Global use question

[lafountain]

I am a Military Instructor and I have students who have asked a few questions that I can't answer, so figured I would ask here. I have a few students who will be getting stationed in England and Italy, obviously the 3 that have Droid 2's won't be able to use those phones in those countries. If they get the Droid Pro or if the Droid 2 WE were to come out by time they left for England and Italy, if they got service/Sim card from an Italian or English carrier, would they be able to use all the features of the phone or would they be limited since it would still be a Verizon phone?

 

[jdbower]

First they'd need to get the phone unlocked, I don't know Verizon's official policy on this but once they did they'd be able to use any features associated with the SIM they bought.

But I wouldn't recommend it. While voice calling in Europe is cheap and incoming calls are free data is horribly expensive - especially prepaid. Also remember they'll get a local number, so anyone calling them would need to dial +44 xxxx to get them in the UK. Instead, Verizon has International Roaming plans where you can use your phone and data plans overseas for a relatively small additional monthly fee (and no additional usage fees). I'd talk to someone at the Verizon store about the details around their specific plans.

 

[lafountain]

These guys are going to be there anywhere from 2 to 4 years. Keeping a plan here in the US doesn't make a lot of sense in that regards. A couple just really like their Droid 2's and they were asking me about their options. Since the last time I was stationed overseas was 1999 I figured I would ask.

 

[jdbower]

If it's 2-4 years they may want to look into what phones are available there. Remember, you'll need a two year Verizon contract to get a good price. On the other hand, most carriers outside the US don't subsidize the phone at all so you're back in the same boat. Either way, a straight GSM phone may be a better bet unless you really like the VZW offerings.

 

[lafountain]

Oh, I am in full agreement that they should just get a phone from a carrier in the country they will be stationed in. I was just asking the question on their behalf as I didn't know the answer.

So the full answer though is, if they want to use the Droid Pro or Droid 2 WE in England or Italy and get full use of the carriers network in Europe, they will have to get the phone unlocked. If they don't get the phone unlocked, they will be gimped on the networks in Europe?

 

[jdbower]

In order to use another carrier's SIM they'll need it to be unlocked, otherwise the phone won't register to the network and you won't be able to use it at all, except perhaps for emergency calls.

If you use the Verizon SIM you'll probably have full access (barring any issues with the country in question (UK and Italy are unlikely to pose a problem), but it will be expensive unless you activate the International roaming plans.

Essentially a Verizon world phone works about the same as an AT&T/T-Mobile phone does overseas, once it's unlocked you've got full access. Before it's unlocked you're stuck with the native SIM. Clear as mud?

 

[lafountain]

Thanks for the information, now I can pass the information onto them tomorrow so they know what they can look forward to if they really want to keep their Droids as opposed to just getting a phone in Europe itself.

 

[choripan]

While voice calling in Europe is cheap and incoming calls are free data is horribly expensive - especially prepaid.

This is actually false. I visited friends in the UK, the Netherlands and Spain this past summer. I bought prepaid SIMs in each country. The data plans were vastly less expensive than in the United States.

Virgin mobile in the UK and the Netherlands was about 10 euros per month. Movistar in Spain was slightly more at 3 euros per week.

The prepaid data plans were limited, so if you want to download movies, etc, you should get an unlimited subscription. But I was able to surf the web, use email and, most importantly, navigate continuously with Google maps without ever running into my data limit.

Check out New America Foundation's international comparison of cellphone rates for more information.

 

[NickF227]

Um, if they're going for 4 years....tell them to get a Milestone(The non-Verizon branded Droid). Seems pretty obvious to me. Or any other Android device? Do they think Android only exists in America? >_>

 

[lafountain]

Um, if they're going for 4 years....tell them to get a Milestone(The non-Verizon branded Droid). Seems pretty obvious to me. Or any other Android device? Do they think Android only exists in America? >_>

They knew Android was available overseas, but they didn't know anything about any of the phones. Me being a Sprint user, I didn't know anything about Verizon phones or their equivalent counterparts. Will inform them about the Milestone tomorrow morning when I am teaching them.

 

[takkun1946]

If they are heading there in the next few days/weeks, they can get the Milestone (EU equivalent to the Droid). If they are shipping out a bit later, they should just pick up the Milestone 2, especially if they like their Droid 2. It is the EU equivalent to the Droid 2.

 

[nuke3ae]

If they end up getting a verizon phone, the box will include verizon's international customer service number. Have them call that number and request verizon to unlock the sim card (this is free).

This gives them the flexibility to either use verizon's overseas network (agreement with vodaphone) or use a local prepaid sim.

It is pretty easy to do and they shouldn't have any issues.

 

[lafountain]

If they are heading there in the next few days/weeks, they can get the Milestone (EU equivalent to the Droid). If they are shipping out a bit later, they should just pick up the Milestone 2, especially if they like their Droid 2. It is the EU equivalent to the Droid 2.

They won't head over until late december to early january.