Telna Again?

[GadgetKen]

Just signed up for Telna Mobile using the PPGSM referral link.

To be a replacement for an inactive ekit SimpleCalling callback card and possible replacement for a Digicel Bermuda sim card once I spend the balance down on an extended trip in early June.

Pluses for me are:
1. I can put this in one slot of my dual sim Blue Rave Android smartphone and keep my MVNO H20 (AT&T USA reseller) in the other slot. Since Telna has a friendly roaming agreement with T-Mobile USA this will give me both major US GSM networks in one handset.
2. Local US phone number was available in Connecticut! Hard to find an international sim that offers local numbers (the ekit sim I was using had a Long Island, New York number that was not a local call).
3. Postpaid so I don't have to worry about a prepaid balance on an international card disappearing for whatever reason or how to use a balance if the rates become unfavorable where I travel.
4. Telna apparently now has a friendly direct dial roaming agreement with Digicel in the non-US Caribbean and Telus and Bell in Canada (I'll need to keep the Telna sim in the 3G slot of my phone to make calls in Canada though). Rates in these 2 areas are much better than when I looked at this last.
5. No US or Canada connection charge like I was getting with Ekit...but of course I'll get hit with taxes and a federal Universal Service Fund fee since this is postpaid.
6. Might use this for very light data usage to get Gmail on my phone without using a mifi device or a computer with a USB aircard. The H20 AT&T sim card I have is not data enabled (legacy Locus O2 sim card) but the Telna card will be. My phone can also be used as a 3G wifi hotspot, which might come in handy for international travel where no free or low fee wifi is available; although would only use very lightly for email, boarding passes, etc.

Intrigued by Telna's status as an actual cellular phone company with 1900 mhz 2G GSM service in St. Louis, MO according to an FCC filing. Must make it easier to negotiate roaming agreements with other carriers.

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by GadgetKen

Intrigued by Telna's status as an actual cellular phone company with 1900 mhz 2G GSM service in St. Louis, MO according to an FCC filing. Must make it easier to negotiate roaming agreements with other carriers.

Given their tiny customer base as a local wireless carrier and the resulting low volume of airtime they will hardly be able to negotiate favourable roaming rates with other carriers. What actually puts them in a position to offer good rates is that they recently launched an IMSI roaming hub: Telecom North America launches the multi-IMSI roaming hub? | Prepaid MVNO
In simplified terms Telna can now buy airtime through other participating carriers around the world and so benefit from the better wholesale rates those carriers get on other networks.
Do existing Telna SIMs already support mulitple IMSIs? Has anyone looked up which MCC/MNC tuple their SIMs use and if it changes in some countries? Can you perhaps select IMSIs from the SIM toolkit menu?

[VladS]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

Do existing Telna SIMs already support mulitple IMSIs? Has anyone looked up which MCC/MNC tuple their SIMs use and if it changes in some countries? Can you perhaps select IMSIs from the SIM toolkit menu?

My telna SIMs have two IMSIs - one from Telna's MO network and the other from TIM IT. While there's no specific pulldown to select IMSIs, they thave the 'Set subscription' menu where you can enter card and carrier specific four digit codes (eg 9999 sets the card back to automatic).