Ronald Hands

I expect within a day or two to receive a tri-band GSM phone
(900/1800/1900) for use on future trips to Europe.
One of the sites providing information on GSM phones in Europe
says that one should buy a SIM card for France from a North
American supplier before going to Europe. The reason given is
that suppliers will often refuse to sell a SIM to those who do not
have a residential address in the country where the SIM will be used.
Is this true? Seems counter-intuitive, since the GSM service is
prepaid, and the recharge cards are apparently readily available
in any tabac.
Also are there any recommendations as to the best service
provider for Paris? I've seen Mobilite (Orange?) and SFR advertised.

-- Ron

S Viemeister

Ronald Hands wrote:

    > One of the sites providing information on GSM phones in Europe
    > says that one should buy a SIM card for France from a North
    > American supplier before going to Europe. The reason given is
    > that suppliers will often refuse to sell a SIM to those who do not
    > have a residential address in the country where the SIM will be used.
    > Is this true? Seems counter-intuitive, since the GSM service is
    > prepaid, and the recharge cards are apparently readily available
    > in any tabac.
    >
I have no experience with French PAYGs, but my daughter bought a SIM-pack
in Spain a few weeks ago (Vodafone), with no problem at all.
You could just give the address of your hotel, though, couldn't you?

Darby Jo

On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 17:42:57 -0400, Ronald Hands
<[email protected]> wrote:

    > I expect within a day or two to receive a tri-band GSM phone
    >(900/1800/1900) for use on future trips to Europe.
    > One of the sites providing information on GSM phones in Europe
    >says that one should buy a SIM card for France from a North
    >American supplier before going to Europe. The reason given is
    >that suppliers will often refuse to sell a SIM to those who do not
    >have a residential address in the country where the SIM will be used.
    > Is this true? Seems counter-intuitive, since the GSM service is
    >prepaid, and the recharge cards are apparently readily available
    >in any tabac.
    > Also are there any recommendations as to the best service
    >provider for Paris? I've seen Mobilite (Orange?) and SFR advertised.
    >-- Ron

I had no problems buying a prepaid phone package from a phone
shop in Paris. The owner simply registered it to the address
where I was staying during my trip. If your new phone is
unlocked, you should have no trouble buying a SIM for it.

I use Carte Nomad from Bouygues Telecom, which I've heard has the
best rates and longest coverage (any recharge from 15 Euros and
up allows you to keep your same number for 8 months). I usually
buy a recharge card before leaving Paris and call from the US to
recharge using a regular phone (Carte Nomad won't work in the US,
even with a compatible phone, unless you have it registered to a
French bank account and choose the Option Monde) to keep my same
cell number active until my next trip. I've never had any
problems with their service.

http://www.futurclient.bouyguestelec...arte_basic.asp

Darby Jo

Mark Fagan

I just use my regular phone service, which works in Europe. For long
distance I use the same Primus/AT&T access number that I would from a
payphone, having previously registered my cell phone with them.

"Ronald Hands" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I expect within a day or two to receive a tri-band GSM phone
    > (900/1800/1900) for use on future trips to Europe.
    > One of the sites providing information on GSM phones in Europe
    > says that one should buy a SIM card for France from a North
    > American supplier before going to Europe. The reason given is
    > that suppliers will often refuse to sell a SIM to those who do not
    > have a residential address in the country where the SIM will be used.
    > Is this true? Seems counter-intuitive, since the GSM service is
    > prepaid, and the recharge cards are apparently readily available
    > in any tabac.
    > Also are there any recommendations as to the best service
    > provider for Paris? I've seen Mobilite (Orange?) and SFR advertised.
    > -- Ron

Tim Challenger

On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 17:42:57 -0400, Ronald Hands wrote:

    > I expect within a day or two to receive a tri-band GSM phone
    > (900/1800/1900) for use on future trips to Europe.
    > One of the sites providing information on GSM phones in Europe
    > says that one should buy a SIM card for France from a North
    > American supplier before going to Europe. The reason given is
    > that suppliers will often refuse to sell a SIM to those who do not
    > have a residential address in the country where the SIM will be used.
    > Is this true?

Almost certainly.

    > Seems counter-intuitive, since the GSM service is
    > prepaid, and the recharge cards are apparently readily available
    > in any tabac.
The recharge cards are, yes but as you are operating a radio transmitter
you need to be licensed - you get that when you register. Each phone has a
unique ID as well as the SIM and it's partly the duty of the providers to
know who is transmitting on their wavelengths. That's why you have to
register, one way or another, and to prove your identity.

There's also a complication with some pre-paid cards. They don't just stop
working the instant you run out of credit. They often have a buffer of a
few minutes' time which means you can become overdrawn on the card, owing
the phone company money. This gets deducted when you recharge the SIM, of
course. To stop you using that and just binning it and getting a new SIM
they want you to register.
It's called control. Big companies and governments love it.


--
Tim C.