Cell Phone service in Europe.

[DogBoy]

I can already hear Orson and Global Rider snickering.

I'm leaving next week for Munich and eight or nine days of riding the Alps. Its my first time in Europe.

I'm not a glued-to-my-ear cell phone user. In fact I hardly use mine but I may need to keep more than email at internet cafés to keep in touch with my wife and business. I've learned in this thread ( click me ) that my Verizon phone probably won't work there. The Verizon rep didn't say my phone wouldn't work but told me not to expect much. Is there anyway I can get a temporary phone? I don't absolutely need one but it could help.

[Orson]

I can already hear Orson and Global Rider snickering.

no, actually I've berated myself for not getting a yurpeen cell phone for emergencies.

I spoke to a 'murican businessman in Italy and he said he had an "international option" from his U.S. provider, but that may have been for Crackberry e-mail only type thing.

I have heard of these temporary cell phones but wouldn't know where to look.

Actually, as a Luddite, I'm the last person to give advice about cell phones  

[spinalator]

I have an Irish phone that is on Meteor cards, and was an O2 phone in the UK before that. You can get cheap used ones in the paper, and if they are unlocked, swap Sim cards when you switch countries. With a sim card you can top up with credit cards or there are phone card vending machines almost everywhere in Europe. Many plans allow free texting even if your minutes are gone. I was texting my associate in South Africa when I was in Eire, and it was free for her.

My friend said his global crackberry worked in almost every european country he visited. Not sure what plan he was on.

I also had a usb 3G modem with a SIM card for my laptop and could surf when on the train, bus, or in a brothel. (j/k I never rode the bus)

[Ralf]

I can already hear Orson and Global Rider snickering.

I'm leaving next week for Munich and eight or nine days of riding the Alps. Its my first time in Europe.

I'm not a glued-to-my-ear cell phone user. In fact I hardly use mine but I may need to keep more than email at internet cafés to keep in touch with my wife and business. I've learned in this thread ( click me ) that my Verizon phone probably won't work there. The Verizon rep didn't say my phone wouldn't work but told me not to expect much. Is there anyway I can get a temporary phone? I don't absolutely need one but it could help.

I can't help you with any cell phone advice, but if you're in Munich next week, let me know if you'd like to get together for a beer.

[kevin_stevens]

Yes, you will find phones and plans incredibly easy and relatively cheap in Europe.  I wouldn't even try taking my phone with me unless you have a compelling reason to take your current number with you.  Maybe take your SIM card with you, but don't count on it working since the American plans are so f'ed up and locked down.  You can walk into a store anywhere and walk out with a cheap prepaid phone/plan in five minutes that can be used all over Europe.  US totally sucks by comparison.

KeS

[squeezer]

Yes, you will find phones and plans incredibly easy and relatively cheap in Europe.  I wouldn't even try taking my phone with me unless you have a compelling reason to take your current number with you.  Maybe take your SIM card with you, but don't count on it working since the American plans are so f'ed up and locked down.  You can walk into a store anywhere and walk out with a cheap prepaid phone/plan in five minutes that can be used all over Europe.  US totally sucks by comparison.

KeS

What he said.

Here's an alternative if you want to know your number before you leave:
http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102248489&c=

[Snowdog]

European phones work on a different bands to the US -900/1800 as opposed to 1900. If your phone is a quad-band model (or possible tri-band, though I'm not sure if that means the same in the US as it does over here) it will work.

Then you need to contact your provider to make sure Roaming is enabled. Just remember calls will be more expensive and you'll pay to receive calls too.

If the above don't apply/can't be done you can pick up a Pay-As-You-Go phone over here for as little as $30, and that's the Rip-Off-Britain price, so possibly less in other parts of Europe.

[greench440]

You need a GSM capable phone to work in Europe.  Verizon in the US is a CDMA network so most of their phones won't work unless you have a phone like the 8830 Blackberry that supports both network types.  Even if you have the right phone, you need to contact Verizon in advance to get you phone registered and the correct service added to your plan.  It won't be cheap.  Might be better to buy a pay as you go phone after you arrive in Munchen.  

[RBEmerson]

As long as you have a Tri-band, GSM-capable cell phone and your provider has opened your account to allow European access (do this at a walk-in store to be sure the needed magic spells take), you can use your current cell phone.  But... expect bills that would make even Bill Gates wince in pain - it ain't cheap, as we found out this past April.  

Instead, I'd have a chat with the company you'll be renting your bike from.  I'd be surprised if they can't come up with a good short-term solution.  

A possible Plan C is to invest in a Skype or Vonage Internet phone number you can use from Internet cafes.  

[miles]

Eh.  I picked T-Mobile because I wanted a GSM phone (AT&T also uses GSM) that I could use in the rest of the world.  T-Mobile also offers a European usage plan (but you have to ask for it- it isn't common knowledge) to keep phone use in Europe cheap.  T-Mobile is, after all, Deutsche Telekom...

[DogBoy]

Thanks for the quick, knowledgeable replies. Sounds like a cheap pre-paid phone/plan is the path of least resistance...which is always the right path for me.  

ST.N comes through again. I guess I have to do a trip report now.

Ralf, check your pm.

[Baron Samedi]

we don't have "cell phones" over here. We have "mobiles". They have little wheels on them.

[RBEmerson]

Und in deutschland, ve haf das Handy.  Jawohl!  

[Ant]

Und in deutschland, ve haf das Handy.  Jawohl!  

And it is the most camp thing in the world hearing a German talk about "mein Handy"  

[Orson]

I'm leaving next week for Munich and eight or nine days of riding the Alps.

Are we there yet?

I can't see any pictures yet.

is this thing on?  

(tap, tap, tap)

[RBEmerson]

And it is the most camp thing in the world hearing a German talk about "mein Handy"  

Darling, not even close...  Wizard of Oz... delightful Dorothy and cute little Toto... those dreadful flying monkeys... woo hoo!  Now we're talking camp, sweetie!  

The poor Germans are just saddled with a language that turns "cell phone" into "zellulares Telefon", and that's simplified (on a bad day, get "der Fernsprechapparat" for the telephone part - a zellulares Fernsprechapparat?  ).  But how about the Swiss form: "Natel"  ( wirklich, "Schwitzer duetsch ist ein Halzkrankheit" - really, "Swiss German is a throat disease")?  Nein danke!  

[DogBoy]

Are we there yet?

I can't see any pictures yet.

is this thing on?  

(tap, tap, tap)

 


I leave tomorrow night and spend a few days goofing off at my brother-in-law's farm in Maryland before we both fly into Munich on July 4th. Riding starts the next day. Pictures after I get back on the 17th. Or more likely after I get back from MotoGP at Laguna on the 21st.

[Ralf]

 


I leave tomorrow night and spend a few days goofing off at my brother-in-law's farm in Maryland before we both fly into Munich on July 4th. Riding starts the next day. Pictures after I get back on the 17th. Or more likely after I get back from MotoGP at Laguna on the 21st.

Uhhh... rough life you have there ...  

[Orson]

I leave tomorrow night and spend a few days goofing off at my brother-in-law's farm in Maryland before we both fly into Munich on July 4th. Riding starts the next day. Pictures after I get back on the 17th. Or more likely after I get back from MotoGP at Laguna on the 21st.

yup...you suck  

yurp and MotoGP...yer going to jail fer havin' too much fun.

[DogBoy]

Somebody's got to set an example around here.

[Mr Sunshine]

Hey man...2 weeks in Europe and then a 2 day motorcycle school.  Am I setting a good example.

[Global Rider]

I'm not a glued-to-my-ear cell phone user.

If that is the case, you're like me...I have a cell phone for emergency use and convenience. Mine may have rang 5 times while I've been in Europe this past 5 weeks.

I'd suggest buying your next cell phone; one that is unlocked. One that can be used with any provider, even when on a contract (like you may be on in the US).

The next time you're overseas, just buy a SIM card (about $25) and top it up as needed by buying a pay as you go card at the local gas station or Trafik (newspaper/smoke shop).

I have both a o2 LOOP and TIM card and charge them up with a mere 10 Euro before I leave and I'm good for a year to maintain card/number activation.

[RBEmerson]

It's my understanding Verizon is useless in GSM-land (i.e., the rest of the known universe).  We're currently bound in indentured servitude to AT&T but come October we'll be able to drop them like a hot rock.  I'd planned to go back to Verizon (dropped because they had "no bars" in the area around our new address) but if the phone is useless outside of North America, forget that.  

[Uwe]

Correct, a normal Verizon phone absolutely, positively will not work in Europe.  Verizon uses CDMA, a technology which simply doesn't exist in Europe.     Verizon does have a few special "international" phones which can be toggled between CDMA and GSM and those work fine if you make the appropriate roaming arrangements with Verizon before you depart.    Of course, just like any other US phone, you'll get nailed something around $1/minute in roaming charges if you use it in Europe.  

Most AT&T phones will work, 'cause AT&T uses GSM (which they adopted from the Europeans).   However, the frequencies are different, so you need at least a tri-band phone, and a quad-band is much preferred.   Again, you need to make international roaming arrangements with AT&T prior to departure.

FWIW, Sprint is CDMA (like Verizon) while T-Mobile is GSM (like AT&T).

-Uwe-

[RBEmerson]

Sigh... I was afraid of that.  I sooooooooo hate AT&T.  

[Uwe]

Cell phone companies are like politicians, the question is: "Which one do you hate least".   The thing I hate about Verizon (and the reason I dropped them a couple of years ago) is that they offered nothing but crappy crippled phones, and if you didn't buy your phone from them, they absolutely would not activate it on their network.  

GSM providers will happily let you use whatever GSM phone you like on their network (they really have no choice about it).   Just pick up a SIM card from the provider of your choice, pop it in, and you're good to go.  Plus a quad-band GSM phone will work pretty much world-wide.   Don't want to pay roaming in Timbuktu?   Pick up a pre-paid SIM card there, pop it in, and again you're good to go.

-Uwe-

[Ant]

GSM providers will happily let you use whatever GSM phone you like on their network (they really have no choice about it).  

Unless they've locked the phone to their network of course!

[RBEmerson]

Agreed cell phones are generally a Hobson's choice.  It's sort of like the bad old days when that lumpy thing with a bell on it was the property of the phone company, and they kindly rented the phone to you, charging for the service and the phone, too.    

[Uwe]

Unless they've locked the phone to their network of course!

Most US GSM carriers are pretty good about unlocking the phones of paying customers who ask nicely.   I've got two employees who spent a couple of weeks in Europe earlier this year.    I called AT&T and asked them to unlock those phones so they could pick up some local pre-paid SIM cards while in Europe.    It about 10 minutes to get unlock codes for both phones.   Yes, you have to have a history with the carrier, usually something between 3 and 6 months.   No, you cannot just walk into a company store and buy a subsidized phone and have them unlock it.     If you want to buy a brand-new unlocked phone, there's plenty of them available, but you'll have to buy them from an independent dealer and you won't get the carrier-subsidized price.

But even if you already have a locked phone and can't get the carrier to unlock the phone, there's an "aftermarket" unlocking solution for just about every GSM phone ever made.

-Uwe-

[Baron Samedi]

But even if you already have a locked phone and can't get the carrier to unlock the phone, there's an "aftermarket" unlocking solution for just about every GSM phone ever made.

-Uwe-

in every market. Thank the Lord we can still steal mobiles!

[kevin_stevens]

in every market. Thank the Lord we can still steal mobiles!

Not clear what you're stealing.  They gave you the phone in exchange for signing up to a contract.  If you've fulfilled the contract, what are you stealing?  Plus the FCC ruled explicitly that consumers have the right to unlock their phones (but in typical Solomonic fashion, NOT to buy software that will actually accomplish that).  

KeS