Travel Tips

Using Cell Phones While Traveling

What is a SIM card?

If you want to use a cell phone internationally, then your travel phone will require a SIM card. A SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) is the chip which provides the operating instructions for your handset. If you already have an unlocked tri-band or quad-band handset, you’ll need a new SIM card to enable it to work overseas. It’s as simple as removing your current SIM (and keeping it safe for when you return home) and snapping in your new SIM card. Your new SIM card will let your handset know your new number, your rate plan and other important details.

SIM cards provide the best advantage for international travelers. A world-ready cell phone can be used with any SIM card you’ve received before travel. For example, a traveler from Canada staying in the UK can purchase a SIM card online and be ready to make and receive calls before they arrive. The right SIM card can be used to call locally or back home without paying hefty roaming charges from your regular carrier.

Local SIM cards

Local country SIM cards are the best option if you’re visiting just one country. They always offer the best local rates and you can usually enable options to call international locations at a good per-minute rate. If you’re working, studying or holidaying for a while in a single country it may cost more than a Global SIM Card to purchase initially, but if you choose an appropriate plan, the rates will cover the up-front cost. Having a local number to give to new friends and business associates will help you sync with your new country.

International Roaming SIM Cards

Should I get an International SIM card or a Global SIM card? Don’t be confused by differing terminology, they’re pretty much the same thing depending on where you are looking. If you’re traveling overseas and visiting more than one country, then a Global Roaming SIM card made specifically for international calling is your best option. Many plan options offer free incoming calls, fairly competitive rates to call home, and cheaper calls between countries than a local-country SIM.

What are the key attributes to look for in a Global SIM card? A UK number (country code +44) is an advantage. It’s much more user friendly than an Estonia or Lichtenstein number used by some providers. Call quality won’t differ that much, but if friends and family are calling you from North America, it’s cheaper for them to call a popular route like the UK than Eastern Europe.

International SIM card rates are much cheaper than roaming overseas with a Canadian phone or traveling across Europe with a local European SIM card.  Global SIM cards are usually pre-paid, which allows you to add call credit at anytime giving you tighter spending control. 

Always check a SIM card’s per minute rates before buying, and make sure you choose a plan that’s good for you and the countries you’ll be visiting. Remember that incoming calls in Europe are usually free (as a standard). Look for an International SIM provider who offers 24/7 support and make sure recharging the SIM card is easy and free. You should always be able to recharge the SIM card for free online or over the phone.

Why don’t many North American phones function as international cell phones?

Most of the world uses the standard GSM phone service, or Global Service for Mobile. This includes Europe, South America, most of Asia and the Pacific and Africa. They have adopted the 900mhz and 1800mhz frequencies, which are not compatible with the 850Mhz and 1900mhz GSM frequencies used in the US and Canada. This explains why your handset will operate fine back home on GSM networks such as Rogers Wireless, Fido, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile, but will be useless when you are travelling overseas. If your handset is a tri-band or quad-band GSM handset, then it will always safely work overseas – providing it is unlocked.

If you have mobile service with Telus Mobility or Bell Mobility in Canada, or Verizon Wireless, Alltel or Sprint Nextel in the US, then you’ll be on a CDMA network. This technology now only operates in North America and is not compatible internationally. You will need a new GSM handset.

Your handset needs to be unlocked!

If you insert an International SIM card into a locked phone, you will receive an error message and you won’t have access to make or receive calls. Providers generally don’t want you to use other SIM cards. Canada’s sole GSM provider Rogers Wireless (which includes Fido) will attempt to lock you in to their service. This means they program their handsets to only work with their own company’s SIM cards. They do this to try to keep you as a customer, and because they don’t want their discounted handsets you received on your contract deal used with SIMs from the competition. You should take your tri-band or quad-band GSM handset to a Rogers location and ask them to unlock the handset, explaining that you will be using a third party SIM for use overseas.

If you need to pick up a new handset for your overseas travels, an unlocked, tri-band or quad-band International Cell Phone will allow you to call from any country and use any company’s SIM cards.

Where can I get a SIM for my International Trip?

Telestial are the market leader in providing trust-worthy and low-cost communication services for the business and leisure traveler. Telestial stock a large range of international SIM card services, handsets, roaming cell phone packages and country-specific SIM cards. Combining convenience and real savings on calling home from abroad with your cell phone, Telestial is helping to keep travelers in touch.