[yippeeboy]

I am travelling to the UK next month. I plan to get the Verizon Global Data Plan and have them unlock my phone. I'm not interested in using the Verizon SIM card that comes with the phone because I don't want to spend the $0.99/min they charge for incoming and outgoing calls. Instead, when I get to the UK, I plan to buy a local pre-paid SIM card to make phone calls within the UK. I have a couple of questions:

1. Will the UK SIM card interfere with my ability use my Verizon Global Data Plan?

2. Where's the best place to purchase a pre-paid UK SIM Card, and:

3. Is pre-paid the best way to go for a short (3 week) trip?

Thanks for any and all responses!

[dtubbs06]

1. Yes, it will interfere. In the UK, you would be on a GSM network, not a CDMA network (AFAIK). So the SIM is how you connect to the cellular network. If you remove the SIM, you are removing connectivity back to VZW. IF CDMA is available in the UK, you would not be able to be registered to BOTH the CDMA and GSM networks simultaneously. So you would be switching between technologies to make / receive calls or use DATA.

2. No idea, when I used to travel abroad, I'd buy the SIM when I arrived.

3. Yes, pre-paid is best, unless you are going to be there often over the next say year for a contract plan.

[yippeeboy]

Thanks for the input. I had a feeling this was true. However, the rep from Verizon told me that the SIM card was completely independent from the DATA. I can usually rely on them to give me misinfomation.

[danielbaesel]

1. Yes, it will interfere. In the UK, you would be on a GSM network, not a CDMA network (AFAIK). So the SIM is how you connect to the cellular network. If you remove the SIM, you are removing connectivity back to VZW. IF CDMA is available in the UK, you would not be able to be registered to BOTH the CDMA and GSM networks simultaneously. So you would be switching between technologies to make / receive calls or use DATA.

2. No idea, when I used to travel abroad, I'd buy the SIM when I arrived.

3. Yes, pre-paid is best, unless you are going to be there often over the next say year for a contract plan.

+1 on that.....Pre paid is best for making phone calls, however all the data would still be VZW.....I'd suggest to avoid the data usage as much as possible.....however I do believe that SMS' would charge off of your pre paid sim card......you can buy sim cards all over europe....I would suggest a 3rd party store (there are plenty of them over there) they usually have a bunch of different options and carriers......

[wxman2003]

You can get the global data plan for all your data if you leave the vodaphone sim in the phone. If you want to make calls locally, then take the vodafone sim card out, and replace it with a local sim card. So yes, you can do both, but requires swapping sim cards for data and voice calls. Just remember, if your phones rings while the vodafone card is in, don't answer or you would get nailed for the high rates for voice calls.

[dtubbs06]

Thanks for the input. I had a feeling this was true. However, the rep from Verizon told me that the SIM card was completely independent from the DATA. I can usually rely on them to give me misinfomation.

He was technically right, BB Data connectivity is based on the PIN of the phone. If your PIN is active on VZW BIS services / servers, it can't be registered to another vendor's BIS service / servers.

That is why you see a lot of people asking, "Why can't I register the phone they bought on eBay with my carrier's BIS website? I keep getting an error sayig that the PIN is already registered." And the response to them is usually, "You will need to get the person you bought it from to cancel their BIS account before you can register it."

So, in order to use DATA while travelling, you would either need to be in a CDMA coverage area, and have your phone set to 1EXV to use the data, then switch to GSM for phone calls; or if you are not in a CDMA area, you would need to swap out the VZW / Vodafone SIM for whichever local SIM you decide to use.

A possible third solution would be to cancel your BIS email and all subscribed accounts before you leave, then re-sign up with a prepaid bb data plan overseas and then configure on their BIS site. But that is WAY to much work IMO.

[Dasle]

I've been in France for about two weeks and will be here until the end of July. I went the route of getting my phone unlocked, signing up for the global data plan, and just swapping SIM cards for what I need.

Generally, because of the time difference, the local SIM is good for during the day and I put the Vodaphone SIM back in at night for data when I don't need as much contact with people over here. So far it's been working good.

The only thing I'd say is make sure you have a good place to store the SIM card you're not using. They are small and seem fragile. Had I thought ahead, I would have used the case I got when I bought a micro SD card for my old phone to store the SIM in. It was big enough since it came with the standard SD converter card thing that I never use.

[dtubbs06]

Dasle, you could store the spare SIM between the battery and the battery cover. It will fit, and could have the added benefit of improving your screen click.