vB Easy Archive - Using an unlocked BlackBerry 8830 in Europe for data and cell

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Using an unlocked BlackBerry 8830 in Europe for data and cell
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Posted by: jerry@yourlawye

I have a BlackBerry 8830 that Verizon was kind of to unlock. I'm travelling to Europe and want to get a SIM card that will allow me to call out and received email from an BlackBerry Enterprise Server while in Europe without using the Verizon SIM card - cell calls way to expensive.

I saw one company that had a reasonable calling rates but the email was priced at $0.015 per KB's. Since my email sizes range from 1KB to 10MB (or more) it can get prohibitively expensive. I get approx 200-400 emails per day. Even if the average size was 20KB, at 200 per day, it comes to $60.00 PER DAY.

Verizon will do the email for an addition $20.00 per month on top of my current plan. That's a good rate. But if I leave the Version SIM card in to get BlackBerry email, then I will have to get another cell phone to use a 3rd party SIM card for cellular service.

Anyone know a service that provides reasonable rates - fixed - for BlackBerry data in Europe as well as reasonable rates for cell service?

Thank you

Jerry

Posted by: vawireless

i believe O2 in Europe offers prepaid SIM cards with BlackBerry data and voice.

Posted by: CarlGalgano

The additional $20 for BB data is a good deal. I have done this before with ATT. Be sure that if you add that feature to your plan that you can remove it without some sort of ETF. I dont know much about VZW but there have been conflicting reports on ATT that you can add and remove the feature as needed, but some have reported being charged a $175 fee to remove if done befor a year is up. Id find that out before you do it, so you dont get a nasty surprise.

While I use BB with my BES in Europe, I usually just take an unlocked GSM phone other than my BB and get a prepaid local SIM. One other thing to look into is perhaps using a Nokia S60 device or even (gasp a WM device) as a secondary device in addition to your BB. Use the VZW SIM for BB data. S60 phones (and WM) can use very inexpensive VoIP calls while within a Wifi hotspot. I have a nokia E51 in addition to my BB, and I can pop a local SIM in it and use the local SIM when I am not in range of Wifi (even using a local SIM it can be expensive to MAKE calls) and using my VoIP provider to make calls to the US for .02/min when I am in wifi range.

One other thing to consider. Most European carriers are set up a little differently. Almost all INCOMING calls are free, with the caller paying the tab. From the US, depending on your carrier, calls to Europe can be very inexpensive. (with my vonage calls to W. Europe are FREE, except premium numbers like cell phone, but even then I think they are in the .15/min range). So that may also be an option for you.

If you need to have a local number and know the number BEFORE you go on your trip, you can get a prepaid shipped to you in the states from companies like telestrial.com. The prepaid SIMs are more expensive that way, but if you need to know the number, its not a bad option. After you have the initial SIM for the country you are visiting, you can add minutes pretty inexpensively.

Posted by: jerry@yourlawye

Thanks for all the good advise.

I've gone abroad with the Verizon 8830 several times in the last year, turning on the expanded all you can eat BB service for the $20.00 and then off again without any additional fees. That is expressly permitted.

The one piece of advise I'd offer is that when you come back from abroad, convert your BB expanded service to "pay as you go" which is an expanded service i.e Europe, etc but you pay per KB.

The reason for this is simple and dumb. When Verizon changes you back to USA BB service they screw up a setting everytime so that when I call to reactivate the expanded service for the next trip, the 1st level person I'm speaking to doesn't know they have to go and "turn the inside switch". They just chage a "local" setting without changing some other swirtch as well. Everytime I went abroad, even thought the 1st level person told me everything OK, it wasn't and I had to be connected to their Global Serrvice Department to do. They are the ones who told me to change to pay as you go and as long as you dont go abroad without changing the price plan, there will be no charges. This was all settings are saved with no cost to me. It actually makes senbse.

BTW - Verizon tech support and Global Support is 1st rate and the time to connect to them is minimal.

Thanx

Jerry