Marco D'Souza
Broadband and cellular connectivity is practically lifeblood these days. From our emails to our messaging services, it’s hard to imagine not being without them for any significant stretch of time. Add to that, with most of our data living on some cloud service or the other, it’s almost necessary to be connected, even when on holiday or traveling.
So when it comes to traveling abroad, one of the first to-dos any self-respecting tech hipster is wont to do is to search out a good international SIM provider. Between Matrix, Clay, Uniconnect, Reliance and the like, there are a fair number of choices. Moreover, international SIM card providers will more than eagerly solicit your business, eager to close the deal and put that SIM card in your hands. But in their eagerness to do so, they’ll often skim past important details that can leave you with a SIM card that refuses to work after you touch down at your destination. And this is something that can potentially scuttle your experience when traveling to new lands.
Here then is a checklist of things to determine before taking possession of that SIM:
Make sure you get the correct SIM size: This seems pretty straightforward, but many are still unable to determine the type of their SIM between regular, micro and nano. To be sure, get this spec from the specifications in the instruction booklet or compare it to your existing SIM.
Ensure your mobile handset supports the relevant cellular frequency band: I can’t stress this enough. On a recent trip overseas, I procured a Matrix international SIM card after stepping through all of their procedures. The salesperson even confirmed with me that my phone would work with the SIM they provided for the location I was taking it to. To my frustration and inconvenience, the SIM refused to register with the network when I reached my destination. Numerous emails and help desk calls later they sheepishly informed me that my phone did not support the frequency band of the carrier the SIM card was registered to work with.
Therefore, ask specifically for the frequency band the provider’s international SIM works on, and ensure your phone supports that specific band. For example, the 850 MHz band is a common one for GSM services in the US, but this band is not supported on tri-band phones in India. Also be sure to determine this frequency band specification from the phone manufacturer’s Indian site, or from the box/manual that came with your device. Avoid checking for this spec on international review sites like GSMArena as these often reflect international models of the phone, which could be misleading.
Ensure you never use the international SIM in any place other than its designated region of use: As international SIM cards are bound by very rigid usage scenarios, be mindful of their usage clauses or you’re likely to get slammed with huge roaming fees. But to insert the SIM into the phone only after you reach its approved country, and subsequently remove it before taking off for your trip home.
SIM cards are tiny, so provision to keep them safe: In case one isn’t provided, carry a convenient case –something like an Altoids tin box– to keep your SIM cards safely. Don’t give in to the temptation of throwing them into a zipper in your bag as this will lead to them getting lost.
