Travel Tip: Staying in touch while in Europe
What is a GSM phone?
When visitors from North America travel to Europe it is not always easy to stay
in contact with people back home. North American cell phones do not function in
Europe due to the different cell network frequencies. What to do? Renting a European
GSM cell phone is always an option. Many companies in the U.S.A. will ship you a
phone before departure but this can be expensive - especially when you make a call.
If you find that you are travelling to Europe on a regular basis you may want to
consider buying a GSM cell phone instead of renting one.
European GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cell phones do not require
a monthly contract. Instead, one buys a SIM card chip and installs this in the back
of the phone. This chip has your phone number and phone time stored in a tiny microchip
within the card. What makes this system perfect for the traveler is that you can
recharge the chip with just the amount of phone time you want during your stay without
a monthly contract. When the card runs out of time simply buy more prepaid time
at any newspaper kiosk, tobacco store, etc. The card (and phone number) remains
yours to keep as long as you charge it once per year. Most GSM phones function throughout
Europe. However, you will need to buy a separate SIM chip (phone number) for each
country that you want to visit. For example, we have chips for Italy, France, Germany,
etc. for Drawbridge To Europe business trips. Swisscom does offer a SIM card that
works in all countries if you do not want to hassel with multiple cards. The downside
of the Swisscom card is that the calling rates will be higher per minute.
The phones typically cost around $60-80* including a SIM card and one hour calling time.
Compare this to the cost of a rental (and calling rates with the rentals)
and you may find that buying your own GSM phone is worthwhile if you visit Europe
often. When you buy additional SIM chips for different countries expect to pay around
$40-50* for the initial purchase of the chip (again with one hour calling time included.)
Recharging the phone calling time can be purchased in different amounts - typically
$10-15* is the minimum amount of phone time one can purchase. Incoming calls are
free!
Visit one of the numerous cell phone stores found in all European cities to purchase
your phone and SIM cards. The stores will display logos for the various cell phone
networks outside the store on their signs. Click here to research the network choices in the
country you will visit. Make sure the GSM phone is compatible with all the European
GSM networks - a GSM 900/GSM 1800 phone.
Of course, as with any cell phone, you do not want to make an international call
and have long conversations with the folks at home. However, having a phone number
where they can reach you can be very helpful.
If you need to talk on a regular basis with someone back in the U.S.A. we have found
that certain phone companies do not charge a higher rate when calling a European
cell phone. On our business trips we simply make a quick call back to the office,
have them return our call, and then we are able to speak at only $0.12/min since
incoming calls to the cell phone are free. Be careful with this however, if your
home phone company has a surcharge for calling a cell phone in addition to your
normal international rate you may be paying more like $0.60-$1.00/minute. We have
been able to get this $0.12/min. rate using a dial up access long distance company
"10-10-811." Be sure to always check with the long distance company first
before your hour long conversation with the folks at home.
*Please note that all of the pricing information above is based upon our experience
using our GSM phone in Italy, France, and Germany. You may find these costs vary
in other European countries and as market fluctuations change rates and prices.
Acronym glossary
- GSM = Global System for Mobile communications
- SIM = Subscriber Identity Module - or the little chip you insert in the back of
the GSM phone that contains your phone number and phone time credit.
For more information please visit these sites:
A list of all the GSM networks around the world by country.
A Frequently
Asked Question page about GSM
*Note for U.S. PCS phone users: GSM has been introduced in the USA, but sadly
again, using a different frequency: GSM 1900! One way around this incompatibility
while traveling is to buy a multi-frequency phone that can work in both continents
GSM 900/GSM 1800/GSM 1900. Often this type of phone will cost more than just buying
one for the U.S. (GSM 1900) and one for Europe (GSM 900/GSM 1800.)
However, if you do currently have a GSM 1900 account in the U.S. you can use your
SIM chip to bill your U.S. account while traveling in Europe, assuming your account
has a roaming agreement in the country you will be visiting. One of the major advantages
to GSM phones is the ability to transfer the SIM chip from one phone to another.
You can therefore use your SIM card in a different GSM phone and your home account
will be charged for the call. These rates will be very high. (i.e. a person traveling
to London can remove the SIM chip from their USA Nokia 5190 1900MHz phone and insert
it into a European 900MHz GSM phone. Upon return, the SIM card can quickly be reinstalled
back into the Nokia 5190 single-band GSM phone.)