any specific SIM card rec'd for sikkim/west bengal

tacita

i've read quite a few posts about SIM cards that are specific to different states or areas, as well as a "roaming" SIM card. however, i am concerned that the roaming area might not extent to relatively remote sikkim. i can get by for the one day i'll be in delhi upon my arrival using an alternate, even if more exepnsive, system (IDPhonecard.com), just to assure those back home that i arrived safely.

would it be best to get a SIM card in sikkim specific to that state? i'll thereafter be in darjeeling, jaldhapara sanctuary and, eventually, kolkata. is there a "regional" card that would cover sikkim and west bengal, maybe? i'd be grateful for any suggestions on the logistics, or specific card company names to look for.

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SANJAY_DEL

You can buy an AIRTEL or BSNL simcard, and both will work in both the states. If you can provide an Indian address and fulfil other requirements, you can procure a Post-paid connection, which offers the roaming facility across different telecom circles. Otherwise your card bought in one state will prpbably not work in the other.

tacita

thanks, sanjay! but i'm afraid i don't know what a post-paid connection is. i've also read that AIRTEL cards can suddenly "expire" after a day or two where the purchaser wasn't a resident and gave a hotel address. do you think this is something that someone at a store in gangtok may be able to assist with? or my hotel, perhaps? (tibet hotel) to your knowledge, might it be possible to purchase an appropriate card anywhere at the bagdogra airport?

i think i'm missing the lobe of my brain that handles all things relating to mobile telecommunications, and am perpetually perplexed by the terms, acronyms and, in fact, the whole telecommunications universe!

SANJAY_DEL

You must visit an office of AIRTEL after you land in India. A pre-paid card is paid for in advance. It generally does not have a roaming facility. You can buy recharge coupons easily when you finish your talk-time.
A post-paid connections means the bills are sent to an address that belongs to you (probably not a hotel address). It offers you roaming facility across the country.
Just go for pre-paid cards in whichever circle you travel. These are easy to get. Prefer AIRTEL over BSNL.
A third option is Reliance CDMA, in which case thet provide a handset as well.

tacita

thanks, sanjay. you've been most helpful, as usual.

manojb

My Airtel prepaid SIM offers nationwide roaming, but of course, the roaming charges are 4 Rs per minute.

Rogue Two

Is that per minute of connection or for all the time the phone is switched on?

I know that at least one north american network charges its users 99c per minute that the phone is switched on, which is scandalous.

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skinnylatte

No, that is per minute of connection, not per min of being switched on. Usually when within your 'home circle' — for example you buy your sim card in Bangalore, your home circle is Karnataka — you get free incoming calls. If you roam outside your home circle with that same sim card, and you're in West Bengal, then what was formerly free will be charged at Rs 4 per minute. National and international SMSes are also marginally more expensive compared to when within your home circle.

If you're planning to use the sim card mostly in sikkim and the areas you mentioned, you'll be fine getting a sim card in either of these places. A sim card bought in kolkata and used in darjeeling and sikkim will still be considered within the "home circle", by Airtel, of West Bengal. so using the sim card in the other places will not incur roaming charges.

all you need to do is photocopy your passport. if your passport does not have any indicator of your residential address in your country (the singapore passport i used doesn't reflect my residential address, so it was rejected), provide them with a copy of something that does (a driving license or student card for example) in addition to a copy of your passport. show up at any shop that sells airtel sim cards (best if it's an airtel shop, but will work too at regular telco shops) with these documents.