Mobile/cellular telephones in India

vaclav · Sep 7th, 2005, 00:54

Hi. Could anybody tell me if any international roaming service for mobile/cellular telephones work in India. I have asked the same question specifically about Ladakh and has been told that it does not work there and one have to buy a local sim card.
If the same is valid for whole India I would leave my phone home and stick to e-mail. The reason for considering the phone at all is that my folks back home does not have access to internet and I have to ask some friends to pass the notes from me to them. Thanks for help.

mercedes10 · Sep 7th, 2005, 01:13

I'm with T-Mobile (UK) and had no problem using my phone in India. Just call your mobile service provider and they'll be able to tell you if they have a roaming agreement in India.

Nick-H · Sep 7th, 2005, 01:31

Yep, me too. No problems.

...except the cost

. It is a very expensive way to keep in touch

john.sw · Sep 7th, 2005, 03:05

Orange UK works all over India... 80p a minute to receive a call and £1.30 a minute to make one!

If yous witch your phone off, your answering machine messages will also cost you 80p a minute to receive and £1.30 a minute to retreive.

Why not sim unlock your phone and buy an Indian sim card to use in India?

The pre-paid card will cost £2.50 and you can recharge it with little or large amounts.

Text messages to the UK cost 4p each and a 3 minute phone call to the UK will cost £1.00

You can sim unlock most makes of phone for nothing (look on Google), or you can buy a phone in India for £30.00 and sell it on eBay for a profit when you get home.

vaclav · Sep 7th, 2005, 03:26

OK, great. So that phone unavailability seems to be limited just to Ladakh. And yes, it is expensive, I know. But I will use it just to send text message from time to time. Thanks a lot for your replys - appreciate.

Nick-H · Sep 7th, 2005, 03:39

Hearken unto John.sw, for he telleth how to stay in touch at reasonable cost!

Padma · Sep 7th, 2005, 05:31

John does indeed speaketh the truth on this matter.

I got an hutch sim and not only did it work more reliably for international calls that using local lines, it was about a third the cost of using pay phones. My fried had her UK sim and although it worked, it was patchy and cost a fortune.

The only thing to check is that you buy the sim in the area you'll be using it in, so you don't end up on roaming in India.

Also, have a copy of your passport and a photo ready for the application. For Hutch West Bengal (I think it's national but not sure) they tightened the rules for applying for pre-paid phones while I was there this year. So in February it was no bother and by April friends of mine were being told they could not get one because they were not residents (which isn't true, it just takes 5 days for them to process your application).

Your main problem once you have cheap phone access, is avoiding the desire to call you frinds and harass them with how much fun you're having.

Padma

th3_saint · Sep 27th, 2005, 01:30

This is an interesting topic, I am taking a mobile phone and have read a little about the Indian networks... But really I don't know which one to go with...

Can anyone suggest the best network?

I'll be starting in Delhi and going north or Hemechel Pradesh, then Rajastan, Goa, Kerala and then onto Tamil Nadu where I expect to spend several months doing Aidwork... 6 months in total... So if it's best to buy in the place I'll spend the most time in... I won't have it until the last couple months!

Are SIM's cheap enough to buy one in each major destination? Or cheap enough to pay extra roaming charges everywhere else?

What's the best way then?

(Yes, I posted this on another thread and then read this one... Will be interesting to see if I get double the response!)

Nick-H · Sep 27th, 2005, 01:48

So long as you don't need to maintain the sa...

Errm, I think, Sir, you only paid for ONE reply

th3_saint · Sep 27th, 2005, 02:52

Nick

He he

Good point thou. I can email my number to pensive parents. Nay bother!

john.sw · Sep 27th, 2005, 04:12

Buy a sim card anywhere that you will be staying a while - roaming costs are more expensive than the calls you make - I pay Rs.6/- a minute to receive a call on my Kerala sim when I'm in Tamil Nadu, so I swap cards pretty quickly!

SIM cards are very cheap, and you don't have to wait 5 days for the card if you're a foreigner - all you do is ask a friend or your driver to get a photo and a copy of his ID and get the card in his name.

The best place in the world to see the ritual of swapping sims is when you cross the border from Hong Kong to China... roaming costs on a HK sim whilst in China are massive!

Nick-H · Sep 27th, 2005, 04:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by th3_saint

I can email my number to pensive parents. Nay bother!

Even easier... You can SMS it to them as soon as you get the sim.

th3_saint · Sep 28th, 2005, 23:53

Cool, sounds pretty straight forward. Should be easy enough to keep everyone in the loop! Now my Mother just needs to get a phone that was designed in the last 100 years so that she can receive texts!

Sep 7th, 2005, 00:54	#1
vaclav Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Prague, Czechia Posts: 19	Mobile/cellular telephones in India Hi. Could anybody tell me if any international roaming service for mobile/cellular telephones work in India. I have asked the same question specifically about Ladakh and has been told that it does not work there and one have to buy a local sim card. If the same is valid for whole India I would leave my phone home and stick to e-mail. The reason for considering the phone at all is that my folks back home does not have access to internet and I have to ask some friends to pass the notes from me to them. Thanks for help.

Sep 7th, 2005, 01:31	#3
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,829	Yep, me too. No problems. ...except the cost . It is a very expensive way to keep in touch __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Sep 7th, 2005, 03:05	#4
john.sw Up in the hills with my head in the clouds... Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: India/UK Posts: 1,019	Orange UK works all over India... 80p a minute to receive a call and £1.30 a minute to make one! If yous witch your phone off, your answering machine messages will also cost you 80p a minute to receive and £1.30 a minute to retreive. Why not sim unlock your phone and buy an Indian sim card to use in India? The pre-paid card will cost £2.50 and you can recharge it with little or large amounts. Text messages to the UK cost 4p each and a 3 minute phone call to the UK will cost £1.00 You can sim unlock most makes of phone for nothing (look on Google), or you can buy a phone in India for £30.00 and sell it on eBay for a profit when you get home. __________________ www.nilgiris.asia your guide to the Nilgiris, Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur Last edited by john.sw : Sep 7th, 2005 at 12:53.

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Sep 7th, 2005, 01:13	#2
mercedes10 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Scotland Posts: 556	I'm with T-Mobile (UK) and had no problem using my phone in India. Just call your mobile service provider and they'll be able to tell you if they have a roaming agreement in India.

Sep 7th, 2005, 03:26	#5
vaclav Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Prague, Czechia Posts: 19	OK, great. So that phone unavailability seems to be limited just to Ladakh. And yes, it is expensive, I know. But I will use it just to send text message from time to time. Thanks a lot for your replys - appreciate.

Sep 7th, 2005, 03:39	#6
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,829	Hearken unto John.sw, for he telleth how to stay in touch at reasonable cost!

Sep 7th, 2005, 05:31	#7
Padma Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 77	John does indeed speaketh the truth on this matter. I got an hutch sim and not only did it work more reliably for international calls that using local lines, it was about a third the cost of using pay phones. My fried had her UK sim and although it worked, it was patchy and cost a fortune. The only thing to check is that you buy the sim in the area you'll be using it in, so you don't end up on roaming in India. Also, have a copy of your passport and a photo ready for the application. For Hutch West Bengal (I think it's national but not sure) they tightened the rules for applying for pre-paid phones while I was there this year. So in February it was no bother and by April friends of mine were being told they could not get one because they were not residents (which isn't true, it just takes 5 days for them to process your application). Your main problem once you have cheap phone access, is avoiding the desire to call you frinds and harass them with how much fun you're having. Padma

Sep 27th, 2005, 01:30	#8
th3_saint Chai Chai Chaiiiiiaaaa! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kathmandu, Nepal Posts: 34	This is an interesting topic, I am taking a mobile phone and have read a little about the Indian networks... But really I don't know which one to go with... Can anyone suggest the best network? I'll be starting in Delhi and going north or Hemechel Pradesh, then Rajastan, Goa, Kerala and then onto Tamil Nadu where I expect to spend several months doing Aidwork... 6 months in total... So if it's best to buy in the place I'll spend the most time in... I won't have it until the last couple months! Are SIM's cheap enough to buy one in each major destination? Or cheap enough to pay extra roaming charges everywhere else? What's the best way then? (Yes, I posted this on another thread and then read this one... Will be interesting to see if I get double the response!)

Sep 27th, 2005, 01:48	#9
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,829	So long as you don't need to maintain the sa... Errm, I think, Sir, you only paid for ONE reply

Sep 27th, 2005, 02:52	#10
th3_saint Chai Chai Chaiiiiiaaaa! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kathmandu, Nepal Posts: 34	Nick He he Good point thou. I can email my number to pensive parents. Nay bother!

Sep 27th, 2005, 04:12	#11
john.sw Up in the hills with my head in the clouds... Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: India/UK Posts: 1,019	Buy a sim card anywhere that you will be staying a while - roaming costs are more expensive than the calls you make - I pay Rs.6/- a minute to receive a call on my Kerala sim when I'm in Tamil Nadu, so I swap cards pretty quickly! SIM cards are very cheap, and you don't have to wait 5 days for the card if you're a foreigner - all you do is ask a friend or your driver to get a photo and a copy of his ID and get the card in his name. The best place in the world to see the ritual of swapping sims is when you cross the border from Hong Kong to China... roaming costs on a HK sim whilst in China are massive!

Sep 28th, 2005, 23:53	#13
th3_saint Chai Chai Chaiiiiiaaaa! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kathmandu, Nepal Posts: 34	Cool, sounds pretty straight forward. Should be easy enough to keep everyone in the loop! Now my Mother just needs to get a phone that was designed in the last 100 years so that she can receive texts!

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