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Originally Posted by Przemolog
I think that buying UM (or other SIMs of that kind, available from European dealers) is not any harder that buying any "Internet-based" national SIM.
As well as no French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian, nor from over other 200 countries/territories....
In fact this just means nothing more that international rates from German mobiles to call also [u]regular[/q] mobile phones in those countries are exorbitant. These are not countries in the middle of nowhere but European countries (and FL is almost a neighbour of Germany). Moreover, Estonia is in EU, IoM (from "the telecommunication point of view") too, and FL and Iceland belongs (with Norway) to "wider EU" i.e. European Economic Area. My point is that there's not only a problem of roaming rates but also a problem of international rates. National regulators and Ms Reding - please wake up! :umm:
There are rates on 09.is but I agree as to the order form page.
Does this simply mean: German (and I think not only German :P) consumers are so lazy that they prefer to overpay than to change their habits...
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Thanks for the follow-up.
Good points. Why don't you post your questions and comments over on teltarif? THEIR comments, not mine. I have posted a small rebuttal. This was actually the second time they recently wrote on roaming and failed to mention any of these options. It is true that they report and reported about some of these. HOWEVER, you have to DO something rather than lament. Like the Amnesty motto about lighting a candle is better than cursing the darkness.
They want a perfect solution and this does not yet exist.
Another poster there mentioned that UM is in talks with E+ to launch an option with a German home #. Planned for later this year. Also SECONDED my note about the existence and usefulness of such cards.
Yackie allows US, UK and French home #s. GT-SIM allows ONE home country.
Over on telefon-treff.de a poster asked about the best German SIM for roaming while on vacation in Sweden. I answered in part to look at the international cards. Another posted also seconded my suggestion.
Bottom line IMHO.... many people, even Europeans, don't know about these options. Again, IMHO, teltarif should be doing all in its power to publicize these deals..... and they are not doing that.
As DRN suggested, until the consumer acts differently, the national operators are not going to change..... unless change is forced upon them. But it does not look as if the EU will be doing anything meaningful any time soon.
The original Teltarif editorial suggests that roaming prices are going to RISE instead of falling because of the proposed EU commission actions.
To beat the problem you mention with INTERNATIONAL RATES I have always recommended calling cards. Some have local access #s as well as toll free. These work well with BEST FRIEND or XTRA ONE tarif classes.
Lazy..... Yes, not only Germans, but others, including USA consumers.
Stan