# Cell phone options!?



## Maloneyk

Hey all! I will be traveling around Australia, New Zealand, and surrounding areas for close to a year and have tried looking at the best cell phone options. I plan on meeting and traveling with others so for social and safety a cell phone is a must. I could survive on texting alone with few calls, but can't seem to find much useful info. I will probably bring my US iphone for wifi and maps, but I know it would have to be unlocked for calling. Any ideas or plans someone could recommend? Thanks!!


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## Boboa

Telstra and optus are usually the best but the priciest as well. 
My personal pick was Optus. The company covers 90% of Aaustralia and has excellent roaming in NZ and around However if im planning to travel into the bush/ rainforest I'll stick with Telstra.


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## havaiana girl

If your checking on providers look into Lebara, they are reasonable price to call & txt here in australia and there pricing for overseas call & txt are brilliant, its the best method of call communication I have found and they are pre paid, but there overall coverage throughout I cant say - good luck


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## debbie30

vodafone is supercheap (check out the $29 cap), but has rubbish reception outside cities


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## Miguel421

Hey I just downloaded the travel club app mytravelsos . It says I have a personal assistant and full legal/medical coverage while on vacation. Why should I be paying a monthly fee if it only covers a couple of weeks of vacation for me?


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## Pinky

Check amaysim. They have good deals on prepaid plans that include data, and unlimited calls, etc etc..... its a good deal I think.

amaysim SIM card - One pure SIM with simple, low mobile rates - amaysim SIM card


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## bhimji

Hi for best coverage telstra is ur best bet or optus.. Optus is better for value.. With any other like lebara or amysim be careful to see the rates and if it meets ur needs. Lebara etc are good for international but I find local calls ur better of with the major ones. Virgin mobile or tpg use optus network and give good value especially if u after pre paid but be aware of roaming charges with any network u choose and how much data u get.


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## bhimji

havaiana girl said:


> If your checking on providers look into Lebara, they are reasonable price to call & txt here in australia and there pricing for overseas call & txt are brilliant, its the best method of call communication I have found and they are pre paid, but there overall coverage throughout I cant say - good luck


Lebara uses voda network not great outside cities but ideal for overseas calls or
Lycamobile uses telstra network similar rates as lebara for international but better coverage as it is using telstra..


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## VKB

I think Amaysim is the best for Australia. Maybe you can consider carring two simcards and get a New Zealand simcard additionally.

I doubt you will have much fun with the battery life while traveling. Look into getting an Android phone with switchable batteries and buy a few batteries to get around for the travel. Also I have never seen Android phones with a sim-or netlock.

Also its a good idea to get a cheap AUS $ 30 phone with something around 1000mA or more battery just for calls and sms to stay connected. Those phones last over a week up to a month, so that will help you stay connected.

There is a solar powered battery charger for the iphone 4 and up. Look into unlocking your iPhone, but check for legal aspects first. If you have your iPhone over 2 years, you can call your provider and get it unlocked.

Additionally look into those huge battery packs that can connect for charging to multiple devices. If you combine that with a simple AUS $ 30 phone, you should have an extremely long battery life.


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## Apheria

I would love to know if our current provider here in the US AT&T would bridge our contracts to Telstra or Optus. Has anyone tried to at least use there iPhones in OZ? And if so, whats the cost? We will still have about 5months on our contract we "hope" our visa is approved.

Any info would be nice, I know Im sure we could call up and see but others experiences are always better. IMO


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## tideocean24

I can see that the charges are just about the same with UK, manageable. It ain't easy to relocate.


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## BigBruce

The only way to use your US plan in Oz is by a roaming agreement with a local carrier - this will be very expensive , get a local carrier SIM .
All iPhones have the same bands ie iPhone 4 , 850 , 2100 WCDMA , 900 , 2100 GSM . These will only work if the phone is unlocked ... for instance all US iPhone 4 's are locked to AT&T as they have exclusive use of that phone unlike Oz where you are free to choose your provider . Due to the nature of the population density here all providers (3) have good cover in city's but if you want the best overall coverage is the best using its 3G (next G) network . I provide this info as someone with 38 years in the telecom industry in Oz .


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## BigBruce

Forgot to say use Telstra for best overall coverage


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## Apheria

Thank you so much for the reply! I will definitely look it to it. 

Cheers!
Apheria


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## brianK88

Hi!
Please tell me best suitable Cell Phone options in Australia, I will be in residing somewhere in western Australia..

Thanks,
Brian


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## brianK88

Any advice is welcomed
.


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## melindasaunders147

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## melindasaunders147

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## businesstrav1918

*Global Phone Contract*

There's a great new provider offering global contracts. One sim for every country - been a godsend for me as I'm for ever having to change out sims and numbers to avoid roaming charges.

Check out Vendome, Sydney - luxury mobile phone service.


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## DutchieN

It depends on where you want to go. I'm living in South Australia and out of the city Telstra is the only provider that will give you any coverage! 

You'll also need a telstra phone with 4g. If I put my simcard in my Dutch iPhone I still don't have reception here. You can get a basic telstra phone and simcard for $40. 

In the cities and bigger towns the other providers will suffice as well. Hope that helps


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