Italy and/or Greece SIM cards for mobile phone

[SweetSummertime]

I am considering getting a prepaid sim card to use while on land In Italy Greece so that I can use mobile apps, maps, email, social networks, and other data sucking things lol. I'm mainly interested in data/internet as I do not anticipate doing much texting or talking.

 

Does anyone have info on how to do this? I have an iphone4s that I don't care to jailbreak.

 

I've tried looking online but feel that I'm running in circles and would like some advice from someone who has done it or knows how it works.

 

Thanks!!!

[WFF]

I have a Verizon iPhone 4s which apparently has a SIM card that can be turned on when travelling in Europe.

I called Verizon yesterday and activated the SIM card for my upcoming cruise.

 

They charged $4.99 for International calling at a reduced rate (.99c) per minute. The phone caller ID will identify incoming callers. If you don't answer there is no charge.

 

Additonally, I ordered data service, 100 megs for 29.99, enough to check my e-mail and download the NY Times Phone will be set with Data Off except when checking e-mail.

 

I found these prices much cheaper than buying computer time aboard the ship for $100.

[ORDMan]

If you're buying a SIM card in Europe be aware your phone must be unlocked, and virtually all iPhones sold in the US are sold locked.

 

So unless you are willing to unlock and jailbreak your phone, it's a no go.

 

Also keep in mind the iPhone 4/4s uses a smaller mini-SIM, and all of the prepaid SIMs I have purchased in Europe are the standard larger size. It can be trimmed down with a special tool but it's tricky.

 

I have an older Nokia phone I use over there with prepaid SIMs, but just for voice.

 

What I have seen lately is prepaid data SIMs for use with mobile hotspot devices. Almost bought one from O2 in London recently. This would work great since it just creates a local Wifi network, and does not require your phone to be unlocked. They sell them along with the SIM cards over there.

[SweetSummertime]

Would the mobile hotspot work with an iPhone? This may be just what I am looking for. Would it be comparable to how here if you have an iPad you can get 3G through AT&T/Verizon etc so that you can use the iPad anywhere?

[ORDMan]

Yes it's pretty much what we have here-a small plastic device the size of a deck of playing cards with an internal battery, a 3G and Wifi radios. It is online with the 3G data provider, and creates a small Wifi network that can be used with any Wifi device within range.

 

Expensive though, I think they were around £50 for the hotspot alone.

[dreamgear]

Which is the best carrier to deal with that will cover both Italy and Greece? I have heard about Vodafone, Wind and TIM.. what's the deal?

[slidergirl]

TIM is an Italian company. As far as I know, their SIMs are Italy-only. Vodafone is throughout Europe, but I don't know if their SIMs work everywhere.

 

TIM has regular SIMs, mini SIMs and nano SIMs. Got a nano at one of the Rome TIM stores back in March for my iPad Mini…

 

Like someone else said, unless you jailbreak your iPhone, you won't be able to it in Europe with another SIM…

 

What network is your iPhone on now??

[lisiamc]

I have an Italian mobile PAYG phone with a TIM SIM card. I have used the phone all over Europe on which ever network it picks up, mostly for texting because i am cheap. As slidergirl says, it only picks up TIM in Italy, but it finds suitable networks everywhere, including Greece.

[travelpeon]

TIM is an Italian company. As far as I know, their SIMs are Italy-only. Vodafone is throughout Europe, but I don't know if their SIMs work everywhere.

 

TIM has regular SIMs, mini SIMs and nano SIMs. Got a nano at one of the Rome TIM stores back in March for my iPad Mini…

 

Like someone else said, unless you jailbreak your iPhone, you won't be able to it in Europe with another SIM…

 

What network is your iPhone on now??

 

TIM and vodafone IT both have Europe roaming passes. Actually, they're pretty good deals.

 

TIM - 10 EURO = 500 MB, 250 sms, 250 min intra EU & USA for 1 week

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tim.it%2Festero%2Ftim-in-viaggio-pass&act=url

 

Vodafone - 3 EUR = 500 MB intra EU for 1 day

Here's a company which resells the Vodafone it sim

http://www.europasim.com/epages/63355149.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/63355149/Categories/%22Europa%20SIM-Card%22

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vodafone.it%2Fportal%2FPrivati%2FTariffe-e-Smartphone%2FTariffe%2FEstero%2FDall-estero

 

Do be sure to check terms & conditions if you want to tether or wifi-hotspot. It might be permitted for certain carriers. I think in Italy, it was Wind. Europasim/Vodafone does have a package which allows mifi/hotspot usage outside Italy but it is more expensive.

 

Important : Bring your passport with you to the mobile store. It requires identification to register. Also, you can generate your own "codice fiscale" which might also come in handy if you go to an office which isn't used to tourists

http://italychronicles.com/how-to-create-a-codice-fiscale/

 

More info on plans in English (but always compare to website as Italian mobile operators change their plans often)

http://prepaidwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.php

 

You didn't mention which carrier your 4s is on. If it is t-mobile with simple choice, they offer free roaming at low speeds in Italy and Greece. Just call and confirm you're on the correct plan. If it is at&t, you can ask for an unlock code if your account is no longer under contract and in good standing.

 

Jailbreaking is not the same as unlock (from carrier). Jailbreaking gives you more access to your phone's software so you can install programs & do things the software company (Apple, Google) doesn't normally allow end users to do. For your purposes, a carrier unlock is sufficient.

Edited March 29, 2014 by travelpeon

[mydreamvacation]

We bought an international sim for one of our older phones ATT let us unlock it talked me through the process or you can get a cheap phone from the same company they are called Mobal works all over the world very inexpensive. We only give the number to family all incoming calls and texts are free

http://www.mobal.com/?utm_nooverride=1&gclid=CIL7rMPtvL0CFe99OgodmFUAeg

[coolplex]

If you're buying a SIM card in Europe be aware your phone must be unlocked, and virtually all iPhones sold in the US are sold locked.

 

So unless you are willing to unlock and jailbreak your phone, it's a no go.

 

Also keep in mind the iPhone 4/4s uses a smaller mini-SIM, and all of the prepaid SIMs I have purchased in Europe are the standard larger size. It can be trimmed down with a special tool but it's tricky.

 

I have an older Nokia phone I use over there with prepaid SIMs, but just for voice.

 

What I have seen lately is prepaid data SIMs for use with mobile hotspot devices. Almost bought one from O2 in London recently. This would work great since it just creates a local Wifi network, and does not require your phone to be unlocked. They sell them along with the SIM cards over there.

 

It is now against the law to jail break (UNLOCK) your phone, however your carrier will provide the code for you to unlock.

Your carrier will explain the cost & usage on your phone and if your phone is compatible in Europe. Your phone must operate on "GSM" to use local sim cards from Italy or other Countries.

 

Verizon and Sprint do not use "GSM".

[coolplex]

If you're buying a SIM card in Europe be aware your phone must be unlocked, and virtually all iPhones sold in the US are sold locked.

 

So unless you are willing to unlock and jailbreak your phone, it's a no go.

 

Also keep in mind the iPhone 4/4s uses a smaller mini-SIM, and all of the prepaid SIMs I have purchased in Europe are the standard larger size. It can be trimmed down with a special tool but it's tricky.

 

I have an older Nokia phone I use over there with prepaid SIMs, but just for voice.

 

What I have seen lately is prepaid data SIMs for use with mobile hotspot devices. Almost bought one from O2 in London recently. This would work great since it just creates a local Wifi network, and does not require your phone to be unlocked. They sell them along with the SIM cards over there.

 

:eek:Warnings: You must have a "GSM" phone to use European sim cards and must have a converter & adaptor for American phones in Europe.

Call you phone carrier and get full details, Verizon and Sprint phones do not operate on "GSM"

You will also need a converter to allow your 110 volt American phone to be used on the European 220 volts system & a adaptor to allow your American plug to fit some European sockets, check online for each Country and plugs required to fit sockets to charge your phone or tablet.

Edited March 31, 2014 by coolplex

[cruisemom42]

:eek:Warnings: You must have a "GSM" phone to use European sim cards and must have a converter & adaptor for American phones in Europe.

Call you phone carrier and get full details, Verizon and Sprint phones do not operate on "GSM"

You will also need a converters to allow your 110 volt phone to be used on the European 220 volts system & an adaptor to allow your American plug to fit some European sockets, check online for each Country and plugs required to fit sockets to charge your phone or tablet.

 

Most modern electronic appliances are dual voltage -- no converter required, just an adaptor plug.

 

This applies to phones and also tablets, laptops, netbooks, e-Readers, camera battery chargers, etc.

 

Things like hair dryers or curling/flat irons MAY be dual-voltage but it is less universal than with the devices listed above.

 

To confirm whether or not the device is dual voltage, the information should be printed somewhere on it, often on the plug or the cord.

[dreamgear]

 

What network is your iPhone on now??

 

I have a Samsung Galaxy 3 that I'll be using for my Europe-phone. I also have a Galaxy 4 that I will keep on my US plan but turned off except for emergencies.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

You can try http://www.mysim.ca/europe-and-elsewhere.html

 

 

- free incoming calls in 137 countries,

- outgoing calls as low as $0.25/min,

- mobile data service (3G/GPRS) in 130+ countries from $0.20/MB

- free incoming text messages worldwide

[travelpeon]

To reiterate slidergirl's question - What network are you on now?

 

Samsung produces multiple versions of the same "model" which has different bands. The S3 doesn't have cdma & gsm radios on the same phone. I'm guessing if it is unlocked, you have a GSM version? You want 3g 2100 band for compatibility in Italy.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III#Model_variants

 

While in the past it was true that one had to pick CDMA or GSM (or 3G WCDMA) on a phone, there are now phones with can do both. The iPhone 5(c,s), Nexus 5, new HTC One and others are "global ready phones" which will operate on CDMA carriers like Verizon or Sprint. Of the models I mentioned, only Nexus 5 takes a micro sim and the others take a nano sim which can be harder to find at a kiosk. Larger carrier mobile stores will probably still have nano sims or can cut it down to nano size using a sim cutter. Getting a US major mobile carrier to unlock your phone so you can use it on a different carrier is a another story. Verizon's iPhones from 5 onwards are not GSM/WCDMA locked. They are, however, locked to Verizon (can't be used for Sprint), Nexus 5 can be used on Sprint. Verizon does not support Nexus 5.

 

The tougher bit nowadays is to find a global LTE 4G phone. The international Nexus 5 covers a lot of the non-North America LTE bands, though.

Edited April 1, 2014 by travelpeon

[readboat]

Take alook at Telestial. They sell sim cards that can be used all over Europe.

I was looking for a cheap phone that I could use in Europe for 3 weeks. I purchased one from them for $30. That included the sim card and 10 minutes calling time.

[Hlitner]

Just a warning to you folks that have "smart" phones. Many of the so-called "smart" phones sold in North American are totally worthless in Europe. In order for a phone to work in Europe it must be able to operate on the GSM system. Many smart phones sold in North American will only function on CDMA systems which are not compatible with system used in Europe. They do make phone models that work on both systems, but many folks (especially those with iPhones) do not purchase those models because they have no clue.

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

Just a warning to you folks that have "smart" phones. Many of the so-called "smart" phones sold in North American are totally worthless in Europe. In order for a phone to work in Europe it must be able to operate on the GSM system. Many smart phones sold in North American will only function on CDMA systems which are not compatible with system used in Europe. They do make phone models that work on both systems, but many folks (especially those with iPhones) do not purchase those models because they have no clue.

 

Hank

 

That is why it's important to know which network you use in the US.

Any phone I buy MUST have GSM capability. That's why I bought my good old RAZR back in 2006 from T-Mo. It was usable over in Germany, which was a biggie. I didn't have a problem getting it unlocked by T-Mo, since it was going to be used on T-Mo in both places, just different SIMS.

The same network issue can bite you if you have a Tablet and want to get a SIM for it. When I bought my iPad Mini a year ago, I had to choose which cell carrier I wanted it set for. I took the ATT one over the Sprint/Verizon ones (no T-Mo at the time) because I verified it would work in Europe with a TIM SIM. Now, with T-Mo offering data SIMS, I can use my "ATT" Mini with T-Mo…

 

For the person who said nano SIMS are hard to come by: If you are in Rome first, TIM has them. Just do a search for a TIM store; there is even one in Civi!

[Hlitner]

The funny thing about new technology is that it seems to be going backwards. We have a 6 year old Motorola cell phone on the MOBAL system. That phone cost us $100 and we got $100 of telephone credits with the purchase so essentially the phone was free. Now, 6 years later we still have that phone with about $40 of the original time left to use. That phone has zero monthly fees as its pre paid. Since MOBAL contracts with many different companies our phone will automatically connect to the best cell signal (regardless of which company owns the signal) and works in over 200 countries. We do not need to hassle with buying sims, worrying if it will work etc. Tis the perfect emergency phone and we can be reached nearly anywhere in the world (although one has to call our UK phone number).

 

Hank

Edited April 1, 2014 by Hlitner

[travelpeon]

Actually, Apple publishes a very nice network compatibility page for their LTE enabled devices.

https://www.apple.com/ipad/LTE/

https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

 

iPhones are actually support quite a few radio bands and types. If you get one which is unlocked, it can make a very decent travel device.

 

However, do be careful when activating iMessage as that requires a text message to be sent and hides this from the user. If you try this overseas you may see the charge on your bill.

[travelpeon]

In case there's a question about iPhone 5s 3G compatibility, yes, it supports HSPA+ 2100 which is used in Europe

https://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/specs/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UMTS_networks#Europe

 

I think the only model which might have less documentation on the main US English apple site is the China Mobile specific version and even that has an FAQ

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6102

 

"iPhone: Wireless carrier support and features" is also documented if you want specific features like visual voicemail or which carriers support unlocking

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1937

[Hlitner]

Actually, Apple publishes a very nice network compatibility page for their LTE enabled devices.

https://www.apple.com/ipad/LTE/

https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

 

iPhones are actually support quite a few radio bands and types. If you get one which is unlocked, it can make a very decent travel device.

 

However, do be careful when activating iMessage as that requires a text message to be sent and hides this from the user. If you try this overseas you may see the charge on your bill.

 

You are being too kind to Apple. Most of the models sold (or rented) inside the USA are CDMA models which will not work in Europe. In order to get one of the 2 iPhone models that are compatible with the European GSM system you have to make the demand at the time you get the phone. Many of the US located stores that sell or rent Apple iPhones do not even have the GSM models. So the bottom line is that a large majority of Americans who currently have iPhones will find that their phones will not work in Europe. We recently overheard a customer an Apple Store who was very upset about this issue. In a loud voice we heard the customer say, "why didn't you tell me my phone will not work outside the USA?"

 

My own thought is that for the cost of an iPhone they should all be compatible with both CDMA and GSM like my old "dumb" phone. That old phone might not be so "smart" but at least it works everywhere :)

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

Actually, Apple publishes a very nice network compatibility page for their LTE enabled devices.

https://www.apple.com/ipad/LTE/

https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

 

iPhones are actually support quite a few radio bands and types. If you get one which is unlocked, it can make a very decent travel device.

 

However, do be careful when activating iMessage as that requires a text message to be sent and hides this from the user. If you try this overseas you may see the charge on your bill.

 

Apple can't even give correct info. I have the iPad Mini model 1454. That page only gives a few countries in N. and Latin America that it is good for. I've used it very successfully in Italy with a TIM SIM… I'm thinking they have the models switched between the 54 and the 55. It was the ATT model that works in Europe vs the Sprint/Verizon model I was told...

[travelpeon]

My own thought is that for the cost of an iPhone they should all be compatible with both CDMA and GSM like my old "dumb" phone. That old phone might not be so "smart" but at least it works everywhere :)

 

Hank

 

It is the carriers which prevent and deter many who are on USA big carriers from unlocking their subsidized phones. It isn't even a "smart" phone issue. Nor is it exclusive to Americans

http://www.cnet.com/news/confused-about-locked-vs-unlocked-phones-ask-maggie-explains/

The terminology "unlocked" is often used in the states while "sim free" is often used in Europe, though they are not quite the same thing.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5073470

 

The full price of an unlocked smart phone like a USA iPhone 5s "Unlocked and contract-free" starts at $649 new. So for that price, one could waltz out of the Apple store in Miami with one of these, fly to Brasil and insert an activated local sim. It will work.

 

Verizon, one of the largest of the mobile companies, ships all their 4G LTE devices unlocked including the iPhone 5 & 5s as a result of an FCC ruling. So many Americans with new iPhones actually DO have phones which can be used overseas with a different sim card. They should also look up "change <your model here> Phone APN" as there's an entry which should be changed on smart phones to enable 3G data. They don't need to change it if they just want to make phone calls.

 

Now, if this were a samsung vs apple fight (as they've been in the news so much recently), I'd have to say that the poor lady at Apple who wished she was told about which phone she could use unlocked overseas should not think samsung is any better about these things. Figuring out which S4 to get for international travel isn't fun even for someone like me who thinks mobile phone spec charts are exciting. The s4 radio band specs resembles some kind of convoluted bingo board.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S4#Model_variants

I'm hoping the S5 will be better at supporting 4 or 5 major WCDMA 3G bands across multiple S5 models when it is launched in a few days.

 

@slidergirl - That's the iPad LTE 4G chart. For 3G, two models work internationally

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - A1454; A1455

http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_ipad_mini_wi_fi_+_cellular-5061.php

Edited April 8, 2014 by travelpeon