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- 07-17-2006, 04:59 PM #1Richard TobinGuest
I need a mobile phone for occasionial use, and in particular I need to
take it on a trip to Canada. I was assured by salesmen in several shops
that a tri-band pay-as-you-go phone would "just work", and was on the
point of getting a Motorola L6 from Orange:
http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/h.../pay_as_you_go
But then I came across this:
http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Sat...28513&x=30&y=7
(I don't know if that URL will work; it's the page you get from Orange's
"will my mobile work" for the L6 and Canada)
and if I understand it correctly it says that Orange PAYG phones won't
work in Canada at all. For other networks (e.g. Vodaphone) I couldn't
find an unambiguous answer.
So is there a PAYG mobile phone that I will be able to use in Canada?
(It's been suggested that I should instead buy a phone or SIM card
when I get there, but I'd rather have it sorted out before I leave,
and be able to give people my phone number in advance.)
-- Richard
› See More: Using PAYG phone in Canada
- 07-17-2006, 05:22 PM #2EvanGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
Richard,
Good question.
Hardware wise, you need only worry that your phone is TRIBAND or
QUADBAND. All but the cheapest phones now are at least triband.
I looked at the page you linked. It does certainly suggest that Orange
has set up some pretty useless deals with Rogers in Canada, though it's
not really clear at all. I really did assume that all the big network
would allow phone use overseas through a partner. Perhaps not.
Should you get the phone and the provider sorted, I'd suggest you go a
step further. I have learned from personal and friends' experiences
that it's worth calling your network before travelling to North America
to make sure there are no geographical lmitations on using the phone
abroad. The wife spent half her trip wondering why she couldn't make
calls. Virgin said it was a setting on her account that prohibited it!
Evan
- 07-18-2006, 12:29 AM #3JonGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
[email protected] declared for all the world to hear...
> I need a mobile phone for occasionial use, and in particular I need to
> take it on a trip to Canada. I was assured by salesmen in several shops
> that a tri-band pay-as-you-go phone would "just work", and was on the
> point of getting a Motorola L6 from Orange:
>
> http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/h.../pay_as_you_go
>
> But then I came across this:
>
> http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Sat...28513&x=30&y=7
>
> (I don't know if that URL will work; it's the page you get from Orange's
> "will my mobile work" for the L6 and Canada)
>
> and if I understand it correctly it says that Orange PAYG phones won't
> work in Canada at all.
That's right. The handset is technically capable of it but there are no
roaming agreements in place for PAYG with Canadian networks.
--
Regards
Jon
- 07-18-2006, 12:30 AM #4JonGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
[email protected] declared for all the world to hear...
> Virgin said it was a setting on her account that prohibited it!
Then Virgin talk bollocks. You can't be restricted a certain part of the
network It's all or nothing.
--
Regards
Jon
- 07-18-2006, 01:12 AM #5EvanGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
They gave her £20 in Virgin coupons as comp for the inconvenience of
not being able to call her family from the mobile she bought expressly
for that purpose.
Jon wrote:
> Then Virgin talk bollocks. You can't be restricted a certain part of the
> network It's all or nothing.
- 07-18-2006, 02:20 AM #6Richard TobinGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
In article <[email protected]>,
Jon <[email protected]> wrote:
>> and if I understand it correctly it says that Orange PAYG phones won't
>> work in Canada at all.
>That's right. The handset is technically capable of it but there are no
>roaming agreements in place for PAYG with Canadian networks.
Do you just mean for Orange, or for all UK networks?
-- Richard
- 07-18-2006, 12:30 PM #7JonGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
[email protected] declared for all the world to hear...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Jon <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >> and if I understand it correctly it says that Orange PAYG phones won't
> >> work in Canada at all.
>
> >That's right. The handset is technically capable of it but there are no
> >roaming agreements in place for PAYG with Canadian networks.
>
> Do you just mean for Orange, or for all UK networks?
I was referring to Orange, I don't know about the other networks.
--
Regards
Jon
- 07-19-2006, 07:05 AM #8Richard TobinGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
In article <[email protected]>,
Jon <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >That's right. The handset is technically capable of it but there are no
>> >roaming agreements in place for PAYG with Canadian networks.
>I was referring to Orange, I don't know about the other networks.
In case anyone's interested, it appears from the companies' respective
web pages that PAYG will work in Canada for O2, T-mobile, and
Vodaphone, but not for Orange or Virgin.
-- Richard
- 07-19-2006, 09:32 AM #9Garry RichardsGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
I have just returned from Canada, used a Virgin Mobile payg sim and it
worked a treat!!!
"Richard Tobin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Jon <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>> >That's right. The handset is technically capable of it but there are no
>>> >roaming agreements in place for PAYG with Canadian networks.
>
>>I was referring to Orange, I don't know about the other networks.
>
> In case anyone's interested, it appears from the companies' respective
> web pages that PAYG will work in Canada for O2, T-mobile, and
> Vodaphone, but not for Orange or Virgin.
>
> -- Richard
- 07-19-2006, 05:06 PM #10Richard TobinGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
In article <[email protected]>,
Garry Richards <[email protected]> wrote:
>I have just returned from Canada, used a Virgin Mobile payg sim and it
>worked a treat!!!
Evidently Virgin don't know it works:
http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/s..._countries.jsp
-- Richard
- 07-20-2006, 12:26 PM #11SatGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
Richard Tobin wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Garry Richards <[email protected]> wrote:
> >I have just returned from Canada, used a Virgin Mobile payg sim and it
> >worked a treat!!!
>
> Evidently Virgin don't know it works:
>
> http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/s..._countries.jsp
>
> -- Richard
On further thing to remember with canada is that GSM is fairly
restricted to urban areas and suburbs. You will find many smaller
communities that rely on the old analogue mobile system. See the
coverage
maps at www.gsmworld.com. You may be better off waiting and buying a
pre-paid canadian mobile
most of these are dual GSM and analogue. See virgin's canadan mobile
operation for example.
Sat.
- 07-23-2006, 04:27 PM #12SorukGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
On 19 Jul 2006 23:06:56 GMT, Richard Tobin <[email protected]> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
>Garry Richards <[email protected]> wrote:
>>I have just returned from Canada, used a Virgin Mobile payg sim and it
>>worked a treat!!!
>
>Evidently Virgin don't know it works:
>
> http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/s..._countries.jsp
But, if his phone is on the basic PAYG tariff but paying by direct debit
then it will work. That's what I have on my Virgin connection, and used
it quite successfully (for voice and SMS, don't talk about GPRS).
--
-- Michael "Soruk" McConnell
Eridani Star System
MailStripper - http://www.MailStripper.eu/ - SMTP spam filter
Mail Me Anywhere - http://www.MailMeAnywhere.com/ - Mobile email
- 08-07-2006, 10:09 AM #13Richard TobinGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
Well, it didn't work. While I was in Canada I received several
automated text messages from Rogers Wireless welcoming me and from
Vodafone telling how much it would cost me to make calls and what
prefix I had to dial, but when I tried it I just got a message along
the lines of "unknown tarrif code area".
So, if you want a PAYG phone that works in Canada, cross Vodafone off
the list.
-- Richard
- 08-07-2006, 10:57 AM #14EZnoGuest
Re: Using PAYG phone in Canada
Richard Tobin <[email protected]> wrote:
> Well, it didn't work. While I was in Canada I received several
> automated text messages from Rogers Wireless welcoming me and from
> Vodafone telling how much it would cost me to make calls and what
> prefix I had to dial, but when I tried it I just got a message along
> the lines of "unknown tarrif code area".
>
> So, if you want a PAYG phone that works in Canada, cross Vodafone off
> the list.
>
> -- Richard
Virgin and orange both work OK, Ontario anyway
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