Staying in Calangute this year and usually use the many international kiosks available.However when we go to Thailand I always buy a sim card as it works out cheaper calling home.I usually do not bother with calling home as I am on holiday and need to chill but OH likes to speak to her family(suppose women are like that).
Anyway know I need photocopy of passport and two photos but need to know most reliable network for signal etc.We are talking about india after all where we do not usually use the word reliable .
Many thanks
Papa
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
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.
Thanks folks,looks like Vodaphone may be the answer.My phone is already unlocked so just need the sim.
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)
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!!
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
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
Candybabe
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
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
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