[Hidden-tech] Taking an iPhone to India and Nepal

[Mathew Jacobson]

Hi David. 

I'm sure you'll get other advice , but as a frequent international traveller with an iphone I will tell you that no matter what you do, making sure you turn the roaming function off on a program by program basis in settings for all but the critical ones is essential. 

Also- the best international deal I found for this kind of use was in Cambodia where they had SIM cards and then sold scratch cards for 5, 10, 15 dollars of crédit to a population too poor to afford monthly plans. They sold the cards absolutely everywhere, even in the smallest most remote towns. I would not be surprised if there are similar systems in India and Nepal. 

Mat

Please pardon brevity and typos. Sent from cell phone. 

> On Apr 28, 2014, at 7:35 PM, DAVID SPOUND <dspound at mac.com> wrote:
> 
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> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> My son will soon be going to India and Nepal for 3 months.
> 
> I would like to give him my iPhone 5 -- AT&T model. This would be for infrequent/emergency use. I am looking for recommendations as to whether this will work for him.
> 
> He envisions the following use:
> 
> 1) Making a few phone calls or sending a few email messages within India and Nepal, mainly to confirm or change travel arrangements as his trip proceeds.
> 
> 2) Making a few (but not many) calls back to his parents in the U.S. to let us know he is OK.
> 
> He might want to send some email and hopes that iPhone will allow him to do this when he has no wifi access (which will be often).
> 
> He has little or no interest in sending text messages. Little or no interest in Skype and Facetime calls. He does not want to be in touch with "home" on a frequent basis. This is, as I said, more for infrequent use and in case of emergency.
> 
> 
> My questions include:
> 
> 1) Should he keep the phone "as is" with the original AT&T sim card? My understanding is that the roaming charges for phone calls would be high but he would not make many calls. Also, if I need to call him, I would be placing a "local" call.
> 
> 2) Should he buy and install a new SIM card when he arrives in India? I have heard that this might allow him to make calls at a more reasonable rate.
> 
> 3) Showing my ignorance on the subject: will a set up that works in India also work in Nepal?
> 
> Any advice would be appreciated. I tried contacting AT&T and received confusing advice.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> David
> 
> ++++++++++
> 
> David Spound
> Valley Mindfulness
> www.valleymindfulness.com
> 413-570-0312
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