Which is a good 3G mobile?

dev · 18th January 2008, 16:07

Dear BHPIANS,
After a long time I am visiting this site.

I want to purchase a 3G mobile phone in a price range of 10-12K. Please suggest a good mobile which should be slim and uptodate technologies with good music sound.

This will be used in USA for my brother in law.

Also, let me know which shop is giving good deals in Bangalore.
Thanks in advance.

With regards,
Dev

Raja · 18th January 2008, 17:17

Hi Dev

There are lots of questions that need to be asked. What Network is B-i-L on? Where is he is US? 3G US standards are very different to 3G Asia/Europe (frequesncy is different).

dev · 18th January 2008, 17:26

Thanks for reply Raja.
He is in Detroit ... and mostly the connection (Prepaid ) will be Airtel. He needs to receive SMS (high priority).

zenx · 18th January 2008, 18:03

The nokia E65 is a very good phone - know a couple of people who've been using it in the UK on 3G networks too. I don't really know about the E51, but sounds very promising too.

dev · 18th January 2008, 18:16

there 5610 and E51 aswell.

Akshay1234 · 18th January 2008, 19:58

you might just be able to squeeze an n73 into that. push for discounts.

18th January 2008, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by dev

Dear BHPIANS,
After a long time I am visiting this site.

I want to purchase a 3G mobile phone in a price range of 10-12K. Please suggest a good mobile which should be slim and uptodate technologies with good music sound.

This will be used in USA for my brother in law.

Also, let me know which shop is giving good deals in Bangalore.
Thanks in advance.

With regards,
Dev

Hi Dev within ur price range(10-12K) & the features u want, Nokia E51 is best suited for u, its a very good phone rich with business sowtwares & entertaiment features, it has WiFi, 3G, FM radio, 130 MB storage internal storage with external card slot, & also its comes comes with European HSDPA support & quad-band GSM support ur brother in law will definatly likes it..

Raja · 19th January 2008, 09:52

Ignorant question?
Does Airtel Prepaid allow roaming around the world?
Best to check with Airtel as to who are there approved roaming partners in and around Detroit. There is no point in buying a suitable handset if you will never get the reception!

Edit:
Just checked Airtel website, Prepaid Roaming international - 'Coming Soon'. Check with them first before buying a handset.
Nokia E51 is an excellent handset, but as pointed out above, supports European 3G Only. A US specific 3G frequency is 'WCDMA 1900'.

DerAlte · 19th January 2008, 10:33

* No, pre-paid roaming is supported only in India. The pre-loaded currency in the card will evaporate in no time, so high are the roaming costs. SMS receiving/sending typically costs Rs.11-16 per SMS, voice calls (in / out) around 120-150 per minute
* Airtel roaming does not support 3G data, since Airtel doesn't have 3G in India, and cannot present an appropriate profile
* Pre-paid roaming is quite complicated since there are infinite variations in plans, and the plans keep changing all the time
* "Roaming partner" concept is now defunct. All the service providers are cross-connected, and they check back via on-line handshake before they allow you to log on to their network (Airtel replies with your profile; you can make out since immediately after logging on, Airtel sends you an SMS confirming that). So, any US service provider whose network one selects on the cellphone will allow traffic and send a bill to Airtel, for example
* SMS will not need 3G; plain old GSM is good enough
* 3G still doesn't have a large footprint in US, not even half that of GSM / GPRS. Wiser to stick to GSM

There are 2 economical alternatives:
1. Buy a pre-paid cellphone in US
2. Rent a US phone in India before going. Companies like Matrix will give you a basic phone with a US SIM card at about $1 per day, with some free voice minutes

Steeroid · 19th January 2008, 10:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raja

Edit:
Just checked Airtel website, Prepaid Roaming international - 'Coming Soon'. Check with them first before buying a handset.
Nokia E51 is an excellent handset, but as pointed out above, supports European 3G Only. A US specific 3G frequency is 'WCDMA 1900'.

The E51 works on GSM 850/900/1800/1900. 900/1800 are the Euro GSM frequencies and 850/1900 are the US frequencies.

You shouldnt worry about US connectivity.

Never go roaming on prepaid unless they are full-spec prepaid roaming on CAMEL. I understand AirTel doesnt support this yet - in fact only a handful of operators worldwide do.

Leave a voice message on your Indian phone with your new US number after getting yourself a new number there. In this day and age getting a new phone number is as easy as buying a newspaper.

Raja · 19th January 2008, 13:40

@DerAlte
You mention that the 'Roaming Partner' concept is defunct, but my UK Virgin simcard doesn't work in Mahableshwar. There are networks in Mahableshwar, but they don't have an agreement with UK Virgin and therefore I am unable to log into any of the available networks.
That's why I mentioned to make sure there is a roaming partner.

@Steeroid
dev wanted specifically a 3G handset for US (as per title), that's why I am pointing out the difference in 3G frequencies. Apart from that, normal voice (GSM) is fully covered by the Nokia E51.

Steeroid · 19th January 2008, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte

* Airtel roaming does not support 3G data, since Airtel doesn't have 3G in India, and cannot present an appropriate profile

In most networks you should be able to use any available bearer service from GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSDPA as long as you have data services enabled. 3G is not a service - it is a packet-data bearer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte

* Pre-paid roaming is quite complicated since there are infinite variations in plans, and the plans keep changing all the time

Nope. Roaming rates depend on Inter-operator tariffs and not on the retail tariff plans.

Again, you may be able to roam using special roaming rates if your operator allows USSD-based call-back roaming which does not require tariffs to be agreed on with the roaming partner. However you still need a roaming agreement that enables ussd-based callback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte

* "Roaming partner" concept is now defunct. All the service providers are cross-connected, and they check back via on-line handshake before they allow you to log on to their network (Airtel replies with your profile; you can make out since immediately after logging on, Airtel sends you an SMS confirming that). So, any US service provider whose network one selects on the cellphone will allow traffic and send a bill to Airtel, for example

Not sure where you got this information from, but you definitely need roaming agreements with partners. There's a lot of work that goes behind the roaming business - its not as simple as logging onto any network. If you're not a roaming partner,you cannot roam.

18th January 2008, 16:07	#1
dev BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR Posts: 109 Thanked: Once	Which is a good 3G mobile? Dear BHPIANS, After a long time I am visiting this site. I want to purchase a 3G mobile phone in a price range of 10-12K. Please suggest a good mobile which should be slim and uptodate technologies with good music sound. This will be used in USA for my brother in law. Also, let me know which shop is giving good deals in Bangalore. Thanks in advance. With regards, Dev Last edited by dev : 18th January 2008 at 16:20.
	() Thanks

18th January 2008, 17:17	#2
Raja BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 419 Thanked: 69 Times	Hi Dev There are lots of questions that need to be asked. What Network is B-i-L on? Where is he is US? 3G US standards are very different to 3G Asia/Europe (frequesncy is different).
	() Thanks

18th January 2008, 17:26	#3
dev BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR Posts: 109 Thanked: Once	Thanks for reply Raja. He is in Detroit ... and mostly the connection (Prepaid ) will be Airtel. He needs to receive SMS (high priority).
	() Thanks

18th January 2008, 18:03	#4
zenx Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,161 Thanked: 158 Times View My Garage	The nokia E65 is a very good phone - know a couple of people who've been using it in the UK on 3G networks too. I don't really know about the E51, but sounds very promising too.
	() Thanks

18th January 2008, 18:16	#5
dev BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR Posts: 109 Thanked: Once	there 5610 and E51 aswell.
	() Thanks

18th January 2008, 19:58	#6
Akshay1234 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,265 Thanked: 12,317 Times	you might just be able to squeeze an n73 into that. push for discounts.
	() Thanks

19th January 2008, 09:52	#8
Raja BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 419 Thanked: 69 Times	Ignorant question? Does Airtel Prepaid allow roaming around the world? Best to check with Airtel as to who are there approved roaming partners in and around Detroit. There is no point in buying a suitable handset if you will never get the reception! Edit: Just checked Airtel website, Prepaid Roaming international - 'Coming Soon'. Check with them first before buying a handset. Nokia E51 is an excellent handset, but as pointed out above, supports European 3G Only. A US specific 3G frequency is 'WCDMA 1900'. Last edited by Raja : 19th January 2008 at 10:05. Reason: Adding New Airtel information
	() Thanks

19th January 2008, 10:33	#9
DerAlte Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,069 Thanked: 2,919 Times	* No, pre-paid roaming is supported only in India. The pre-loaded currency in the card will evaporate in no time, so high are the roaming costs. SMS receiving/sending typically costs Rs.11-16 per SMS, voice calls (in / out) around 120-150 per minute * Airtel roaming does not support 3G data, since Airtel doesn't have 3G in India, and cannot present an appropriate profile * Pre-paid roaming is quite complicated since there are infinite variations in plans, and the plans keep changing all the time * "Roaming partner" concept is now defunct. All the service providers are cross-connected, and they check back via on-line handshake before they allow you to log on to their network (Airtel replies with your profile; you can make out since immediately after logging on, Airtel sends you an SMS confirming that). So, any US service provider whose network one selects on the cellphone will allow traffic and send a bill to Airtel, for example * SMS will not need 3G; plain old GSM is good enough * 3G still doesn't have a large footprint in US, not even half that of GSM / GPRS. Wiser to stick to GSM There are 2 economical alternatives: 1. Buy a pre-paid cellphone in US 2. Rent a US phone in India before going. Companies like Matrix will give you a basic phone with a US SIM card at about $1 per day, with some free voice minutes
	() Thanks

19th January 2008, 13:40	#11
Raja BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 419 Thanked: 69 Times	@DerAlte You mention that the 'Roaming Partner' concept is defunct, but my UK Virgin simcard doesn't work in Mahableshwar. There are networks in Mahableshwar, but they don't have an agreement with UK Virgin and therefore I am unable to log into any of the available networks. That's why I mentioned to make sure there is a roaming partner. @Steeroid dev wanted specifically a 3G handset for US (as per title), that's why I am pointing out the difference in 3G frequencies. Apart from that, normal voice (GSM) is fully covered by the Nokia E51.
	() Thanks