Indian SIM cards

Hi ...

Having seen what Vodafone UK charge for calls to/from India we want to pick up an Indian SIM card whilst in Delhi to use for communication with drivers, hotels etc ... and as an emergency contact number (for family use only) for calls from the UK.

We are travelling on to Agra, Jaipur and Ranthambore game reserve before returning to Delhi. We%26#39;re in India for 2 weeks in total.

I do appreciate coverage will be patchy, especially out of urban centres ... but can anyone advise on the best operator, call costs and coverage?

Regards Richard

Indian SIM cards

Hi,

Try www.airtel.in You can see their call plans, charges and documentation required. If you do a search for Indian Sim on this forum, this has been discussed many, many times.

Good luck.

Indian SIM cards

You may opt for any of these service providers:

1. Airtel

2. Idea

3. Vodafone

4. BSNL

5. Reliance

6. Tata Indicom

They all have nation wide network. And no need to worry about the patchy coverage, It%26#39;s good and you might be surprised to find that almost everybody in India has a cell phone. Since your stay is short, it is advisable to go for a pre-paid connection and get it recharged on move.

Due to tight security reasons, customer verification procedures are very tough and usually it takes at least 36 hours before the connection gets activated.

Pl. carry your xerox copy of your passport (address page, photo page and visa pages)for address proof and two passport size photographs.

K-Yogi

Buying a Indian Sim card will be a good Idea, u will get that at the arival lounge of International airport at Delhi.the Airtel hax its stall over there,all u need to bring a pasport photocopy and ur pic.

And above all call from Indian sim card would be very cheaper that will cost u app Rs 7 per minutes...its like nuts of u compare it with pound

ATB

Paul

Rs 7 means for international call from India to UK and its app Re 1 to Rs 2 for local...so its again nuts.

Enjoy !

Happy calling

Tring - Tring

airtel or vodafone

Coverage is good throughout

If it takes 36 hours to activate, it is of little use. Is this required of all carriers? Also, my phones are limited to 800/1800/1900 MHz. Which carriers serve those channels, if any?

India uses GSM frequencies of 900 %26amp; 1800. Some of the Service Providers are on 900 and some on 1800, so that should not be a problem.

Regarding the Activation time, you may contact the operators through email. Probably you may send in some documents in advance, so that the activation time is shortened.

I can%26#39;t speak for other providers, but I know for Airtel that if you can find their direct sales office in the city you are in (not a sub-agent) and submit the documentation there in person, they will activate your account in about 4-6 hours, sometimes less.

You can find their local branches on the website link I posted above. I have used a range of providers over the years including Hutch (Now Vodaphone) BSNL, Reliance, etc. But Airtel is the provider I would recommend for the best coverage and service. Not putting any other provider down, just my own experience.

Thanks for all the advice, guys!

Without prior warning I certainly wouldn%26#39;t have planned to take spare photos as well as passport photocopies.

With our experience of this, the visa office, booking tiger drives at Ranthambore and seats on Indian Railways we%26#39;re beginning to learn just how much form-filling is required in India ....

Brave1 it looks like we%26#39;re going with Airtel ... do you happen to know if the airport kiosk is a direct outlet rather than a sub agency? I looked at the Airtel website but couldn%26#39;t find the branch list you mention.

I thought getting a SIM would be easy - tried it from Delhi airport - it took 30 minutes of faffing. Had to go from the phonedesk there back to the guys at immigration and they want to know everything - including your fathers name!

One other thing to note - it seems that SIMS purchased in Delhi are only good for Delhi and the immediate area around. Once out in the Punjab we had to buy a separate SIM for that area.

eye make up