cell phone advise-

geerthana aloha · Sep 18th, 2006, 03:39

i am planning to carry a tri-band cell phone ( 900/1800/1900)
where i can buy sim card in bombay? what brand of sim card i needed? may able to any store in mumbai or eleronic stores?
able to buy at the airport? or any best place to buy in U.S.
any website? ebay? etc.

you response and valuable time greatly appreciate it....

aloha

Shaktipalooza · Sep 18th, 2006, 04:04

First you need to make sure you purchase a quad band phone. The US runs on different bands than most of the world.

Unlocking will probably be better off done in the US, to avoid the risk having a phone model unfamiliar to Indian shops.

Once unlocked it's simply a matter of purchasing a prepaid sim card and putting it in.

crvlvr · Sep 18th, 2006, 05:41

My Sony Ericsson from ATT proved to be impossible to unlock.. I have since purchased an unlocked phone from ebay.

Patrick Ignatious · Sep 18th, 2006, 05:54

Unless itz one of the common models (namely Nokia) dont take a chance of trying to unlock it here. There are a lot of softwares available on the net, wherein, U can unlock it yourself, but thatz at your risk. Better get it unlocked from your provider itself.

Also make sure itz a Quad band GSM and not a CDMA.

-pat-

geerthana aloha · Sep 18th, 2006, 06:23

thank you for your advise..

Nick-H · Sep 28th, 2006, 09:28

Indian cities, like many places in the world, are full of small mobile phone shops, shops that sell sim cards and "recharge" cards etc etc etc.

They're not difficult to find

smashin · Sep 28th, 2006, 14:51

hi, i tried visiting several mobile company shops (Airtel,Reliance) but they were asking for a proof of billing address document. I'm here in India for business for a couple of months and dont have a local billing address.

Could you recommend a shop where i could just buy an Airtel prepaid sim without having to show a billing document?

Thanks

mira4bai4 · Sep 28th, 2006, 23:32

There should not be a requirement for proof of billing for a pre-paid sim card. You will be required to provide a copy of your Passport and visa, with additional photos, copy of drivers license and any other ID that you can produce.

It was relatively simple 9 months ago but after all of the bombings round about that have got pretty tight on it all as the nasty blighters us cell phones and you just might be a terrorist.

I recently had to go through re-prooving my ID 3 times on 2 sims that I had with Hutch. The smaller shops may be the easiest to get through the process, especially the ones that have little English, sometimes this helps.

It might be worthwhile some of us ExPats or locals asking what are the rules for tourists and posting it, if it has not been done already.

mercedes10 · Sep 29th, 2006, 00:10

It's really easy to buy SIM cards, they're available all over the place! (mobile phone shops, street stalls etc.) - you wont go far before you find signs for the various providers. I used Airtel and was very happy with the service.

As mentioned previously, you shouldn't need proof of an address - but you will need proof of I.D. (passport) and a couple of passport photos. It's really no problem getting a SIM.

Sep 18th, 2006, 03:39	#1
geerthana aloha Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: honolulu Posts: 17	i am planning to carry a tri-band cell phone ( 900/1800/1900) where i can buy sim card in bombay? what brand of sim card i needed? may able to any store in mumbai or eleronic stores? able to buy at the airport? or any best place to buy in U.S. any website? ebay? etc. you response and valuable time greatly appreciate it.... aloha Last edited by machadinha : May 3rd, 2007 at 06:42. Reason: merged several threads

Sep 18th, 2006, 04:04	#2
Shaktipalooza Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Portland Oregon USA Posts: 897	First you need to make sure you purchase a quad band phone. The US runs on different bands than most of the world. Unlocking will probably be better off done in the US, to avoid the risk having a phone model unfamiliar to Indian shops. Once unlocked it's simply a matter of purchasing a prepaid sim card and putting it in. __________________ IndiaGroove - Train finder now in beta! Pics from India 2006 Traditional Indian Dance

Sep 28th, 2006, 09:28	#6
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 28,368	Indian cities, like many places in the world, are full of small mobile phone shops, shops that sell sim cards and "recharge" cards etc etc etc. They're not difficult to find __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

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Patrick Ignatious TuffRyder Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: On my Saddle on 2 Wheels Posts: 100	Unless itz one of the common models (namely Nokia) dont take a chance of trying to unlock it here. There are a lot of softwares available on the net, wherein, U can unlock it yourself, but thatz at your risk. Better get it unlocked from your provider itself. Also make sure itz a Quad band GSM and not a CDMA. -pat-

Sep 18th, 2006, 06:23	#5
geerthana aloha Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: honolulu Posts: 17	thank you for your advise..

Sep 28th, 2006, 14:51	#7
smashin trigger hippie Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Manila Posts: 2	hi, i tried visiting several mobile company shops (Airtel,Reliance) but they were asking for a proof of billing address document. I'm here in India for business for a couple of months and dont have a local billing address. Could you recommend a shop where i could just buy an Airtel prepaid sim without having to show a billing document? Thanks

Sep 28th, 2006, 23:32	#8
mira4bai4 Lost in Space Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: ND PaharGanj Permanently/Temporarily Posts: 1,197	There should not be a requirement for proof of billing for a pre-paid sim card. You will be required to provide a copy of your Passport and visa, with additional photos, copy of drivers license and any other ID that you can produce. It was relatively simple 9 months ago but after all of the bombings round about that have got pretty tight on it all as the nasty blighters us cell phones and you just might be a terrorist. I recently had to go through re-prooving my ID 3 times on 2 sims that I had with Hutch. The smaller shops may be the easiest to get through the process, especially the ones that have little English, sometimes this helps. It might be worthwhile some of us ExPats or locals asking what are the rules for tourists and posting it, if it has not been done already.

Sep 29th, 2006, 00:10	#9
mercedes10 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Scotland Posts: 556	It's really easy to buy SIM cards, they're available all over the place! (mobile phone shops, street stalls etc.) - you wont go far before you find signs for the various providers. I used Airtel and was very happy with the service. As mentioned previously, you shouldn't need proof of an address - but you will need proof of I.D. (passport) and a couple of passport photos. It's really no problem getting a SIM.

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