prepaid mobile phones in india

janine06 · Dec 17th, 2007, 20:17

Hi guys,

Need some help about prepaid mobile services in india. I will be traveling around india (about 10 days up north in dehli and rajasthan and then spending a month in mumbai).

I understand that mobile charges in india are state dependent. Does that mean that if i bought a card from New Dehli and used it in Rajasthan or mumbai, the rates are expensive?

And do we need to register each prepaid card purchased? i heard that the cards get disconnected after a few days if its not registered? if so, how do we do them?

And is airtel the way to go?

Thanks so much!
Janine

brownboy66 · Dec 18th, 2007, 01:28

Hi Janine

and welcome to IM

Check out this thread....

http://www.indiamike.com/india/elect...etworks-t8434/

as it pretty much is the definitive guide on all things to do with prepaid mobiles. In short - there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to pick up a sim card that gives you good rates all throughout india - its more a question of picking the right provider and the right plan. Having said that - airtel is pretty popular. Other requirements to take not of:

- if you are bringing a cell phone make sure it is compatible with the GSM band here (900 or 1800 band), and that its unlocked,
- bring lots of passport photos, copies of your passport, and copies of your visa as you'll need those for the paperwork.

otherwise, happy travels.

Anders · Dec 18th, 2007, 16:02

The rates will be higher when you are outside the state you bought it since you will now be roaming but they are still so cheap that it is nothing to worry about. When you buy your sim card, buy it from someone that does a lot of business with foreigners and you should not have any problems with disconnects, in Delhi I would buy it from someone in Paharganj.

DueSouthChris · Dec 20th, 2007, 17:53

Greetings from Jodhpur! Just a question for all the smarties at India Mike please, Tata Indicom cells phones for like Rs1000 but are they GSM?
Can I buy one and use it back home in South Africa?

brownboy66 · Dec 20th, 2007, 19:36

Tata indicom runs a CDMA network, so no....not GSM unfortunately. The phones can use a sim card like a GSM phone, but in general the process of using a foreign CDMA phone with a local sim is not nearly as well developed as the GSM equivalent (most CDMA operators don't allow it).

Dec 17th, 2007, 20:17	#1
janine06 Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: australia Posts: 7	prepaid mobile phones in india Hi guys, Need some help about prepaid mobile services in india. I will be traveling around india (about 10 days up north in dehli and rajasthan and then spending a month in mumbai). I understand that mobile charges in india are state dependent. Does that mean that if i bought a card from New Dehli and used it in Rajasthan or mumbai, the rates are expensive? And do we need to register each prepaid card purchased? i heard that the cards get disconnected after a few days if its not registered? if so, how do we do them? And is airtel the way to go? Thanks so much! Janine

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Dec 18th, 2007, 01:28	#2
brownboy66 Chicken 65 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,269	Hi Janine and welcome to IM Check out this thread.... http://www.indiamike.com/india/elect...etworks-t8434/ as it pretty much is the definitive guide on all things to do with prepaid mobiles. In short - there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to pick up a sim card that gives you good rates all throughout india - its more a question of picking the right provider and the right plan. Having said that - airtel is pretty popular. Other requirements to take not of: - if you are bringing a cell phone make sure it is compatible with the GSM band here (900 or 1800 band), and that its unlocked, - bring lots of passport photos, copies of your passport, and copies of your visa as you'll need those for the paperwork. otherwise, happy travels.

Dec 18th, 2007, 16:02	#3
Anders Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: England Posts: 630	The rates will be higher when you are outside the state you bought it since you will now be roaming but they are still so cheap that it is nothing to worry about. When you buy your sim card, buy it from someone that does a lot of business with foreigners and you should not have any problems with disconnects, in Delhi I would buy it from someone in Paharganj.

Dec 20th, 2007, 17:53	#4
DueSouthChris Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Strand, South Africa Posts: 1	Greetings from Jodhpur! Just a question for all the smarties at India Mike please, Tata Indicom cells phones for like Rs1000 but are they GSM? Can I buy one and use it back home in South Africa?

Dec 20th, 2007, 19:36	#5
brownboy66 Chicken 65 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,269	Tata indicom runs a CDMA network, so no....not GSM unfortunately. The phones can use a sim card like a GSM phone, but in general the process of using a foreign CDMA phone with a local sim is not nearly as well developed as the GSM equivalent (most CDMA operators don't allow it).

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