mobile phone - oneroam.co.uk

[roam]

hi everyone.
i know there is lots of talk about mobile phones, costs etc when roaming and whether to buy a local PAYG sim.

We found a site called oneroam.co.uk that offers calls to and from various countries at 28p per minute plus 18p per call. you buy a sim from them that gives you a phone number based in Liechtenstein and then buy PAYG credits from their web site.

i don't have much experience with mobiles other than using one in the UK for which my company picks up the bill, so don't know about comparitive costs. does 28p per minute sound like a reasonable deal for an international call from a mobile? incoming calls are free. texts are 35p each.

it sounds quite convenient to have one number for wherever you are rather than having to tell everyone what your new number is next time you move on. i also heard that some countries are trying to make it harder to buy PAYG sims because of their links with crime (easy, anonymous, disposable etc - not implying that the companies are doing aything illegal - well, you know what i mean), you have to have proof of address etc.

Does anyone have any experience of oneroam? does it work?
any likely pitfalls i am not seeing?

many thanks

 

[Abigail]

I don't know of the particular thing but 28p/min sounds a high price to pay basically for convenience of avoiding number changes. You could try using it to haggle with roaming charges from your UK supplier though. Have you heard of skype - praised elsewhere on these boards and essentially free voice calls anywhere you can get an internet connection. Try www.skype.com

 

[giraffehappy]

Hi, If your phone is not on contract, then you don't have to keep changing your number. You keep the same number, and buy pay as you go cards wherever you are. Don't know about international rates from other countries on this system, but 28p dosen't sound ballistic. Iridium= £1 per minute................

 

[Steve Clayton]

Sounds the same sort of information as on www.dialabroad.co.uk Being in Spain I used the link www.dialabroad.co.uk/spain and then using their service did a spanish mobile to UK mobile test for 3 minutes and it cost 3€'s so I was not impressed.

Providing you've got internet access then Skype is best. Failing that then local PAYG with international call card is pretty good.

www.seraph-apartments.com

 

[roam]

hi all
i must be missing something...how do i get internet access cheaply and easily on board to take advantage of a service like skype? i could be in the middle of an anchorage or out of the way marina or travelling on a train or bus?

if you buy a spanish payg sim, what do you pay per minute, typically, for an international call?

thanks for all your advice.

 

[Steve Clayton]

if you buy a spanish payg sim, what do you pay per minute, typically, for an international call?
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Within Europe and from EU to USA then typically between 5 and 10cents (€'s) a minute depending on whether you are calling a landline or mobile.


i could be in the middle of an anchorage
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Then it's very unlikely that you will pick up a wifi signal/hotspot to use internet. As you will be close to coast then a link via a suppliers GPRS card is an option. You pay for what you upload/download so send mails in plain text, turn off pictures on your browser, limit the size of emails received, etc to reduce costs. A sattelite link is an option but expensive.

travelling on a train or bus
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GPRS card as above.

Hope this helps


Steve

 

[syfuga]

We use local pay as you go, and post the new number on our web site.

We have not succeeded in establishing GPRS service abroad mainly due to language difficulty. Roaming GPRS on UK contract cost a fortune - it reverts to penal rates.

http://www.budgetdialup.com provides access to internet on local numbers all over, at very reasonable rates.

 

[Grehan]

Agree. Vodafone Mobile Connect GPRS is a complete rip off - an invitation to Vodafone to plunder your bank account.