Information & Chat > FSU Service Providers and Useful Resources
Phones N SMS - FSU
BCARTR:
I thought I would put something together concerning purchasing your own phone to use in the FSU.
My examples below are for Ukraine, but I am pretty sure this works the same way in Russia. ;-)
Phones:
The FSU uses the GSM Wireless Technology as most European countries.
Here in the USA we use AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, and GSM depending on where you are at and what carrier you have (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular, etc )
Most folks in the USA could use their phone in the FSU along with outrages roaming rates. But if you are like me and want to same a few dollars (maybe more then a few) then you may want to purchase your own phone that you can exclusively use while you are in the FSU. You could wait until you get to the FSU and buy a phone there, however the prices are pretty much the same as you would find at any outlet store here.
Now before you go running off and purchasing a GSM phone at a store let me give you some more info. Carriers here actually purchase these phones and offer them at discounts if you sign up for 2 year agreements etc.. Then those phones can ONLY be used by that carrier, that phone is called a LOCKED phone. So what you need is an UNLOCKED phone.
So those of you that already utilize T-Mobile, Cingular or any other carrier that uses a SIM-Card, you could use your phone in Ukraine however you will need that unlock code.
Good luck if you think a Carrier will give you the unlock code for the phone. You could traverse Google and look for software or companies that will help you get that unlock code. This does work if you have some time on your hands to install the software and work at it. Of course you could pay someone to get the unlock code for you. Sprint/Verizon does not have GSM networks; therefore do not have SIM type phones.
So the easiest way to do this (if you don’t know software) is to get your butt on eBay and purchase a GSM Unlocked phone.
What you should search for are:
GSM
Unlocked
Quadband
There are 4 Bands that Carriers could use, so why not get a phone that can be used by all Carriers. Otherwise, just make sure it can do this -> GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
Here is a link for all GSM Unlocked Phones available in the USA
Here is an eBay link that shows all the phones that state they are Unlocked/Quad Band in the USA.
You don’t need a phone with all the bells and whistles, I mean are you actually going to be on the phone that much to use everything? You should be spending time with your lady if you know what I mean. So go for a less expensive phone, trust me it will not be used that much. I went with a Motorola V188 Quad band phone for $35.00 and I purchased an extra battery and made sure I had a wall charger too. Make sure you get an adapter to use in the FSU as well. I only took one of these adapters with me and it worked for my laptop, cell phone, MP3, and Bose headphones.
So now you have this phone, what is your phone number?
Ah ha, you need what they call a SIM-card (subscriber identity module)
It is a smart card that is used in the mobile phones. It contains user's identifiers required to access the network and receive calls. It can store personal information, e.g. Phonebook and received SMS.
You could purchase this ahead of time and have it while you’re in the US however it will NOT work unless you are in the FSU. But you would have your number to give to your lady in advance. Or you can do what I did, and pick up a SIM card when you get to your destination.
Just to name the major airports in Ukriane:
Odessa, Ukraine Airport has a Kiosk/store within the airport that sells SIM-Cards/Unified cards.
Kiev, Ukraine Airport has a Kiosk outside the airport, between the 2 terminals. I do not know if they sell SIM cards, but they do sell Unified cards.
Donetsk, Ukraine Airport has a Kiosk/store within the airport that sells SIM-Cards/Unified cards.
You can ask for a SIM card just like that as they seemed to know what I meant when I was there. For a refill card you can say Scratch Card or just point at the pictures that they almost all have.
The carriers that are in Ukraine are: Kievstar, , DJuice, Life, Beeline, UMC, DCC, Golden Telecom, Jeans, and Sim Sim.
I went with Kievstar so a lot of the information below is for Kievstar.
Here is what a SIM Card looks like, I have 3 of them, one for the USA, one for Brazil (when I traveled there for work) and one for Ukraine. Of course each SIM card has its own unique phone number. I got one for the USA due to the fact that I did NOT want to take my regular Verizon phone and my new eBay Ukraine phone with me (I call it my Anna phone). No reason to take 2 phones so I went to T-Mobile and got me a SIM card for $25, its what they consider a PRE-PAID SIM. You pay for minutes before you use them. It is easier to carry one phone and 2 SIM cards then it is to carry 2 phones, 2 Chargers etc..
Note that this is a bonus that Anna can now SMS me when I am in the US. Yes I would have to have that T-Mobile USA SIM card in the phone in order for it to receive SMSs properly.(Not the Ukraine SIM Card)
You will need a Unified Card (Refill/Recharge Card) to put time/money on your phone.
It is basically a Pre-Paid phone now, however you pay and get UAH versus minutes.
Here is an example of a Unified Card and its directions from Kievstar (Ukraine)
You can purchase these almost anywhere in the FSU, shops, supermarkets, and kiosks on the sidewalks. I recommend you purchase 4 or 5(25 UAH) of these and keep them with you. The reason being, there is NO warning when you run out, it just runs out and hangs up on you, actually you hear a beep, but if your not familiar with it you will not know, the beep means you have about 1 min. left. So having an extra card helps. Of course you could fill it up to 200 UAH and not worry about it, but then again, it all depends on how much you use your phone when in the FSU. When calling to the USA with your new phone, it will be expensive, I believe a 7 minute call cost me about 200 UAH, so just be aware.
SIM-Cards/Unified cards do have an Expiration date associated with them.
A SIM Card is good up to 6 months once it is activated, you can only activated it while in the FSU. When you place a call (from the FSU) your expiration date on your SIM card automatically adjusts to 6 months past the last time you used it.
SIM-Cards come with 10 UAH so you can use your phone right away.
Unified Cards are good for 3 months, meaning you need to use your time ON your phone prior to 3 months otherwise you lose that UAH. If you have a card, there is an expiration date on it, usually a year, as long as you dont use that card your ok. But once you activate those UAH, then you have 3 months to use.
You can read the Kievstar web page for instructions but I thought I would put the few tips that you should know.
Activating Your SIM Card/Phone:
[*]Go to Ukraine/Russia
[*]Insert the Ukraine/Russian SIM card into the mobile phone
[*]Turn on your phone
[*]If prompted, enter the default PIN code - 1111
[*]Your first call will activate the service [/list]
This is pretty much the same for ALL SIM Cards (to activate) however the Default PIN Code may be different, you can try 0000 or read your SIM Card instructions as it should have it on a label there for you.
Now here are some shortcuts for you guys to replenish your cash on your phone once you purchase a Unified Card.
The card is in Ukrainian/Russian so here is all you have to do.
Replenishing your phone with a Unified/Refill card.[/color]
[*]Scratch off the back to obtain that long number
[*]Input this in your phone like your placing a call (stars included) -> *123*YOUR_Recharge_CODE* [color = red]Hit the Talk/Send Key[/color] Now just watch your screen, you will get a confirmation that you added X amount of UAH.[/list]
Here is a fun one, you can SEND UAH to your lady's phone. This is in case you want to donate some UAH to her phone. It may be better then purchasing her a card, you could tell her that your minutes are going to expire prior to your next trip so you might as well send her what you have. Anyways, you can then add UAH to your phone, and use this method to send UAH to her. Of course you have to be in Ukraine to do this.
Sending UAH to your ladys phone(or anyone elses) [/color]
Input -> *124*money*XXXXXXXXXXX# Hit the Talk/Send Key
Where Money equals the amount of UAH you want to send.
Where XXXXXXXXXXX = her FULL phone number. Country code included.
Example: 380671234567
The Stars* and the Number Key# is necessary…..
Example: *124*75*380671234567# Hit the Talk/Send Key
Once you hit send you will receive a Confirmation SMS message with a code, asking you if you are SURE you want to do this. Enter that code as stated(it changes) and hit Talk/Send and your done.
The example shows that I sent 75 UAH to 380671234567
when receiving calls in Ukraine, they are normally free (incoming calls free) so you only use up RPH when you’re placing calls. So you can call your lady all the time and her RPH will not be depleted.
That seems to be the same for incoming SMS messages as well. Outgoing SMS messages are charged, another reason to use the Web page to send your SMS messages to your lady.
To make calls from the USA to Ukraine/Russia this is what you need to do.
Example: Your lady's phone number is +38 067 123 4567
Using a US Cell phone while in the US dial +38 067 123 4567
The plus sign is next to the ZERO key and you may have to hold it down for a few seconds.
Or you can dial 011 38 067 123 4567
Or from your home phone you would dial 011 38 067 123 4567
If you are in Ukraine and using your NEW GSM Phone, you would dial this -> 8 067 123 4567
(Forgive me and the spaces that I included, I did this for easier reading ;-) )
Costs in Ukraine for outgoing calls are as follows (example only)
Price per minute to call within Ukraine = 37 Kopecks (approximate)
100 Kopecks = 1 RPH
5 RPH = $1 USD
Here are Links to Telecom sites in Ukraine as well as links to send SMS messages via the internet. This is useful for you to send SMS messages to your lady.
The TEXT are links so just click on the Sentence and you will be taken to that site.
Web site for Kievstar
To send SMS Messages via the Web
Web site for Ace&Base
To send SMS Messages via the Web
Web site for Djuice
To send SMS Messages via the Web
Web site for Life
Life does not allow you to send SMS messages via the web unless you are a subscriber.
Web site for Beeline
To send SMS Messages via the Web
Web site for Sim Sim
To send SMS Messages via the Web you have to go to same link above and hit the SEND SMS Link at the bottom of the page
Website for UMC
To send SMS Messages via the Web you have to go to same link above and hit the SEND SMS Link at the bottom of the page
Website for Jeans
To send SMS Messages via the Web
Website for DCC
To send SMS Messages via the Web
Website for Golden Telecom
Did not find a SMS web page for Golden Telecom
Glossary:
SIM - Subscriber Identity Module
GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications.
UAH - Hrynia Abbreviation for Ukrainian Dollar
Unified Card - Refill/Recharge card
Carriers - Phone Company example: T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint etc.. In the USA. Kievstar, Life, UMC, Beeline, DCC etc.. In the FSU.
Bruno:
--- Quote from: BCARTR on April 17, 2007, 12:34:57 PM ---Website for UMC
To send SMS Messages via the Web you have to go to same link above and hit the SEND SMS Link at the bottom of the page
--- End quote ---
Or go directly to http://www.umc.ua/eng/sendsms.php
TwoBitBandit:
In Ukraine, I had no problem purchasing a sim card. However, in Russia, there is some sort of a legal requirement that you have to show a RUSSIAN passport to get a SIM card. I went to a few different stores and none of them would sell me a SIM card with a US Passport. I eventually had to have a Russian citizen buy one for me.
Manny:
Smart in Togliatti will sell to foreign passport holders FWIW.
Olga_Mouse:
--- Quote from: TwoBitBandit on May 25, 2007, 08:40:53 AM ---However, in Russia, there is some sort of a legal requirement that you have to show a RUSSIAN passport to get a SIM card. I went to a few different stores and none of them would sell me a SIM card with a US Passport. I eventually had to have a Russian citizen buy one for me.
--- End quote ---
According to my experience, Russian mobile phone companies would sell a SIM card to a foreigner if:
- he has a multi-entry visa for 6 or 12 months;
- there is a registration stamp with a Russian address on his immigration card (or this new additional paper they've introduced since January...).
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