I've looked at all the global SIM cards and for most countries in Europe at least, the GeoSIM card from Geodesa (www.globalsimcard.co.uk) looks like the best. It has low rates (about 40% less than the next-best that I've found), 30/6 billing intervals, no connection charge, $5 top-up minimum, etc., which more than make up for its relatively high initial purchase cost. It seems to have agreements with several carriers in most European countries, so presumably it has good coverage. They've been quick to answer my questions via email.

A few people have mentioned GeoSIM here but not as much as some other cards. Is it really as good as it sounds? Is there a catch?

(I'll be traveling in Austria, Italy, France, and Spain.)

Bruce
Seattle, WA, USA

I think the SIM is interesting and recommended it to someone who travels to Europe, the UK, and the Phillipines.

The problem is (contrary to the add), UK mobiles are more costly to call than Lichtenstein mobiles and Icelandic mobiles. If I was a brit, I might use this SIM, but I cannot ask people to call Liechtenstein, Estonia, Iceland, or the United Kingdom. I map a US number to the SIM and eat the cost both ways. Lichtenstein is cheaper than the UK. There are things about the SIM I like and I will bookmark it.

Incidentally, while Lichtenstein numbers might go up, I think that carriers will also learn the difference between the IOM and the UK. Since I, however, own the DID I have people call and control the mapping, people won't have to cope with my changing providers in midstream.

Stu

There isn't a lot in it - 15c to the Isle of Man number is possible, or if you are willing to use a UK 0844 callthrough number as well, then maybe 7 or 9c

I have bought a few Geodesa SIM cards for our company. I am happy with service. If you have time drop email to Ed Neal of Geodesa. He is owner and really nice chap. BTW I am not getting any commission from him. :blush:

Who do you use for the 15cent route? The best route I've got to a UK mobile is 18c (US) a minute and the carrier is not one hundred percent reliable.

www.voipfone.co.uk - they have slightly differing rates for the UK networks; O2 (incl IoM numbers) is the cheapest at 8.4p = 15c, to T-mobile at 12.1p, and 3 is more

I've used their call forwarding and callback with this SIM - you can pay as you go, ?5 at a time. You can point at your SIP address with them


If you can program forwarding with paused dialling (I don't know if this is possible), or brief people to call your forwarding number then the UK mobile, then 0844 numbers can be called via Voipfone for 5p/min, and these include callthrough numbers that reach mobiles.

Then you are lucky.
If called from germany (i am talking of direct dial, not callback or other sweet tricks) we pay up to 40ct/min to the Liechtenstein Premium-Rate numbers and just 11-15ct to UK-mobiles.

Chris

Hence the value of global information sharing (and VOIP)

To Andy: I have account with voipfone.co.uk. What isnbest way to trigger callback from Geodesa number? Only resonable ( by cost) I found by SMS. But with current increase of SMS price, I am looking for other way. May be you know a few tricks more? Thanks in advance. :umm:

Meir, do you have a full price list of Geodesa services?
I mean something a table or an online calculator.
Do they use the same rates as 0044/Simazing?


http://www.globalsimcard.co.uk/save.htm

<quote>
We will be putting an interactive "call cost calculator" here soon so you will be able to see our rates between any two countries...but rest assured our rates are considerably cheaper than your current operator's, and remember you will not be paying to receive calls in most countries!
</quote>

This sounds to me as if they wanted to hide something :unsure:

I sent them an e-mail this morning asking the same question of Przemolog, let's see what they answer (hoping they will do).

Przemolog: I have online calculator on their online account web pages. If you like to ask me, I can find a few rates for you. But definitely all for everyone. Sorry for this.
Here you have a few examples(all prices in US Dollars):

CZE - SA Mob CZE - SA LL SA - CZE Mob SA - CZE LL
0,95 0,43 0,97 0,29

CZE - Germany Mob CZE - Germany LL Germany - CZE Mob Germany - CZE LL
1,12 0,25 1,00 0,31

CZE - Cyprus Mob CZE Cyprus LL Cyprus - CZE Mob Cyprus - CZE LL
0,47 0,35 0,87 0,18

CZE - UK Mob CZE - UK LL UK - CZE Mob UK - CZE LL
0,98 0,23 0,88 0,20

I'll post a bit more later, but re-read the thread Callkeyone that ticex started

probably the Voipfone web call-me-back button as a wap bookmark in another phone would be favourite at the moment, after setting a call divert to the SIM


That's odd those call charges in your next post, as mine has cheaper calls for mobiles. There is also a work around method using UK 08 callthrough numbers, so check rates for those.

Thanks for examples. I see that calls to mobile phones are rather expensive :(.

I understand that the current Geodesa policy is something like this:
1) Believe that our rates are low and buy our SIM
2) Only you buy it, you can log in to your account and check on the online calculator how much you'll really pay.

I don't like it :P

Looks rather expensive for calling mobiles, while a bit better for landlines compared to 0044 or CallBlue...

Anyway Ed wrote me back saying that the matrix is too big and it's a bit complicated to show me all the rates... I invited him to put an online calculator on the website, viewable by everyone.

P.S. I agree with Przemek! ;)

They have a new website under construction where the rate calculator already works: http://www.geotalk.co.uk/ (they sent me email with this information).

Interesting fact: they say they use numbers from IoM - but they have more countries on their rate calculator than on manx-telecom. (e.g. Namibia).

Do they just borrow the numbers but use a differnet network in the background?

Chris

Edit: I saw that i got a reply from Ed too. Maybe they pressed on finishing the rate calculator after we all started to ask for it :whistle:

I was looking at a different branded version of that on Monday. As CallKey said to me, the dealers set their own tariffs, so I'm assuming 0044 have two versions of it but I haven't found the second one yet

This confused me, so I spoke to CallKey.

The destinations are in the list for the web-triggered callback system that can connect eg two landlines, so it isn't meant to imply that coverage is available there for the SIM. The published country list is the definitive version, so it seems maybe a bit more work to go on the calculator ....... I was looking forward to calling home from Mongolia or Brunei for 9c or 11c a minute (not really!)

Funny the rate calculator on http://www.geotalk.co.uk/ didn't worked a few weeks ago. Anyway I have asked Ed, what the rates are before I bought. And for my purpose I was happy. Also I liked the response from him, when dealing with me on all matters including mistakes on our side. And still I do. This is most important to me.

The calculator seems to work on IE, not Mozilla :(.

Not only Namibia, also our favourite Tokelau, and Iridium and Inmarsat :P

No, IMHO they just put the same list for origination and destination countries (the whole world in fact). An analogical calculator is availalble on Callblue website - it also calculates rates from everywhere to everywhere. :P

It works with my Netscape, which is Mozilla

Works OK on the latest Firefox, but takes a while - you need to pause after selecting the countries so it can populate the call-type menu.

Way too expensive for calling mobiles in most cases (and when I'm travelling and using these types of sims, it's other people's mobiles I call more than fixed lines).

The rate for calling a US 800 number from the US is nearly twice the price of calling a US fixed line, which is odd.

While travelling I rarely worry too much how much it costs to call out; as long as you have the free reception of calls either enlinea or callbackworld work just fine.

I wasn't patient enough - OK, it works on my Mozilla, too :)

To all of you who have commented (and emailed)

We (Geodesa / GeoSIM) are working on the online rate calculator as "we speak". Be assured we have nothing to hide in the rates, it's just a mater of time and resources!

The www.globalsimcard.co.uk website will be updated soon with a claculator as soon as is has been fully tested and checked.

Thaks for your patience.

Ed

Yes, we have priorotised getting the calc working due to all the emails!

Patience please. :)

When I'm travelling (at an airport etc) I don't always have the time to battle with trying to get a couple of different callback companies to work and then putting up with the poor quality and lag, so being able to call out at a reasonable cost is important to me (sms even more so).

It's different if I'm in one place for a while and don't have any easy way to make long cheap phone calls to family and friends, that's when callback is handy (but even then it's rarely of a quality that is usable for business, making bookings, etc).

I've tried CBW, enlinea, and gphone - none are what I'd call acceptable quality or reliability for easy use on the road when calling back to a mobile.