If you have been scouring the web for the cheapest form of voice calling from across the globe there is no doubt you have run into the pre-paid offerings of our competitors. These companies offer pre-paid SIM cards that you put into their rented phones and can be used in a few countries with some savings. Let me be the first to warn you that this method of global communications is severely flawed.

1. Many prepaid cards will work only in your destination country. This means that if you go from Italy to Greece your phone will not work at all since it is setup only for single country use. (more…)

This is a common question that we get here in our offices, so let me explain. Firstly, who is your USA wireless carrier? If your USA wireless carrier is Verizon Wireless then your phone will work in approximately 19 different countries and you will find that almost none of them will be in Europe or in an area that you are traveling too. If your USA carrier is Sprint/Nextel then your phone will not work anywhere outside of North America. Both Verizon and Sprint/Nextel work on technology known as CDMA which is great for high speed data but unfortunately only a handful of other countries utilize this technology in conjunction with them, which makes seamless international roaming an impossibility. If your USA carrier is T-Mobile or Cingular and you have the appropriate Tri-Mode or Quad-Mode GSM phone AND you have the stringent credit required by your carrier to open your phone for unlimited worldwide use then yes, you can use it globally. If your carrier is not listed here then chances are that they just resell for the big three and the same rules apply. (more…)

With the North American adoption of the international GSM wireless standard, most of the world has become become a smaller place. US wireless carriers such as T-Mobile and Cingular currently offer international roaming services with a select few of their quad-mode and tri-mode handsets. These carriers take advantage of reciprocal roaming agreements throughout the globe and enable the GSM customer to take their current phone number around the world. Although the service is quite convenient, it comes at a very high cost of up to $5.00 per minute in some countries. Also, these roaming agreements may only be in place with the smaller international operators leaving you with very little and spotty coverage at your international destination. So what is the solution? By renting a cellular telephone you can take advantage of having a local phone number at your destination that works with only the largest and most comprehensive overseas carriers. In many international locations your incoming calls will be free and your outgoing calls are usually 80% less than using your current cell phone. Also, it is usually possible to forward your US cell phone number to this overseas number and have your rented phone act as if it never left it’s home area. It is truly amazing. For your next trip to the UK or even Uganda it is always prudent to look into renting an international cellular telephone from someone who knows global coverage and roaming agreements.