Best internet solution for travelling
 

I live in Australia but frequently travel to the USA and Europe as my job dictates. (Global Express pilot)

An ongoing problem has been high roaming charges for data / internet when overseas.

I have a bag full of 3/4G devices from various countries and a dozen travel sims that work to varying degrees.

But I have finally found a really great "all in one solution"

A company called "Global Gig" Globalgig - Low cost mobile broadband data in 40 countries or outside Australia Globalgig ? Mobile broadband with no data roaming charges

They have two versions, a 3 G wifi modem or sim cards for use directly in an iPad / Android device.

I have been trialling both for the last month in the USA and am now in Italy and I have to say, they work great.

I have the 3G device, which connects up to 5 devices, and I also have their sim card in an iPad.

It works great in Europe, the USA and Australia, They have various plans but I have the "jet setter" plan on both versions, $49 per month for 5GB valid in 11 countries. No extra roaming charges.

Speeds are pretty good and I can watch Youtube without buffering 80% of the time, it is perfect for browsing and Emails. In the USA I was using Google Maps for navigating on an iPad and the Global Gig sim never missed a beat.

I don't work for them, but just sharing a great find. If you travel, this is the way to avoid crazy roaming internet charges.

It is only data, no phone calls.

I have tried many solutions and so far this is the best.

Thanks Rob2160, I've been puzzling over O/S data options for some weeks now and had given up. A few things to watch for here - my area of interest will be France and England later in the year, but this certainly looks the goods. :ok:

FOR

According to their site the UK is covered by the 5GB with no roaming charges, but France is 20 cents per MB.

Still much better than Telstra's roaming charge of $3 per MB.

Rob2160
 

When I went to UK in April last year the Telstra global roaming charge was $15.00 per MB!


Although it is only data, not phones, presumably it would allow the use of Skype on the computer to either other computers or to a telephone?

Yes the Telstra roaming charges were ridiculous, They were $15 / Mb now reduced to $3 but still crazy.

The Global Gig is fast enough for Skype, I use an App called Viber on my iPhone which is great and allows unlimited free phone calls anywhere in the world to another person with Viber. (with better clarity than regular phone calls)

I monitored a few phone calls and chatting for an hour on Viber, USA to Australia only used about 60 Mb of data.

Considering you get 5000mb per month allowance with Global Gig, it is plenty to call home each day for an hour, emails and web browsing.

Viber and Global Gig are saving me thousands every year now compared to using local phone cards to call home as I did previously.

Question ... my wife is currently in California assessing the various iPad options, currently leaning towards the iPad Air/WiFi/3G/32Gb but ..... has been told that when purchased she has to stipulate a telecom carrier, i.e. ATT /Sprint/Verizon/T-Mobile etc. and once chosen CANNOT be changed by just buying a SIM card from another carrier. Apple shop staff and the various carriers she has visited confirm the above, i.e. once bought for 3G use an iPad is locked to that carrier for life. WiFi is of course used anywhere.


Also - she can't expect to use the cellular option in New Zealand, or maybe any other Country by just buying a local SIM card because although New Zealand has 3G capability the frequencies used in the Asia Pacific region are different to the 3G frequencies in USA/Europe etc. ??


Also - to utilise any of the GPS functions on the iPad it MUST have at least 3G(cellular) built in at purchase time, even if subsequently not buying a SIM card and using the cellular option, i.e. the GPS functions need a cellular capable innards, even if not actually activated with a SIM card.


If the above is true, and I accept that 'salesmen' will try to frighten one into buying their goods, then how does this "magic" Global Gig work in an iPad.


We are looking to use the iPad in New Zealand - mostly - but also in USA, England and France this year, mainly for e-mail and Internet info. Not into Social Media, Video Streaming etc. tho; we might want to Skype to telephones and maybe keep photos, but not necessarily e-mail them "instantly"


Thanks.

Not sure about the land of uncle sam, but certainly in Europe, ALL Apple products are now sold unlocked and you do not have to specify any carrier at the time of purchase (I recently purchased an iPad with 3G, the 3G being their "just incase", I don't use it and don't have any SIM card at present).

I thought they removed locking worldwide a few years ago, but I guess it might remain in the US ? I'll do some searching and see if I can come up with anything....

As far as I know.... that is bull.

I'm fairly certain Apple products use one chipset design per product. You get global coverage.

I have certainly used European Apple products in AU/NZ/Asia on local SIM cards without issues.

The Apple spec sheets are publicly available, you can check for yourself what RF frequencies are covered.... I'm fairly certain you'll find its worldwide.

Telstra are now a real estate company, they must be buying smaller CBD buildings with their reduced bags of loot. Many years ago I noticed when using the remaining credit on my Euro sim in Australia that it was almost on price parity with standard local calls from the Telstra carrier.

Nice find Rob, thanks for sharing.

Nice find, Rob. :ok::ok:

Exsp...... Be careful buying an Apple device in the USA ad they may be locked to one carrier. Here in Aus they are now sold unlocked, but USA May be different.

Another useful app (besides Viber, which we use a lot) is Heytell. It us a voice messaging system, where you can send 30 sec voice messages. Useful for slow typists like me. Both parties must have Heytell downloaded and installed.

An example of a solution to a problem that never existed.

What you are describing there, in other words, is voicemail. A standard part of pretty much all mobile tariffs whether PAYG or contract.

ExSp33db1rd, some of advice given to your wife is true, I have an iphone with a USA number purchased at an AT&T store by my company as USA is our most frequent destination.

It was locked to the AT&T network. But you can unlock them fairly easily from websites like this.


I tried this site and it does work, my USA iPhone is now unlocked and will accept any sim card.

However, you should be able to buy an "Unlocked" iPad from any Apple store. (You can in Australian Apple Stores) but you have to buy it outright. Not in monthly payments as a contract with a carrier will allow.

The new iPads, Version 3, 4 or iPad Air and the Mini iPads will work fine in New Zealand. Note the Global Gig website said their 3G device has issues in New Zealand but if you have their sim in an iPad it works fine.

It is true that the non sim capable iPads don't have built in GPS, only the sim capable models have the GPS chip installed. I can verify this is true.

I have an iPad 2 with sim from my company and it has GPS. My company later bought us non sim capable mini iPads and it does not have built in GPS.

I prefer having GPS so I bought my own sim capable version mini and gave the non sim version to my wife.

The Global Gig sim will work fine in New Zealand, USA, the UK with the included 5GB and no roaming charges, but the rates in France will be 20 cents per Mb.

Hope that helps.

Currently in Verona, Italy.

This is the speed I am getting with the Global Gig 3G modem (faster than the local hotel wifi below)

I notice it defaults to a UK based IP address even though I am in Italy.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/3331814858.png

And this is what I am getting with the Hotel wifi.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/3331391260.png

One final thing to check, looking at the UK site for Global gig it seems they have different plans depending on the country of purchase. It looks like Aussies are getting the best deal.

ExSp33db1rd

Looking at the UTMS frequency list you provided.

New Zealand uses UTMS 2100, 900 and 850.

The iPad specifications are here. New Zealand will work fine.

https://www.apple.com/ca/ipad-air/specs/

UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz)
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)3

I have used my Australian iPads / iPhones in New Zealand with no issue, using a Travel sim from Travel SIM | FREE Roaming | International SIM - MySims2Go

I haven't tried the Global Gig sim yet as I have not been to NZ since buying it. But I am sure it will work fine.

One thing I just learned, iPad 3 and above and the Minis also use Glonass in addition to the US GPS system.

iPad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Using the iPad Air .....

From Apple(US - Apple - iPad Air - Technical Specifications) site ....

Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO
Bluetooth 4.0 technology
UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz)
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)3
Data only4

From Apple (NZ - Apple - iPad Air - Technical Specifications

Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO
Bluetooth 4.0 technology
UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz)
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)3
Data only4

From Apple (UK - Apple (United Kingdom) - iPad Air - Technical Specifications)

Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO
Bluetooth 4.0 technology
UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900 MHz)
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)3
Data only4



I suggest you go back to the shop and ask them to show you on the spec sheets exactly where these supposed differences are ! :E

Worked fine updating Jepp FD just now.

Quote - I suggest you go back to the shop and ask them to show you on the spec sheets exactly where these supposed differences are !


Thanks guys, I'm in the middle of Mrs. ExS - currently in USA - and Apple shop ATT, Verizon etc. "experts" giving her the info. !


(X is the unknown quantity, and a Spurt is a drip under pressure.)


Not wishing to mock the afflicted, and good 'on Apple for giving the disabled a chance, but one of the Apple shop employees that Mrs. ExS was given to on the store floor as an "technical consultant" was a deaf and dumb individual, all questions and answers had to be typed on a floor sample iPad - not exactly conducive to advising the technologically challenged !


Cheers, I'm sure she'll sort something out, and thanks.

I think you missed the point. Heytel uses your internet connection (free WiFi in many places), and not your phone plan. For example, people I know are travelling to China in April, and their research shows that texts will be 25c to receive and 75c to send ($A), voicemail far more as it is a phone call to send and receive. However, one data service allowing 5 devices to connect (which they all nedd for email connectivity anyway) allows 5 users to send and recieve Heytel messages effectively free as it's using the data.

So no, it's not voicemail as people know it at all. It can also be used effectively to hold a 'walkie-talkie' type conversation, again effectively at no cost.

Works in other modems too
 

Just a follow up.

The Australian Global Gig site says the sim does not work in other modems, but this is not the case, it actually works better in some modems.

A few vids of my testing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7zWF-lpqNw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKxd6Epgqpo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAep6QPfMSU

Best Internet solution for Travelling?

I'm just a dumb old f#rt but my recommendation would be to use the existing infrastructure.

Get a really low price tablet and hook into the free wifi provided at coffee shops on most High Streets. That way you have no technology problems and don't have anything of value to be stolen.