Hi,

does anybody knows or is testing this ?

http://www.gt-sim.com/

is this a serious carrier or MVNO ?

Thanks for any feedback

Thomas Blob
www.blob-net.de

If you're searching for a new telephone number for your starter pack, numbers beginning with 44 (UK??) comes up. But the site is in German... And the Global Termination company registrered in Hong Kong?!

Incoming rates aren't that great, but outgoing looks okay and SMS from everywhere to everywhere for 0,09 EUR makes me pretty curious.

I've made another discovery! The number range +44.76241.xxxxx is of Manx Telecom, Isle of Man so, not England... another small "semi-country" after Liechtenstein and Monaco... So there should be free incoming calls only in the little island, and not in whole Britain, or am I wrong?

Other good thing is GPRS, 1cent/KB is not cheap, but usually roaming GPRS tariffs are even worse and SMS at 9 cent are relly good (with SMSbug could cost even less, thanks to GPRS connection).

There is voicemail you can set-up for free too.

It really looks interesting, only incoming calls are too expensive, but the rest is really good!

Unluckily SMSbug has "lost" every second SMS I send, no matter if per Java/GPRS or directly from their website.

Well, I made some testing and at least at the moment it is working fine for me. SMS to Vodafone DE, Eplus, o2 DE and Tim IT were delivered instantly. No, I didn't sent any SMS to myself. :whistle:

SMSbug seem to work fine in this last period, while it had problems in the past. Now also Wind is supported, and really works.

The cost of SMS is similar to 10 US cents in Hop - I hope that functioning isn't :P

Do you already have a GT Sim?

It's possible but not obvious. After all, Riiing has no free incoming in its "home country" FL. Hop has no free incoming anywhere (though it might have in Kosovo - I checked Andrea's Hop number which he sent me for SMS tests and it's from Monaco Telecom Kosovo GSM network).
But the way of operation of GT-SIM seems similar to that of Mobal which roams on O2 UK and that's why it has free incoming in the UK.

If SMSes do work, that's great!


Yes, I agree. Here go my general impressions.

1) The service is not prepaid but "credit card charged" in fact - just like Mobal. The SIM is not free but the rates are much better than Mobal ones.
2) Unlike Riiing and Hop, GT covers the entire EU, but not entire Europe again: Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova missing :(. Coverage outside Europe is rather poor (but NZ included :) !)
3) http://212.227.87.187/websites/gt_sim/roam...ng.php?lang=eng and http://www.manxpronto.net/roamingpartners.asp don't fully conform but look similar....
4) http://212.227.87.187/websites/gt_sim/pric...SIM-eng-b2c.pdf says that calls to mobiles are 38 cents from everywhere. The question is if this includes calls to mobiles in countries like US/Canada in which receiving party pays the mobile surcharge and landline/mobile numbers are mixed
5) No rates for calls to satellite networks.
6) No rates for GSM-on-Ships roaming (none available?)
7) I wonder what technology lies behind the phone compatibility:
http://212.227.87.187/websites/gt_sim//dow...ibility_eng.pdf ? Is it some "hidden callback " or callback/camel combination?
8) They should decide what is surcharge for India: "only" 1 EUR like in http://212.227.87.187/websites/gt_sim/pric...SIM-eng-b2c.pdf
or 1.20 like in http://212.227.87.187/websites/gt_sim/roam...ng.php?lang=eng :)

http://global-termination.com/

read this:
:: These mobile devices, use 2 operator SIMs at the same time and offer termination rates of cents 26 to cents 38 to any worldwide phone number, from the mobile phone. - sophisticated - :whistle:

Hmmmm. I wonder if this means that the SIM has two IMSIs? It seems to say that the phone actually has two SIMs active at the same time but I wonder if that's what they really mean?

Hop certainly has some sort of dual ID - Monaco and Ghana networks.

Incoming Riiing calls sometimes show IDs of Russia or Bahrain, and not only on US sourced calls, also GSM and other companies. That could be a separate issue though.

Hong Kong seems to be one of the cheapest places in the world for phone calls ...

where will the next one come from ?

This is a REALLY interesting SIM for me - as I'm based in the Isle of Man.

I phoned them and discussed it. They're definately Germans, not in Hong Kong. :-)

They say the free incoming ("national") is for the country of the SUBSCRIBER, i.e. if you sign up from Germany, it's Germany, sign up from France, it's France, sign up from the Isle of Man and it's the whole of country code 44. They claim it works in the Isle of Man.

They say the roaming partners are idential to Manx Telecom:
http://www.manxpronto.net/roamingpartners.asp

So it doesn't cover Mexico yet. :-(

Note I'm just reporting what I was told, haven't checked it yet, although I'm ordering one today.

The Isle of Man number system is a little unusual. Fixed phones are +44 1624 followed by six digit numbers starting with 6,7, or 8. Mobiles (on the only network) are +44 7624 followed by six digits numbers starting with 4. So there is a special dialling rule locally, just dial the six digits to get a local fixed or mobile number (e.g. 4xx xxx from a fixed phone is all that's needed to dial a mobile).

So mobile numbers starting with 1 might be a problem. Breaks the local dialling rule (numbers starting with 1 are services, like the operator or 112). Dialling one of their unallocated numbers, with area code, from within the Isle of Man gives the message "this service is not compatible with this call" which might be because the number is not yet in service - or might be to stop anybody using it locally! I'll ask Manx Telecom next.

Note that international incoming calls to GT-sim are charged at the UK mobile rate, as it's with country code 44. BUT note that UK mobiles usually charge more to call the Isle of Man than to call UK mainland mobiles, so if you're a UK user anybody calling you from within the UK might get a suprise on their bill.

[update]
Manx Telecom don't have a rate for calls to these numbers, it's not clear whether they are diallable from the Isle of Man or not, might be barred to block competition. I'm chasing this up with the local company that own that number block (which is not Manx Telecom) before ordering - since the majority of calls I get while travelling are from the Island.

[update 2]
It's been confirmed to me that the number should be diallable locally. And their helpline within that range rings OK. Ordering: note the order form doesn't work with Firefox, and to see the Terms and Conditions click on "privacy policy" (they've used the wrong term). Had another chat with them, there will a better ordering process "soon", and the "only" countries not diallable are satellite phones, and Cuba. The people behind it have been run 26cent.com, which is where the pricing comes from. I've ordered one to play around with, will report back when I've received it.

info: i just got a GT-sim card for a review.

So very soon I'll test it for you, let me know what you want to know ;)

from their site :P

GT-SIM is a product by Global Termination Holding HK Limited, <span style='color:red'>a Hong Kong based company</span>. The enterprise has been well established in the worldwide mobile phone networks with its own products since 2003.

If you wan't to test the international SMS ability feel free to pm me the number and I'll send you some SMS.

HK is a good place for a tax base for an international company. They're Germans. Support is in Germany, with limited English spoken (I've spoken to them at length). Their older domains all have German contact addresses...

I ssuspected that free "free incoming" may pertain to the country of the subscriber but it looked so strange to me that I didn't even want to tell a word about it :)

Does this mean that their "real world operator" is Manx Teleceom, like FL1 for Riiing?

On Mozilla either - but it's practically the same as Firefox inside.

HK is also one of the world's cheapest places for cheap phone calls. And they have dropped hints about dual IDs.

Their site 26cent.de is interesting though slightly less informative than you'd hope - it seems like it's a callback service like any other, triggered by website, wap or other options. At 26c for landlines and 38c to mobiles (per minute billing), it isn't quite as cheap or convenient as other callback services that we've seen.

You can apparently set up an account with a phone number of any country - even a free trial account with ?1.00 credit.

For roaming agreement purposes, yes. The incoming numbers are within a Manx Telecom range, but have been subcontracted to a local company who provide various phone services (callback etc) who have allocated a range to gt-sim.

You're not kidding - you have to know what the product is before you can work out what's going on. They say they don't get many customers using Firefox - it's easy to see why... Even with MSIE it's a bit flash-heavy. I agree not the cheapest in most places, especially when you take the cost of the SMS into account, just another call back service.

But the reason the SIM is interesting for me is that it has a local (to me, and many family and friends) mobile number, and does roam on the island so I can test it here (unlike Riiing and Hop).

I see.
By the way, where on the website is it said explicitly that incoming calls are free in the country of registration? And I think it shouldn't apply to USA, Canada and India since those countries have extra surcharges for all calls in the GT pricelist...

It doesn't. Which is why I phoned them. And why I'll only believe it when I've tried it.

Like Buytel, a lot of things seem to be a bit hazy and not well thought out (they haven't really launched yet), but as they at least have some experience of flat-rate calls with their callback company I'll try it out.

The SMS prices make it a good travel sim. [edit] but looking closer (I thought) they seem to charge for receiving SMS at all times even in the home country, which for many could be a killer. (but I was wrong, it's another translation error in the English price list). [/edit]

For me it's also cheaper than my own domestic SIM (Manx Telecom Pronto Go) for everything except off-peak local calls, and shouldn't cost any more for local people to call (in theory, need to test this).

For others in Europe near borders Riiing is maybe a better deal (Riiing doesn't work here).

Where did you find this about charge for incoming sms? It's not in the complete price list at http://212.227.87.187/websites/gt_sim/pric...SIM-ger-b2c.pdf

I was looking at the English price list at
http://212.227.87.187/websites/gt_sim/pric...SIM-eng-b2c.pdf

It says:
"text messages within the country"
"text messages send abroad"
"text messages while abroad"
(all 9c)

If the second price is sending, what is the last price?

Looks like it is a translation error, since the German list uses "versand" (dispatch) for all.

So, I agree, reading the German version of the list, there is no incoming charge, sorry for the false alarm. Their translations are careless (like "privacy policy" for the terms and conditions).

OK, so if the country of the subscriber is the USA does that mean that incoming calls are "free" in the US? That would be interesting.

USA and Canada roaming are 60 cents extra (fine print -- India 1 Euro more). Not clear if that is send, receive or both or if it even applies to free incoming. The one page is somewhat vague as has been noted.

Ok, I'm yet waiting for the sim and when it will be in my hands I'll try to know everything for you :P

Also I suppose that Manx Telecom is the "real" network behind GT (as FL1 for Riiing or Spacetel Ghana for Hop) and that we pay for incoming calls everywhere :construction:

My GT-Sim arrived today - ordered 24 Oct, posted from Thailand (!) on 3 Nov. Reasonably secure system, as the sim has a pin which is only visible on the web site (so if the sim is stolen in the post it's unusable).

Seems to function OK, although I'm probably not in an ideal position to test as I'm on the home network (Manx Telecom, Isle of Man).

The online billing records both incoming and outgoing calls and is totally real-time for voice calls, updates in seconds. Incoming calls not charged for me on this network (supposed to be not charged anywhere in +44, but I can't test that although the online billing does say "roaming in United Kingdom" for my calls so far).

Incoming and outgoing SMS works fine to other MT phones, I'll check other networks later. SMS isn't shown on the online billing yet.

Actually the billing does look a bit odd - online bill shows my 26c test call and incominng calls, dialling 187 to check balance shows 6c for my test SMS. The real total is both.

For outgoing calls I've just tested by dialling a number direct, not using a phone book, on a very basic Siemens A60. Callback works fine and very prompt. I'll test quality later.

There is also voicemail, I'll test that and more soon. Next week I'll be trying it in Ireland and the USA.

The billing is a bit confusing at present. Every outgoing call to a fixed line gets an SMS after (and is shown on the 187 balance) as costing US$0.06, calls to mobiles shown as US0.24. On the online billing summary they are shown (correctly) as Euro 26c and 38c.

Outgoing SMS doesn't appear on either yet (the 6c shown was related to the call not the SMS).

Calls to US mobiles are billed as landline (26c), as you'd expect (no way to tell it's a mobile).

Does this all mean that the billing is currency-mixed, both euros and US dollars?

No, it means the billing information isn't working correctly yet.

The online billing is in Euros as shown on their price list (except that SMS charges are not appearing yet).

The "your call costs" and "balance summary" on the phone are the wrong amount in the wrong currency, at present.

Thanks for your first review of a GT sim :thumbup:

Do you confirm that incoming calls in Man are totally free?

I think it's only there because Manx Telecom is the "home network"...

P.S.:: I'm waitin' for GT sim... from 25th October, maybe I'll have it tomorrow :)

Yes, they are shown on the web billing as being free. They are itemised as "Roaming in United Kingdom" so I do expect they would be free in the whole of +44. The calls are all itemised, with the caller id of the incoming call, if available.

The SMS (including outbound) is also free so far but I expect that's just a billing delay.

There is no information on GPRS in the package or on the website which just gave me a chance to try out their customer service - basically there isn't any at 9.20pm CET. :thumbdown: Calling the helpline on the card gives a standard Manx Telecom voicemailbox. Using the "call me back" on the website (with my country set to UK) gives a callback which is then connected to a German-language voicemail. So don't rely on being able to get hold of any support outside European working hours. (and their website form doesn't work with Firefox either).

Just tried out voicemail - it's very limited.

There's no way to change the outgoing message, and no way to pick up a message from another number (have to call via the phone, only). The outgoing message is in English, this is presumably set when you opened the account and doesn't appear to be changeable.

There is supposed to be an SMS to inform you when a message is left, but this can't be relied on. The only time I got an SMS is when I rejected a call, messages I left when the phone was switched off didn't get an SMS after it was back on. The first voicemail I left disappeared completely.

On the good side, there is (as you'd expect) no charge when a message is left. For me (maybe because I'm the home network) there is also no charge to pick the message up!

You are supposed to be able to listen to voicemails on the website, according to the help. That feature doesn't seem to exist yet though.

SMS to/from another UK network (Virgin) is fine, very quick.

Finally, call forwarding doesn't seem to work. It's documented on the "quick access" summary card but not in the main paper or online manuals, so maybe that is a feature they dropped on pupose. No call forwarding and no way to change the answerphone is VERY limiting if you know you'll be out of coverage for a while (as I will be, in Mexico).

Excellent review RTuesday, if you like to try some SMS exchange I sent you a PM yesterday, I don't know if you read it. It would be interesting to see if there is interconnection with Riiing and Wind in Italy.
Thanks again! :beer:

RTuesday sent me an SMS to my Wind card and it arrived instantly, while the one he sent to my Riiing card had not arrived yet... and I fear it will never do... I just wrote him back from Wind, let's see if there is 2 way interconnection.

Got reply SMS from Wind fine, and Orange Poland. Just Riiing that seems to be a bit unreliable (what a surprise).

Called customer service this morning (again it was answered in German). I explained some problems and got some answers:

1. The US$ amount after each call is a mistake, it should only be for prepays (mostly local services in Africa). The postpaid billing and balance is online only.

2. Call forwarding as documented is coming soon (next two weeks supposedly).

3. Got the GPRS setting which seems to be a standard Manx Pronto one, will try that later when I get time.

4. Voicemail on the website is "coming soon" also.

I forgot to ask about changing the voicemail outgoing message. It's clearly very early days for GT-sim, definately a beta-test stage, but at least the basics seem to work so far.

Just received an SMS from RTuesday. I received a report about successful delivery of my reply just a few seconds after sending :)

On my side - Orange Poland.

The future's bright! :D :beer:

Well, I suppose the Roaming List from ManxPronto is valid for the GT-Sim too, they show no roaming agreement with Liechtenstein (= Riiing).
So, seems to be normal that SMS between GT-Sim and Riiing are not possible...