A Cell Phone Solution for Travelers From the US to India
Fortunately, coming from Australia, my cell phone is fully compatible with the Indian GMS cell phone network. All I need to do when I arrive in India is put an Indian SIM card into it. However, this isn't possible for travelers from the US. Even if you have a cell phone with a GSM carrier (T-Mobile and AT&T), the GSM network in India operates on a different frequency -- 900/1800 MHz.
As a result, I often get people from the US asking me for advice about how to maintain cell phone communications while they're in India. The cheapest and most convenient solution is to rent a cell phone and SIM card (or just a SIM card if your cell phone does work in India) from a company in the US.
I recently came across a Florida based company called Rebelfone, which has some attractive solutions. They're offering cell phones for rent for only $1 per day, and SIM cards (from the Idea network) for an upfront fee of $4.99 and no monthly fees for the first three months. What about the cost of calls? Outgoing local calls are 10 cents per minute, and outgoing calls to the US are 50 cents per minute. Incoming calls are free while you're in Delhi. Otherwise, they're 8 cents per minute.
What's also good about Rebelfone is that they have no contracts, no minimum commitments, post paid service, and around the clock customer support. They offer a price guarantee as well.
More information is available from the Rebelfone website.
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Comments
I use to contract the phone rental service with Altel Phone Rental. But… They have unbeatable rates for India! Thanks for the advice!
There are a lot of companies in the US that do this, I’ve rented from both cellhire.com and phonerentalusa.com with good rates and excellent service. My 2cents.
Thanks for the feedback Jonathan!
It’s always good to know there are more options.