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The Telecom Digest for April 25, 2010
Volume 29 : Issue 114 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Cell phones in Europe (John Mayson)
Re: Cell phones in Europe (Mark Smith)
Re: Cell phones in Europe (John Levine)
Re: Low-cost calling options for U.S. <> Iraq (Robert Bonomi)
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Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:55:04 -0500
From: John Mayson <john@mayson.us>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Cell phones in Europe
Message-ID: <u2t6645152a1004232055odc1757bbz357296517b5c73e5@mail.gmail.com>
I know this has been discussed before. I went through the archives
and didn't get an exact answer, so I'll ask it again. Not complaining
mind you. :-)
My daughter wants to study abroad for a semester in The Netherlands.
Her school requires she have a cell phone in case they need to get
a hold of her. I think this is utter nonsense and there's no reason
email couldn't be used. But I digress.
She has an iPhone. I've heard too many horror stories of people
taking their iPhones (and other smart phones) abroad and coming home
to bills more expensive than their trips. My suggestion was to order
a pre-paid cell phone from The Netherlands and have her carry that.
AFAIK it's not possible to change the SIM in an iPhone (at least it's
not very easy).
Can anyone suggest something affordable?
Thanks,
John
--
John Mayson <john@mayson.us>
Austin, Texas, USA
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:14:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mark Smith <marklsmith@yahoo.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Cell phones in Europe
Message-ID: <59462.81191.qm@web65709.mail.ac4.yahoo.com>
On April 23, 2010 11:55:04 PM John Mayson <john@mayson.us> wrote:
> I know this has been discussed before. I went through the archives
> and didn't get an exact answer, so I'll ask it again. Not
> complaining mind you. :-)
> My daughter wants to study abroad for a semester in The Netherlands.
> Her school requires she have a cell phone in case they need to get a
> hold of her. I think this is utter nonsense and there's no reason
> email couldn't be used. But I digress.
> She has an iPhone. I've heard too many horror stories of people
> taking their iPhones (and other smart phones) abroad and coming home
> to bills more expensive than their trips. My suggestion was to
> order a pre-paid cell phone from The Netherlands and have her carry
> that. AFAIK it's not possible to change the SIM in an iPhone (at
> least it's not very easy).
> Can anyone suggest something affordable?
One of the cheaper ways to go is a basic phone from Trackfone (or
Virgin or any GSM pay as you go company.) I have heard that in Europe
you can buy the GSM card by itself. Remove the pay as you go card and
replace with the European card. I got a Nokia from Trackfone for
$19.95. If the European company will only give service if you buy a
phone, buy it there. You can then use it as a pay as you go phone when
she returns.
Mark L. Smith http://smith.freehosting.net
***** Moderator's Note *****
A. Because it distracts from the natural top-to-bottom flow of a writen communucation.
Q. Why is top-posting bad?
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: 24 Apr 2010 22:03:07 -0000
From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Cell phones in Europe
Message-ID: <20100424220307.93684.qmail@joyce.lan>
>One of the cheaper ways to go is a basic phone from Trackfone (or
>Virgin or any GSM pay as you go company.)
Don't do that. Tracfones are programemd only to work in the US; they
don't even work in Canada which is technically compatible, there's no
possibility of them working in Europe where the frequency bands are
different. Ditto Virgin Mobile.
The way you get a cheap phone in the Netherlands is simple. You walk
into a phone store, of which there is one approximately every 10
meters from one end of the country to the other, and buy one. I've
bought prepaid phones in the UK and France for under $20 and I expect
the price in the Netherlands would be similar.
A Netherlands phone will work all over Europe, at somewhat higher
roaming rates, but not in North America due to different bands. But
for $20, what do you want?
R's,
John
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:09:02 -0500
From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Low-cost calling options for U.S. <> Iraq
Message-ID: <tZednUoDsttj9k7WnZ2dnUVZ_huknZ2d@posted.nuvoxcommunications>
In article <20100423004800.GA23920@billhorne.homelinux.org>,
Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> wrote:
>I've gotten a call from the wife of a U.S. serviceman in Iraq: she is
>seeking low-cost calling options to keep in touch with him.
>
>Please submit any information you have, and I'll publish the results
>here. TIA.
Any MARS connections?
***** Moderator's Note *****
It's not used anymore: the services have combined their MARS systems
and are focusing on disaster preparedness. Soldiers overseas have
periodic access to email, and sometimes (although, in this case, I
guess not) to voice circuits via the Internet.
I don't know what the details are: as with any combat area, it's
probably different from camp to camp.
Bill Horne
Moderator
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End of The Telecom Digest (4 messages)
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