So. I wanted to share a system I use with you guys that I am surprised most people do not know. I want to help you make calls to anywhere in the world from anywhere in the world for chump change and stay connected with home from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. This is an excellent international solution and it is also nice for a second line and a very similar premise to skype, but you need to feed it an internet connection.
I hear about people buying burner phones in other countries. While this is better than nothing, it simply leaves you with a local number and now you are calling long distance back to your home country and the only people you can call locally are people you dont likely know so who cares.
FIRST you must have an apple or android GSM smartphone. If you intend to travel you should not buy a verizon, sprint, boost or all of those other little CDMA ones. Stick with ATT or Tmobile phones they are GSM.
SECOND you need to unlock it. I know they made it illegal in the US unless you have been with your carrier for a long time, but it is a stupid law and most online vendors of unlock codes will send you them anyway. This costs about $30. It is easy, follow the directions and you are done in 30 seconds.
This allows you to use sim cards from other networks, technically these give you a local number for your country of travel but all you need to be interested in is 3G or 4G Data.
THIRD Internet communication apps like skype are a great solution, but they dont call from a phone to another phone and it also doesn't text like a phone. I use skype every day but it is more for chatting with you guys. This will work anywhere with your foreign data card.
My favorite solution is Google Voice paired with the Talkatone app, you can also try Groove IP but I dont think it texts.
Go to google voice on your computer and pick out a local number with your home area code. You can now use this as an office number or whatever. Talkatone accesses this like a second cell phone within your cellphone, but the important part is that it just uses DATA not minutes or text messages allowed. THIS IS ALL FREE!!
So your mobile phone number will change with your sim, but your google voice number will remain and it will be available for your use over ANY data source. Foreign wireless sims, wifi, even your home wireless sim.
LAST- you are ready to leave the country, when you get where you are going buy a "prepaid 4G or 3G DATA" sim card and pop it in the phone. I usually get 2 gigs which is almost always more than I need.
Now you have maybe $20 in your phone to talk to both local phone numbers, and people all the way back in the states for at least a week along with accessing your emails, and internet apps pretty much all you want.
ALSO some ecommerce guys like me may actually make calls to china from home on rare occasions. It is dirt cheap to do this through the talkatone app as well. I think I loaded google voice with 10 bucks and after 6 months I am down to like 6. They only charge you for making calls to international numbers. It will be free to call the US from any country over wifi. Otherwise it will just cost the local data you used.
I hope I was kind of clear. Most people don't get it when I explain it to them but this is what I have been using for a while now and I love being connected in foreign countries just like home.
Feel free to ask questions or for clarification.
I hear about people buying burner phones in other countries. While this is better than nothing, it simply leaves you with a local number and now you are calling long distance back to your home country and the only people you can call locally are people you dont likely know so who cares.
FIRST you must have an apple or android GSM smartphone. If you intend to travel you should not buy a verizon, sprint, boost or all of those other little CDMA ones. Stick with ATT or Tmobile phones they are GSM.
SECOND you need to unlock it. I know they made it illegal in the US unless you have been with your carrier for a long time, but it is a stupid law and most online vendors of unlock codes will send you them anyway. This costs about $30. It is easy, follow the directions and you are done in 30 seconds.
This allows you to use sim cards from other networks, technically these give you a local number for your country of travel but all you need to be interested in is 3G or 4G Data.
THIRD Internet communication apps like skype are a great solution, but they dont call from a phone to another phone and it also doesn't text like a phone. I use skype every day but it is more for chatting with you guys. This will work anywhere with your foreign data card.
My favorite solution is Google Voice paired with the Talkatone app, you can also try Groove IP but I dont think it texts.
Go to google voice on your computer and pick out a local number with your home area code. You can now use this as an office number or whatever. Talkatone accesses this like a second cell phone within your cellphone, but the important part is that it just uses DATA not minutes or text messages allowed. THIS IS ALL FREE!!
So your mobile phone number will change with your sim, but your google voice number will remain and it will be available for your use over ANY data source. Foreign wireless sims, wifi, even your home wireless sim.
LAST- you are ready to leave the country, when you get where you are going buy a "prepaid 4G or 3G DATA" sim card and pop it in the phone. I usually get 2 gigs which is almost always more than I need.
Now you have maybe $20 in your phone to talk to both local phone numbers, and people all the way back in the states for at least a week along with accessing your emails, and internet apps pretty much all you want.
ALSO some ecommerce guys like me may actually make calls to china from home on rare occasions. It is dirt cheap to do this through the talkatone app as well. I think I loaded google voice with 10 bucks and after 6 months I am down to like 6. They only charge you for making calls to international numbers. It will be free to call the US from any country over wifi. Otherwise it will just cost the local data you used.
I hope I was kind of clear. Most people don't get it when I explain it to them but this is what I have been using for a while now and I love being connected in foreign countries just like home.
Feel free to ask questions or for clarification.
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