[JohnM]

Hi everyone,
did anybody rent a cell phone at the airport upon arrival? And what were the rates? Since I am going to be job hunting and such, I would like people to be able to call me rather than just using a phone card.

Arriving May 1, can't wait! Will be in country for two weeks.

Thanks for any help.

John

[Wannaway]

When I got out of the airport, I went straight to Westfield Downtown in Auckland city and bought a pay as you go Vodafone mobile. Got a basic model, cost about $200. I can either top up by credit card on the phone, having set the account up, or by buying a top up from the many providers around. Really simple. Also, although a basic model, it has automatic roam in Aus and UK, so I could use on my return from NZ to UK. Still have it now.

[Smiler]

John
Have you looked here http://www.vodafonerental.co.nz/ it gives rates, drop off points etc.

[jdbob]

Some rental car companies (I know Omega does) will rent you a cell phone.

[foolsgold99]

if you have a triband phone, bring it with you, and just buy a $20 sim card and off you go

[Delson]

I read somewhere that there was a Vodafone outlet in Auckland Airport, can anyone confirm this?

[Smiler]

Delson

Here you are

Auckland International Arrivals,
PO Box 53043
Auckland International Airport.
Ph: +64 9 275 8154
Fax: +64 9 275 8036
Email: auckland@vodarent.co.nz

[Delson]

Thanks Smiler :nice1 We'll be able to pick a sim card up there.

[JohnM]

Thanks for the responses! I don't know if I have tri band phone, but I will check with Verizon here in the US. I know my phone didn't work in NZ last year and I bought it shortly before I left for the trip and I remember asking the salesman if it would work in AUS/NZ and he said "no", but maybe he didn't know anything about the SIM cards or international usage. I am able to call my sister in OZ from the US with my phone, just had to enable international calling with Verizon.

Thanks for the vodafone website Smiler, if I can't use my own phone, then I'll go ahead and rent one at the airport. You can even pre-book it!

cheers,
John

[Park City Partner]

My partner had a Verizon phone that he couldn't use in NZ. They couldn't "unlock" it so he could buy a sim to use there. TMobile on the other hand "unlocked" my phone so I will take that and buy a SIM card in NZ to use. Also, when I come back to the States I can buy a TMobile pay as you go sim card to use while I am back.

[JohnM]

I just checked about my phone and it is not triband, so I can't get a SIM card, and thus useless in NZ, so I am going to rent one at the Auckland airport. I did find this article on the net, and it was VERY informative about the different bands/phones/techno geek stuff about calling internationally, hope it helps somebody else.

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0308.htm

John

[Juniper]

US tri-band phones are not the same as European tri-band phones. The thing you need is a phone that operates on a 900 Megahertz network. European tri-band phones have 900 Mghz as one of the "bands," but in the US you have to get a quad-band phone. They also have to be "GSM" phones, so they will work on GSM networks. Verizon doesn't use GSM.

Here's a short FAQ about GSM, including which US providers use GSM networks:
http://www.wirelessgalaxy.com/mobilephones/gsmworldphonefaqs.html

It's my impression that Cingular has the best compatibility with NZ. They share networks with T-mobile. Verizon is pretty useless in this capacity (I have Verizon...)
http://www.cingular.com/customer_service/cingular_world
This is relevant if you want to simply unlock your phone for international roaming. (The rates ain't great I must say)

The Motorola RAZR V3 is an example of a popular phone that will work in New Zealand.

Here's a pretty cheap option if you have a GSM phone that works on 900 Mghz:
http://www.planetomni.com/SIM_CTRY_newzealand_DTL.shtml
It's a prepaid SIM card with decent per-minute charges, including 35 cents a minute back to the US. This is great compared to just unlocking your phone for international roaming and paying your carrier's charges! (I guess it depends how long you will be gone though, since it costs $40 up front).

Have you seen the rates New Zealanders get charged for domestic cell calls? yikes...
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/pricing_plans/you_choose_plans.jsp

So, those are some options besides renting, although renting is more straightforward if you just want a short-term solution!

[Juniper]

looks like you beat me to it! cool article ;-)

[foolsgold99]

Many cellphones are network locked, this means they only work for one vendors SIM card.

It's a very simple matter of typing in a code to unlock it, we unlocked both our Nokias with info frm here

http://unlock.nokiafree.org/

Could save someone a few dollars

[shameless]

US tri-band phones are not the same as European tri-band phones. The thing you need is a phone that operates on a 900 Megahertz network. European tri-band phones have 900 Mghz as one of the "bands," but in the US you have to get a quad-band phone. They also have to be "GSM" phones, so they will work on GSM networks. Verizon doesn't use GSM.


Juniper, from my research, all the tri-band phones I have found in the US do carry 900mgz. The quad or fouth band seems to be 850mgz. Am I missing something? I am about to buy an unlocked triband off of ebay (highly recomended) before we leave in a month. I wouldn't want to drop a bunch cash on it and have to throw it away.

I am not crazy about the quad band phones available (super high SAR -radiation- raitings). I will get one if I have to, but I would prefere to avoid it.

Thanks!

[Juniper]

Hi shameless,

Carriers are constantly adding new phones to their lineups, so I'm glad to hear that tri-bands with 900 mghz are becoming more common :-) Maybe there is not really a "standard" tri-band anymore - just always check a few websites to double-check that your prospective phone has the right frequency. (Carrier websites are not 100% reliable, try www.phonescoop.com to cross-check technical specs). Phonescoop and various other similar sites have user reviews that can be very handy as well.

I just checked out T-mobile's lineup (since I am looking to switch carriers and they have good international rates). It seems one of their dual-band phones actually has 900 mghz:
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=677

[jdbob]

Not to be anal or anything, but MHz is the proper (International System of Units, or "SI") abbreviation for Mega-Hertz.

Reference: NIST (http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/prefixes.html)

There, I've done my educational duty for the day :)

[shameless]

Juniper - Yes, from what I can tell most tri bands now are 900MHz. Not sure what they were like in the past. I also like phonescoop. Also, if you are going to be in one place for a while (like NZ for example) I would buy a phone off of ebay (really cheap, brand new, unlocked, no contracts) throw a SIM card in it and use Skype (or some kind VOIP) for international calls. Unless you have to be in constant contact with the US, I would imagine it will be MUCH cheaper.

If you are interested in your phone's radiation levels cnet has a pretty good quick guide.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020355-1.html

jdbob - you are absolutely correct. I have actually worked with some NIST folks before and that is one of those faux pas that would make me the brunt of backhanded jokes for an entier week. As if being a marketing guy wasn't enough ;-) Never worked with them on Cell phones standards (obviously).

Thanks for the info!

[Juniper]

Handy, I'll keep those sites in mind!

[JohnM]

To get back on the original thread I posted, I added up all the invoices from Vodafone for the rental of a phone for my 2 weeks in NZ and it was $50 US. This included all calls and the rental. A bargain I think since my US verizon phone wouldn't work. It was painless too - picked it up at 6 am at the counter just outside customs, they slapped a SIM card in it and off I went. I did not make many outgoing calls at all as they were expensive, but it was very handy to have and receive calls. Got to talk to the Sis in Tassie a few times for moral support! Back at Auckland, I merely dropped it off and the same woman was there who issued it to me and remembered me!

Anyway, I would recommend this route if your phone will not work in NZ.

Cheers,
John