09 Mobile - Another International Card (!)

[andy]

Ok, this week's competition is to find a new international SIM card every day of the week.

Here's my entry, on sale at Orate in UK, formerly a United Mobile agent. In a brief phone call, he told me that it is based in Iceland.

http://www.orate.co.uk/Roaming/Index.html

112 free incoming roaming countries, 170 countries in total.

Unless he's developed the whole product himself, the 09 may just be a rebrand, referring to the use of a call-through number in UK to enable cheaper calls to reach it from landlines. That access costs 20p/min from BT, whereas other call-through access to Iceland mobile starts from 8p or 10p/min via 0871 numbers

Orate also aren't necessarily cheap for SIMs ... so it is worth looking for other suppliers, just like the other one


We need to run a sweepstake for the next country to have an international SIM - favourite candidates so far - Andorra, Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore

I found this from a Google search, not from an occasional revisit to Orate ... more searching needed ...

[andy]

I found this 3 year old article, and wonder if there is any connection

http://worldcell.com/web/sectionid/1015/ty.../96/company.asp

When I spoke to Orate, I mentioned the roaming on ferries, provided by Siminn, but he didn't make any comment; perhaps I should have asked which network ...


edit - hmmm ....

http://www.worldcell.com/web/page/1022/sec.../technology.asp

IMC Island has commercial GSM 1800 system called Viking Wireless operational since 2002. Today viking offers GSM services domestically in Akureyri, Egilsstadir, Reydarfjordur, Eskifjordur, Neskaupstadur and Saudarkrokur. Viking wireless also offers global roaming services on retail and wholesale basis

Viking Wireless has a global coverage through its 230 plus roaming relationships. Viking Wireless?s global access to GSM networks all over the world is at the heart of the services offered by Worldcell Inc. Worldcell Inc. uses the Viking wireless GSM network, SIM cards and roaming agreements for enabling managed wireless services, wholesale roaming services to other GSM and CDMA carriers and enabling MVNO on its network

[Effendi]

This one looks like Riiing, looking at the rates...

[andy]

certainly the rates look very similar, but ...

1. there are more countries in total - 170 vs UM about 110

2. free incoming roaming in 110 - UM's new product around 80

3. he said Iceland

[andy]

I'm reading this

http://worldcell.com/pdf/RSB.pdf

it's got some interesting stuff, even if it turns out to have no connection with this operation

edit - having looked at Worldcell's tariffs, I rather suspect that they are not behind this ........ $2.29/min outgoing calls in Europe; $0.99 incoming

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by Effendi

This one looks like Riiing, looking at the rates...

Especially those 49 cents for an SMS :P
But the coverage is much better. And this 20 cents surcharge to calls to mobile is rather like in the old UM

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by andy

We need to run a sweepstake for the next country to have an international SIM - favourite candidates so far - Andorra, Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore

Jersey, Guernsey, Faeroe, Luxembourg....
I think that's a great way for telecoms in small countries to go outside the "natural" boundaries of their businesses

[Stu]

The offer is interesting.

There are some interesting countries on this list -- Mexico, UAE, Kuwait, Ecuador, and Pakistan. Many of these are expensive roams for many other countries. Mexico and the UAE is particularly interesting to me.

The offering also covers Oceania a little better than before (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, French Polynesia,etc.

Callbackworld will give you a US 800 number which will connect to this number for $US0.15. I'm currently paying $US0.14 a minute for Riiing.

Has anyone figured out the expiration on this number.

Stu


List of Free incoming Calls With Orate

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Balearic Islands, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Faeroes, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Guinea, Hercegovina, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Madeira, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia , Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Free Incoming Calls With Riiing
(Countries in ALL CAPS Are Not Free Incoming on Orate)

Aland Islands (Finland), Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-hercegovina, Bosnia-hercegovina Srpske, Brazil, Bulgaria, CHINA, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, DOMINICA, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kosovo (Serbia), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldavia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, PUERTO RICO, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovac Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, TANZANIA, Turkey, United Kingdom, UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLAND

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by Stu

The offer is interesting.


Free Incoming Calls With Riiing
(Countries in ALL CAPS Are Not Free Incoming on Orate)

(...) Poland, Portugal, PUERTO RICO, ROMANIA, San Marino, (...)

You missed Romania (Origination Zone 4, Orate's spelling is Rumania BTW) http://www.orate.co.uk/Roaming/09tariff.html

[AndreA]

it's a pity for China... with Riiing is free, with "09 Mobile" no...

Also it's very interesting, I'd like to have another international sim card :P So I'll have more int.l cards that italian ones