highspeed07

I am from California and going to work 6-12 month with my company in Moscow, Russia. Curious to know what some of you fellow corporate pilots do outside USA for phone service. If your company is not providing you a cell and/or blackberry (With voice). I am a new to the company have gone through training and checkride !. For example I am with Verizon now as my US Cell provider. Would like to stay with them but want to know which plan would work upon my purchase of a blackberry (Worl Edition) 8830. How much?

s10an

I might be wrong, but i dont think Verizon uses the GSM network, and that is the common network in Europe and russia.
Save yourself the money and use a laptop with wireless.

Skype has excellent quality and good prices.
Voipbuster is also very good.(free calls to landlines in most countries.)

SamFoxpilot

Good luck...most US phones don't work in Europe or Russia. T-mobile (a German company) phones work throughout almost all of Europe, but calls from a US based phone are $4.99/minute. GSM is the more common cellular network architecture in Europe.

jetflyger

Any GSM phone will work in Europe and most of Russia as well. Make sure you bring one that is UNLOCKED. That way you can buy a sim card package in Russia and obtain a local telephone number. Otherwise you better check with T-Mobile or AT&T who are the only GSM providers in the United States to see what international rates they can give you calling from Russia. Roaming charges run anywhere from 1.69 to 4.99 depending on what plan you sign up for with any of those two carriers.

Buying a unlocked GSM phone on Ebay is also a way to avoid signing up for a plan with any carrier. Make sure it is a quad band phone.

Enjoy Russia

Zoot Suit

WHATEVER YOU DO.....Don't take the new Iphone out of the country.......

http://www.newsday.com/services/news...,5393336.story

UtFlyer

Verizion will not work in europe. Like previous posters have said, buy an unlocked, Quad band phone. Then buy your sim cards individually once you are over there. That would be the cheapest way to go.

JetJocF14

What are you going to need a phone for,,,, you'l be married to a russian babe in six months...........

Rubberband

I switched from Verizon to Cingular (new ATT) and with a GSM phone, I have the Razer, worldwide service has been great. Per min rates with the Intl plan are between .99 in europe to 4.99 a min. in garden spots like Afghanistan.

Radial Song

The Blackberry 8830 World Edition has GSM in addition to GPRS and EV-DO and can be used with Verizon. Sprint has this one too.

CVG767A

I've got Cingular/ATT, and my phone works fine in Europe (at least the cities), but can get pricey at $1/ minute in most of Europe, and as much as $5/minute (i.e. Russia). I was on a couple of Moscow layovers during the last few weeks, and found that (ATT) signal availability is pretty spotty. When I had a signal at all, the carrier listed on the screen would frequently change as I traveled around town ( the only other place I've seen it change so often is Berlin).

BTW, Cingular unlocked my Moto RAZR for free. I just called and requested it, and they sent me an unlock code via email. I'm now using a European sim card when I travel. The outgoing calls are almost as expensive, but incoming calls are free (just the L/D charge for the caller to call my U.K. number- $.05/min).

I haven't tried the new sim card in Russia, so I can't recommend it for there yet. I'll pass on my experience with it in Russia next time I go there (I'm thinking maybe next May or June, when it warms up again!).

Do svidanya!