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View Full Version : Using a UK Mobile in Florida..


foghorn
21-09-2003, 17:08
Hello,

We are off to Orlando in October, We have a simple Orange Nokia Pay as You Go...will we be able to:
> Phone UK landlines' and Mobiles?
> Send Texts to UK based Mobiles??

Thanks
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
21-09-2003, 17:39
I would not have thought it would work unless it is specifically named as tri-band capable as the US mobile system is totally different to the GSM standard the rest of the world uses!
sarahjk
21-09-2003, 18:14
Hiya

We are going for Xmas as I may not have mentioned before :D
Our eldest daughter would like a mobile phone which we are considering for a present this year does anyone know if you can buy one in fl which can be used over here preferably a pay as you go I know there are differences but is it possible to get a tri-band over there to use
Any help would be great
As for phoning back to England we just buy a phone card to use as and when needed they are quite reasonable and far cheaper than using mobile in the norm

Thanks

Sarah
caroline
21-09-2003, 19:11
quote:Originally posted by foghorn

Hello,

We are off to Orlando in October, We have a simple Orange Nokia Pay as You Go...will we be able to:
> Phone UK landlines' and Mobiles?
> Send Texts to UK based Mobiles??

Thanks


The phone needs to be tri band, also I think that only contract phones will work internationally, I'm sure when I made enquiries about this with one of the shops, the UK pay as you go variety cannot be used internationally.
caroline
21-09-2003, 19:12
I don't think you can buy pay as you go phones in FLorida that will work in the UK


quote:Originally posted by sarahjk

Hiya

We are going for Xmas as I may not have mentioned before :D
Our eldest daughter would like a mobile phone which we are considering for a present this year does anyone know if you can buy one in fl which can be used over here preferably a pay as you go I know there are differences but is it possible to get a tri-band over there to use
Any help would be great
As for phoning back to England we just buy a phone card to use as and when needed they are quite reasonable and far cheaper than using mobile in the norm

Thanks

Sarah
chrisj
21-09-2003, 19:23
as above your phone has to be TriBand for it to work in America, mind you
our company did say they could rent us a sim ? that we could put in and use
during our holiday.
Chris7
21-09-2003, 21:10
It certainly used to be the case that only contract phones would work (and they had to be triband). I was recently told that O2 (and probably the others) will work if Pay & Go, but of course you still need a tri-band handset (and I don't think you can add credits while you are out there so you'd have to do it before you go)

If you want to send Texts, there are internet sites which offer free SMS messaging and you can access the net from the library
chrisj
21-09-2003, 23:45
lycos.co.uk offer free sms
Biggus
22-09-2003, 19:07
We used my wifes tri-band Sony Ericsson T68i on a pay monthly contract with Orange when we went in March as her Nan was ill and we wanted to be able to be contacted in an emergency. The call costs were not too bad at all, but beware we received a number of 'spam' text messages, these cost a fortune to receive for some reason - as much as £5 per message!!
As for network connections etc there were no problems whatsoever and everything worked really well.
I don't think that 'Pay as you go' really features in the US 'cellphone' market......and if I remember rightly the cost to 'buy' a PAYG phone over there was very expensive.
chrizzy100
22-09-2003, 20:05
quote:Originally posted by Biggus

We used my wifes tri-band Sony Ericsson T68i on a pay monthly contract with Orange when we went in March as her Nan was ill and we wanted to be able to be contacted in an emergency. The call costs were not too bad at all, but beware we received a number of 'spam' text messages, these cost a fortune to receive for some reason - as much as £5 per message!!
As for network connections etc there were no problems whatsoever and everything worked really well.
I don't think that 'Pay as you go' really features in the US 'cellphone' market......and if I remember rightly the cost to 'buy' a PAYG phone over there was very expensive.


We have Virgin pay as you go phones in this house....one cost around $50....the newer one $100...
Chris7
22-09-2003, 22:21
I could be wrong, but don't US cell phones charge for incoming calls unlike in here where the one who dials the call foots the bill[?]
brizzle
22-09-2003, 22:29
Don't think that is a domestic thing but it is the way international roaming works no matter which country you are in.
If I, as a UK resident, go abroad to Spain, the US or wherever the person calling me pays the normal mobile rate (after all they might not know you are abroad) and I pay a charge for receiving the call.

Is that what you mean?

Can't imagine as a normal domestic service that the receiver pays a fee....

Just my take

Brizzle
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
22-09-2003, 22:55
WE bought a US Tracfone (www.tracfone.com) when we were last over. It's the US equivalent of pay as you go. It's not that cheap to run and yes, you do get charged for incoming domestic calls [;(]. Still, very handy to phone ahead to restaurants for table reservations when out at the parks :D.
Chris7
22-09-2003, 23:44
No I didn't mean being charged for the oversas bit when you are abroad, I meant domestic cell phones charge the receiver of the call as well as the originator (but less per min than we pay)

I could be wrong