 Australia, among other things,
is well known for having beautiful beaches, an extensive outback, kangaroos,
koala bears, but did you know that in Australia the cellular phone coverage and
quality of service is superior to that of either the United States or Canada?
Furthermore, Australians do not pay for incoming cellular calls and pay low
outgoing rates, even to international destinations. In fact, to place a call
from your cell phone to the US or Canada is about 25 US cents per minute!
Here
is how you, as a traveller to Australia, can take advantage of these low cell
phone rates that are just fractions of what it would cost to rent an
international cell phone or to roam with your North American provider, and
therefore allowing you to have a cell phone in Australia a luxury that you can
afford.
As with most countries in the world, Australia has opted to utilize the
GSM standard for their cellular service. GSM offers digital service that is so
crystal clear that it is difficult to discern if you are on a cell phone or
using a landline. Whether you are in a large city like Sydney or in remote
areas, you are very likely to have cell phone reception. In Australia, as in
many other countries, many people don't even bother having a home phone. If you
think about it, since the service is inexpensive as well as excellent, what is
the point of having a landline? If you are planning a trip to Australia and
want to use your current cell phone, you most likely will not be able to do so.
Unless you have a GSM tri-band phone, you will need to make special arrangements
with your current carrier. They will rent you an international cell phone
together with what is called a SIM chip (Subscriber Information Module) inserted
into the phone. The SIM chip is the brain of the phone, containing such
information as the cell phone number, voice mail and call logs. Getting set up
in this manner with your current service provider will allow you to retain your
US phone number and receive and make calls anywhere in the world. Usually there
is a monthly fee for being able to use the service internationally plus high
roaming rates (call rates) and other applicable charges such as renting the
handset and having it delivered to you. Another alternative is to rent an
international cell phone with service. You can rent a cell phone for Australia
at any international airport either prior to your departure or upon arrival in
Australia or through many of the traditional channels such as the yellow pages.
Rates are generally $25-$50 per week for the handset rental plus charges for
actually placing and receiving calls. There are usually minimum per day or per
week usage rates, regardless if you use the service or not.
 Alternatively, and
this is by far the least expensive alternative, you can use the same service
that the Australian use. You will be paying local rates which are inexpensive
and include unlimited, free incoming calls from anywhere in the world. Calls to
the US are inexpensive costing about 30 Australian cents per minute, and, if
they call you, received calls are absolutely free. That way you can literally
speak on the phone for hours and not incur any charge. While the person calling
you will be paying for an international call, rates to Australia can be very
reasonable - especially if the person calling you chooses the right provider.
Also, as the calling credit is prepaid and doesn't require a contract, this is
ideal for visitors to Australia, even those planning to stay only a short while.
In order to take advantage of paying local cellular rates you must obtain a GSM
cell phone compatible with the Australian system and also SIM card for
Australia. More than 200 countries, including Australia, use the 900/1800 GSM
frequency, so, you will need to obtain this type of GSM phone, and, you must
make sure that it is unlocked. GSM phones come from the manufacturer unlocked -
it is the carrier that locks them. For example, if you are in the United States
and your provider is AT&T, Cingular or T-Mobile, they may provide you with an
international GSM cell phone, but it will be locked for use only with their SIM
cards.
You can, however, obtain both the SIM card and the phone from
www.cellularabroad.com, a California
based company. They can either rent or sell an international cell phone and a
prepaid SIM card for Australia. If you purchase a cell phone, the next time you
take a trip overseas, you will
need only to purchase as SIM card for that destination to once again take
advantage of that country's local rates. If you are an infrequent traveller,
it makes sense to rent one of Cellular Abroad's cell phone handsets and
purchase a separate Australia SIM card. In either case, you will be paying
the low rates that the locals pay. For more questions or further
information, just click on the above Cellular Abroad link.
Amazing that you can be in a country that is so far away from most of the
rest of the world yet be able to keep in contact so inexpensively! And this
gives these guys down under just one more thing to be able to boast about!
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