All posts tagged Global SIM

Three million plan to roam over Christmas!

by 0044 on November 22, 2011 in Advice with No comments
chrismtas-hat

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) announced that more than 3 million travellers will be heading abroad this festive season for a Christmas getaway.

The credit crunch has had quite an impact on the holiday market with a decrease in bookings and search engine traffic looking up cheap flights for holidays abroad. British tourists are remaining stoic though and continuing with their trips to foreign climes regardless of the economic downturn.

The need to make savings via low costs airlines, late deals and even using a Global SIM card to cut down on communication costs is ever more pressing. A Global SIM can avoid roaming charges in over 140 countries with many allowing free incoming calls.

A recent poll from ICM revealed that only one quarter of people who would usually take a ski holiday are going ahead and hitting the slopes this winter, many of them using a Global SIM or French SIM to avoid roaming charges. Despite this, positive early snow falls and perfect peak snow conditions may encourage winter sports enthusiasts to grab a late deal holiday.

The majority of the 3 million travellers are looking to make the most of some winter sun away from the cold British shores. Key destinations outside of Europe including flights to Dubai, the Middle East, Egypt and the Caribbean are proving popular. A Global SIM card used in many of these destinations means lower cost outbound and inbound calls for users and also cheaper mobile data charges.

In the Eurozone, city breaks to Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Madrid and Athens are the top destinations to visit over Christmas, with excursions to New York also remaining a priority for shopaholics. A traveler using a Global SIM in any of these destinations can receive calls for free and access text rates as low as 11p per text on a Global SIM.

 “We’ve been helping consumers avoid roaming charges for several years now when they travel abroad. The Global SIM is ideal for tourists travelling over Christmas, particularly given some of the adverse winter weather conditions we’ve been facing.”

Free up your mobile and receive calls for free

by 0044 on September 2, 2009 in Global SIM Card with No comments

With more and more travellers using a Global SIM, International SIM or foreign SIM card to avoid mobile roaming charges there is a growing need for consumers to be able to unlock their handsets. A new unlocking partnership, introduced by mobile roaming specialists 0044.co.uk and ThePhoneUnlockers.com, means that users can now easily unlock their mobile handsets without having to visit a mobile phone retailer or being subjected to endless discussions with their UK network.

Staying in touch by using your mobile can still cost a fortune using a UK network SIM. Not only are you charged a small premium to make calls you still pay to receive calls within Europe despite drops enforced by the EU commission over that last few years. Now all of this extra expenditure can be avoided by using a new solution provided by mobile roaming specialists 0044. By purchasing the new 0044 International SIM with a dual US/UK number on the website and using an unlocked handset, roaming charges can be avoided, calls made are at lower rates, texts are only 11p each and incoming calls and texts are free. Users can also unlock their handsets to use an International SIM at competitive rates through the new partnership with ThePhoneUnlockers.com via the 0044.co.uk website.

Carl Austin, director of 0044 Ltd commented, “We are keen to empower consumers to make their own decisions and significant savings by using an unlocked handset and one of our new International SIM cards. It should mean that any user with one of our International SIM cards will not only match or better the rates that the UK networks adhere to; they can also receive calls for free and sent texts at much lower rates with our International SIM card.

Stay on-line when you’re off travelling

by 0044 Guru on March 19, 2009 in Advice, Global SIM Card with No comments

In a recent survey studying time spent on-line, the French and the Brits were neck and neck with around 28% of their leisure time being spent in front of the computer screen. The recent study was conducted by global market information group TNS, which asked 27,522 people aged between 18 and 65 to answer questions about their web use.

Now that’s all well and good if you’re sat in your own home but, as you can imagine, as soon as you leave that comfort zone then you’re out on a limb in terms of internet access. The problem becomes even more acute once you’re in a new country, perhaps looking for that new home, spending your leisure time there or even having permanently settled in France. True, it is possible to find internet cafes or use the facilities in a B&B or hotel, but they’re never the most reassuring places to carry out on-line activity especially for sensitive tasks such as managing your bank accounts.

Once settled in your new home, be it on a temporary or permanent basis, you can get connected to France Telecom (eventually) and then there are countless broad band packages on the market to choose from providing your geographical location is covered. That normally means a great deal of research time and a hefty commitment to both France Telecom and a broad band provider when, in fact, you may only require on-line services from time to time. And that’s were a new mobile on-line service may be the answer for many expats and travellers in France who want to be able to have on-line access during, say the property hunt, but are not yet ready to commit to lengthy and expensive packages with the national networks. Flexibility, cost efficiency and simplicity are the key requirements and that’s exactly what you’ll find with a new service being introduced by 0044 Limited, the French mobile and SIM card specialists based in the UK. 0044.co.uk also provide an International SIM card and a Global SIM card.

Take, for instance, very occasional users. If you just need to pick up and send email and briefly browse the web then this can be achieved with a normal French Orange GSM SIM card. Providing your handset is reasonably new and data enabled for GPRS (general packet radio service) then, you can insert the 0044 French SIM, go to, for instance, the Nokia web site if you have a Nokia handset, click on support, enter the SIM details and number and you’ll receive APN (access point name) settings automatically. When you’re in France you’ll then be able to access email once it’s configured and browse the web at reasonable data rates (£3.50 per MB or mega byte) without committing to a separate data contract. Obviously screen size affects clarity but it does the job and can be a neat, cost effective starting point to get you up and running. The same SIM can be inserted into a data card for use with a lap top.

Similarly a Global SIM card or an International SIM card could also be used to download data. The Global SIM card that 0044 Ltd provides comes with full data instructions and data rates start at only £3.30 per MB. The Global SIM card, or International SIM, as it is sometimes known as will also provide coverage in 130 countries for voice and text functions. So, if data usage is important outside of France and across Europe you may wish to consider a Global SIM card or an International SIM card as an alternative. For full details on the Global SIM card please visit; http://www.0044.co.uk/Global-sim-card.htm

For a ‘richer’ web experience, as they say, then the best solution comes in the form of a USB stick (sometimes referred to as a ‘dongle’). A USB (universal serial bus) is a small device about the size of a disposable cigarette lighter. It contains a data enabled SIM card which is pre-loaded into the device. You simply plug the USB stick into the appropriate port on your lap top or desk top PC and it automatically downloads the settings and you’re ready to go. Any computer running a compatible Operating System; Windows 2000 Pro, Personal and XP Pro/Home, Vista and MAC OS X. A minimum of 512MB RAM and at least 25MB of free hard disk space is required as well. You’ll find the French data USB is compatible with all commercial web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.You then decide whether you need to buy one-off data ‘bundles’ which start at 50 mega bytes (equating to around £0.58 per MB), or subscribe to an annual contract for data bundles depending on your needs and the amount of time you spend in France. Broadly speaking a 50MB bundle will allow you to browse the web for 1.5 hrs, send and receive around 15 emails, down load or upload 7 documents and the same for photographs.

The clever thing about the USB device is that it will also let you access WIFI hotspots across France. These are areas with WIFI coverage which means that once you are located within them you can use the device to access the internet for free without impinging on any of the data bundle you opt to buy into. You’ll also be able to maintain your existing email address you use and dial into that account remotely from France to check any emails and respond. Using POP email or Web based email won’t affect receiving email with the USB, as the email is received over the internet, so it doesn’t matter what internet connection you use. And it’s not just about user experience or simplicity. The savings you can make compared to the same sort of facility being provided by your UK mobile operator are significant and can be as much as 50% on data costs alone, leaving aside the additional commitments a UK operator would require in the way of contract duration and add-ons.

Mobile on-line solutions like the French data solutions, Global SIM card or International SIM card are invaluable tools enabling the user to be on-line whilst in France, especially when they are going through the process of buying a property. If your circumstances mean that you’re living out of a caravan, camper van or B&B’s then you’ll at least be able to stay ahead of the game, keep up to speed with the market and view a wide range of possible properties whilst you are located nearby.

Gap year travel; big thrills can lead to big bills.

by 0044 Guru on December 4, 2008 in Advice with No comments

A gap year or career break is the ideal way to explore the world but unless you are careful you can rack up some huge bills along the way. The website www.0044.co.uk now provides an alternative solution to international mobile roaming; meaning that you can avoid the bills and share the thrills with friends and family whilst traveling or working your way around the world.

Staying in touch by using your mobile phone abroad can costs hundreds of pounds. Not only are you charged premium rates to make a call you are also charged to receive calls. Now all of this extra expenditure can be avoided by using a new solution provided by mobile roaming specialists 0044 Ltd. By purchasing Global SIM card (the small removable chip inside your handset) on the website at www.0044.co.uk and having your hand set unlocked, roaming charges can be avoided, calls made are at local rates and incoming calls and texts are free.

Mobile users are confused and often unaware of premium call charges of as much as £2.00pmin to make and receive calls whilst abroad, resulting in millions of UK travellers receiving huge bills when they return home to the UK.

Angus MacLeod, director of 0044 Ltd commented, “I needed to take my mobile abroad even though it was costing me a fortune, but my UK network could not present me with a cheap solution so I found one for myself. The Global SIM card kept me in control of my call costs, saved me a considerable amount of money and has now become a thriving business. Like many of the best ideas in life, our Global SIM service is simple. We aim to offer a solution to gap year and student travelers in particular, who need to work on tight budgets yet stay safe and in touch at the same time”.