Adelaide: Mobile Phone

[gisyang]

We will stay in Adelaide for about 9 months and will likely have a rental apartment. I am wondering if it is more convenient to have a mobile phone instated of a household phone line.

Would you see if you could recommend a credible mobile phone company? I would prefer using phone card for the mobile phone and pay as I go.

Thanks,

Wanhong

[LukeM]

Having lived in the UK, I'm sure you will be aware of many of the mobile phone providers, as they are much the same in Australia as they are in the UK.

The main ones you will probably recognise are 3, Orange, Vodafone, and Virgin Mobile. Also there are many Australian networks such as Telstra to name the most prominent one.

If you've already got a phone, it could be worth checking out whether your phone is tri-band or not. If it is a tri-band phone, see if it is unlocked. If not, I recommend getting it unlocked as this will save you having to buy a new phone. Then when you arrive in Australia, all you will need to do is to purchase a SIM pack for the new network you have chosen.

You would also need a UK-Australian converter for your phone's charger, but this would be of minimal cost and you could most likely pick this up - along with your SIM pack, at the airport when you arrive.

Unlocking should be done a while in advance of your date for leaving the UK.

Hope this helps.

[CSISSildeUK]

Thnaks i was wondering what i needed to do i know my phoneok there thanks for the info x[

quote=LukeM;236295]Having lived in the UK, I'm sure you will be aware of many of the mobile phone providers, as they are much the same in Australia as they are in the UK.

The main ones you will probably recognise are 3, Orange, Vodafone, and Virgin Mobile. Also there are many Australian networks such as Telstra to name the most prominent one.

If you've already got a phone, it could be worth checking out whether your phone is tri-band or not. If it is a tri-band phone, see if it is unlocked. If not, I recommend getting it unlocked as this will save you having to buy a new phone. Then when you arrive in Australia, all you will need to do is to purchase a SIM pack for the new network you have chosen.

You would also need a UK-Australian converter for your phone's charger, but this would be of minimal cost and you could most likely pick this up - along with your SIM pack, at the airport when you arrive.

Unlocking should be done a while in advance of your date for leaving the UK.

Hope this helps.[/quote]

[LukeM]

Just bare in mind - unlocking can be a pain.

Newer phones, particularly those manufactured by Nokia can be a right bummer. Some require the codes directly from the manufacturer which you have to pay between £10 and £15 for from your network operator, and then enter yourself - which is also bad 'cos if you muck it up, you can accidentally block your phone!!

I had no troubles though.

Thanks,
Luke.