[webswami]

I am off to Goa for a month (without the wife :clapping:  ) and both wife and I have blackberry will I be able to use all the fetures such as SMS,BB Messenger etc? if so what do I need to do apart from having my sim here set for roaming.

[cyberhippie]

Airtel has a blackberry service and is present in Goa, on the 900 Mhz band, check with your provider for roaming details!

[noflylist]

Along with blackberry, take a good sunglasses

[john.sw]

Any dual band or tri band phone will work, but you're likely to spend more on international roaming charges than you spent on your airline ticket!

You can buy an Indian sim card, which is a far cheaper option, provided that your phone is not locked to a particular network.

[webswami]

john.sw, on Oct 21 2007, 05:31 PM, said:

Any dual band or tri band phone will work, but you're likely to spend more on international roaming charges than you spent on your airline ticket!

You can buy an Indian sim card, which is a far cheaper option, provided that your phone is not locked to a particular network.

So I am better off using my unlocked phone and local sim and use internet café for rest?

[john.sw]

As an example, using your UK Vodafone in India:

Making a call £1.69 a minute (even if you are only calling the hotel across the road)
Receiving a call £1.25 (I believe it costs the same to receive an answering machine message, even if you don't listen to it)
Send text 49p
Blackberry up to £10.28 per MB

With my Indian sim card I pay:

Making a call approx 2p a minute
Calling the UK approx 30p a minute
Send text to the UK 3.5p

If you buy an Indian sim in Goa, you will pay a roaming charge when you move across the border to a different state.  This applies to receiving calls, and is not charged when you make a call.  The roaming charge is about 7p a minute.

You'll need an unlocked phone, a couple of passport photos and your passport.  Sim card packs start at about £1.20 and you can top up anywhere.

There are two different types of top up (called Recharge in India).  One gives you talk time with an expiry date and the other extends the expiry date of your talk time.

I hope this helps.

All the best,

John

[webswami]

john.sw, on Oct 22 2007, 12:38 PM, said:

I hope this helps.

All the best,

John

Thanks John, I have a phone and Indian sim from last time I was there, and my family just phoned me from UK using those cheap 08** numbers, which worked out very cheap,  so will just have to recharge, My blackberry is company supplied and they have a special deal with t-mobile and company obviously these days are giving away BB to most employees so that they can get more out of them, and hence there is corporate BB sever,  I was thinking of doing some work while I was in Goa, I am taking my laptop as well, but I dont have access to internet because I dont have a land line, just mobile, I design crystal reports, business objects universes etc so I dont need full access just occasional access to send some files/emails, apart from going to internet café, is there a cheaper(cheper than internet café) way to do so from my home in Goa, I am planning on doing this for a month this year but from next year I wish to stay for 3 months in Goa over the winter period, what would you advise? I am a PIO but dont have the property registered yet, however I did manage to buy a scooter(with a special fee! even though I am ok on my PIO to buy such an item I think). Do you think getting a PAN card would be useful, e.g. to get the land line and hence broadband?

[john.sw]

You may find that your Indian sim has expired, so you may need to get a new one with a new telephone number!

From the UK, the best way to call a telephone in India is to check the best deals at http://www.niftylist.co.uk/calls

Prices change all the time so make sure you check on Niftylist.

As a PIO you can do anything an Indian can do except vote or hold political office or buy agricultural/plantation land.

We're in a similar position to you - planning to spend a few months or more in India and the rest in the UK.

Our house is rented, and the broadband is registered in a friend's name.  When we buy property, we'll have everything in our names.

One alternative (which I have for mobile internet) is RIM's CDMA internet.  It runs off a mobile phone and is fairly fast at off-peak times when it costs Rs.15 an hour.

It is compulsory to quote your PAN in all documents pertaining to the sale and purchase of immovable property and of a motor vehicle, and also for the installation of a phone line, so it is a good idea to get yourself registered with the income tax department.

You can apply online here: https://tin.tin.nsdl.../pan/index.html

[frostykathy]

I've had good experiences with any tri-band GSM-phone in India. The only problem is: take the right power connector with you!!!