vB Easy Archive - Going to England over the summer

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Going to England over the summer
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Posted by: djfusion

For around 7 days. I'd like to get a cell while there, if for no other reason than not having to use a hotel or payphone (if there are any left - there are almost none in the States anymore.)

I was thinking a Pay As You Go setup seemed like the best option, rather than paying for a contract and then having to pay more to cancel it.

Would that suit me best?

Also, if I just bought the SIM and popped it in my 6230b (no 900 mhz) how good coverage would I get?

Thanks!

Posted by: TriBand81

Hi there,

You'd be limited to GSM 1800 with providers like Orange UK, Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile UK. You can get prices and more info here:

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/uk.html

Also stop by the PrepaidGSM.net forum as we have a good number of users from the UK there as well.

Posted by: benfun99

How much of a practical limitation would not having the 900 band really create?

Posted by: TriBand81

Just for the UK, it would limit you to 3 of 5 providers. Being able to use a dual-band (GSM 900/1800) provider allows you to enjoy a more stable coverage experience. Most GSM networks started out on GSM 900 and later on expanded to 1800 which means more network capacity. GSM 1800 providers in Germany and in the UK are good enough if you stay in that one country but if you plan on traveling around Europe, you'll be better off having both 900 and 1800 since having only 1800 when using a GSM 900/1800 provider causes coverage holes for your phone. It can only use the 1800 towers which may not be as predominant as a provider's 900 towers.

Posted by: KiwiSurfer

I have heard that Orange has pretty good 1800 coverage around the UK, so if you had a non-900 phone I would go with Orange. You could use T-Mobile/Virgin as an alternative, but their coverage is supposed to be less than Orange's coverage. Or you could borrow a 900/1800 phone and you have the freedom to choose any UK network you prefer, including Vodafone.

Regards,
James

Posted by: TriBand81

Orange has better GSM 1800 coverage so it's best to go with them. T-Mobile/Virgin were weak when I roamed on them with my German SIM.

Posted by: djfusion

Sorry to dig up this old thread, lol...

Anyway, I'm going to be in London and maybe down around Bath. That should be it. I'll probably buy a pre-paid one, unless I can get a good price on one from somebody else, in which case I'll just buy a SIM.

Any good phones to recommend that I can preferrably use here as well? By then, do you think I'd be able to pick up a cheap 6630? Maybe on pay-as-you-go?

As far as the carrier, I'll probably use Orange or Voda (I like their phone selection.) But I guess it depends on what I can get for a good price/what's out around then...

Posted by: TriBand81

Check out Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u.

They will give you an idea of what the prices are like:

www.carphonewarehouse.com
www.phones4u.co.uk

Posted by: mavericke

T-mobile has one of the best coverage in London while in Bath Orange would be much better as your phone does not support 900mhz frequency. Take T-mobile instead.

Posted by: TriBand81

I think it really depends on where you are in London. In Chelsea around Sloane Square, King's Road and Victoria Station, coverage was much better on Orange. It probably also depends on your own phone's ability to perform in weak signal areas.