Cell Phone

I'm not currently a cell phone user in Toronto. But, with my plans for moving, I've decided that I'll need a cell phone when I arrive in the UK (London) because I'll be looking for both an apartment and work without access to a land line.

I've heard that electronics are notably more expensive in the UK, so I was thinking would it be better for me to purchase a cell phone in Canada (there are scads of used ones on CL) pre-departure? Would anyone know specific brands of phones to avoid/recommend? Is there anything special that I'd have to do pre-dep (unlock, etc.)?

Does the UK have the same absurdly high rates that I hear we have in Canada with respect to data plans, etc?

Can anyone recommend a service provider that would be good for the London area?

i've been doing some research and found that plans are much cheaper in the UK compared to our bell and rogers rates.

i was recently looking a tmobile and for 25-30 you can get unlimited texts, 600 min

You can buy a 'pay as you go' mobile from around £30.00.

I can recommend the 'Orange' network (I use it and never had any problems)

I would not think you will be able to get a monthly plan because this will require to have a credit check done and you will have no credit score yet as a new immigrant.

Mobile phones are cheap here as every body have one (even children)

I would also suggest pas-as-you-go. You can sign up for Tesco "SIM only" online and the rates are fairly cheap e.g. 5p per text.

Nothing to stop you bringing a phone from Canada, but make sure it'll work in the UK, as the two countries use different frequencies - I forget the details, but believe you need a "tri-band" phone.

ASDA's pay-as-you-go rates are less than half those of Tesco.

You could also get a SIM with good international rates like Nomi or Lycamobile.

Hi.

If you go to any phones 4 u shop. there are loads.
or you can buy one online you can buy mobiles for £10.

Mine was £10, and I pay £10 a month top up and I get 300 free text messages, obviously you can pay more, but that is all I need. There are other plans such as free minutes, or cheaper rates.
This is all with the orange network.

You can go to orange online and look for an animal package that you would like.

since we're on the topic of phones, while in the UK are you able to text phones in Canada and is there a company that offers that?

Any company does, it costs between 20-30p per a text message, and there is no plan for unlimited international texting, or there might be with another service provider, but there for sure isn't with o2 or orange.

however there is something called lycamobile that I see advertised where you can call home for 4p/min

u can send free sms via the internet to most rogers cellphone subscribers in canada.

http://websms.rogers.page.ca/2way/

if u choose one of the pay-as-u-go animal plans on the orange network, then u can pick up a free orange sim card in any orange shop in the uk. orange pay-as-u-go credit lasts for six months, so it's suitable for light users.

ian.

Rates are lower in the UK generally speaking (because it's more on a per-use basis rather than fixed expensive plans), and service is better because there is more competition. Only Rogers has a decent 3G/HSDPA network in Canada whereas there are three or four in the UK that do.

You might be better off buying a phone in Canada though simply because taxes are lower, as long as it has no SIM restrictions on it, you can just buy a SIM in the UK and put it in.

I've done it both ways, Canadian SIM in a UK phone and vice versa, the problem is if the phone is locked by the carrier obviously. But it can be done if you get the right phone.

You can certainly text backwards and forwards, I do it all the time. You get charged more obviously for international SMS. Make sure you get the number right though, e.g. +19051234567 or to text to the UK it would be along the lines of +442081234567

It's relatively simple to try it before you go if you're worried, just find someone using the same carrier you want to use in the UK and get them to text you.