Lebara but the reviews aren't great.

3 it is!

Thanks!

If you're going to be in the UK/EU frequently, it might actually be worth looking into getting a contract phone. I got a great deal from Vodafone a few months ago with 1200 local minutes, 500 minutes a month to the US/Canada/EU, unlimited texts, 750MB of UK data, and 20MB a day of data anywhere in Europe for £35 a month on a 24-month contract. They also threw in a free unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II, worth about £350 retail! ^

Set it up for online statements and direct debit and you'll be good to go. Saves me a ton of hassle and money every time I'm in Europe or the EU as intra-Europe roaming rates are very reasonable and data/messaging is free.

Good idea and great deal but I'm not there often enough to make a regular plan worth it.

If you can get a three phone with Skype on it, (and you are a Skype user obviously) then there is no charge for using that on the three network in the UK. Best thing to do is ask in-store about that.

I thought the user said he was using an "unlocked iPhone." There isn't a Three Skype client for the iPhone. Their Skype client is actually a customized version of iSkoot that dials the call into a special dialup. It works like the Google Voicer Dialer does in the States. I have Symbian 3 Nokia E66 and was able to download the Skype client into my phone and it was great, but it required some work. You can also get a Skype virtual number working on the phones, but there is a trick which I will tell people on PMs.

I have an O2 sim which I purchased for 15 pounds. It came with 300 outgoing texts, unlimited incoming, and 2 gig of data. Plus the calling rates were very reasonable back to the US.

Welcome to FT. Please note that all incoming calls/texts are free in the UK, regardless of network and price plan. Assuming you are using a UK sim card of course.

tb

Did you need a UK address or credit card to get it?

I've had a pay-as-you-go T-mobile UK SIM for years and have been pretty happy with it.

I have an old contract Orange OVP Virgin account that I still keep active which has international roaming on it. To open it, they wanted a UK bank account for direct debit, and either employment verification through an UK registered company or a deposit. They would not activate contract roaming for me at first, but eventually gave it to me. The roaming rates are nothing to right home about, but it is the gold standard of roaming. It will even work in places like Cuba, Iran, etc.