[Dranakin]

NOTE: I can't post the links that I'm talking about below.

Hey all. I'm planning on traveling to India for a year, and I'm a little confused about how international calling would work, specifically with a Pearl from T-Mobile. Now, I've read the Travel Insider and the T-Mobile site regarding World Class roaming. Now, is the Pearl able to do international roaming (specifically in India)? Does e-mail and internet service cost more? What other problems may I encounter while using my phone abroad? Thanks.

EDIT: Also forgot to mention, I'm on T-Mobile right now with a 7105t. However, hate the slow speed and I don't think I can access EDGE with the Pearl in my area (San Francisco Bay Area). So...I might have to switch to Cingular.

[archiberry]

I have roamed in India and the Pearl works flawlessly. Of course you pay through the nose for calls. T-mobile is 2.99/minute. For the data however, T-mobile does have an international email/data plan which costs 19.99 a month for unlimited emails. Any web usage is also included--though it does not so say anywhere. Hutch and Airtel both support EDGE speeds. I am not sure what kind of plans Cingular has.

[mysmyrrh]

Your Pearl can access EDGE in SF bay area. Do you know how many Pearl's would be in the bay right now if they didn't? Lol.

[ognat42]

My suggestion would be to unlock the phone and get a local SIM when you travel. In addition to the lower call cost you get a local number.

[MagicMtnDan]

I travel with my Pearl internationally. I'm on Cingular and I have unlimited international service that charges me $0.99/minute for calls.

The phone has been great once I realized I'd have to switch networks to be able to call to other countries (I was unable to call Australia and China from Italy until I found out I had to change networks).

[NJBlackBerry]

Originally Posted by ognat42

My suggestion would be to unlock the phone and get a local SIM when you travel. In addition to the lower call cost you get a local number.

And you will not get e-mail or the Internet. Not such a good idea.

[Berryguy]

are you sure about the $0.99/minute charge, this is a great price if correct. I have travelled overseas with TMobile and their network partners are great but unfortunately it is expensive, SMS is a better option when travelling overseas and use a local card, which these days can be bought in any gas station or grocery stores in overseas countries or buy one from a good carrier like AT&T or Verizon, and they charge decent prices...

[Berryguy]

i wanted to know how does someone unlock a cellphone, what's the process or where can I do this...

[mysmyrrh]

Originally Posted by Berryguy

I have travelled overseas with TMobile and their network partners are great but unfortunately it is expensive, SMS is a better option when travelling overseas ..

16 months ago, we went to Europe. At the time, I had ATT/Cingular. Their intl plan was .99c a min, and text was .25c each, with a limit of 50. What they didn't bother to tell me, even after I asked several times, is that you are charged roaming for those SMS msgs. It ended up being cheaper to call home vs sending text messages. I now have TMO, and they say they have an intl plan, but as of yet, I haven't looked into it.

[ognat42]

Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry

And you will not get e-mail or the Internet. Not such a good idea.

Personally, when I travel email and Internet access are not a concern. However, reasonable cost of calls and a local number are. Of course, data connection is important then an international call plan is a better choice.

[NJBlackBerry]

I would recommend getting a cheap unlocked phone and use a local SIM card in there.

[Berryguy]

I travel to China, India and Asian countries and love the TMO service partners there, there rates are the most competitive around other U.S carriers. Although Cingular has the special international rates of 99 cents, this is only for a handful of countries, which people rarely travel... places like India, China, Taiwan, etc... TMO rates are better than Cingular... trust me I have used all carriers, Verizon, Cingular and TMO and I have finally decided to stick with TMO...

[kdscheiwe]

Tmobile provides great coverage internationally for emails at a cheap price so that is what you want for your coverage for emails and internet. Now a pearl can be unlocked cheaply or free, so that is not a problem. They make a device called super sim. What you do with this is you can load more than one sim card up to 16 I believe. When you need to make a call you leave it on a local prepaid sim card which you can get online before you leave. You can even get some with bridgeconnect I believe and people can call your regular number and it will go to the prepaid card. Then reboot the phone check emails and then go back to voice. This is the cheapest and most efficient way to go. I would be glad to help you out so you can email me at