Phone for international use?

jaydee

Diamond Member
May 6, 2000
4,500
3
81
I have a Verizon phone and plan, and it's not viable to move off the plan at this point (still have unlimited data tied to the account, and use it for my home internet), so I'm not looking for a new plan year-round.

That being said, I plan on traveling in a few months to Istanbul (for 5 days), and then later on in the year to Madrid (for a couple weeks). There may be a chance to go to Paris for work at some point as well in the next year or two. So I'm wondering what options there are to keep in touch with the US while I'm gone for reasonable price. I've heard I need a GSM phone overseas, but that's about all I know.

Smartphone would be a plus (so I can use it as a mini-tablet at home as well), but I don't want to spend a ton. I kinda like the Lumia 520, can I pick up the AT&T version for $70 and use it overseas? Do I need the unlocked version?

Thanks
 

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
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You'll need it unlocked, which neither AT&T or TMobile will do to their cheap Lumia phones without some requirements. I think TMo might be the easiest, only requiring like 60 days of service, if you've spent at least $50 on your account.

If you want a decent phone with a lot of compatibility, I'd look at the MotoG. It's $179 for 8GB and $199 for 16GB and comes in a global GSM flavor, which covers the 900/1800mhz frequencies, which should get you coverage just about everywhere.

Specifically, Istanbul uses 900/1800/2100mhz. Turkcell is the most popular provider.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_network_operators_of_the_Middle_East_and_Africa#Turkey

Spain looks like a nice mix of 900/1800/2100mhz.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_network_operators_of_Europe#Spain

The motoG looks like it will pick up the HSPA+ coverage most of these carriers provide.

So, what I would do, is sign up for Google Voice. Get your new GV number. Then, when you go out of town, forward your regular phone calls to your GV number.

When you get to Turkey or Spain, visit the shop and purchase a prepaid SIM card. You should be able to get one for around $40 or so. I'd focus on one that's data heavy. Like 1 or 1.5GB, some local minutes and some SMS. Then, use Google Voice to make all your calls back to the states. It will use data, so it would all be covered by your data package (or wifi) and not really cost you an arm and a leg.
 

jaydee

Diamond Member
May 6, 2000
4,500
3
81
You'll need it unlocked, which neither AT&T or TMobile will do to their cheap Lumia phones without some requirements. I think TMo might be the easiest, only requiring like 60 days of service, if you've spent at least $50 on your account.

If you want a decent phone with a lot of compatibility, I'd look at the MotoG. It's $179 for 8GB and $199 for 16GB and comes in a global GSM flavor, which covers the 900/1800mhz frequencies, which should get you coverage just about everywhere.

Specifically, Istanbul uses 900/1800/2100mhz. Turkcell is the most popular provider.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_network_operators_of_the_Middle_East_and_Africa#Turkey

Spain looks like a nice mix of 900/1800/2100mhz.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_network_operators_of_Europe#Spain

The motoG looks like it will pick up the HSPA+ coverage most of these carriers provide.

So, what I would do, is sign up for Google Voice. Get your new GV number. Then, when you go out of town, forward your regular phone calls to your GV number.

When you get to Turkey or Spain, visit the shop and purchase a prepaid SIM card. You should be able to get one for around $40 or so. I'd focus on one that's data heavy. Like 1 or 1.5GB, some local minutes and some SMS. Then, use Google Voice to make all your calls back to the states. It will use data, so it would all be covered by your data package (or wifi) and not really cost you an arm and a leg.

Thank you for the detailed response. That's a good deal for the MotoG in general, but I am still intrigued about the Lumia 520. I can get one factory unlocked for $99 http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Lumia-Un.../dp/B00CKUBLFQ . Also it has a better camera it appears, and I don't intend on bringing another camera with me, so that's a plus. Finally, I've used Android and iOS devices, and I'm curious to try something different. None of these are deal-breakers however, I can be persuaded...

I am not all that interested in accepting calls from whoever while I'm overseas, I just want to be able to make calls back home (probably 20-30 minutes, once per day). With an 8-hour time difference, I'd rather not the phone ring from just anyone who forgets or doesn't know I'm gone, so it would be fine to get a new number for the trip and hand it out to a few select people. I'll have to find out what the wifi arrangement is going to be in Turkey. I'll have a wifi-only iPad Air with me, so maybe I can use that to schedule a Skype session over wifi instead, but even if that worked out, I'd still like to have a phone with me in case of emergency.

So do you think the Unlocked Lumia 520 will work for my needs? Would I just need to buy a SIM card for each country I am in, and put pre-paid minutes on it? Would I also be able to use this device as an AT&T GoPhone here in the US in a pinch if I wanted to?

Thanks again.
 
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cronos

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
9,380
26
101
Actually, if you have a late 2012 or newer Verizon 4G LTE phone, the SIM slot is already unlocked and all you need to do is to swap in a local SIM card wherever you're going and you're good to go!

Edit: you may need to switch the mode from CDMA to GSM and also add the proper APN for sms and data, but otherwise, everything should work.
 
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paperwastage

Golden Member
May 25, 2010
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When you get to Turkey or Spain, visit the shop and purchase a prepaid SIM card. You should be able to get one for around $40 or so. I'd focus on one that's data heavy. Like 1 or 1.5GB, some local minutes and some SMS. Then, use Google Voice to make all your calls back to the states. It will use data, so it would all be covered by your data package (or wifi) and not really cost you an arm and a leg.

last I checked, unless you are using an iPhone, Google Voice uses your minutes

Actually, if you have a late 2012 or newer Verizon 4G LTE phone, the SIM slot is already unlocked and all you need to do is to swap in a local SIM card wherever you're going and you're good to go!

just a small note: some of these Verizon 4G "global" phones have a GSM module, but they explicitly block USA sim cards from working (i.e. foreign sim cards from portugal will work)
 

cronos

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
9,380
26
101
just a small note: some of these Verizon 4G "global" phones have a GSM module, but they explicitly block USA sim cards from working (i.e. foreign sim cards from portugal will work)

What I mentioned do not include Verizon's old phones that have 'global mode' (for which what you said is completely true, e.g. the Droid Pro, Droid 4, etc.), but instead newer 4G LTE phones that came out in late 2012 or newer. That's when Verizon is required to unblock the SIM slot completely on their phones.

Also, when you do this, don't switch to 'Global Mode', but instead to 'GSM/UMTS'.
 

cronos

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
9,380
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Let's just have OP tell us exactly what phone he has. ;)

True.

Also, I just wanted to state that in my opinion if he wanted to go to with an unlocked Lumia it's actually not a bad idea :)


Just in case, to answer OP's questions:

So do you think the Unlocked Lumia 520 will work for my needs? Would I just need to buy a SIM card for each country I am in, and put pre-paid minutes on it? Would I also be able to use this device as an AT&T GoPhone here in the US in a pinch if I wanted to?

The answer is yes.
 

jaydee

Diamond Member
May 6, 2000
4,500
3
81
Let's just have OP tell us exactly what phone he has. ;)

I actually just have a dumb-Samsung Intensity II. [backstory] I re-upped my 2-year contract last spring, so we could buy my wife a new smartphone (Droid Razr HD) at the subsidized price without losing unlimited data. I have internet at work all day, while she's home with the kids with no other house internet, so that's why she gets the smartphone, I get a dumbphone. I've worked the numbers every which way, this makes the most sense. I had a smartphone years ago (original Droid) but sold it 6 months later and haven't really missed having internet and email 24/7.[/backstory]

Does this help my situation?
 

notposting

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2005
3,496
33
91
The camera on the 520 is definitely iffy when indoors -- I mean, it will record memories enough, but nothing to write home about. Hard for me to tell though, my regular one is the 928 and the camera is in a completely separate class. However it's a snappy little phone (I got the AT&T version, just waiting to unlock it), has a decent display and is a bit cheaper than the Moto G.
 

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
19,121
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One of the good thing about Lumias are that they have offline maps, so you can use them as GPS without data traffic. It's a huge bonus when traveling.
 

notposting

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2005
3,496
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91
One of the good thing about Lumias are that they have offline maps, so you can use them as GPS without data traffic. It's a huge bonus when traveling.

Yep. Not sure with the unlocked one, but the AT&T version has the basic HERE maps -- you get the country you are in (based on SIM I believe, couldn't download until throwing a SIM into it). Download the maps on wifi though (at your hotel or a restaurant or something), would have to be in country at that point.

With the more expensive ones that have HERE+ you could preload them I believe.