This is a lot harder than it looks... and certainly harder than it should be. I travel extensively (as most of us do). I now have SIMs from three countries (US, Georgia, Dominican Republic) on monthly subscriptions.

Besides an upcoming RTW and MRs, in the last 12 months I have been multiple times in each of UK, Netherlands, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Greece, Denmark, France, Armenia, Turkey and numerous Caribbean and Central American countries.

I'm looking for two things:

1) A phone that makes and receives calls nearly everywhere to/from nearly everywhere at reasonably attractive rates, that doesn't need much "topping off" if I don't hit a given country for months at a time. I don't want to have to keep buying SIMs and monthly plans just to get reliable access and 2-25 hours of calling in a given country per year.

2) Reasonably priced GPRS access for my laptop in similar circumstances. I know this is likely to be a bit "early" in the adoption curve... but it is rapidly becoming mandatory for me.

I'm tired of paying $1-$5 per minute for what should be under a dollar per minute almost anywhere.

Any ideas for solutions?

Well, you could go iridium, or Gstar
 

By now, they have plans on a per minute basis. They are down below .85$ world wide, but better rates are 1.05$ or so on the prepay. So, everywhere you go in the WORLD you pay 1.05. iridium is a bit differant than gstar, which sound quality I like better. iridium is more costly for your calling party, but you don't pay for inbounds. You only pay for outbounds.

Gstar, is a local us number so your callers don't pay much, but you pay for in and outbound. Globalstar is in and outbound you pay for each call.

Gstar rates, are cheap in the US, canada, carribean and PR. But, once you get to europe and other places, they you are paying ld to US, and other countries. LD tacks on about .10$ - 2.00$ per minute. So, for example if you were in Gergia, you would use your minutes, either by a plan, or pay as you go. So, between .17$ and .99$ per minute, plus .92$ for calls anywhere in the world.

It gets a bit trickier. I kindof like the iridium idea, I would just call outbound to everyone.

I have used the phones indoors and out. Out is definitly better. Call quality is really very very good, but indoors sometimes you miss calls. I always make a point of leaving the phone near a window in order to increase the chances of getting IB calls.

with globalstar, you also have the option of sticking in another SIM card, from a local country and then you just have a GSM phone. I think iridium is the same, cannot remembe though it has been about five years since using it last.

phones are about 300-500 dollars, you can get refurbs for less sometimes, you always have to have a plan, or buy prepaid minutes from them though to activate them.

LOL... Well, as an Iridium subscriber (since their first month) I have to disagree. Sound quality is pretty poor, reception is extremely spotty and sometimes just vanishes. There is a very slim chance of getting reception inside, and even if the phone SAYS there is reception there is no guarantee calls will get through. The wait for callers is sometimes extremely long (while they wait for you to head outside, extend the antenna and HOPE the call comes through).

Then there is the size... and battery life (pretty much non existent).

After the investment in the phone, extra batteries and airtime you are just better off using a US sim and paying for their roaming rates.

And of course Iridiums data service is absolutely useless.

The only thing I like about my Iridium service is their pager, as it will work when in the air, what I don't like about it though is having to change my MDA every time I head somewhere.

yeah, i shoulda figured my nemesis!!
 

initial sound quality on iridium was pretty poor, and as I said I haven't used it since it first came out about five years ago.

Gstar is excellent in my opinion, using CDMA technology, the sound quality I have had in the water, alaska, st. pertersburg, amaty, east london, seychelles was just like being at home.

I don't have much problem with reception, if I apply the practices I described. antenna up, near a window.

There are other options for remote antennas or repeaters for people who REALLY need to be contacted. Nice thing is, the VM indicator is coming on another channel, so it comes throuhg minutes after you missed a call.

As the phone says, you'll get a day standby tops. Don't go anywhere with it on without a car power adaptor, or knowing you will be near a plug, or you'll be carrying a useless brick.

I can only fully recommend gstar, having used it 2-4 times a year for the past four years.

Heck, I liked it so much, I BOUGHT THE COMPANY!

You BOUGHT Globalstar? COOL! :)

If you offered a pager I'd switch :)

yeah
 

no pager.
I kindof like the pager

there were others involved
 

not like the REMINGTON deal, there were others involved. :-)

you can view details at tcp.com

My post (#46) was hijacked by Globalstar&Iridium comments. And perhaps I should have started a new thread before, but can I simply:


BUMP (can you help with post #46 please?)

you didn't like the recommednation
 

I thought it was a good one? As for a global, 1.00$ a minute there abouts, no roaming GSM service providor for the regions you mentioned, I have never heard of one to date, and travel a great deal with people who travel a great deal, everywhere in the world, and are more technie, with more $$ to throw around than I have, even with all the toys.

Most cost effective, would be probably be an annual account for the places you go the most, with the lowest possible plan, maybe 10-15 euro a month. Consider that simply a sunk cost to have constancy of numbers and not having to reload.

Then, use a call back service to forward your calls to those numbers, and use for actual calling, since pretty much everywhere in the world, save USA is calling party pays. So, IB's are free where you are located. Your inbound call from the call back service is free on the GSM SIM in the country you have purchased it from.

some of the call back services, allow you a number to give people in USA for example that is constant, and it simply forwards to the number that YOU select where you are. Meaning, you change the call BACK number to the SIM in the country where you are currently and they continue to call your constant number.

Lets do some simple math here:

Assuming the numbers above, and let's say four countries, your sunk costs are 480.00 a year. At a buck a minute that is only eight hours of calling per year normally as a sunk cost.

If you use the call back, let's say .15$ a minute (pick one that doesn't charge higher fees for mobile calling), but normally do ten times that much calling while traveling, then your costs only increase 720.00$ a year, as opposed to 4,800$ a year. Wow, that is a lot.

In order to break even, you would only need to do more than 20 hours of calling per year, and then you are ITM.

But, that was assuming a 1$ roaming plan for all the locations you are talking about, (which I do NOT think exists) so, if you can get SIMS with essentially very low minutes on them for the places you are talking about, and use a call back, I think this plan is cheapest, if not necessarilly easiest.

All right, nmenaker- Please accept my apologies for accusing you of being a hijacker. That wasn't my intent, but is sure is how it came off. And thanks for being so civil in your follow-up reply, and constructive too.

The GlobalStar/Iridium approach is credible in a limited way. For global outbound calling while you are standing outside and you don't have any better way to get thru, it is a MARVELOUS solution. But for "slip it in your pocket" and go to meetings inside buildings and expect to regularly receive your incoming client calls - forget it. And call quality is usually sub-cellular.

I will try to clear up my poorly worded request. First, I am presupposing that a GSM cell phone is the solution. Battery life, reception, size, affordability, coverage footprint, etc I THINK pretty well dictates that. I know that isn't everywhere. I guess that I was hoping for a rich set of countries, and was primarily thinking of major metropolitan cities. I understand that GSM has many limitations in most every market, but those are a set of limitations I can accept.

I looked at http://www.hopmobile.com/explore_costs.html and found that they have a service plan at $0.95/minute outgoing, $0.35/minute incoming, and $0.10/SMS message. I am willing to pay that for a general purpose solution to my somewhat typical problem. My request: Does anyone know of other as-good or better providers to look at before I make my purchase?

Furthermore, I am hooked on unlimited cheap GPRS in the US. I KNOW it is early and expensive in many other countries. I was hoping that someone had some experience with international GPRS roaming, and could point at a plan that won't charge me $25 to receive a single 1MB email message (of which I get many (with business documents attached). My question: Do any of you have knowledge of GPRS roaming from country to country for my laptop that is even remotely affordable? They all seem to be metered (ugh) and all seem to be priced at at least 10x of any local metered rate. It may not exist, but if it does, even in two or three of the countries I often travel to, I would REALLY like to hear of it.

My apologies again that my earlier questions were so broad, when my intended response parameters were so narrow.

In specific response to nmenaker's (#54) constructive and helpful reply, you are probably right for those countries I frequent, and that is basically what I do (except for the callback). So far I have encountered hassles not having in-country mailing addresses and in-country credit. And it is a hassle making sure the account is paid on time. Maybe I am missing something. I do this in three countries, but I still have to deal with three bills every month, and am hassled already by it. How do you get around that? You obviously see something that I fail to see.

And where are the $0.15/minute (even $0.30!) callback services to mobile numbers in the former Soviet Union or the Caribbean? Europe works pretty easily, but much of my Europe time is simply as a transit point to more remote places where I spend more time.

don't worry
 

I didn't take it that way.

I should be more forthcoming with the smileys

I'll check on the CB, IDT usually doesn't charge the mobile rates.

the one you pointed out, seems pretty good.

I'll tell you, I do use local addresses in the countries I have card, with friends. And I just bill the amounts, (either prepay quickpays) or monthly, to my EC card, or in country bank. (perks of having private accounts in dland, UK and CH)

I know people who do the same in Japan, Singapore and Australia who work for the company I used to work for, don't know about Russia, Georgia and some of the others.

I'll keep looking though. GSM is the way to go, available everywhere. I will say, I am about 90% for finding open WIFI in most cities, and some neighborhoods in Germany, CH, France, UK, Belgium, Denmark, EVEN MOSCOW. Wifi is what you make of it.

As for the rates, the CB is great for many countries and cities, but yes it looks like CIS rates have changed. For the carribean I am using mostly the G* phone, except in Bermuda where calling is cheap and easy and the CB works great and cheap.

nice thing bout IDT is that there is no mobile premium, although that might be what seems to be making the CIS rates higher, since about everything is mobile there. For western europe, it is too low to be even rolled in. But, even at .30$ it makes some sense. I like to have it, and with a web interface one can change the CB number to a hotel, pretty simply and for 0 cost.

I have read this thread with interest as I am relatively new to the GSM game myself. I hope my question is not too off topic.

I own a Siemens S46 phone which works pretty good everywhere I go, after paying $20 to get it unlocked. I travel mostly domestic, but do one or two three-week international trips each year. Usually, I just buy a pre-paid SIM in the country I am in and then recharge it if needed. For example, I was just in Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong. I was screwed in Tokyo, but knew that going in. In Beijing I bought a China Mobile SIM and in Hong Kong a HK Orange SIM. Everything worked great.

My next trip is going to take me to Moscow, Paris, Berlin and Krakow. Looking at some of the rates to call back to the US from providers in those countries is scary.

Am I doing the right thing by just purchasing a pre-paid SIM in each country or is there a better way? I looked at the Hopmobile site and their SIM doesn't work with my phone, so there goes that. Even if I got a different phone (which I don't want to do) their outgoing rates look pretty good -- I just don't know if the initial $45 investment for the SIM is worth it. I guess it depends on how much I use my phone, which varies each trip.

Can anyone explain why the rates calling back to the US are so cheap from places like Australia and Hong Kong, but very expensive in Europe?

i'd give them a call if you are interested
 

I don't think their list is current, they are not listing some other phones, which will work as well.

Call-back to US, is pretty cheap in europe. .10-.15$ a minute. moscow is .30$, so again not really "scary"

CALLS from a SIM phone on their plans are indeed expensive, but if you have CPP on the SIM, then just setup a call back.

I've checked the rates of a few pre-paid SIM providers and the rates to call the US seem to be at least $2/minute in Russia, €1.50+ in Germany, and about €.75-€1 in France and Poland. Is this what you mean by calls from a SIM phone being more expensive? If you know of any cheaper providers, please let me know.

Forgive my naiveté here, but what is CPP and how do you set up a call back?

Calling party pays
 

CPP is calling party pays, and is what one finds in most of the world. Meaning, your inbounc calls to a phone, or mobile phone are free for that person, but more expensive for the "caller". That said, normally rates to mobile phones are more expensive, essentially they are putting both sides of the cost together for the caller. I think it sprang up in the past, when costs were high and they were trying to encourage adoption of mobiles, otherwise people just wouldn't have used them.

Most calling plans and even calling cards are going to have higher rates for calls to a mobile.

But some done, like the one I mentioned and always use, IDT through their debitalk.com card. Those rates are just as they would be for a regular POTS number. Don't ask me how they do it.

So, if one has a SIM, even a prepay SIM, simply setup a call back service to your phone number on that SIM, and let the call back server "ping" your phone with a call, a FREE call. Then, you are connected to the service in the US where you simply dial as usual. You pay, the cost from call in US to whereever you are, and the call in the US to wherever you are calling, but the latter price is very low and the prior cost, with this card, is also very low

Those were the prices I quoted above.

I like this company the best (but am always open and interested to find others!) because their costs are low, the service quality and VOICE quality is high, they are pretty tech enabled, meaning I can change the call back number from the internet with no cost and I can get a detailed billing in seconds through the interent, AND, the card and the money you have put on it never expire, there is no upkeep or monthly fees. No costs to setup the card and with a company like IDT I don't worry about them dying out.

Yes, buying a SIM in another country and simply dialing the US is COSTLY!!! Same your money for chocolate for the stewardesses!!