Looking for info on cell phone use and travellers buying prepaid cell phones in Dehli
Hi there, does anyone have info or suggestions about purchasing prepaid cell phones in India, in Dehli, but preferably not at the airport as i suspect it wont be cheaper and of better service, unless you can tell me otherwise.
Reply to this very easy to get a prepaid sim card as well as inexpensive cell phones in india. Prices are also not too expensive. you will need to present a copy of your passport (as proof of identity), and a proof of address (wherever in the world that may be). if you passport has an address, that should suffice in most cases.
Unless your phone connection seller submits these documents to the mobile company within 2 days, your connection will be disabled.
Reply to this Here's my story... it's a bit different.
I was in India about a year ago, so hopefully it has changed since then.
1. Getting the pre-paid card. I had my passport and proof of residence etc, but it wasn't in India, so they wouldn't give me one. I had to return to the hotel, get an Indian to come an vouch for me, and prove that I was living in the hotel. Eventually I got one.
2. Keeping a pre-paid sim card. Three weeks after getting the card I got a message telling me that they had been unable to verify that I lived at my stated address (which was the hotel from which of course I had checked out), so incoming calls would be blocked. A week later I got a similar message telling me that outgoing calls would also be blocked. My phone became useless, so I threw away the SIM card.
3. Cost. Prices are absurdly expensive. After getting my SIM card in Delhi, I headed to Himarchal Pradesh. On the way I called my mate who was on the same train only 50m from me. The 1 minute call cost me $2 and cost him $1. Reason: once you leave the area where you bought the sim card, it's like going into another country. You have to pay roaming and interstate connection fees, so even receiving calls costs a fortune.
4. Coverage. You'll get a signal in most cities, but the country can be hit and miss. Even in a mid-sized town I had to walk up a hill to get a signal. If you are heading to Leh or elsewhere in Kashmir, forget it. The army has blocked all signals there and only allows certified locals to access the net.
Summary: Stick to internet unless you really need the phone or you are staying in one city.
Reply to this Some tour operators will arrange phone connection if they are friendly. And if you make it in ur name, dont handover it to anybody. Return it to the operator. Bcz if anybody misuse it, make problem for you later. I worked in a Travel Company in Cochin and I arranged about 5 connections to my various clients and they returned it when their trip was over. And nowadays the rates are down to earth too!
Reply to this I've had no issues with purchasing pre-paid phones and sim-cards in India. I've never purchased a phone in Delhi but I have purchased a few sim-cards there.
Since the previous few terrorist attacks in India the I.D. requirements are a little more strict, but a passport,
home address, and travel plans should suffice.
What your biggest concern will be is that not all telecommunications carriers operate in all states, and even the same operator may operate differently between states. I usually purchase a new sim-card for each state that I'm in rather than pay extra for roaming. But unless you really need a mobile phone you shouldn't be concerned, there are a multitude of phones across the country that you can use.
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