🚀 go-pugleaf

It's a little more expensive to get the handset in Australia than the UK.
At the beginning of 1999 they were never sim-locked in Australia (check
this).  Basic phones were around A$300 with a payg sim, may have fallen
since.

If you get an unlocked DUAL-BAND one in the UK (Virgin are cheapest?), you
could use it in Australia.  Dual-band phones are still rare there (it's all
GSM900, with recent exceptions in Sydney).  Don't get a GSM 1800 only phone
in the UK, almost unusable in Australia.

One argument for waiting until you get to Oz is if you get any problems with
the phone you can take it back easily (it'll be worthless after the first
year anyway).

But if you've got a few weeks you've got time to get and test one here.  I
think the Virgin one would even allow you some expensive roaming in
Australia for the fist few days until you sort out a local card (again,
check this, I'm not in the UK at present).

Rob
http://www.freecomms.com - free communications worldwide

mick_patrick@my-deja.com wrote in message <85cvq8$9g0$1@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>I'm moving to Australia for a year in a few weeks. I'll need a mobile
>there as soon as I arrive, but would like to get one that I could then
>continue to use in the UK on my return.
>
>Since I need one immediately, with no credit background / bank account
>in Oz, I guess a pre-pay system is the way to go.

<mick_patrick@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:85cvq8$9g0$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
> I'm moving to Australia for a year in a few weeks. I'll need a mobile
> there as soon as I arrive, but would like to get one that I could then
> continue to use in the UK on my return.

GSM 900 will woth here and there... Vodafone or Cellnet there.
>
> Since I need one immediately, with no credit background / bank account
> in Oz, I guess a pre-pay system is the way to go.

Yes...

>
> Looking around, it seems that a lot of pre-pay phones these days are
> sim-locked (eg I can't take my current Cellnet Easylife Philips Diga
> out there - I'm giving it to my parents).

Same here, but there are a few that arent SIM locked if you know where to
look
Try this URL to see a phone that is on Optus prepaid and not SIM locked.
http://www.optus.net.au/mobile/1,1648,1013,00.html and scroll down to the
Mitsubishi MTD-30.
You could take this back to the UK and get a pre-paid card and use it there
in a GSM 900 network.
>
> Can anyone advise me what the best option is:
> 1) What the technical requirements would be for such a dual country
> phone (ie do I need a 'dual-band GSM' unit)?

No need for a dual band phone, apart from being a shitload more expensive in
a pre-paid situation Australia only uses GSM1800 in areas were extra
capacity is required, Australia dosnt have a nationa 1800 network, or an
1800 mhz only network yet.

> 2) How I could get a phone that could be used both in the UK and there?
> I see that Optus pre-pay includes a sim-only package - could I put that
> sim into a suitable phone bought in the UK? If so, what would be the
> best way to buy a phone here to do that? Orange do a pre-pay system
> with no time limit on the vouchers, but they tell me that all their
> phones are sim-locked.

See the above URL for all the info, and the Mitsubishi phone that you could
take back to the UK and use. I dont think there are many pre-paid phones in
the UK that are not SIM locked, best to buy one when you get here.

> 3) Or should I just buy a pre-pay phone in Australia. Can I get one
> there that I could then use with a new UK pre-pay sim when I return to
> the UK?

I say but one here and take it back with you when you go.

> 4) Are mobile phones cheaper in Australia or in the UK?


> 5) What is the cheapest way to just buy a mobile phone that is not
> committed to any particular network or call payment plan, in the UK or
> in Australia?

Prepaid.



--
-Brendon Black
bblack at netcentral dot com dot au
blackbj at dingoblue dot net dot au

Brendon Black <blackbj@spamsux-dingoblue.net.au> wrote
in message news:85emd9$9r5$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
> <mick_patrick@my-deja.com> wrote

>> I'm moving to Australia for a year in a few weeks. I'll need
>> a mobile there as soon as I arrive, but would like to get one
>> that I could then continue to use in the UK on my return.

> GSM 900 will woth here and there... Vodafone or Cellnet there.

Jeeze, I wish my GSM would woth anywhere.

Do I need to beat it with a very large waddy to make it do that ?

Is that anything like the woth of god ?

Brendon Black <blackbj@spamsux-dingoblue.net.au> wrote
in message news:85etfk$f27$1@news1.mpx.com.au...

> It was a typo,

Is that right, little black boy ?  Would never have guessed if you hadnt told me.

> Rod you are just not funny, do just dont try to be.

Heard they one about your head and a dead bear's bum, little black boy ?

You dont get to rule on anything at all any time soon.
Or get to order anyone about any time soon either.

Now go and find that dead bear or you'll be sent to your room. Again.


> Rod Speed <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote
>> Brendon Black <blackbj@spamsux-dingoblue.net.au> wrote
>>> <mick_patrick@my-deja.com> wrote

>>>> I'm moving to Australia for a year in a few weeks. I'll need
>>>> a mobile there as soon as I arrive, but would like to get one
>>>> that I could then continue to use in the UK on my return.

>>> GSM 900 will woth here and there... Vodafone or Cellnet there.

>> Jeeze, I wish my GSM would woth anywhere.

>> Do I need to beat it with a very large waddy to make it do that ?

>> Is that anything like the woth of god ?

Rod Speed <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:85eurs$g1h$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
>
> Brendon Black <blackbj@spamsux-dingoblue.net.au> wrote
> in message news:85etfk$f27$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
>
> > It was a typo,
>
> Is that right, little black boy ?  Would never have guessed if you hadnt
told me.

Well yeah, you said it...

>
> > Rod you are just not funny, do just dont try to be.
>
> Heard they one about your head and a dead bear's bum, little black boy ?

*yawn*

>
> You dont get to rule on anything at all any time soon.
> Or get to order anyone about any time soon either.

Well you can take YOUR order and put it up a dead bears bum..




--
-Brendon Black
bblack at netcentral dot com dot au
blackbj at dingoblue dot net dot au

> I'm moving to Australia for a year in a few weeks. I'll need a mobile
> there as soon as I arrive, but would like to get one that I could then
> continue to use in the UK on my return.

> Since I need one immediately, with no credit background / bank account
> in Oz, I guess a pre-pay system is the way to go.

Possibly. There are other ways that Telstra use, such as the "International
Visitor Service".

This is basically a service where you pay $ 200 by credit card to start up
an account. All your calls and access fees come off this $ 200.

> Can anyone advise me what the best option is:
> 1) What the technical requirements would be for such a dual country
> phone (ie do I need a 'dual-band GSM' unit)?

You need a GSM digital phone. If you want a phone to work on 1-2-1 and
Orange, you need a dual-band phone.

> 2) How I could get a phone that could be used both in the UK and there?

Buy it outright (generally unlocked)

> I see that Optus pre-pay includes a sim-only package - could I put that
> sim into a suitable phone bought in the UK? If so, what would be the

Yes.

> 3) Or should I just buy a pre-pay phone in Australia. Can I get one
> there that I could then use with a new UK pre-pay sim when I return to
> the UK?

Not unless you paid to unlock it.

> 4) Are mobile phones cheaper in Australia or in the UK?

Hard to compare. Especially when you have to consider that handset locking
is a form of subsidising.

> 5) What is the cheapest way to just buy a mobile phone that is not
> committed to any particular network or call payment plan, in the UK or
> in Australia?

Buy an outright phone. That's what outright means. Unlocked, unconnected.

>  I think that with any other approach (eg pre-paid or contract) you will
end
> up with a locked phone that you can't use at both ends. Pre-paid is

Wrong. Contract phones in Oz are not locked.

> certainly not a good deal in Oz and is mainly aimed at people who don't
have

Wrong. Telstra's prepaid has per-second rates, with no flagfall that are
very competitive.

> It's a little more expensive to get the handset in Australia than the UK.
> At the beginning of 1999 they were never sim-locked in Australia (check
> this).  Basic phones were around A$300 with a payg sim, may have fallen
> since.

They were NEVER that expensive.

The most expensive phone on Telstra was $ 199. Now they have dropped to as
low as $ 99.

> could use it in Australia.  Dual-band phones are still rare there (it's
all
> GSM900, with recent exceptions in Sydney).  Don't get a GSM 1800 only
phone

No. Dual band is quite common in Australia, although we don't yet have any
GSM 1800 only networks.

> >Well after 1 year you are ment to be able to get sim lock removed for
> >free on the pre-paid handsets.
>
> Only Optus and Voda prepay handsets.
>
> Prepay  Telstra phones have a minimum of 2 years before they will be
> unlocked. A phone and $25 worth of calls included is currently $99 for the

Wrong. You can get them unlocked AT ANY TIME. $ 150 within 2 years, $ 25 out
of two years.

> Ericsson A1018 (duel band) National calls are 70 cents per min.  A cheap

Charged by the second, with no flagfall. Very important. For example, a 5
second call at this rate costs 6c.

> off-peak option with higher peak calls is available.

$ 1.00 peak, 20c off-peak/weekends.

> Recharge cards are: $25 for 2 months access

And $ 25 calls.

> $60 for 6 months access and calls
> $100 for 12 months access and calls

> Calls to the UK are 45 cents per min.

Very competitive.

> Well after 1 year you are ment to be able to get sim lock removed for
> free on the pre-paid handsets.

Not necessarily. Depends on the carrier.

> > 4) Are mobile phones cheaper in Australia or in the UK?
>
> UK are slighly cheaper.

And how do you work that out?

Do you have SIM-only plans n the UK? One method that I know will work is to
purchase a phone out-right (and hence with no locks) and then run SIM-only
plans in both countries. Another method is to be signed up in just one
country and use their roaming feature when in the other (could be very
expensive).

 I think that with any other approach (eg pre-paid or contract) you will end
up with a locked phone that you can't use at both ends. Pre-paid is
certainly not a good deal in Oz and is mainly aimed at people who don't have
a credit history or who want to limit their spending.

How often will you return to the UK, and for how long? There is a big
difference between (1) returning each month for 1 week; (b) returning once a
year for 1 month; (c) alternately spending a year at either end.

Also, I am under that impression that Orange (UK) phones won't work here.
Orange operate on a different frequency band. Cellnet phones are normal GSM
and work in Oz ok. Certainly check before you buy. NB Orange operate here
but don't have their own network; so a UK Orange phone won't work with Oz
Orange.

Hope this helps, sorry I'm new to all this but maybe you'll get some better
(different?) advice from someone else.

Matthew

<mick_patrick@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:85cvq8$9g0$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
> I'm moving to Australia for a year in a few weeks. I'll need a mobile
> there as soon as I arrive, but would like to get one that I could then
> continue to use in the UK on my return.
>
> Since I need one immediately, with no credit background / bank account
> in Oz, I guess a pre-pay system is the way to go.
>

mick_patrick@my-deja.com wrote:
> 
> I'm moving to Australia for a year in a few weeks. I'll need a mobile
> there as soon as I arrive, but would like to get one that I could then
> continue to use in the UK on my return.
> 
> Since I need one immediately, with no credit background / bank account
> in Oz, I guess a pre-pay system is the way to go.

I presume you don`t want to use global roaming? Because of the expence.

> 
> Looking around, it seems that a lot of pre-pay phones these days are
> sim-locked (eg I can't take my current Cellnet Easylife Philips Diga
> out there - I'm giving it to my parents).
> 
> Can anyone advise me what the best option is:
> 1) What the technical requirements would be for such a dual country
> phone (ie do I need a 'dual-band GSM' unit)?

You don`t need a dual band GSM 900 / 1800 unit over here. We use GSM 900
over here, Which is the same as BT Cellnet and Voda UK. 

> 2) How I could get a phone that could be used both in the UK and there?
> I see that Optus pre-pay includes a sim-only package - could I put that
> sim into a suitable phone bought in the UK? If so, what would be the
> best way to buy a phone here to do that? Orange do a pre-pay system
> with no time limit on the vouchers, but they tell me that all their
> phones are sim-locked.


Most Pre-paid phones are simlocked. If you got a non-locked mobile from
the uk, you could use a pre-paid sim in it while you are over here.

> 3) Or should I just buy a pre-pay phone in Australia. Can I get one
> there that I could then use with a new UK pre-pay sim when I return to
> the UK?

Well after 1 year you are ment to be able to get sim lock removed for
free on the pre-paid handsets.

> 4) Are mobile phones cheaper in Australia or in the UK?

UK are slighly cheaper.

> 5) What is the cheapest way to just buy a mobile phone that is not
> committed to any particular network or call payment plan, in the UK or
> in Australia?

Buy it out right.. or go on a chep plan in the uk with eigher Voda UK or
BT Cellnet.

> 
> Any advice much appreciated - I'm loathe to end up with another junk
> mobile phone after my year abroad, and want to know if I should buy one
> before I go, or get one out there.

Well you could get one (non-simlocked) before you go.. and use a
pre-paid sim in it when you get here.

Tim


-- 
Tim Merrell (mrvfone@fan.net.au)
Webmaster / Editor
Unofficial VodaFone Australia Web Page
HTTP://www.fan.net.au/~mrvfone
*** NEW ***
Nokia Approved "Nokia Communicator Friendly Site" version of my web page 
HTTP://www.fan.net.au/~mrvfone/nok9/

>Well after 1 year you are ment to be able to get sim lock removed for
>free on the pre-paid handsets.

Only Optus and Voda prepay handsets.

Prepay  Telstra phones have a minimum of 2 years before they will be
unlocked. A phone and $25 worth of calls included is currently $99 for the
Ericsson A1018 (duel band) National calls are 70 cents per min.  A cheap
off-peak option with higher peak calls is available.

Recharge cards are: $25 for 2 months access
$60 for 6 months access and calls
$100 for 12 months access and calls

Calls to the UK are 45 cents per min.

Unlocked mobiles are available through the Trader ads in the Trading Post
site:
www.tradingpost.com.au

Mr. Michael J. Ellis <michaele@spin.net.au> wrote in message news:387aee72_3@nexus.comcen.com.au...

>> Pre-paid is certainly not a good deal in Oz
>> and is mainly aimed at people who don't have a
>> credit history or who want to limit their spending.

> Wrong.

Right.

> Telstra's prepaid has per-second rates,

Fat lot of use that is when the rates are obscene.

> with no flagfall

Whoopy do. They aint alone on that.

And there is a flagfall on Top-Up anyway.

> that are very competitive.

Like hell they are except for a coupla special cases that are no use to most.

Brendon Black <blackbj@spamsux-dingoblue.net.au> wrote
in message news:85f2se$j7c$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
> Rod Speed <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote
>> Brendon Black <blackbj@spamsux-dingoblue.net.au> wrote

>>> It was a typo,

>> Is that right, little black boy ?  Would
>> never have guessed if you hadnt told me.

> Well yeah, you said it...

And only someone as stupid as you...

>>> Rod you are just not funny, do just dont try to be.

>> Heard they one about your head and a dead bear's bum, little black boy ?

> *yawn*

Thought that one up all by yourself did you little black boy ?

>> You dont get to rule on anything at all any time soon.
>> Or get to order anyone about any time soon either.

> Well you can take YOUR order and put it up a dead bears bum..

You dont get to issue your orders on that either, stupid little black boy.

> >Ericsson A1018 (duel band) National calls are 70 cents per min.  A cheap
> >off-peak option with higher peak calls is available.
> [snip]
> >Calls to the UK are 45 cents per min.
>
> Calling another hemisphere is nearly half the price of calling half way
> across the country? That's a bit, uhm, daft... Saying that, from my
landline

Nope. The infrastructure for calling OS is pretty much all there.

GSM infrastructure is expensive and constantly expanding. You also need to
take into consideration that the handset subsidy on a contract phone is a
function of the call costs as well.

> Telecoms is a mad, mad, crazy, daft, silly, game. But I love it.

Nope, quite logical.

> > locked as what?
>
> Locked to Australian carriers. Sorry, should have been more specific. All
> Motorola handsets are locked to SIMS belonging to 505-xx carriers, ie the
> Aussie ones.

One wonders if they are locked to all 505s, or just T, O, and V. Which would
be a problem for users of the new One.Tel GSM 1800 network.

> > Wrong. Contract phones in Oz are not locked.
>
> Wrong. All Motorola phones since 1998 are locked, contract or prepaid.
> You can get them unlocked by Motorola easily, but they come locked from
> the factory, it was an attempt to thwart the grey market.

Very good, and quite correct.

I should have said, they are not locked specifically to one carriers SIM
card.

Motorola's are 505 locked, only accepting Australian SIM cards.

> >The most expensive phone on Telstra was $ 199. Now they have dropped to
as
> >low as $ 99.
>
> The complete package, with payg sim (not just the handset), was around
that
> price in Perth in Feb 99 (prob $299).  Does the $99 price include the payg

No, $ 199.

> sim with a certain amount of call time already on it?  That's a pretty
good

Yes, $ 99 with $ 25 calls.

> price.  If they are now locked, how much does it cost to unlock them and
how
> soon can this be done buying the phone?

$ 150 within 2 years, immediately.

> >> Well you can take YOUR order and put it up a dead bears bum..
> >
> >You dont get to issue your orders on that either, stupid little black
boy.
>
> Are you the Windsoar and Habanec of Australia?

Hehe, both Windsoar and Habanec are wankers.

Michael J. Ellis <michaele@spin.net.au> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote
>> Michael J. Ellis <michaele@spin.net.au> wrote

>>>> Pre-paid is certainly not a good deal in Oz
>>>> and is mainly aimed at people who don't have a
>>>> credit history or who want to limit their spending.

>>> Wrong.

>> Right.

>>> Telstra's prepaid has per-second rates,

>> Fat lot of use that is when the rates are obscene.

> Telstra Flat Rate plan, 70c per minute pay by the second.

Utterly obscene.

> Optus flat rate plan, $ 1 per minute pay by the 30 second block.

Even more utterly obscene.

NEITHER are a 'good deal'

>>> with no flagfall

>> Whoopy do. They aint alone on that.

> So?

So there aint no point in waving that around when discussing
prepaids when they aint alone on that. Keep digging.

>> And there is a flagfall on Top-Up anyway.

> Very good. I was referring to MobileNet Digital "U" service.

So you are attempting to put a spin on your bullshit. As usual.

Wota pit thats only ONE of Telstra's complete ripoff prepaids.

>>> that are very competitive.

>> Like hell they are except for a coupla special cases that are no use to most.

Keep digging.