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Cellular Phone Forum / General / General Topics / January 2004wireless questions marks
Hi, I actually live in Italy but I plan to move to the USA in March. I've some problem understanding the differences between the italian typical wireless plan and the american one. Below you can find a list of the principal characteristics of an italian plan. Would you be so nice to underscore the main differences from an american plan? -Here we usually buy a phone and a plan separately. You pay the full-price phone and, separately, you buy a sim card of the chosen provider. -The rate plans are usually pre-paid. You can recharge your SIM credit buying a card with a secret code. -You have different rates depending to hour, day, who you call to and if you call a mobile or a normal phone. -The WHOLE price of the call is charged to the person who calls (at least the other person is abroad. In this situation the receiver will pay a part of the expensive call). -The WHOLE price of a text messages is paid by who sends the message (despite WHERE and who is the receiver, INCLUDING foreign numbers). That's almost all, I think. For me is pretty important to understand the situation since I have my girlfriend actually living in Poland and we keep in touch by sms'. I would specially like to understand if I'm going to be charged when she sends to me an sms and if she's going to be charged when she sends an sms to me (supposing she can send an sms to an american mobile phone...). Thank you very much for the help. Giulio >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >-Here we usually buy a phone and a plan separately. You pay the full-price >phone and, separately, you buy a sim card of the chosen provider. Typically in the US you go to a mobile operator and get both your service and the handset from the mobile operator. Very often the the mobile operator will offer a "free" or severely discounted phone with the promise that you'll be in a contract for one or two years. >-The rate plans are usually pre-paid. You can recharge your SIM credit >buying a card with a secret code. Perhaps that's what you use in Italy, but I'm sure you can get monthly "billed" accounts as well. Prepaid is available with most mobile providers. It is however hardly used by the majority of mobile users. The people who generally use prepaid in the US are those who either have not established a satisfactory credit record, are under age or are foreign visitors who do not have a US credit record. >-You have different rates depending to hour, day, who you call to and if you >call a mobile or a normal phone. In the US very often you'll usually have an anytime "bucket" of minutes that you can use anytime. You also might have night and weekend allowance. Depending on the plan and the operator daytime hours are typically 07:00 to 21:00 or sometimes 07:00 to 19:00. In the off-peak time depending on the operator they'll either give you a big number or minutes (1.000 or more) or they'll give you unlimited time during the off-peak or weekend periods. Calling to other telephones is the same whether it's calling to another mobile or another fixed line telephone. There is no difference in the US as there is in Europe/Asia. >-The WHOLE price of the call is charged to the person who calls (at least >the other person is abroad. In this situation the receiver will pay a part >of the expensive call). In the US generally (with some exceptions) all calls originated and received by a mobile subscriber in the US gets charged airtime. Callers who call a mobile number do not pay anything extra and if the call is "local" will likely not pay anything in most of the US excepting cities such as Boston, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and some other large cities who are charged "message units" to call locally. This is in contrast to Europe and Asia where the calling party pays for the whole cost of the call. >-The WHOLE price of a text messages is paid by who sends the message >(despite WHERE and who is the receiver, INCLUDING foreign numbers). It depends on the mobile operator. Many mobile operators charge for both sending and receiving and some only charge for sending. The rate charged can vary considerably as well. e.g. to send text messages with T-Mobile US it's 5 cents per SMS sent or received. AT&T does not charge for incoming SMS but charges 10 cents per SMS to send. Some operators charge 15 cents per SMS. >That's almost all, I think. For me is pretty important to understand the >situation since I have my girlfriend actually living in Poland and we keep >in touch by sms'. I would specially like to understand if I'm going to be >charged when she sends to me an sms and if she's going to be charged when >she sends an sms to me (supposing she can send an sms to an american mobile >phone...). Also be aware that in the US they use several different incompatible mobile phone standards (incompatible with end user equipment, but able to send SMS and make calls to other systems.) T-Mobile and cingular use GSM as you do in Italy though on a different frequency than used in Italy. If you have a "triband" phone it may work for some GSM systems in the US especially the system used by T-Mobile and AT&T Wireless. cingular also uses GSM, but part of their system uses yet another frequency for GSM that is not usually part of triband phones. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - remove NO from .NOcom to reply > Typically in the US you go to a mobile operator and get both your > service and the handset from the mobile operator. Very often the the > mobile operator will offer a "free" or severely discounted phone with > the promise that you'll be in a contract for one or two years. It happens often in many European conutries. Not in Italy, unfortunately. > Perhaps that's what you use in Italy, but I'm sure you can get monthly > "billed" accounts as well. Right. But the pre-paid are much more popular. > Prepaid is available with most mobile > providers. It is however hardly used by the majority of mobile users. > The people who generally use prepaid in the US are those who either > have not established a satisfactory credit record, are under age or > are foreign visitors who do not have a US credit record. What do you mean with "satisfactory credit record"? Since I move from Italy, I think it will be difficult to have, at the beginning om my stay, something more that a bank account with a medium amount of money. > >-The WHOLE price of a text messages is paid by who sends the message > >(despite WHERE and who is the receiver, INCLUDING foreign numbers). [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > charge for incoming SMS but charges 10 cents per SMS to send. Some > operators charge 15 cents per SMS. Clear. > Also be aware that in the US they use several different incompatible > mobile phone standards (incompatible with end user equipment, but able [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > system uses yet another frequency for GSM that is not usually part of > triband phones. Supposing I won't have a massive use of the phone to call and receive calls (working contacts aside) and I'll use it specially to keep in touch by sms with Italy and Poland, what would you definitely suggest me as provider/rate plan? I'll be in Seattle, if this can be further information for you. Thanks a lot Giuliano >What do you mean with "satisfactory credit record"? Since I move from Italy, >I think it will be difficult to have, at the beginning om my stay, something >more that a bank account with a medium amount of money. In order to get a monthly "billed" account in the US and in most countries generally you need to have a satisfactory "local" credit record. The mobile companies do a credit check on you to make sure that you are able to make the montly payments and that you have a good history of making payments to your credit obligations (automobile purchase payment, VISA, Eurocard, store credit cards, utilities such as telephone, gas, electric, etc.) If it's determined that you are not a good credit risk i.e. you either don't make timely payments or you are constantly late this will affect your credit standing. If you have a poor credit standing the mobile operator may choose not to extend service to you or perhaps make you pay a high deposit to ensure that they'll get paid on a timely basis. If you are moving from Italy more than likely you will not be able to get monthly mobile service and will be relegated to using prepaid service. >Supposing I won't have a massive use of the phone to call and receive calls >(working contacts aside) and I'll use it specially to keep in touch by sms >with Italy and Poland, what would you definitely suggest me as provider/rate >plan? >I'll be in Seattle, if this can be further information for you. If you are in Seattle you can use either T-Mobile, cingular or AT&T "Go" phone. Both T-Mobile and cingular offer traditional prepaid where you can buy a starter pack usually for ~$50 for the pack alone or you can get a package that is the starter pack with a handset included. Packages typically are $70 - $90 and include $30 worth of call credits. You'll have to periodically replenish your airtime with vouchers that are typically available at "convenience" stores such as 7-11 Stores. T-Mobile and cingular have traditional prepaid. AT&T has something called "Go phone" which is also a form of prepaid, but does not work like a traditional prepaid system. >Thanks a lot > >Giuliano Prego! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - remove NO from .NOcom to reply > What do you mean with "satisfactory credit record"? Since I move from Italy, > I think it will be difficult to have, at the beginning om my stay, something > more that a bank account with a medium amount of money. AT&T has a relatively new plan they call "Go Phone"- it works like a cross between pre-paid and post-paid, but with no contract. Essentially you buy a phone for about $90US, and select a rate plan ($20 and up) and they automatically deduct the amount from your bank account every month (or when you run out o minutes- whichever comes first.) http://www.attwireless.com/personal/gophone/index.jhtml has the details, but if I remember, incoming SMS is free, and outgoing is 10-cents. If you have an unlocked phone you can buy AT&T SIMs from AT&T stores here, which would be cheaper than buying the phone. > Supposing I won't have a massive use of the phone to call and receive calls > (working contacts aside) and I'll use it specially to keep in touch by sms > with Italy and Poland, what would you definitely suggest me as provider/rate > plan? > I'll be in Seattle, if this can be further information for you. AT&T does cover Seattle. I'd e-mail them to make sure SMSing Italy and Poland won't be a problem. Good luck! > AT&T does cover Seattle. I'd e-mail them to make sure SMSing Italy > and Poland won't be a problem. AT&T Seattle coverage SHOULD BE flawless, because AT&T Wireless's company headquarters are in Seattle. On the other hand, Sprint PCS has issues in Overland Park, Kansas, and that's where Sprint corporate HQ is... so who knows. But AT&T *should* have very good coverage in the Seattle area.  SignatureJustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, Apple Valley, CA Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP: C57E 8B25 F994 D6D0 5F6B B961 EA08 9410 E3AE 35ED > Hi, > > I actually live in Italy but I plan to move to the USA in March. Welcome > I've some problem understanding the differences between the italian typical > wireless plan and the american one. Below you can find a list of the > principal characteristics of an italian plan. Would you be so nice to > underscore the main differences from an american plan? We have a large aera to cover and have not covered the whole country yet. Where will you spend your time while here ? > -Here we usually buy a phone and a plan separately. You pay the full-price > phone and, separately, you buy a sim card of the chosen provider. You can do the same here but the best deals are bundled together, contracts ( 1 to 2 years) with early termination fees $150+ . We have some phones that don't use sim card at all. Not all cards work in all phones. > -The rate plans are usually pre-paid. You can recharge your SIM credit > buying a card with a secret code. For low usage say less than 100 minutes per month prepaid plans are good here, if you use your phone a lot post paid plans are better. You may have to put up a deposit or have someone here with credit get the phone. > -You have different rates depending to hour, day, who you call to and if you > call a mobile or a normal phone. Same here with some time free if off peak, some include longdistance within US a few include longdistance to Europe ( a prepaid plan from ecallplus). > -The WHOLE price of the call is charged to the person who calls (at least > the other person is abroad. In this situation the receiver will pay a part > of the expensive call). You pay airtime to make or get a call the same, the party calling only pays extra if they are longdistance from your cellphone number. > -The WHOLE price of a text messages is paid by who sends the message > (despite WHERE and who is the receiver, INCLUDING foreign numbers). Some allow free incomming some don't, the charge is $.05 to $.10 per message. > That's almost all, I think. For me is pretty important to understand the > situation since I have my girlfriend actually living in Poland and we keep > in touch by sms'. I would specially like to understand if I'm going to be > charged when she sends to me an sms and if she's going to be charged when > she sends an sms to me (supposing she can send an sms to an american mobile > phone...). May only work with some providers. You may want to ask and or test with someone that has done it and find out what provider they used while here. We have Major providers like AT&TW, Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, T-moble, and many smaller providers that maybe the best for provider for a City or region. > Thank you very much for the help. > > Giulio Your are welcome, enjoy your stay. Stanley > Welcome Thanks! > We have a large aera to cover and have not covered the whole country yet. > Where will you spend your time while here ? I'll be in Seattle not less than one year...maybe longer. > > -The rate plans are usually pre-paid. You can recharge your SIM credit > > buying a card with a secret code. > For low usage say less than 100 minutes per month prepaid plans are good > here, if you use your phone a lot post paid plans are better. > You may have to put up a deposit or have someone here with credit get the > phone. I asked the same to Joseph in this tread. Is it a "medium" bank account enough or do I need a credit card as guarantee? > Same here with some time free if off peak, some include longdistance within > US a few include longdistance to Europe ( a prepaid plan from ecallplus). To arrange my long distance calls I was thinking to use either International phone cards or some computer software which allows free peer to peer calls. > You pay airtime to make or get a call the same, the party calling only pays > extra if they are longdistance from your cellphone number. Clear. Do the calling party and the receiver share the cost fifty-fifty? > Some allow free incomming some don't, the charge is $.05 to $.10 per > message. Clear. > May only work with some providers. You may want to ask and or test with > someone that has done it and find out what provider they used while here. > We have Major providers like AT&TW, Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, > T-moble, and many smaller providers that maybe the best for provider for a > City or region. Ok, I'll try to ask someone who has already tested the situation. > Your are welcome, enjoy your stay. > Stanley Thanks Stanley. I'll do it! Giuliano > > Welcome > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > I'll be in Seattle not less than one year...maybe longer. Very nice , check out Canada as well , coverage in Seattle should be good, two years ago Verizon had solid coverage for me. Maybe someone from there can comment futher. > > > -The rate plans are usually pre-paid. You can recharge your SIM credit > > > buying a card with a secret code. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I asked the same to Joseph in this tread. Is it a "medium" bank account > enough or do I need a credit card as guarantee? For most people a credit history here is more than a new bank account they are looking to see if you have a history of paying bills. A credit card can be used with pre paid plans to recharge the account but unless it is a credit card from a US bank with a history it may not help establish credit. I have no idea how to establish credit from a history in Italy, a letter of credit from your local bank maybe. > > Same here with some time free if off peak, some include longdistance > within [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Clear. Do the calling party and the receiver share the cost fifty-fifty? No > > Some allow free incomming some don't, the charge is $.05 to $.10 per > > message. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Giuliano >Clear. Do the calling party and the receiver share the cost fifty-fifty? Usually in the US the receiving party (the person with the mobile service) pays for all of the call both incoming and outgoing. They'll pay long distance (sometimes) on the outgoing portion of the call if that applies though many US plans include long distance with the plan either for monthly or prepaid. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - remove NO from .NOcom to reply |
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