It's hard to say what the most reliable network is, it's all down with exactly where you are and where you go. I've found all the networks there are patchy, all of them have dead-spots and places where they don't work and these places are not the same for every network.
I have a UK mobile on international roaming (which I know is expensive and only use for emergencies and texting). With this I can set it to look for all available networks to see what the coverage is like. I often find what is the best network in one place will drop out 100 yards down the road and if I select the best network there that will drop out when I return back 100 yards to where I started.
If you are in luck one or more networks may have a tower near where you regularly are. The only way to find out is to test it, unless someone else has already been able to check it out. What will be good for someone in one place maybe not be the solution for someone else less than a mile away.

Hi we have had no probs with our sim card we brought it last Easter and we used it again at xmas, i am on o2 and the network there is Idea its a life time one up to yet we had no probs with it i hope that help make sure your phone is unlocked.

Pip
x

We bought a vodafone one in December when we were there and no probs with it at all

Ditto with Airtel, except for one day when it was down for a couple of hours. I took a copy of our passports and 2 photos with me, after reading advice on the site, and the Elephant Shop in Candolim didn't even ask for them. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

We took cheap phones from Tesco with us and they charged 300 Rupees for each phone to be "unlocked". Ours should be "lifetime" and the proof will be when we return this December. Local calls cost 1 Rupee a minute, texts 5 Rupees and international 15 Rupees a minute and we found it perfect for keeping in touch with friends at home. The only odd thing we came across - if you ask for 200 Rupees credit we were told you would only actually get 85 Rupees but if you topped up with 300 rupees you got the whole amount. What is that about?
Candybabe

Papa - I've had more than enough problems with sim cards over the years but in November I bought a Vodaphone sim - 550 rps including 250rps calls. 6.5 rps for calls to UK.

Worked perfectly and topped it up a few times without any issues. Would recommend.

Thanks folks,looks like Vodaphone may be the answer.My phone is already unlocked so just need the sim.

Papa

I got a Vodafone sim cared and my friends got Airtel - just because of the usage we would need. The others worked fine, I had nothing but trouble and couldn't text - daily trips back to the shop who said tomorrow, tomorrow but tomorrow never came! Managed to make 1 call home otherwise all money was wasted - the failed attempts at texting came off my credit!
Not going to bother this time, will make odd text and leave it at that. Family take it that no news is good news

Wonder if you can help please, I have a nice little sagem phone that's locked into the virgin network, can they unlock this phone in Goa as there is no unlock code available over here without having to pay through the nose! I would also like to transfer my orange sim to it when back in the UK so that I can use it here as the screen in cracked on my current one. (I do have an unlocked Nokia I usually use in Goa but fancied a change)

I went to the Elephant Shop in Candolim, left my locked Virgin phone with them overnight, and they charged me 300 rupees for unlocking it. There were so many people in there asking for the same service, I joked with the chap that he must be making a mint offering this service - he just grinned! I therefore assume that it is a common thing for shops to do our there and you should not have any problems.
Candybabe

I had my phone unlocked as well in Calangute, was 300 rps (seems to be the going rate!)

I have previously had other phones unlocked in Goa, I was just not sure if one that is locked into Virgin could be done as over here you have to subscribe to a site (or take it to a given shop in Exeter, my local one can't do it) and pay "silly money" for the code/service. The unlock code for my particular sagem is not freely available unlike many other makes/models. Anyhow, I must remember to take it with me next time -I forgot in November

Bought an airtel lifetime sim last year, it became llocked whilst in Goa and had to unblocked as there was 600 rps credit left on it. Home 2 days and again blocked intend to take it back this year so do not think lifetime means lifetime!!

Apologies if this is a silly question but how much does cost to send and receive a text whilst over there. I am on vodafone and my wife is on O2 - any ideas?

I am reeaaallly popular and i will probably get loads of texts whilst over there... That is obviously a stretch of the truth, but my wife plays text tennis with seemingly absolutely everyone so just want to be aware of the cost so can tell her. I can't remember from last time?

Kind regards and we're going back in 7 days.

Cheers Lee

On a british sim card a text is about 48p

Lee it would def be cheaper for you to buy an Indian sim card for your stay... take passport copy and 2 photos with you and can be done very quickly.

Bought an airtel lifetime sim last year, it became llocked whilst in Goa and had to unblocked as there was 600 rps credit left on it. Home 2 days and again blocked intend to take it back this year so do not think lifetime means lifetime!!

Taffy i think you have been unlucky? I have had a lifetime sim for some years now and no probs, i believe you do ahve to either use it or recharge in the period you are home? I dont know for sure as i am never in the uk long enough for it to matter but if you go back for 6 mths then certainly you have to do something like that to keep it active, if you got blocked it could be because airtel require your details again this does happen sometimes..they are very strict about this due to terrorism...and if so you need to go back to where you bought it to do so.
chilly

When the Elephant Shop set me up with an Airtel sim they did not ask for photo or copy of passport, even though I was prepared for this. Should I have asked them why they did not need the documents? My "contract" with Airtel runs out on 2 December and I do not return until 7 December this year. I was told by the chap in the shop everything should be OK - he will get a flea in his ear if he told a fib!
Candybabe

probably a silly question but I know nothing about mobiles except how to dial and which end to listen to
if I put in an Indian sim card and have it unlocked, do I keep the same number or does the sim give a new one?
Presumably, if the latter, when I return to UK and replace my orange sim I return to my old number.
Don't normally use phones whilst abroad but will need to this year.

Del the sim card will have a phone number on it so you will get an Indian phone number ..I could not do without my indian sim now ....Del when you go to put money on your sim card make sure to put an amount on the phone where you will get all the money if you know what I mean sometimes you can put a few hundred rupees on the phone and only get 80 odd rupess so put on 300 plus that way you will get the full 300 ...colleen

do you have to top it up or use it within a certain period of time then? i am now thinking of buying one as just had a phone unlocked, but we only go once every season so would this be a viable option?

we always use the phone booths for calls and my english sim for texts, but my mobile phone bill is always enormous when we return

what are these 'lifetime' ones you are all talking about