Author Topic: Mobile Phones  (Read 7779 times)

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Offline WendyA

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Mobile Phones
« Reply #30 on: October 12, 2011, 20:49:02 PM »
Sorry, I'm rubbish at all of this, too.  I want to be able to call the UK from Turkey - and make calls in Turkey, too.  I need a new mobile phone in the UK.  I'm confused from all of this what I should do.  Those of you who are knowledgeable - should I just buy a cheap Turkish mobile and sim and leave it there? (and buy another for the UK).  Should I just get a different Sim for each country - how do you get an 'unlocked' phone?  Is it cheaper to use a Turkish sim to phone the UK or an English sim to phone Turkey?!
its all just too confusing...!!!



Offline Supacabby

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Mobile Phones
« Reply #31 on: October 12, 2011, 23:37:51 PM »
I need a new mobile phone in the UK.  
Buy 1 in the UK on a tariff you are happy with (payg or contract-your choice) & leave it there.

Should I just buy a cheap Turkish mobile and sim and leave it there?
Mobile phones are expensive in Turkey so don't expect cheap but second hand are available widely now.

Should I just get a different Sim for each country
You can do this but you need an unlocked phone, see post below.

How do you get an 'unlocked' phone?
All Turkish phones are not "simlocked" so can be used on any Turkish network & most will work on a UK network if you want them to.You can also buy unlocked phones in the UK, Carphone Warehouse would be a good place to ask for some help.

Is it cheaper to use a Turkish sim to phone the UK or an English sim to phone Turkey?
They are both expensive & I wouldn't recommend either way.

Depending on how long you spend in Turkey I would (it's my personal choice) have 2 phones.

To phone the UK from Turkey buy a phone card, ring from the phone booths & only ring landlines.

Turkish mobile to UK mobile is expensive, even with an "international dialling package" as offered by all the Turkish operators.

Likewise if you use a UK mobile in Turkey to send or receive calls to/from the UK it's appx £1.50 per minute, networks vary but that's a good average.

Yes it's confusing & I have suggested having 2 phones for this very reason. If you are not up to speed with the phone technology then it would be much easier for you to know where you stand with each phone in each country & you would not need to swap sim cards over & get involved with other settings changes you may well need.

Last but not least: Text messages to/from a UK mobile from a Turkish mobile are appx 30p each. If you use a UK mobile whilst in Turkey to text back to a UK mobile in the UK they are about the same price or sometimes more, again it depends on your UK network.

Hope that helps, a bit!

Offline philrose

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Mobile Phones
« Reply #32 on: October 13, 2011, 07:29:16 AM »
Another thing. If you are going to use an unlocked UK mobile in Turkey with a Turkish sim then the phone will have to be registered to that sim card. Otherwise it will be blocked after a week or so. The major phone shops will so this for a small fee but it has to be done in the first 2 weeks of your visa being issued.

Offline WendyA

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« Reply #33 on: October 13, 2011, 08:08:51 AM »
Thanks for the prompt advice!  

Offline yakamoz

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« Reply #34 on: October 13, 2011, 20:47:02 PM »
How long can I leave my Turkish sim card unused before I lose number also same question for Turkcell dongle.

Offline Supacabby

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« Reply #35 on: October 13, 2011, 21:58:54 PM »
Avea is 6 months, can't help with Turkcell.




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