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I'm with T Mobile will I get it in Turkey


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Old 08-06-2014, 12:09
A.Penrose
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I'm with T Mobile and I am wondering if I can get T Mobile in Turkey. I saw on their page it's not one of the countries there in. But would it not be like here if you can't get a T mobile signal it goes to Orange? Or would it be like other times I've been on holiday abroad with other companies and it changes to a different mobile phone company the minute I step off the plane? What can I do if none of the above happens. Could I just buy a pay as you go sim here and stick it in my phone for the week?
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Old 08-06-2014, 12:28
wavejockglw
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Lots of questions and as a regular traveller to Turkey I will try and answer them all as best as I can.

Turkey has 3 mobile networks Turkcell, Vodafone TR and Avea. None are owned or operated by T-Mobile or it's parent companies and your handset will roam on to one of those when you arrive in Turkey. Roaming in Turkey is very expensive as it is not an EU country. Calls to make and receive cost £1.50/minute (Yes £1.50 a minute ....with a minimum charge of £1.50 including calls to AM) Texts to UK are 40p and outside the UK including within Turkey are 50p! Calls to Answerphone also cost £1.50/Min Picture messages are cheaper than an SMS to the UK at 30p each. If you need to use mobile data in Turkey on a T-Mobile phone account you have to buy an add-on. Data is charged at £10 per 100MB using a booster which can only be bought whilst abroad. best bet is to use Wi-Fi where possible and it's very common in bars, hotels and restaurants in Turkey.

Local SIMS are not really an option because the Turkish telecommunications authorities block local SIMs being used in phones not purchased in Turkey. They do this to reduce thefts and the use of stolen handsets from abroad. If you are a regular visitor you can take a handset to the Turkish tax office and pay 115TL to have its IMEI registered for use on the Avea network. Avea can sell you 2GB of data, 600 mins of calls and Unlimited SMS for 25TL per month and you can call home for 15p/min and text home for about 8p. It's mental the difference in cost and if local customers can get the type of deal described I'm positive EE UK are paying a great deal less but that is the rip-off of roaming!

Another alternative may be to get a third party SIM and pre-pay for your use abroad. Cheapest way to keep in touch is to use Viber, Whatapp, Skype or Facetime over free Wi-Fi or use a local public callbox calling card (4TL [about £1.15) will provide 40 mins to UK landlines or 8 mins to UK mobiles). Lots of tips on the following website:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/pho...-roaming-calls

Best advice is to put the phone away and have a good time in the sun!
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Old 08-06-2014, 12:37
A.Penrose
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Thanks for your help.
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Old 08-06-2014, 12:46
wavejockglw
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Thanks for your help.
Happy to help...... have a great time and take full advantage of the excellent exchange rate. BTW it's better to take Sterling (English Banknotes) as local resort supermarkets offer the top exchange rates in resorts with no fees!
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Old 08-06-2014, 14:10
de525ma
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All networks have roaming agreements with other providers in the vast majority of countries - whether they provide their own local version of the network or not. It doesn't matter.

Sometimes the local version of a network isn't even run by the same company - Orange in Israel for example, has no link to France Telecom at all. The local company there just uses the brand.
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Old 08-06-2014, 16:08
wavejockglw
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Sometimes the local version of a network isn't even run by the same company - Orange in Israel for example, has no link to France Telecom at all. The local company there just uses the brand.
True as Vodafone has franchise agreements in many countries to allow networks to use their branding as it is well known globally. In Turkey Vodafone is 100% owned by Vodafone Group Plc and after a lot of criticism has slashed roaming charges for UK Vodafone customers.

Vodafone UK charge roaming in Turkey the same as all EU countries. 24.5p/min for calls to UK, 7.1p/min to receive calls in Turkey, 8.1p per SMS, Picture Message 37p and data is 45.9p per MB. You can pay £2 per day and use your contract minutes, texts and data from your UK bundle just like at home. PAYG rates on Vodafone are slightly cheaper than for contract customers although data is £2 per day for 25MB (the first 4.4MB is 45p per MB then you get 20.6MB free, extra data is 45p/MB thereafter).

Might be worth investing in a Vodafone PAYG SIM for a Turkish holiday as all the others roaming charges are vastly more expensive in that destination!
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Old 08-06-2014, 22:32
de525ma
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True as Vodafone has franchise agreements in many countries to allow networks to use their branding as it is well known globally. In Turkey Vodafone is 100% owned by Vodafone Group Plc and after a lot of criticism has slashed roaming charges for UK Vodafone customers.
Shame they haven't also done this for their other wholly-owned subsidiaries (eg Voda NZ)
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Old 08-06-2014, 22:38
wavejockglw
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Shame they haven't also done this for their other wholly-owned subsidiaries (eg Voda NZ)
They might in time. It is shameful that they don't reward their UK customers for loyalty when they use their subsidiaries abroad although the Turkish addition seems to have more to do with it becoming closer to Europe and a very popular holiday destination nowadays. In Turkey as a Vodafone customer you can use any of the Turkish mobile networks and the cost is the same with Vodafone.

I would advise any traveller visiting Turkey to replace their network SIM with a Vodafone UK PAYG one for the best value communication with home contacts.
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Old 11-06-2014, 10:27
56up
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2 years ago in Turkey I neglected to turn off roaming and received a bill of £30 for one week. If you are land based then don't even go there. (i.e. not out on the Med on a Gulet like we were - no Wifi in the middle of the sea)

If you have a smart phone, you can usually turn on airplane mode which shuts off all transmission but then most will allow you to turn on connections individually including WiFi. That overcomes any chance of forgetting to switch off any of the services. As has been said most bars and hotels have free WiFi so you can sup a beer and use any of the WiFi based apps to communicate. And totally free.

In fact, this is what we should all do and that will force the mobile providers (including the Turkish ones) to have another think about the charges when their usage drops through the floor.

If you are in a group and really have no access to WiFi, then why not provide one unit with a data plan and then use it as a hot spot for the other phones?
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