Buying a SIM for us in USA

Any comments on the pros and cons of buying a PAYG SIM in the USA (Southern
Calafornia) as using it in a UK triband (un locked) phone vs just using your
UK SIM to cover a holiday in the USA

Loss of number isn't an issue- it is more to keep in touch with those in our
party and our hosts.

Thanks

Brian

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› See More: Buying a SIM for us in USA

Brian Reay wrote:
> Any comments on the pros and cons of buying a PAYG SIM in the USA (Southern
> Calafornia) as using it in a UK triband (un locked) phone vs just using your
> UK SIM to cover a holiday in the USA

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/ is quitehelpful. Have a look at Virgin too,
if they now do GSM.

I have often bought a local sim for use in Uruguay or India, as the
most cost-effective solution. It is more problematic in the USA where
some operators have limited area licences. But for a single-centre
holiday it should be fine.

More problematic is GSM coverage. It's improving all the time but some
places still have only CDMA. I have had to hire a phone in Texas.

"Brian Reay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Any comments on the pros and cons of buying a PAYG SIM in the USA
> (Southern Calafornia) as using it in a UK triband (un locked) phone vs
> just using your UK SIM to cover a holiday in the USA
>
> Loss of number isn't an issue- it is more to keep in touch with those in
> our party and our hosts.
>
> Thanks
>
> Brian
>
>

T-Mobile coverage map. Calls be cheap anuff in USA with T-Mobile but costs
£1.50 to phone back to the UK last time i looked sure did not cost me this
much tho. Incoming calls come out of your free mins
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/

--



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On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 09:52:36 +0000, guv <[email protected]> wrote:

>I asked a similar question here 10 days ago and people suggested
>walkie talkies! Not quite what I had in mind.

That's not quite the real picture is it?

You inferred that you wanted to communicate cheaply with other members
of a party in a Theme Park.

The guys in here were just doing their best and trying to save you
some dosh.

"guv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]

[snip]

> I asked a similar question here 10 days ago and people
> suggested walkie talkies! Not quite what I had in mind. I
> did get an email from someone trying to sell me a
> T-Mobile US sim though! That sim gave 750 mins for $25 -
> not I couldnt make out if it included mobile to mobile.

Why wouldn't it..? There is no difference between mobile and landline
numbers in the US, you can't tell from the number and they're charged the
same. Don't forget that includes incoming as well as outgoing calls.

> Id not be bothered about other networks - but if it
> included T-Mobile to T-Mobile, then that would be enough
> for me.

T-Mobile will be fine as long as you realise that coverage outside of
major cities/interstate routes is very patchy. It will certainly work fine
over most of Southern California, although there *will* be dead spots.

Another alternative might be www.boostmobile.com

Ivor

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 17:49:57 -0000, "Ivor Jones"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>T-Mobile will be fine as long as you realise that coverage outside of
>major cities/interstate routes is very patchy. It will certainly work fine
>over most of Southern California, although there *will* be dead spots.

The best coverage I got in USA was a quad band Motorola phone with a
Virgin DD SIM card. This allowed the phone to use T-Mobile for the
Interstates but dropped back on to Singular (sp?) when in the depths
of the cities and small towns.

Not the cheapest method but you were always contactable.

> ?? Surely Geographical numbers all have area codes and mobiles dont?
> Are you saying calling landline to mobile, mobile to mobile and mobile
> to landline would be the same for the individual service regrdless of
> location?

US mobiles share the same area codes as normal landline numbers. So,
for example, you could decide to have your mobile is the 408 San Jose
area-code. People calling you wouldn't know from the number if it was
a mobile or landline they were calling.

"guv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 17:49:57 -0000, "Ivor Jones"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > "guv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> > > I asked a similar question here 10 days ago and people
> > > suggested walkie talkies! Not quite what I had in
> > > mind. I did get an email from someone trying to sell
> > > me a T-Mobile US sim though! That sim gave 750 mins
> > > for $25 - not I couldnt make out if it included
> > > mobile to mobile.
> >
> > Why wouldn't it..? There is no difference between
> > mobile and landline numbers in the US, you can't tell
> > from the number and they're charged the same.
>
> ?? Surely Geographical numbers all have area codes and
> mobiles dont? Are you saying calling landline to mobile,
> mobile to mobile and mobile to landline would be the same
> for the individual service regrdless of location?

US mobiles have ordinary phone numbers that are indistinguishable from
landlines. My mobile that I mainly use in San Francisco for example has a
415 area code the same as a landline for that area. Calls are charged the
same as far as the caller is concerned. You pay for the incoming leg of
the call, it comes from your inclusive minutes as for an outgoing call.

> If I were calling from Orlando to LA, I would know that
> would be long distance. On a mobile, would I get
> different charges dependant on distance?

Depends on the area code of the mobile. You can (on T-Mobile at least)
change your phone number to a local one if you move to a different area of
the country, as an example my phone which currently has a 415 number was
originally bought in New York and had a NY number to start with.

> From what you have said, I would be charged exactly the
> same from the mobile regardless of location?

It depends. T-Mobile charge the same to any US number regardless of
location. Other networks may differ.

> > Don't forget that includes incoming as well as outgoing
> > calls.
>
> Yeh, I knew the charges were different - hence the reason
> UK calling providers usually charge 15p to US mobiles and
> 2p to landlines.

That's nothing to do with it. They're trying it on - there is no way to
tell from a US phone number whether it is a landline or a mobile. In fact
you can port a number from one to the other much as we port between mobile
networks.


Ivor

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 18:32:56 +0000, guv <[email protected]> wrote:

>I did "update" what I needed, and no one replied!

Perhaps the more helpful members of this group grew tired.

Yawn!!

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 18:41:50 +0000, guv <[email protected]> wrote:

>?? Surely Geographical numbers all have area codes and mobiles dont?

Absolutely not. Mobile in NA have exactly similar numbers to fixed
lines. This is why they pay to receive as well as make calls.

"Ivor Jones" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> "guv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]
> > On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 17:49:57 -0000, "Ivor Jones"
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > "guv" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > > news:[email protected]
> > >
> > > [snip]
> > >
> > > > I asked a similar question here 10 days ago and people
> > > > suggested walkie talkies! Not quite what I had in
> > > > mind. I did get an email from someone trying to sell
> > > > me a T-Mobile US sim though! That sim gave 750 mins
> > > > for $25 - not I couldnt make out if it included
> > > > mobile to mobile.
> > >
> > > Why wouldn't it..? There is no difference between
> > > mobile and landline numbers in the US, you can't tell
> > > from the number and they're charged the same.
> >
> > ?? Surely Geographical numbers all have area codes and
> > mobiles dont? Are you saying calling landline to mobile,
> > mobile to mobile and mobile to landline would be the same
> > for the individual service regrdless of location?
>
> US mobiles have ordinary phone numbers that are indistinguishable from
> landlines. My mobile that I mainly use in San Francisco for example has a
> 415 area code the same as a landline for that area. Calls are charged the
> same as far as the caller is concerned. You pay for the incoming leg of
> the call, it comes from your inclusive minutes as for an outgoing call.
>
> > If I were calling from Orlando to LA, I would know that
> > would be long distance. On a mobile, would I get
> > different charges dependant on distance?
>
> Depends on the area code of the mobile. You can (on T-Mobile at least)
> change your phone number to a local one if you move to a different area of
> the country, as an example my phone which currently has a 415 number was
> originally bought in New York and had a NY number to start with.
>
> > From what you have said, I would be charged exactly the
> > same from the mobile regardless of location?
>
> It depends. T-Mobile charge the same to any US number regardless of
> location. Other networks may differ.
>
> > > Don't forget that includes incoming as well as outgoing
> > > calls.
> >
> > Yeh, I knew the charges were different - hence the reason
> > UK calling providers usually charge 15p to US mobiles and
> > 2p to landlines.
>
> That's nothing to do with it. They're trying it on - there is no way to
> tell from a US phone number whether it is a landline or a mobile. In fact
> you can port a number from one to the other much as we port between mobile
> networks.
>
The numbers all look the same, but the phone network providers know what
numbers are landlines or not, hence they know how to charge.

"§¤wñh£" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:X%[email protected]
> "Ivor Jones" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

[snip]

> > That's nothing to do with it. They're trying it on -
> > there is no way to tell from a US phone number whether
> > it is a landline or a mobile. In fact you can port a
> > number from one to the other much as we port between
> > mobile networks.
> >
> The numbers all look the same, but the phone network
> providers know what numbers are landlines or not, hence
> they know how to charge.

The local networks the customers are on know, but I don't see how a
calling network could know.

Ivor