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Roaming in the UK
I need to get a blackberry and I need to get one in the next week or so. I don't think I'll be able to wait for the Bold. I will be spending the majority of my time here in the US, but am planning on making one or two trips in the next year to the UK of a week in duration where I will need access to a blackberry. I currently have Verizon, but don't really have any problems with switching to AT&T. I realize the 8830 probably would suit my needs, but am unsure if a Curve (8310, 8320, 8330) will work. I'd prefer a Curve over the 8830. While in the UK, I will be using my Blackberry primarily for email, but will probably also be making a few calls. What type of phone do I need and does anyone have any idea how much the data charges will be while I'm in the UK.
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Welcome to CrackBerry.
You are asking the right questions. I may not be able to answer them all but here goes. I am English and I live in Switzerland. I use a GSM 8310 here in Switzerland and I have an 8100 with a pre-paid (called Pay As You Go or PAYG in the UK). The Swiss phone has a data plan whilst the UK phone does not.
Whn I visit my family in the UK I tell Swisscom, my carrier, that I wish to invoke their World Data Option for $5 per month. This reduces the awful cost of data when navigating the Internet (normally $14 per Mb to only :confused: $3 per Mb). What a rip off.
Whilst in the UK my emails flow normally to my 8310 (at no extra charge due to the plan) and I can make and receive GSM phone calls under the normal rules of GSM roaming i.e. I pay a slight premium for outgoing calls but pay the full call charge from Switzerland to the UK for all incoming calls.
I use the 8100 for making calls loclly and when my pals and fmily call me. This makes me look like a normal UK user on that phone. The PAYG tariffs are no more than exorbitant :).
The two phone strategy works well for me and the rest of my family and I would advise you to do something similar since if you remove the SIM card from your US phone, then you will receive no calls to the US number or emails on the phone.
You should also remember that the UK is GSM land and the 8330 is a CDMA device which will not work over there. It also has not SIM that you can remove.
If you are remining in the UK for a long period, then see if you can get a 2nd BlackBerry with a plan over there. You can always sell it when you leave.
Lastly the UK market is competetive but a bit more expensive than the US. If you want a PAYG SIM card + a phone then I davise youto shop around a little until you get a good deal.
I am sure that there are plenty of British reseidents who are forum members who can advoise you as to the current best deal should you decide to go this route.
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