Vodafone?

[WordBird]

My mobile contract expired a couple of months ago - currently with Orange - and I haven't upgraded/renewed it as I don't want to get tied into another contract when I won't be able to use it without huge roaming charges once we move.

However, my rather elderly iPhone 3GS really is ready to go to that great Apple store in the sky. Battery life beyond poor, constantly locking up and crashing etc.

I'd heard somewhere that Vodafone is one of the mobile service providers in Turkey - is this right and does anyone use them? Thought it might be worth talking to them about the possibility of transferring a contract from the UK to there if so, and if they could do that I'd take one out.

I don't really want to shell out a fortune for a new phone, although that would ultimately be cheaper than tying myself into a contract....but from what I've read, I'd be better bringing a phone with me and registering it than buying one over there.

Would also be interested to know how easy the process is there to unlock/register a phone with a Turkish mobile provider if this is what needs to happen.   

[Scunner]

Not an answer to the Vodafone part but have you considered a new battery? My 3GS was crashing at around 52% battery in the end.I nearly bought an iPhone 5 but I have many chargers and docks and didn't fancy the new connector and adapters for them. Plus I like the 3GS  

Our local mobile phone shop (the ones that sell covers and unlock phones, not the contract and phones ones) fitted a new battery in a day and charged me £30. All crashing problems are now a distant memory.

[WordBird]

Hadn't thought of that, Scunner - thanks for the tip.   
Will have to check that out.

I like the 3GS too, though everyone else takes the mickey with their 4s and 5s....but it suits me. (Although  maybe I'm just getting old, not wanting to adapt to all this newer-fangled technology... )