How to use a North American smartphone in Ireland (Republic + North)?
score:6
There are two sides to this.
The first side is frequency bands, the US uses different bads to europe. Top of the line smartphones will usually support a wider range of frequency bands than lower end models. If you take a recent US smartphone to Europe or vice-versa it will probablly work on 3G but has less chance of getting 4G.
The second side is what to do about service, there are two routes.
The first is to get a European roaming deal (you don't want to pay non-deal roaming rates) from your canadian provider. This means you keep your canadian number (which may be a benefit or a drawback) and you can just use your phone immediately you get off the plane. The downside is the prices can be quite high, for example bell canada's "roam better with home data" plan is $12 per day.
The other option would be to get a local pay as you go deal. You can buy the sims in many places and activate/top up with a credit card easilly enough, but afaict you can't do it until you actually get there.
Also complicating this is that you are visiting two different countries. The EU has abolished roaming charges within the EU, but the rules are intended for people who live in one EU country and visit another, carriers can (and sometimes do) terminate people whose roaming usage forms too great a proportion of the total.
And a final wrinkle is brexit, noone knows for sure how it's going to play out and what if any effect it will have on roaming between UK and Irish networks.
Upvote:2
I'm not very sure regarding the Republic side of things, but if by some luck your first destination is the UK (Northern Ireland) then I can recommend getting a PAYG (Pay As You Go) Three sim card. You should be able to just find it in shops. Once you have it, you can either top up online (I believe you should be able to access three.co.uk for that even without any credit on your sim), or by visiting Three's branch/shops that have green Top-up logo.
At the time of writing this, you can convert your money into the following addons:
- £10 - 2GB
- £15 - 5GB
- £20 - 12GB
- £27.50 - 36GB
- £35 - Unlimited in the UK (it's actually 2TB).
All of the above include unlimited local phone calls/texts and last 30 days.
Now for the major benefit of the SIM, you can use up to 15GB of data from the available allowance while traveling abroad in the EU, i.e. to the Republic of Ireland! (can use up to 12GB in the USA even!)
Three even confirmed in case of Brexit their free roaming in 71 countries policy will not change.
Regarding device compatibility, it is true that networks are different in Americas and elsewhere. Three UK uses the following frequencies:
- Band 20 | 800MHz for 4G
- Band 3 | 1800MHz for 4G
- Band 1 | 2100MHz for 3G
Looking at gsmarena.com, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge seems to support all the above bands/frequencies, same goes for Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus . So unless those phones sold in Canada have different specs than what gsmarena mentions, you should be fine to use Three sims in the UK (Northern Ireland)!
For the Republic specifically, Three also exists there and from browsing at their website, I believe you can get a prepay SIM with unlimited data for €20 (8GB of which you can use in the EU, i.e. Northern Ireland - not sure about the Brexit situation this way around).
Frequencies used by Three IE (couldn't find the bands though):
- 800MHz & 1800MHz for 4G
- 2100MHz & 900MHz for 3G
- 900MHz & 1800MHz for 2G
Enjoy the holiday!
More post
- 📝 Presenting documents at the US Embassy
- 📝 Is there a program that allows non-US/Canadian citizens to avoid going to secondary inspection when crossing the land border?
- 📝 Flying to Europe with Private Mobile Radio
- 📝 Leaving JFK with a French passport to enter Europe
- 📝 Layovers in Italy and Ireland, are documents required?
- 📝 Transit visa for Dubai for Iraqi citizen
- 📝 Does Canada have 5-star buffets served daily and offering Chinese delicacies like those of Hong Kong hotels?
- 📝 Cashing USD cheque directly into dollars without US bank account
- 📝 How reliable the public transport in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italia? Do they have contactless travel?
- 📝 How can I buy tickets to see a performance in the Teatro Amazonas?
- 📝 Which days in Sept-Oct ought I book, to see fall foliage in Charlevoix?
- 📝 Petrol stations with free wifi in Iceland
- 📝 Canada Super Visa
- 📝 When purchasing a return flight, can I add extra passengers to the return leg?
- 📝 Transit in KLIA
- 📝 How to book a train ticket from Tblisi to Baku (online)
- 📝 What Chinese visa do I need for a 3hr transit in Shanghai?
- 📝 How early can I apply for a tourist visa for China?
- 📝 What Exactly is Seat Width?
- 📝 Train travel from Belgrade to Munich
- 📝 Entering the Schengen area after being told I can't return to Spain
- 📝 Do South African Passport holders need visa to enter Abu Dhabi
- 📝 Greyhound Canada - How do I book bus tickets online for passengers with multiple discounts?
- 📝 Will missing an interview for a US visa keep me from getting a UK visa?
- 📝 Does Cathay Pacific allow using of mobile and tablets for international flights?
- 📝 Can the holder of a South African Refugee ID visit the USA?
- 📝 Do I need a British Transit Visa to go from Italy to Iceland?
- 📝 Car rental insurance in US with Canadian hired car
- 📝 How are Expiry dates on UK passports written?
- 📝 Looking for a contact address. Most disgusting experience with EasyJet
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How to use a North American smartphone in Ireland (Republic + North)?
- 📝 How can I use my Verizon "Global Ready" smartphone in the UK and France?
- 📝 How to use American Airlines vouchers?
- 📝 Do North American electrical appliances work in Dominican Republic and if not - what adapter is needed?
- 📝 How to get from North Wales to Cambridge?
- 📝 Travelling to Northern Ireland from Republic of Ireland
- 📝 How to use buggy service in Changi airport (Singapore)?
- 📝 How does one use the water plunge pool outside a Hungarian sauna?
- 📝 How to buy & use train tickets from Algés to Lisbon
- 📝 How can physically disabled people who aren't flying first or business class use the lavatory on a Lufthansa A340-600?
- 📝 How to use Kurzstrecke ticket to travel from Berlin to Potsdam?
- 📝 How can you get the best value when converting American Express points for airfare?
- 📝 How do I know when to use an adapter or a transformer? (Israel)
- 📝 I have two passports/nationalities. How do I use them when I travel? Clarification Question
- 📝 How to use cloud cover information to track auroras?
- 📝 How much electronics can I bring duty-free on a plane to Ireland from outside the EU?
- 📝 How do you use ATM machines abroad?
- 📝 How much time do I need to connect from American Airlines to British Airways at London Heathrow?
- 📝 Is a UK 'Leave to Enter' stamp still valid after being in the Republic of Ireland on a work permit?
- 📝 Girlfriend's dad bought plane ticket on American Airlines. Will he be notified if she doesn't use it?
- 📝 How to use a petrol/gas station in Greece?
- 📝 How to use trekking clothes?
- 📝 How to use JR. name suffix when booking tickets with China Railway?
- 📝 How to tell if two flights are scheduled to use the same equipment when booking?
- 📝 How to use Youth discount on Slovenian railways?
- 📝 How many times can American Tourist re-enter UK in same 6 month period?
- 📝 Living in the Republic of Ireland on British Passport, want to travel to England for weekend with South African passport holding family
- 📝 How can I report taxi drivers who refuse to use the meter at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport (BKK) to the Thai airport authorities?
- 📝 How to use USB decryption from Internet cafes?
- 📝 How can I use my new Miles & More membership?