I'm leaving my job soon but I'll be keeping my phone number. Now I need to find a mobile network provider.
Can anyone recommend provider, or a web site which lists comparisons between the providers? I have a handset already, so I just need a contract.
I'm guessing my usage profile will be something like:
- 100 minutes national calls per month
- 30 minutes international calls per month
- occasional international romaning (mostly in Europe)
- 60 texts per month
Secondly, what is the situation like for the above profile with pre-paid providers? I remember years ago, they used to either offer no roaming, or make it expensive. How is it now?
Hi Just for your info I would NEVER go with Orange as they have the most vicious system for arguing non-payment/disputes/never made the call. I had an all the way ride to the civil courts with them, where the final judgement was in my favour and with the comment to Orange do you ever read communications sent to you.
If you are looking for the best deal, the one which is really making Orange bleed is either Swisscom liberty or Sunrise Relax Basic which is the K-Tipp choice for all non-business users and really very cheap if you are making longer calls ie not 10 seconds you pay with the first minute for an hour... (49 raps) SMS are also cheap at only 15 raps instead of the usual 20...
IF you are really not sure you could try the sunrise relax libero which is a no monthly charge pay later deal.
Before posting my question, I did a forum search for this topic (bet Mark doesn't believe me) and I found your saga of Orange dispute - well done for being firm! Actually this is another reason that pushed me towards pay-as-I-go.
I wasn't sure about pay as you go and international roaming, but that's now clear.
=DM=
BTW - shame to learn that Orange are so nasty these days. I was an early customer when they first launched in the UK and their customer service was phenomenally good. How times change - bah!
I use Sunrise and I can confirm Richard's comments on charges, it's 49 raps an hour to other Swisscom numbers and fixed lines, SMS are actually 5 raps (If I'm sure).
Ah - just a small correction there - the per hour rate is sunrise-sunrise and sunrise-land line - you wrote Swisscom, but I think you meant to say Sunrise.
Diem - not sure if you saw this thread . I did a little piece on the fact that Sunrise have actually made their pre-pay offer more attractive than their contract rates. If you aren't interested in a new handset then this makes far more sense than the other offers (from Sunrise). I would have taken the pre-pay, but I needed a new handset.
It's also worth considering two things about the pay for a minute, get an hour thing - if most of you calls are under 1 minute you'll be worse off since you pay for a whole minute (after the call reaches 5 seconds) and also that Sunrise to other mobile networks isn't on the same deal. If most of your friends are on Sunrise then it makes sense, if not, it doesn't.
One tricky thing is that due to my impending career and lifestyle change, I'm not sure what my usage profile will be. Anyway, I'm not expecting to be a heavy user.
I have to say mobile phone rates are one of the things that surprised me the most in planning for our pending move to Lugano - in the states I'm currently paying $0.10/minute on T-mobile prepaid for calls to any domestic number.
It looks like you can't get anywhere near that rate in Switzerland, even if you call it $0.20/minute flat (doubling the rate to compensate for the fact that we pay for incoming as well as outgoing calls).
I didn't find prepaid service in Italy to be that expensive - is it just a Swiss thing, or does the rest of Europe pay that much as well?
Try looking at the rates provided by Sunrise and Swisscom where they give you a flat charge for the first hour... Then that makes your 10 cents a minute look like highway robbery
That would be true, except that probably 90% or more of my calls are only 1-2 minutes. My only long calls are to my family, and once we're in Lugano those will be at international rates which are significantly higher than that. The cheap rate for a long call is only good if you make long calls.
I hear you. I was thinking of signing a monthly mobile plan to get a discounted handset since my American one won't work, but I'm balking at the prices. For about CHF 50 a month, I could make domestic calls for CHF 20 or 40 per minute. In the US, CHF 50 a month could get me at least 200 free minutes.
Maybe I'll just buy a cheap handset and use prepaid there. I'll be using a landline a lot more to make int'l calls anyway.
I hear you. I was thinking of signing a monthly mobile plan to get a discounted handset since my American one won't work, but I'm balking at the prices. For about CHF 50 a month, I can make domestic calls in Switzerland for CHF 20 or 40 per minute. In the US, that monthly fee could get me at least 200 free minutes.
Maybe I'll just buy a cheap handset and use prepaid there. I'll be using a landline a lot more to make int'l calls anyway.
For cheap texting and talking within Switzerland, the Migros pre-paid stuff is quite good and you can get a basic Nokia for 70 chf if you need a handset.
Hi...is the reception/phone signal of all the providers high quality, or is there some difference? If so, which one is the best. I'll be moving to Zh soon and need to get a prepaid mobile chip. What is the process and which company would be the best for local calls,sms and also Int'l calls , Int'l roaming and Int'l SMS included. Do all companies provide all these services...sorry if this sounds silly, but from where I'm moving from (CHINA!), some prepaid sim cards can only do Int'l calls, but no sms, some do Int'l sms but you can't call overseas etc. Any info would be great. I already have a handset.Thanks a lot.
Sunrise have just started a deal where calls to UK landlines (and most other European countries) are 10 rap a minute, you have to pay a basic charge of 9 CHF a month which for those of us who are constantly on the line back home is a good deal. I think calls to UK mobiles are 50 rap a minute