"Al Schmidt" <kd6nt@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:jst4fd$5bp$1@speranza.aioe.org...
> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card internationally
> and use the phone?
Ask the Verizon Wireless sales staff. I don't get the problem you have.
TIP
Do not go to a retail store for Verizon help, go to an actual Verizon store
OR inquire at Best Buy. Best Buy has a very good retail outlet for cellular
service, and they are the exception to the rule for not going to retail
stores for phone questions. I suppose Costco (my local Costco has a phone
center in-store) and they might have the right answer to your question.
Joe's Phone down on the corner that sells Verizon stuff might not be the
best guy to get good information from because they sell outdated equipment
from time to time, and they will tell you it's the latest and greatest.
On 7/2/2012 2:39 PM, Al Schmidt wrote:
> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
> internationally and use the phone?
You would need to get the GSM portion unlocked. I don't think that
Verizon will unlock it for you, you need to find an unlocking service.
You also have to find a way to stop the CDMA side phone from roaming
onto foreign CDMA networks. Not an issue in Europe, but a big issue in
Asia where CDMA is widely used. I.e. in China, there is an extensive
CDMA network.
There's another issue as well, and I'm not sure how it would work. If
you're using the same handset for Verizon domestic and a prepaid
International SIM, how would you forward your Verizon number, which has
to be done from the handset? It's very useful to use a service like
localphone.com to forward your domestic cell and landline to your
international phone.
I just bought a cheap GSM Android phone and unlocked it. It's easy to
sync it with Google contacts.
On 7/2/2012 3:05 PM, Jeff Strickland wrote:
>
> "Al Schmidt" <kd6nt@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:jst4fd$5bp$1@speranza.aioe.org...
>> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
>> internationally and use the phone?
>
>
> Ask the Verizon Wireless sales staff. I don't get the problem you have.
The problem is that the global phones sold by Verizon are SIM locked.
Verizon probably won't unlock them. So he'll have to take the phone
somewhere to have it unlocked, if it's possible.
The other problem is what will happen in countries with both GSM and
CDMA networks (many countries in Asia have both, it's not just in North
America). Normally a Verizon phone will choose the CDMA network when
roaming internationally if both CDMA and GSM networks are available. If
this happens, even if the GSM section is unlocked, the phone may use the
CDMA network and do international roaming at very high rates. Do those
global phones allow users to manually select which network to use, or to
turn off the CDMA radio but leave the GSM radio on?
Perhaps having Verizon disable international roaming on the account
would eliminate this problem, but it may not because the phone's PRL
will still indicate that there is CDMA service available, but the phone
will be unable to complete a call.
In article <4ff2364f$0$39184$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>On 7/2/2012 3:05 PM, Jeff Strickland wrote:
>>
>> "Al Schmidt" <kd6nt@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:jst4fd$5bp$1@speranza.aioe.org...
>>> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
>>> internationally and use the phone?
>>
>>
>> Ask the Verizon Wireless sales staff. I don't get the problem you have.
>
>The problem is that the global phones sold by Verizon are SIM locked.
>Verizon probably won't unlock them. So he'll have to take the phone
>somewhere to have it unlocked, if it's possible.
>
>The other problem is what will happen in countries with both GSM and
>CDMA networks (many countries in Asia have both, it's not just in North
>America). Normally a Verizon phone will choose the CDMA network when
>roaming internationally if both CDMA and GSM networks are available. If
>this happens, even if the GSM section is unlocked, the phone may use the
>CDMA network and do international roaming at very high rates. Do those
>global phones allow users to manually select which network to use, or to
>turn off the CDMA radio but leave the GSM radio on?
>
>Perhaps having Verizon disable international roaming on the account
>would eliminate this problem, but it may not because the phone's PRL
>will still indicate that there is CDMA service available, but the phone
>will be unable to complete a call.
I have unlocked my wife's Blackberry. The network selection menu lets you
choose GSM-only. That will not work in the US with a SIM from a domestic
carrier, but it will internationally.
On 7/2/2012 7:01 PM, SMS wrote:
> On 7/2/2012 3:05 PM, Jeff Strickland wrote:
>>
>> "Al Schmidt" <kd6nt@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:jst4fd$5bp$1@speranza.aioe.org...
>>> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
>>> internationally and use the phone?
>>
>>
>> Ask the Verizon Wireless sales staff. I don't get the problem you have.
>
> The problem is that the global phones sold by Verizon are SIM locked.
> Verizon probably won't unlock them. So he'll have to take the phone
> somewhere to have it unlocked, if it's possible.
>
> The other problem is what will happen in countries with both GSM and
> CDMA networks (many countries in Asia have both, it's not just in North
> America). Normally a Verizon phone will choose the CDMA network when
> roaming internationally if both CDMA and GSM networks are available. If
> this happens, even if the GSM section is unlocked, the phone may use the
> CDMA network and do international roaming at very high rates. Do those
> global phones allow users to manually select which network to use, or to
> turn off the CDMA radio but leave the GSM radio on?
Not sure if this helps but my VZW global dumb phone has a setting for
GSM only and a "global" setting for GSM and CDMA. Seems to me that if
the phone has a GSM only setting, that would avoid the problem.
>
> Perhaps having Verizon disable international roaming on the account
> would eliminate this problem, but it may not because the phone's PRL
> will still indicate that there is CDMA service available, but the phone
> will be unable to complete a call.
On 7/2/2012 4:39 PM, Al Schmidt wrote:
> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
> internationally and use the phone?
Why not check VZW's prices first? If you don't intend to make lots and
lots of calls and can use text messaging (a whole lot cheaper than
voice), you might find that the VZW plan is worth it. You can then keep
your regular phone number, which you won't be able to do, I believe,
with the SIM.
> I have unlocked my wife's Blackberry. The network selection menu
> lets you choose GSM-only. That will not work in the US with a SIM
> from a domestic carrier, but it will internationally.
It will work perfectly with a SIM from T-Mobile or AT&T in the US.
Instructions for setting it up are available on crackberry.com.
On 7/3/2012 7:37 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> On 7/2/2012 4:39 PM, Al Schmidt wrote:
>> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
>> internationally and use the phone?
>
> Why not check VZW's prices first? If you don't intend to make lots and
> lots of calls and can use text messaging (a whole lot cheaper than
> voice), you might find that the VZW plan is worth it. You can then keep
> your regular phone number, which you won't be able to do, I believe,
> with the SIM.
We were just in China and calls back to the U.S. with a Chinese SIM were
about 16¢/minute, while calls within China were about 5¢/minute.
Verizon's international rates for China are $1.99/minute. I used Wi-Fi
for some international calls, and that worked fine at 0.5¢ (not $0.50)
per minute.
Buying a SIM card was very easy, the first place we stayed in China sold
them at no extra mark-up. It's such a common thing to buy prepaid SIM
cards these days that in most countries it's trivial to buy one, and
"SIM" is a universal word.
It is really useful to have a low cost phone for making travel
arrangements or when part of your family wants to split off and do
something different than another part. I can see how on a cruise or on
an organized tour you might not need to make very many calls, so it
doesn't matter, but when you're traveling independently you end up using
the phone more. Even for moderate use, a prepaid SIM card makes sense.
Often a hotel or tour company wants to get in touch with you as well,
and they don't want to call a number in the U.S. to reach you back in
another country. Then both parties are paying ridiculous amounts.
The phone also serves as a translation device. On two occasions we had
to call someone who was bilingual so they could translate for us.
I think the most amusing call in China was when one family member called
another asking her to bring some toilet paper up to the restroom in a
department store (most restrooms in China are BYOP). I would not have
wanted to pay $1.99 for that call.
One thing to do, before you leave, is to use a service like
localphone.com or onesuite.com to obtain a local U.S. phone number and
forward it to your foreign phone number once you buy the SIM card. Right
before you leave, forward your regular landline and cell numbers to the
localphone or onesuite number. Just beware that you may get calls at
strange hours.
Janet Wilder wrote on [Tue, 03 Jul 2012 09:37:51 -0500]:
> On 7/2/2012 4:39 PM, Al Schmidt wrote:
>> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
>> internationally and use the phone?
>
> Why not check VZW's prices first? If you don't intend to make lots and
> lots of calls and can use text messaging (a whole lot cheaper than
I imagine VZWs prices almost always are way too high
"SMS" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:4ff323b9$0$39137$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
> One thing to do, before you leave, is to use a service like localphone.com
> or onesuite.com to obtain a local U.S. phone number and forward it to your
> foreign phone number once you buy the SIM card. Right before you leave,
> forward your regular landline and cell numbers to the localphone or
> onesuite number. Just beware that you may get calls at strange hours.
When I am traveling internationally I don't need friends and family to reach
me when they want to, on their schedule. I would never forward my phones to
my local phone. I'd call them, when convenient for =me=.
They can leave me a VM, or send me a text, or send me an email. I'll reply
when/if I want.
(My main number, and all of my secondary numbers except for my native cell,
send VMs as attachments to email, so I can easily listen to messages when I
choose)
On 7/2/2012 2:39 PM, Al Schmidt wrote:
> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
> internationally and use the phone?
According to posters in some other forums, Verizon will provide the
unlock code on their global phones, if you've been a customer for at
least 90 days.
On 7/3/2012 2:41 PM, Justin wrote:
> Janet Wilder wrote on [Tue, 03 Jul 2012 09:37:51 -0500]:
>> On 7/2/2012 4:39 PM, Al Schmidt wrote:
>>> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
>>> internationally and use the phone?
>>
>> Why not check VZW's prices first? If you don't intend to make lots and
>> lots of calls and can use text messaging (a whole lot cheaper than
>
> I imagine VZWs prices almost always are way too high
>
Imagination is a feeble reed! Hard facts and written agreements are
likely to be more useful. VZW may cost more than you want to spend.
Depending on where you want service, you may be able to get a better
deal from another provider. Or Not!
Just be very sure that you understand exactly what you are agreeing to!
On 7/3/2012 1:44 PM, tycho wrote:
> "SMS"<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:4ff323b9$0$39137$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
>
>> One thing to do, before you leave, is to use a service like localphone.com
>> or onesuite.com to obtain a local U.S. phone number and forward it to your
>> foreign phone number once you buy the SIM card. Right before you leave,
>> forward your regular landline and cell numbers to the localphone or
>> onesuite number. Just beware that you may get calls at strange hours.
>
> When I am traveling internationally I don't need friends and family to reach
> me when they want to, on their schedule. I would never forward my phones to
> my local phone. I'd call them, when convenient for =me=.
>
> They can leave me a VM, or send me a text, or send me an email. I'll reply
> when/if I want.
>
> (My main number, and all of my secondary numbers except for my native cell,
> send VMs as attachments to email, so I can easily listen to messages when I
> choose)
>
>
Here's what we do when traveling internationally: We forward the home
phone to my VZW smartphone. The smartphone is forwarded to Google Voice.
DH's dumb phone is a global phone so that's the one we use if *we* have
an emergency or need to make a phone call while traveling.
I can see who called the house or my cell by going online to Google
Voice with my netbook that always comes with us.
> Here's what we do when traveling internationally: We forward the home
> phone to my VZW smartphone. The smartphone is forwarded to Google Voice.
What is the reason for not just forwarding both the home phone and smart
phone directly to Google Voice? I'm sure there must be some reason but I
can't think of it.
On 7/3/2012 5:23 PM, SMS wrote:
> On 7/3/2012 3:03 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> Here's what we do when traveling internationally: We forward the home
>> phone to my VZW smartphone. The smartphone is forwarded to Google Voice.
>
> What is the reason for not just forwarding both the home phone and smart
> phone directly to Google Voice? I'm sure there must be some reason but I
> can't think of it.
>
>
>
I'm not clever enough to forward the land line to Google Voice. :-)
On 7/3/2012 4:25 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> On 7/3/2012 5:23 PM, SMS wrote:
>> On 7/3/2012 3:03 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>
>>> Here's what we do when traveling internationally: We forward the home
>>> phone to my VZW smartphone. The smartphone is forwarded to Google Voice.
>>
>> What is the reason for not just forwarding both the home phone and smart
>> phone directly to Google Voice? I'm sure there must be some reason but I
>> can't think of it.
>>
>>
>>
> I'm not clever enough to forward the land line to Google Voice. :-)
When I forward my landline I can forward it to any phone number I want,
it doesn't matter if it's a cell phone or Google Voice. The procedure is
no different.
"SMS" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:4ff2364f$0$39184$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
> On 7/2/2012 3:05 PM, Jeff Strickland wrote:
>>
>> "Al Schmidt" <kd6nt@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:jst4fd$5bp$1@speranza.aioe.org...
>>> If I get a global ready phone, can I buy a local SIM card
>>> internationally and use the phone?
>>
>>
>> Ask the Verizon Wireless sales staff. I don't get the problem you have.
>
> The problem is that the global phones sold by Verizon are SIM locked.
> Verizon probably won't unlock them. So he'll have to take the phone
> somewhere to have it unlocked, if it's possible.
>
I have no need for a "global ready" phone, but the idea that anybody would
sell such a thing that is locked from the global market place seems absurd
to me. The term, "global ready" means to me that it should be ready to work
globally, and by definition would not be locked so that it only works in one
market.
It also seems to me that such a device would necessarily cost more than the
single-market device that I have, and BECAUSE it costs more then you have
paid for (in advance) the privilege to not be locked.
I'm not arguing that you are wrong, because I clearly have no clue what I am
talking about, but I am arguing that the notion of anything that is labled
as "global ready" that reasonably carries a higher cost for features that
other phones do not support should not be locked into one market. You pay
extra for the global-ready quality that the device has, so setting it for
another cellular scheme -- CDMA or GSM -- should be switchable for the
environment that the phone happens to wake up in on any particular morning.
My naive assertion is that when you buy a global ready device, it is by the
very definition of global an unlocked device.
In any case, whatever the right answer is, if I was asking the question I
would be standing on the floor of my local Verizon Wireless Store where they
sell global ready phones. Alternatively, this question also would have me on
the phone to Verizon Wireless so they could answer it BEFORE I spent the
money to buy a phone that is billed as a global device but is actually
locked to a single market.
> I have no need for a "global ready" phone, but the idea that anybody
> would sell such a thing that is locked from the global market place
> seems absurd to me. The term, "global ready" means to me that it should
> be ready to work globally, and by definition would not be locked so that
> it only works in one market.
It's not locked so that it works only in one market. It works in nearly
every market, but you're paying extremely high prices for international
roaming. For those people that don't care about the cost, it's easier to
just pay the money than to buy a prepaid SIM card.
> My naive assertion is that when you buy a global ready device, it is by
> the very definition of global an unlocked device.
Wrong. But Verizon apparently will unlock the GSM portion, as will AT&T
(except on iPhones for AT&T, not sure about Verizon).
> Verizon will unlock any World phone if you call CS and tell them you're
> going overseas. They'll give you the code and talk you through the
> process.
And my very limited experience with at&t wireless suggests that they'll do
the same, at least for mere feature phones like Cingular-branded Moto SLVR
or LG cu-400, even for an utter stranger (never an at&t wireless customer).
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
Verizon Global Ready Phones 
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