E200 in USA

[Guest adjonline]

Hi,

I've currently got an E200 and M2000 that I alternate between using depending on what I'm doing. I've just been offered a ten-week job in Florida starting in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to work out the cheapest way to use keep in contact whilst I'm away. I can't cancel my current Orange contract (which annoyingly having only just upgraded I'll still be paying for at £55/month...pain!), so I'll keep that SIM in the M2000 to receive incoming calls...and I'm thinking of unlocking the E200 and putting that on an American network.

So to my question...which is the best US GSM Network, that in particular offers a good pricing on GPRS (if any...!), and more so, is either Pay as You Go or will allow me to enter into a short-term contract (i.e. I'm not asking for a phone from them, so would there be a minimum term to the contract?).

I'm struggling to find much out from the websites I can see, so I would greatly appreciate advice!

(Incidentally, my other aim, if I can confirm there is broadband internet in my accomodation, is to get Vonage over here and take the equipment with me).

[Guest Disco Stu]

Moved to Help & Advice

[Guest smeg36]

Your best bet, especially with a phone that doesn't have the 850Mhz band, it going to be T-Mobile. T-Mobile is the only GSM provider in the USA that doesn't use at least some 850Mhz towers (although they do have roaming agreements with some 850Mhz towers). You can get a T-Mobile To Go (Prepaid) SIM on ebay for fairly cheap, with included minutes. I got my wife a T-Mobile prepaid sim for $10, and it came with 120 Minutes included ($45 or so). Unfortunatly, you can't just buy a prepaid SIM from them, they want you to buy a phone as well. They do have T-Zones GPRS available for prepaid, but that limits you to visiting the T-Zones homepage of http://wap.myvoicestream.com. If you try to enter a different url, it will forward you back to that.

[Guest adjonline]

Ok, thanks for that...problem is what I'd really like, more than voice really, is to be able to use ActiveSync, which I presume isn't going to happen. Anyway that's likely to be possible?

[Guest smeg36]

You mean like Exchange OTA Activesync? I'm not really sure. I could try with my wife's prepaid SIM today when I go to town (I don't get a signal at home, sad), and let you know. I wouldn't expect it to work though.

[Guest adjonline]

Yes that's what I mean. That would be wonderful, thank you. I've been looking at Cingular, who appear to offer unrestricted access, but as you say, the problem would possibly be with the cell-towers. I was over in the same area a couple of years ago and was roaming on my UK SIM Card which most of the time went to AT&T...I understand Cingular now run the AT&T Service, so would I be right to suspect that might mean Cingular would be ok?

[Guest smeg36]

It may work, but it has only been recently (within the last two years) that they started using the 850Mhz towers. And the Cingular service (at least when I checked it out a month or so ago) was painfully expensive compared to other prepaid services. I'll let you know if a few hours if the OTA Exchange works.

[Guest smeg36]

No, it didn't work. Sorry.

[Guest adjonline]

Ok; thank you very much for trying anyway. I think I may get a Cingular SIM now, which would be my preference so I can synchronise if I can find signal, and if signal isn't available I'll have to resort to getting a T-Mobile one as well.

[Guest smeg36]

Just be forwarned, the Cingular prepaid plan has a minumum $1/day charge ON TOP of the minutes you must purchase. I understand that full GPRS is important though, I have the $19.99/month unlimited T-Mobile plan. I can relate (after all, I do Exchange Activesync as well).

[Guest adjonline]

Ok sure, thanks for the warning. The $19.99 option looks wonderful...it's a real shame there isn't the opportunity to get a contract without a phone, and not be locked in for the whole year. Oh well...I guess that's hoping too much!!

Thanks for the help.