cell phone in Bangalore

We are moving to Bangalore August 1st and are wondering what the best cell phone options are. Currently we are in China and are able to get high quality phones at a resonable price and they are set up to go using a SIM card. We will be in the states for the month of July and can get phones there, but will have to unlock them most likely. The 3rd option is waiting until we get to Bangalore and get on a plan which includes discounts for the phones. We will be there a minimum of 2 years so getting a monthly pay plan is probably the best idea for us. However I haven't had that since I lived in the US, and have no idea how it works in Bangalore. Thanks for any advice or pointing me in a direction!

Brandon

Thought i would bump this up as I still do not have a good idea what to do upon arrival, thanks for your advice.

Something in the news about the GOI dsiconnecting tens of thousands of Chinese made phones last year..

I am fine with being on a monthly pay program, but I have no idea what kind of things, if any are offered. I don't really need a consultation on the intricate details, but a once over on whether we can get a cell plan, well that would work just fine... thanks again!

Why dont you look at the site of airtel - one of the largest cell phone service providers

http://www.airtel.in/

pay-as-you-go(prepaid) and monthly billing(postpaid)are both popular in India. Prepaid is a good option in case your usage is not very heavy.

Incoming calls and incoming sms(texts) are free(aslong as you are in the same state the SIM was issued from). Outgoing calls and outgoing sms are charged. There are various data plans for internet browsing which you can choose according to your usage.

For the rest, please go through the website.

I will do that immediately! Thanks for the direction!

bizrandom, phones in India can a bit more expensive than abroad on the high end models. But, then you can also buy a basic phone here for $30. It may be worth buying a phone abroad if you want a high end model. When you get here, your best bet is to go with a pre-paid plan. But, be prepared for a thorough check with a number of required documents. You have many options of recharging the currency on the phone, including the internet.

Yes, many of the cheap phones from China have already been disconnected as they did not have an IMEI number, which is required for law enforcement to track users down.

Getting a phone activated in India can feel like getting a tooth pulled. Purchasing a phone is easy however, you must have your passport, copies of your passport, your India address, I think it was 2 passport photos, and the patience of God to get a sim card. We went to 4 different places before someone would sell us a sim card. It then took one day for my phone to activate and 3 for my husbands. A friend of ours from the US also had problems. It seemed that they thought the signatures were different so deactivated the phone after a week and they had to go back with all the same documentation.

If you can, get a friend to get a sim card for you to use for a few weeks while you are waiting for yours to get set up.

Good Luck

Thank you for the additional information, it will make this process go much smoother!!