Want to use a cell phone when you travel abroad, but don’t want to get hijacked by sky-high rates?
The good news is that cell phone technology is increasing exponentially, so there are plenty of viable options for leisure and business travelers.
But unless you’re keeping track of the technology, it can be hard to decide what works best for you.
Here’s the basic rundown of how it all works:
In the insular U.S., traditionally there hasn’t been a large demand for cell phones that work abroad, so we’ve developed our own digital cellular technology, called Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA).
More than 200 other countries, however, use something called Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world.
In Europe, GSM is standardized across the entire continent, and it is now commonly used in Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
The majority of GSM phones are locked into a frequency that matches the area they come from. For example, most GSM phones that are used in Australia, New Zealand and Europe operate on the 900 and 1800 MHz frequencies. In the USA and Canada, the 1900 MHz frequency is used.
If you want to use your own cell phone abroad without getting nailed by excess charges, you can retrofit your own cellular phone, rent or purchase a new phone, rent or buy a PDA, or use VoIP technology. So which option is right for you?
Using Your Own Phone
If you have a GSM phone, it should be at least “tri-band” or “quad-band,” which refers to how many bandwidths your phone is equipped to pick up. You can use a tri-band phone in most GSM countries, and a quad-band phone is universally global.
Companies like T-Mobile and Cingular use GSM (Verizon and Sprint are CDMA). You can simply tell your provider that you will be using your cell phone abroad and the international roaming feature will be added to your account.
However, this means that your roaming rates can be as high as $4.99 a minute.
Your other option is to swap out your SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card with one that is appropriate to the country that you are visiting. This is a removable “smart card,” which is what provides the cellular service, voicemail and Internet service on your phone. In order to do this, your phone must be “unlocked,” so that that it will recognize a SIM card from any carrier (a locked phone will only recognize a SIM card from a particular carrier, which is often the case with free or deeply discounted phones from a provider). You can swap out the card yourself, or bring it to your provider to do it for you.
After obtaining your new SIM card, you’ll need to purchase pre-paid minutes and load them onto your phone. In many cases, pre-paid cellular cards can even be obtained from small convenience stores and kiosks.
If you’re planning on traveling to different countries, you’ll have to purchase a new SIM card and new pre-paid minutes for each new country, even within Europe. Every time you change your SIM card, you’ll get a new phone number, which can make getting a hold of you on a long, multi-country trip a challenge.
Cellular Rentals and Purchases
If you can’t swap out your SIM card and you’re planning on being in the same country for a few weeks at a time, renting or purchasing an international cell phone may be a good option for you. You can rent or purchase a cell phone in the U.S. before you travel, or find a cell phone company in your destination country (they’re often located in the airport).
If you’re planning on being abroad for some time, purchasing a phone may be a better deal than renting by the week.
The benefit of renting or purchasing before you go (rather than in the local country) is that you can have the phone up and running the minute you get off the plane. Also, if you’re traveling to a country where English isn’t the first language, setting up a phone rental can be a hassle. And lastly, if you rent a local phone in one country, say New Zealand, your phone may not work in Australia or Fiji, or any other country you may choose to travel to (though some companies have plans to deal with that).
Cellular Abroad
Cellular Abroad, which made a name for itself in 2001 with the launch of the Talk Abroad program, offers pay-as-you-go mobile phones across the world. In March 2007, the company will launch a new service with National Geographic called the National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone. This phone picks up local services, so you can use it in more than 100 countries. The phone number is based in the UK, and remains the same no matter where you travel.
Whether you rent or purchase the package, Cellular Abroad will give you a start-up kit that promises to be easy to use. The phone is an unlocked quad band GSM cell phone and battery — just insert the included SIM card. The band switch should be set to “auto,” so that the phone can scan for the right frequency when you’re traveling from country to country.
Since the phone number is based in the UK, making calls outside of the country will require an international dialing code and a country code (visit www.countrycallingcodes.com). With the purchased phone package, dialing out seems seamless, but with a rental package, the Talk Abroad service will ring you back to complete the connection. For incoming service, callers will have to dial your UK number, regardless of where you are.
A minimum rental is one week for $49, or you can purchase it for $199. Included is English-language voicemail, SMS, a universal wall charger and an international plug adaptor and unlimited free incoming calls from 65 countries. With the purchase, you also get more than 30 minutes of outgoing talk time. The service also includes free 24-hour customer service.
The per-minute rates varies, based on which zone (there are four) the outgoing or incoming call is coming from and whether you’re calling a landline, cell or another Travel Phone. For example, calling from Zone 1 (including Europe, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, among others) to a U.S. land line costs $.90 per minute, calling a U.S. cell phone is $1.25 per minute, and calling another Travel Phone in Zone 1 is $1.25 per minute. Calling from the U.S. (Zone 4) to a New Zealand land line (Zone 2) is $3.25 per minute, and calling a New Zealand cell phone is $3.50 a minute.
Receiving calls is a little less expensive, ranging from $.50 in Zone 2, $1.25 in Zone 3 and $2.50 in Zone 4, depending on where you are located at the time. All incoming text messages are free.
Cellular Abroad also offers satellite phone rentals if you’re traveling to a location where an international cell phone can’t be used — this can include cruise ships, mountain locations or countries where there is unreliable or no cellular coverage. Remember that you’ll need to be outside for the satellite service to work.
For more information, visit www.Cellularabroad.com/travelphone
Cell Hire
Cell Hire has several different “solutions” based on your travel plans:
An international cell phone rental works in more than 170 countries, with a single phone number based in the UK. If you’re planning on traveling to more than one country, this is probably the plan for you. The package includes a Motorola or Nokia (or comparable) phone with travel adapters for foreign outlets, in-car charger and instruction booklet.
As with Cellular Abroad’s phone, you will need to dial the country code if calling outside of the UK, and callers will have to dial your international number. The phone will automatically scan for the right frequency depending on what country you travel to, and will work off whatever is the strongest signal.
Rates for your international cell phone vary based on the country incoming calls are originating, or where you are calling from. For example, calling the U.S. from the UK is $1.29 a minute, incoming calls to the UK are free (since you have a UK number) and calling someone within the UK is $.09 a minute. A call from China is $2.29 per minute, a call from China to the U.S. is $3.09 a minute, and calls within China are $1.29 a minute.
If you’re planning on staying in one country for a long period, or make multiple trips to one country, a local airtime solution may be your best option. Cellhire can set up a local phone number in about 24 countries, including the UK, Italy, France, Ireland, Argentina, the Netherlands, Australia, Brazil and China. That means that making locals calls in that country are at a low rate, and almost all incoming calls are free (except for Argentina, Brazil and India). Calls to the U.S. range from $1.29 per minute to $4.64 per minute, depending on where you’re located, and local calls within that country range from $.50 to $2.55 per minute. However, if you take this phone out of the country, expect much higher rates.
Cellhire’s “Follow Me” program allows you to keep your own phone number when you travel out of country. Since U.S. cell phone numbers can’t be forwarded to an international number, the company allocates a toll-free number to you — callers just need to dial your usual number, which gets forwarded to the Cellhire center, where the call is then forwarded to your cell phone for a fee, ranging from $.79 to $2.77 per minute. However, remember that not all U.S. cell phones can be retrofitted for use abroad.
Cellhire also rents BlackBerry units overseas, with a single UK number. The data on your home BlackBerry can be synchronized with the rented version, so that your emails can be rolled over (when you go back home, everything can be rolled back to your original phone). The flat rental rate of $99 per week or $299 per month includes unlimited email and web browsing. (Cellhire is the only company right now that offers Blackberry service in Japan.)
You can also rent a satellite phone through Cellhire. Outgoing calls cost $2-$3 per minute, and all incoming calls are free. Rates are $125 per week or $350 a month.
For more information, visit www.cellhire.com
WorldCell
WorldCell also rents out international cell phones, BlackBerrys and satellite phones.
Their international GSM cell phone gives you one number that is based in Iceland. The first week is $39.95, and each week thereafter is $35, or $5 per day. You can also opt for insurance for $2 per day. Rates in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK are $2.29-$2.49 per minute when calling the USA; local calls within those countries are $.99 per minute; Incoming calls are free in Italy and the UK, and $.99 per minute in France, Germany and Italy. In Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan), calls to the U.S. range from $2.49-$3.99 per minute, local calls range from $.99 to $1.99 per minute, and incoming calls are free in Japan and Korea, and $1.49-$1.99 per minute elsewhere. In Central America (Argentina, Brazil and Colombia) calls to the US are $4.99-$5.99 per minute, local calls are $2.59-$3.99 per minute and incoming calls are $2.59-$2.99 per minute.
Satellite phone rentals are $175 for the first week, and $60 for each week thereafter, or $9 per day. All incoming calls are free, and per minute rates range from $.99 to $10 per minute.
For more information, visit www.worldcell.com
VoIP Technology
Thanks to the eBay’s recent purchase of a service called Skype, many people have now heard of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones. The concept of VoIP is that your voice carries through the Internet, not through a phone; you can rely on a computer-to-computer or a phone-to-computer conversation at prices that are usually far cheaper than cell phones or calling cards
A high-speed Internet connection is required. This can be through a cable modem, DSL or a local area network. Some VoIP services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, while other services allow you to use a traditional phone connected to a VoIP adapter. If you use your computer, you will need some software, and a microphone and speakers (which may be included in your computer). Special VoIP phones plug directly into your broadband connection and operate largely like a traditional telephone.
Skype
Right now, Skype is probably the most popular VoIP service out there, due to the fact that it’s largely free and very easy to use.
Simply download the free software onto your computer (Mac, PC or Linux-friendly). Then, plug in headphones, microphone, speakers or a USB phone (a special phone that plugs into a computer’s USB port) and you’re all set. A global directory can help you locate your friends and family who also use Skype.
It’s free to call up other Skype users, which includes video calls, group chats and conference calls with up to nine people. Paid services come in when you want to call up phones, send and receive voicemails or send SMS messages. Currently, Skype Unlimited costs $29.95 per year for unlimited calls to any phone in the U.S. and Canada. You can also choose to pay a per-minute fee for international calls, or purchase pre-paid Skype Credit for a per-minute rate.
Also available is SkypeIn, which allows you to create a regular phone number linked to your Skype account. For example, say you choose to have a SkypeIn number in the Kansas City area. Non-Skype users in Kansas City will be charged local rates (by the local phone company, not Skype), callers from New York will be charged long-distance rates (again, not by Skype) — but both calls will be routed to you when you use your Skype account from anywhere in the world. A 12-month subscription costs $38, or $12 for three months.
Vonage
When you sign up for Vonage, the company sends a free adapter that connects any phone to your high-speed Internet connection. Simply connect and use your phone just as you always have — only this time your voice is going over the Internet instead of through an actual telephone line. Packages start at $14.95 a month, which includes 500 minutes for calls in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico — calls to the UK are $.04 a minute, and calls to Shanghai are $.10 a minute.
Yahoo
Web portal/search engine Yahoo now offers free voice services with its free Yahoo Messenger service. Yahoo Messenger with Voice is essentially a souped-up version of Yahoo’s popular, free instant-messaging service. You get free PC-to-PC calling for people who have Yahoo Messenger, plus free voicemail and call history. However, you can’t use Yahoo Messenger to make calls to regular phones from your computer.
MSN
Microsoft purchased VoIP provider Teleo and began integrating its technology into its MSN Messenger program. Microsoft’s VoIP service adds voice services on top of a traditional instant-messaging service (MSN Messenger, in this case). As with other VoIP services, simply download the appropriate software for free and you’re ready to get started. You get free PC-to-PC calls among people who have MSN Messenger, unlimited file and picture sharing, free text messaging to mobile phones (this may incur a charge for the receiver), and videoconferencing. If you and the person you’re connected to via MSN Messenger have webcams or similar video equipment, you’ll be able to have a “Video Conversation” in real time. MSN Messenger is available for Mac users.
For more information on travel tech that could help you, check out our Travel Gadgets section.
