Need some info about cell phone connection.

Goin to Europe for the 1st time.Need some Info about cell phone connection (read below)...?

• Okay so i'm goin to Europe in January mainly for 4 months in Germany & 8 months in Italy so my question is First - Is there some way in which i can have the same phone connection between 2 countries..?? Next - is it better to take my own phone from India(my native place) or is there some offer where i can get a cellphone-connection combo...?? Please dont tell me out of the world options (in that case i can even take a connection from India and go..lol) ...Tell me what local europeans do... Thanks a million..!!!

• Answer:

  If you will need your phone to call within the country, it is cheapest to buy a local prepaid sim card or a cheap prepaid phone, both Germany and Italy have some that are hardly more expensive than the prepaid credit you get with it. If all your calls will be 'back home' you should look for the prices for phoning with your current phone and for the prices in Germany and in Italy. Your phone has to work on the 900/1800 channels, and if you want to use a different sim card your phone would have to be 'not sim locked'. Using one phone/sim card in both Germany and Italy is not a wise choice, the German phone will be very expensive to use in Italy, and the Italian phone in Germany. And sim only prepaid cards are so cheap that it would be silly not to buy a new one. Two minutes talking on a German phone in Italy is likely more expensive than a sim only prepaid. 20 minutes are likely more expensive than the cheapest phone with prepaid card in Italy. There are some cheaper options to phone around the world, if you have a computer or will be able to use one, think about skype, I do not know how it works, but people who use it tell me it is very cheap. Or you can buy special cards with which you can call a local number at low cost or free (from a land line, not from a mobile phone) and from there you use a prepaid credit. Most likely you can get the best tips on the expat sites, enter expat India, or the word for that in your own language if not English, and the name of the country you want to go to, and you will likely find a lot of information. From people who have done the same as you are going to do.