Creative int'l roaming solution?

[reveries3]

So... I'm going to Chile in a few days, for a week, with my family. I didn't do my research, and only today found out that Mobilicity doesn't have roaming partners in Chile. I don't even need to call or have data, I just want to be able to text. (And I'm not going to bother buying a Chile SIM - I'm basically doing this so I don't miss texts from home, can keep in touch with a few friends/my current love interest . So I'd need to have my Canadian number...)

Does anybody have any wonderful solutions to this dilemma? I know of call forwarding - is there text forwarding? And are there any prepaid providers that will let me roam in Chile? (Wind appears to have partners there, but I don't know whether it'd work if I wasn't using postpaid?). I also have my old Google Voice account from the States sitting around, if that is of any use?

Any help would be appreciated. I'd obviously not overspend on doing this but I'm willing to spend more if it makes it more reliable/simple.

[quickinferno]

nop.


10 char.

[>tEwis_mObiwiTy]

I travelled Chile extensively with my Mobilicity phone and although there is no official roaming partner there, my phone with a Mobilicity SIM successfully registered on the "Claro Chile" network which is a 850/1900 GSM/UMTS network. I can not able to make or receive calls but INCOMING texts from Canada were successfully received. Note that I was NOT able to reply to SMS, only INCOMING SMS worked. You might want to try the following:

- If you have an Android phone, leave it in Canada and have it forward all incoming SMS to your Google Voice number. It won't cost you anything but you'll have to leave your phone in ON in Canada. While in Chile you can check your Google Voice account to view and reply to messages.

- Or, you can do the same as above, leave your phone in Canada and forward all incoming SMS to a prepaid phone you can purchase in Chile. Phones can be bought for $20 USD with $20 USD in calls. Mobilicity will charge you to forward messages to an international number and likewise to reply from Chile will cost you about $0.50.

- Finally, the easiest thing to do (if it still works) take your phone to Chile, have it roam on "Claro" like mine did, receive incoming SMS messages and wait until you get to a computer to reply to them via Google Voice. If you have an Android phone, install Google Voice and using wifi reply to your SMS messages right from your phone. This is what I did while I was there.

[xtachx]

I had the same problem in Germany, although it was "officially" supported. I email Mobi's networking team, they tweaked something somewhere and it worked halfway through.

I suggest emailing them and asking if they can do something about roaming in chile.

Edit: You can also carry a chatr SIM card with you to chile and forward SMSes from your phone to that.

[reveries3]

I didn't realize chatr could roam internationally! I figured Rogers would keep that to them and fido. Any reason to roam with them, and not WIND? Thanks for all the ideas, people.

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[xtachx]

I didn't realize chatr could roam internationally! I figured Rogers would keep that to them and fido. Any reason to roam with them, and not WIND? Thanks for all the ideas, people.

Sent from my HTC Panache using HowardForums

Wind's international roaming is just as half-baked as mobi's. Chatr (rogers) on the other hand is a lot better. IT works in most carriers on most countries. Rogers *can* offer you better rates since they have direct partnership, but thet keep that to rogers and fido

[EZConnect]

So... I'm going to Chile in a few days, for a week, with my family. I didn't do my research, and only today found out that Mobilicity doesn't have roaming partners in Chile. I don't even need to call or have data, I just want to be able to text. (And I'm not going to bother buying a Chile SIM - I'm basically doing this so I don't miss texts from home, can keep in touch with a few friends/my current love interest . So I'd need to have my Canadian number...)

Does anybody have any wonderful solutions to this dilemma? I know of call forwarding - is there text forwarding? And are there any prepaid providers that will let me roam in Chile? (Wind appears to have partners there, but I don't know whether it'd work if I wasn't using postpaid?). I also have my old Google Voice account from the States sitting around, if that is of any use?

Any help would be appreciated. I'd obviously not overspend on doing this but I'm willing to spend more if it makes it more reliable/simple.

Get an Android that supports TextPlus.

Get a prepaid sim with a data plan in Chile.

OR

Get a pre-paid sim and use it in Chile. For TextPlus, use Wi-Fi.


TextPlus gives you a Canadian #, and free text/free calls.

OR

Download Viber on Android. Tell your closest mates to get Viber as well. Call/Text unlimited to each other off data plan in your Chile prepaid sim, or you Wi-Fi.

[reveries3]

In the end I'm just gonna use my Tmobile pay as you go Sim! And forward my texts to it.

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[grafikal]

- Or, you can do the same as above, leave your phone in Canada and forward all incoming SMS to a prepaid phone you can purchase in Chile. Phones can be bought for $20 USD with $20 USD in calls. Mobilicity will charge you to forward messages to an international number and likewise to reply from Chile will cost you about $0.50

I am just curious about something. How do you forward your phone you left in Canada to a prepaid Chilean phone you haven't purchased yet and whose number you don't yet know? What am I missing?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[>tEwis_mObiwiTy]

No special magic unfortunately, just a willing family member to input the number for you once you have it. It's the last thing I'd do but I understand the OP's need to remain in touch.

[xtachx]

In the end I'm just gonna use my Tmobile pay as you go Sim! And forward my texts to it.

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T-Mobile prepaid sim will roam ONLY IN CANADA AND MEXICO.

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[Volition]

I think the best solution involves two paper cups and a very long string.

[reveries3]

T-Mobile prepaid sim will roam ONLY IN CANADA AND MEXICO.

Sent from my Nexus One using HowardForums

If you look on the Tmobile forums from recently, people were posting that that was no longer the case. I also spoke to a Tmobile customer service rep who swore up and down that my prepaid/pay as you go Sim would work.

And it appears to SOMEWHAT work, I can text some numbers and not other ones. I don't know. But the combination of this and wifi will serve my purposes fine.

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[xtachx]

If you look on the Tmobile forums from recently, people were posting that that was no longer the case. I also spoke to a Tmobile customer service rep who swore up and down that my prepaid/pay as you go Sim would work.

And it appears to SOMEWHAT work, I can text some numbers and not other ones. I don't know. But the combination of this and wifi will serve my purposes fine.

Sent from my HTC Panache using HowardForums

That was exactly what the rep told me last time but it didn't work. It couldn't even register on any networks abroad. Not even T-Mobile D

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[reveries3]

Well, then, I'm faring better than you. Registered on Movistar in Chile - and I can, as I said, receive and send to at least some extent.

Edit: But you were generally right, if roaming, in future, I'm gonna use Chatr or a local Sim.

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