"Mobal" phones

Looking at past threads, several people have recommended Mobal phones for people in the US travelling abroad. This much I understand. You buy the phone for $49 and only pay when you use the phone. Now for my "newbie" question. (I am a novice here.)

When your in the United States, which network you connect with depends upon what cell phone service you have. (Sprint, Cingular, etc.) What happens with a Mobal phone in Europe? Is there a specific phone companies coverage that they share? Or, is there only one network in the European countries with all the phone companies sharing the same service?

Also, for $99 Mobal advertises a phone that can also be used in the United States. Any idea which network they use in this country?

We have the $49 version that works in Europe. I am not positive but I think it connects to the local network in each country in Europe. I have called Mobal many times for one reason or another and they are very helpful with explaining how the system works. They are based in the UK .

We have the Mobal phone also. It works quite well and we purchased the one that allows use in the US, although we don't use it here except to check to make sure it works. When you turn it on, it does a search for a local network. We have used it in Ireland, Scotland, England and France with no trouble. It also has voicemail which is really great, especially with the time difference. They suggest you only activate that feature when you really need it so that you are not paying for any spam messages. It also gives you a UK phone number so that when anyone calls you, it's a call to the UK no matter where you are.

phone number/ web site for mobal phone ??

Does anyone have the telephone no# to contact them or web site ?? I am interested in pursuing this.. many thanks.,

http://www.mobalrental.com/

Bill

We are in Italy at this moment using the $99 Mobal phone and it's fabulous - clear sound, works anywhere (assuming cell coverage) easy to dial and get the connection - we wouldn't be without it..

I love my Mobal phone. I've had it for several years and have used it in Ireland, England, Greece, Italy and France without issue. It is expensive per minute, but as long as you are AWARE of the time spent on the phone you can control the cost. Mine charges to my Visa card when used. It does search for any local network and you can see what network you are using on the screen.

Joy

Another option is to buy an unlocked Quad band phone (lots of them on eBay) and buy a SIM card for the country you are going to be in. If you are going to be in several countries, Mobal is probably less hassle but if spending a week or more in one country, I would go with an unlocked phone and get a SIM for that country. You can also buy a simple phone there and just use it while in country. For example, O2, Vodaphone or Virgin in the UK have some pretty good rates.

If you do have a quad band phone on a US network and do not plan much calling, most networks allow roaming in Europe which is the most convenient but certainly not the cheapest.

Cheers

Orange has a very good calling plan if you are in UK and will be calling Europe or US from the UK. It is Camel and I think 20P per minute to call UK landline or mobile and 6P a minute to call US and Canada.

I have on several occassions walked into a mobile store (either brand specific or generic) and walked out with a 10-20GBP PAYE phone with 5-20GBP talk time and free SIM card. I helped a friend in france pick up a PAYE phone for 19.99 Euro back in March on promotion. It was cheaper than buying the SIM card for 20 Euro by a cent.

I bought an unlocked Motorola quad band and an Orange UK SIM card for my trip 2 weeks in the UK.
Main advantage were the rates -
Cheap rates back to the US - under 10 cents a minute, incoming calls were free, rates to call a UK # were a little more but still relatively cheap.
When the SIM card ( a prepaid amount ) ran low, you could top it up at corner groceries and many other locations.