My son will be visiting New Zealand for about 3 weeks. Will he need a different SIM card? a new phone? What's the general protocol for using Canadian phones abroad? I have gotten the idea that Canadian phones (we're using a Rogers plan) are a lot pricey to use overseas than a European or Asian phone . Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks , Kerry
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Hi Kerry, I purchased a cellphone in Panama several years ago - on two occasions, in fact. The first one (don't remember the model) no problem - I purchased a SIM card for Canada & BOOM it worked. The second one was a LG model MG370a. This time it's LOCKED which means it can only be used in the country of origin. So best to check before you go with your service supplier. Only GMS type phones work GLOBALLY. PaulS |
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You need to make sure that the frequencies of the phone match the frequencies used by the service in the country you plan to travel to. In the following chart you will see that Canada and New Zealand are not a good match. http://www.thetravelinsider.com/roadwarriorcontent/quadbandphones.htm However, do not despair. There are many providers and they may use frequencies not on this list. Look at their websites and make sure you have a match if you want to use an existing phone. The previous answer is also critical: the phone has to be an unlocked GSM phone to be used out of the country. |
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These two article from the NYT Frugal Traveler might answer some of your questions: http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/phone-calls/ Calling Home for Even Less August 18, 2009, By MATT GROSS "In the five months since I wrote about cheap ways to phone home in “Staying in Touch Internationally, on the Cheap” (March 24), much has changed in the world of making affordable, even free, calls while traveling. And not all of it is good. Here’s a short version of the telephone setup I described in March: As soon as I land in a new country, I buy a local SIM card (usually $2 to $25) for my unlocked mobile phone, so that I can easily and cheaply call local numbers and so that local people can reach me. But the real trick is how folks back home can reach me. I use Skype, the popular Internet phone software, not only to make low-cost international calls but to receive them." http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/staying-in-touch-internationally-on-the-cheap/ Staying in Touch Internationally, on the Cheap "over the past few years of traveling internationally, I’ve developed a system that not only lets me make inexpensive local calls but also allows friends and family back home to reach me cheaply. It’s a little complicated, but bear with me and I’ll explain." |
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Thank you for the info, guys, I will check with the provider. |
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