Mobile on yachts

[mclyde]

I took delivery in Europe of Alfresco last year and subscribed to the "gymsim" mobile VOIP card. As some of you may know, the server provider went bankrupt and it failed. In 8 weeks we are returning to the Med for 6 months. Gymsim say they have replaced the server system and all will be well. Does anyone know any more about this or other VOIP sim-card providers in Europe? We're also planning to connect internet through 3G mobile and a roaming card would be better than a local country one? Any views???

 

[LadyJessie]

Don't know about gymsim, but these are my few thoughts on SIM cards: Beware of roaming cards; they are most of the time more expensive than buying a PAYG card in whatever country you are in. Many countries have good deals on unlimited GPRS/Edge access via PAYG for your internet access. With roaming you are usually paying a fortune for GPRS. And be careful with getting 3G; the more south and east you go you will find fewer providers. There are none in Turkey and I don't think there is any in Greece either.

 

[ToMo]

I have a GYMSIM too and with a dual sim phone it has proved to be very usefull, I was not prepared to
1/ carry 2 phones arround everywhere and
2/ relie on a single service, my other slot carries a PAYAYG local provider sim.
The phone I have operates on both sims simultaniously and I'm satisfied that I've covered most eventualities.

 

[Richard10002]

This lot focus on this sort of stuff

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/europe-f22.html

Things might have moved on but I found the following PAYG internet providers:

Spain - YOIGO

Italy - WIND and TIM

From the above site I'm pretty sure WIND and/or TIM have a presence in Greece

France is poorly supplied

 

[memerys]

Local Vodofone provide 3G facilities in Greece and Turkey

 

[LadyJessie]

Really? That is not what my local supplier told me, but that was half a year ago and things might have changed. However, I cannot find any Vodafone network in southern Turkey when I use the function 'search networks'. Maybe this is only an Istanbul service for now, the infrastructure tend to be deployed there first and then be slowly spread out into the provinces.

 

[memerys]

We've been cruising Turkey for a couple of years and winter in Marmaris. Vodofone took a Turkish company over last year (2007) and now have shops all around, including Marmaris, Bodrum, Kusadasi, Fethiye etc. We use a Vodofone Turkey SIM and the 3G PC card, but it is quite expensive, and the current Vodofone helpdesk is not briliant.

 

[mclyde]

Thanks ToMo....did you buy the dual sim phone from gymsim...they advertise one but it is a Chinese brand I've never heard of! Otherwise grateful if you could let me know which brand.