Getting a cell phone

[chiakijohnson]

Hi! I live in Helsinki for a week now. I need to get a cell phone. I was advised to get a pre-paid SIM card. Does anyone know how this works?

My wish lists are...
- call and receive phone calls
- use my iphone from the U.S.
- be able to use apps on my phone
- be able to use GPS/Map function on my phone
- be able to use internet websites on my phone

I wanted to figure out if I can find a phone company that can sell me a package per month (like AT&T in the U.S.), but internet websites and a person at DNA oy advised me to get a pre-paid card. I do not even know where to get a pre-paid card. Please help!

I do not want to use roaming from the U.S., since I will stay in Helsinki till next June, and it will be super expensive.

[Jussi]

Hi! I live in Helsinki for a week now. I need to get a cell phone. I was advised to get a pre-paid SIM card. Does anyone know how this works?

My wish lists are...
- call and receive phone calls
- use my iphone from the U.S.
- be able to use apps on my phone
- be able to use GPS/Map function on my phone
- be able to use internet websites on my phone

I wanted to figure out if I can find a phone company that can sell me a package per month (like AT&T in the U.S.), but internet websites and a person at DNA oy advised me to get a pre-paid card. I do not even know where to get a pre-paid card. Please help!

I do not want to use roaming from the U.S., since I will stay in Helsinki till next June, and it will be super expensive.

Rkioski sell them - from most of the providers. as do prisma and other major shops.

[rinso]

- use my iphone from the U.S.

Do you have a charger suitable for our electrical system? (230 V, 50 Hz)

[Rip]

Is your phone sim locked to your American operator or not?

[Upphew]

Iphone uses micro sim? Does anyone else than Saunalahti offer one as prepaid?

[chiakijohnson]

- use my iphone from the U.S.

Do you have a charger suitable for our electrical system? (230 V, 50 Hz)

That is a good point. Yes, I have a voltage changer, and also can charge my phone through my computer.

[chiakijohnson]

Rkioski sell them - from most of the providers. as do prisma and other major shops.[/quote]


OK! Thank you! I will try to see what kind of options they have for me.

[chiakijohnson]

Is your phone sim locked to your American operator or not?

I am not sure what it means by "locked" but I terminated my contract in the U.S.A. since I am not using it for over a year.

[Adrian42]

Is your phone sim locked to your American operator or not?

I am not sure what it means by "locked"

A locked phone does not accept SIM cards from other operators.

[riku2]

I am not sure what it means by "locked" but I terminated my contract in the U.S.A. since I am not using it for over a year.

If the operator subsidizes the phone through the cost of the monthly contract then they turn on some software inside the phone that stops it working with ANY other sim card than their own. This is inside the phone's software and cancelling the contract or leaving the USA doesn't change what's inside the phone. Some operators will turn off the lock if your contract was long enough (long enough to recoup their subsidy of the phone), they might charge a one off fee for this. Some phones can be hacked, either at a shop or online and this removes the lock also.

If you pay full price for a phone not linked to a contract then it's not locked, and it doesn't have software from the operator on it either (eg my samsung galaxy S3 only has samsung software, no changes by vodafone or A&T to disable some features as mentioned in many blogs)

[Adrian42]

Hi! I live in Helsinki for a week now. I need to get a cell phone. I was advised to get a pre-paid SIM card. Does anyone know how this works?

My wish lists are...
- call and receive phone calls
- use my iphone from the U.S.
- be able to use apps on my phone
- be able to use GPS/Map function on my phone
- be able to use internet websites on my phone

Apart from the question whether the phone is locked, which iPhone exactly do you have?

The US uses technologies and frequencies different from most of the world, and there are iPhone models that simply cannot work in any Finnish mobile network.