So today's topic is going to be that of cellular devices in London. I would personally encourage everyone to look into your own methods of communication to fit your needs, but for those of you who would like to get a quick overview, I've already done a lot of research on this and thought I would impart it with all of you!
First, let's get this out of the way: the U.S. and England are different. I know, crazy, but here we are. So because of this there's a different currency, a different electricity adapters, and also a different kind of cellular device. Fun Fact: what we call cell phones here are referred to as "mobiles" in the UK. Most phones are built to specific requirements in different countries. With the advent of smart phones there is a bit more cross over. You see, our cell towers in the U.S. use a different frequency than those in the U.K. Stateside providers, like Verizon or T-Mobile, offer global plans where you can pay roaming charges which happen to be wicked expensive for both calls and data.
Fortunately, there are some ways around this such as renting a burner phone for the duration of our stay ( just don't use it for nefarious means...) or the easiest method would be just to switch SIM cards from a U.S. one to a U.K. version.
Phone Types
So there are two types of phones: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobiles (GSM). The U.S. is a mostly CDMA country, although many of the Smart Phones we enjoy are/can be GSM phones. So how do you tell if your phone is GSM? Simple, open up the back of your phone. If you have a SIM card that means your information is transferrable. There is one more hurtle: locking. Most phones are tethered to their specific providers so their phones won't read SIM cards from other providers (even though they can, they are blocked). This is easily fixed by calling your provider and getting an unlock code, however sometimes they have certain policies about the codes. If you look online there are multiple ways to unlock it without the carrier provider, just make sure you do your research so you don't ruin your phone. I have a Galaxy, which actually allows you to change from CDMA to GSM networks within the settings menu, so just do your research on your phone's make and model.
SIM cards
Okay, so you've got your phone all unlocked and ready, now you need a SIM card. It's a small, SD card-esque chip that's about the size of a fingernail usually inserted in the back of a phone below or underneath the battery. They will say what provider they are for right on the front (since I'm Verizon, it's red and says Verizon). Because of the proximity of all the countries in Europe, people swap SIM cards quite frequently actually. It's a common practice among travelers. You could technically buy your SIM card for England here in the states, however it is exponentially more expensive. By swapping cards, you just tell your phone which country you are in and which phone satellites to ping off of. By getting a native SIM card to the country you are visiting, it means you can make calls and send texts throughout that country. You CAN NOT call home, because just as it's super expensive for here to call there, it's the same vice versa. If you're worried about staying in touch with your family, I would recommend Skype and Google Hangouts. Both are free and only require an internet connection so you can do it on your computer or even your phone. If you have native SIM cards, you can call each other while in London (i.e. if you get separated on the Tube or you want to see if your room mate has plans for the evening). It's a great idea to stay safe as well so you can call local authorities if there happen to be problems. Everybody, knock on wood.
SIM Card Only Plans
There are a few carriers in the U.K. who offer SIM card only plans. This means that you don't have to go buy a phone there, you can just get the SIM card. You can get a "Pay as you go" phone plan that lasts for 30 days and you just add on more minutes and data by paying a little more. We will be there for 8 weeks, just to let you know. There are also other "Pay as you go" SIM card only plans that have a specified number of minutes, texts, and data that you pay for and once it's all used up you are done with the SIM card. These plans usually run around five pounds cheaper, I'm not exactly sure of the reason. At the end of the 30 days, you simply log in to an account made there and "top up" or add more minutes/texts/data. These plans generally run around 10 pounds for 30 days.
So what have we learned?
- only GSM phones will work in the U.K.
- you can get a new native SIM card and make calls and sends texts within the U.K.
- phones need to be unlocked to work with those SIM cards
Now go forth and search ponder and pray about your findings! I hope this was helpful and informative. If you have more questions, put them in comments or email me.
Remember: only 68 more days until London!!
