Welcome to Our WirelessAdvisor Community!

You are viewing our forums as a GUEST. Please join us so you can post and view all the pictures.
Registration is easy, fast and FREE!

Join Now

Europe SIM Info/Helpful Links

Discussion in 'International Wireless Forum (Including Canada and' started by ShoresGuy, Apr 22, 2005.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. ShoresGuy

    ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    6,529
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    419
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    94065,US/Köln, Germany
    My Phone:
    HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC
    Wireless Provider(s):
    E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany
    You can use any prepaid SIM in any European country regardless of who your US provider is. All you need is the unlocked phone and you can purchase a SIM of your choice in the country you plan on visiting. PrepaidGSM.net has a very clear, precise overview of prepaid SIM offers in Europe:

    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/

    The rules of thumb for prepaid SIM cards is Europe tend to be:

    -Free incoming calls (Outgoing calls are more expensive)
    -MVNO networks such as Virgin Mobile UK offer competitive prices
    -Roaming is available but pricy once you leave the native SIM's country (Incoming is charged then)

    There are several options which allow you to use one SIM card for most of Europe:

    Riiing is getting some very good feedback:

    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum (Search for riiing or look through the Europe and International Calling Card Forums)

    http://www.riiing.com

    There are some users at P-GSM.net who are from the US and have used the service:

    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=360

    I posted some thread links over at HoFo:

    http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...threadid=594922

    Enjoy :)
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #1 ShoresGuy, Apr 22, 2005
  2. ShoresGuy

    ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    6,529
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    419
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    94065,US/Köln, Germany
    My Phone:
    HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC
    Wireless Provider(s):
    E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany
    German MVNOs and their offers

    There are now 4 MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) offering cheap outgoing calls and prepaid SIMs in Germany. Rather than listing them all here, I would suggest that any person seeking a cheap prepaid SIM option look here:

    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/germania.html

    As a rule of thumb in Germany, MVNOs tend to have cheaper offers and the purchasing price for a SIM is close to 50% cheaper than a regular prepaid SIM from T-Mobile, Vodafone, E-Plus or O2.

    If you have any more questions after looking at PPGSM.net, post them here and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #2 ShoresGuy, Aug 9, 2005
  3. Scrumhalf

    Scrumhalf Bronze Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2003
    Messages:
    1,173
    Likes Received:
    127
    Location:
    Portland OR
    My Phone:
    Google Nexus 5X
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T, Sprint
    Re: German MVNOs and their offers

    Good info, Shoresguy!

    Proposal to moderator: Could this be a sticky? This is very useful stuff.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #3 Scrumhalf, Aug 9, 2005
  4. larry

    larry Sprint loyalist and former mod
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2001
    Messages:
    13,719
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    165
    Likes Received:
    46
    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    My Phone:
    Galaxy S8
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Sprint
    Re: German MVNOs and their offers

    Proposal granted.
     
    #4 larry, Aug 9, 2005
  5. ShoresGuy

    ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    6,529
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    419
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    94065,US/Köln, Germany
    My Phone:
    HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC
    Wireless Provider(s):
    E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany
    Re: German MVNOs and their offers

    Thanks, larry :).
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #5 ShoresGuy, Aug 10, 2005
  6. mr3d

    mr3d New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    California
    Greetings,
    I am researching international cell phones and service providers. The countries I need to use the phone in are France, the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, and Costa Rica. On average I travel about 4 weeks each year, usually to one or two countires per trip. Most of my calls would be within a country I'm visiting, but I also need to make and receive calls to and from the US. Light to moderate use.

    I'd like to compare the costs of using an unlocked GSM quad-band phone with local SIMS to using international roaming with a company such as Cingular. I know the Cingular roaming prices but have no familiarity with international SIM or per-minute pricing in these countries. Can anyone give me a general idea of these costs in these countries from recent personal experience, or point me in the right direction to find such information online?
    TIA
    mr3d
     
    #6 mr3d, Mar 19, 2006
  7. ShoresGuy

    ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    6,529
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    419
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    94065,US/Köln, Germany
    My Phone:
    HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC
    Wireless Provider(s):
    E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany
    mr3d, the site you want to visit and ask questions on would be PrepaidGSM.net. You can find all national prepaid SIM offers for most EU/Western European countries here:

    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.html

    All int'l prepaid SIMs such as United Mobile (formerly known as riiing, uses a Liechtenstein-based number) are listed here:

    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/international.html
    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/int/compare.html
    http://www.united-mobile.com/cms/website/index.php?lang=2&idcatside=26

    Be aware that most people who use a service like United Mobile tend to use their Liechtenstein number in conjunction with a callback service like Enlinea or Callbackworld. They make calls to the US cheaper and normally work in most countries (there are some hiccups in the system though).

    You can find more info on the forum itself:

    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1017&hl=enlinea
    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1011&hl=enlinea
    http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/index.php?act=SF&f=4&st=

    I would recommend that you join over there and ask your pointed questions since there are a number of US-based users who have used different roaming options for extended stays in Europe.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #7 ShoresGuy, Mar 19, 2006
  8. mr3d

    mr3d New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2006
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    California
    Thanks, that does look like a great forun for this type of inquiry...
    And thanks for your overview and links at the start of this thread. Very helpful for a newcomer like myself.
    Regards,
    mr3d
     
    #8 mr3d, Mar 19, 2006
  9. ShoresGuy

    ShoresGuy Euer WA Experte in Europa
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2003
    Messages:
    6,529
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    419
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    94065,US/Köln, Germany
    My Phone:
    HTC/T-Mobile MDA II PPC
    Wireless Provider(s):
    E-Plus (BASE 12 month flatrate)/Vodafone Germany
    You're welcome :)

    That's what the internet is for :)...to share information with others.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #9 ShoresGuy, Mar 19, 2006
  10. jones

    jones Silver Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Messages:
    3,424
    Likes Received:
    0
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #10 jones, Mar 15, 2007
  11. pacpac

    pacpac New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2007
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    #11 pacpac, Jan 1, 2008
  12. pacpac

    pacpac New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2007
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    #12 pacpac, Jan 2, 2008
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

Copyright 1997-2021 Wireless Advisor™, LLC. All rights reserved. All registered and unregistered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
WirelessAdvisor.com is not associated by ownership or membership with any cellular, PCS or wireless service provider companies and is not meant to be an endorsement of any company or service. Some links on these pages may be paid advertising or paid affiliate programs.

Positive SSL
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn More...
    Dismiss Notice