SIM for France (1 Viewer)

Oct 7, 2013
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We have mobile phones and iPads which we use in France.

One phone is on 02, one on Tesco Mobile, and the iPad is on 3.

Local reception on all the units is poor as we are in a small valley. Reception on 3 is poor all over the area, we find.

Can anyone recommend a Pay as You Go SIM that might give better coverage?
 
Jul 29, 2013
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We use a data card in the ipad supplied by Mobidata they have got some good packages for home and travel abroad ours seems to work well wherever we are,we are in Spain at present and you don't get extortionate bills.
 
OP
OP
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Oct 7, 2013
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We use a data card in the ipad supplied by Mobidata they have got some good packages for home and travel abroad ours seems to work well wherever we are,we are in Spain at present and you don't get extortionate bills.
Is that a British SIM or did you buy it on mainland Europe?

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Judge Mental

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just move to Three. can use your UK call plan in a lot of different countries. including france....
 

DBK

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Jan 9, 2013
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Are you looking for a SIM which works at one particular location in France? If so, go there and get your phone to search for networks. This should identify what networks are available and should show if they are 2G (poor), 3G (better). Do the same where you live in the UK and you should have enough to make a decision. Of course 4G if available is fastest but unless you want to download videos it may not be the best for you if there is a premium to pay for it - if only because with 4G you are likely to use more data and thus require a more expensive plan.
 
OP
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Oct 7, 2013
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just move to Three. can use your UK call plan in a lot of different countries. including france....
We are on Three for the iPad now and have little success in France.

When we asked Three why our reception was so bad over there the salesman said " it's because our coverage in France is crap".

At least he was honest if unguarded.

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Jul 29, 2013
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In addition to my last as mobidata uses another name as well.


Globalgig Customer Care UK


Email customercare@globalgig.com


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globalgig

Breaking broadband boundaries.

Not the bank.
 

Steve101uk

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Jun 6, 2012
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I use Joe Mobile when in France. Little bit of messing about to get it sorted but it's easy to use and cheap. I found no problems getting a signal as they use sfr for their network. Now its up and running I just log on and reactivate it before I go. Here is a previous thread that got me started with it.

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/joemobile.85817/
 
Mar 11, 2013
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Try Toggle Mobile sim no roaming cheap calls and text no charge for incoming calls and text.
Check out their website and it will explain everything.

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OP
OP
maison
Oct 7, 2013
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Try Toggle Mobile sim no roaming cheap calls and text no charge for incoming calls and text.
Check out their website and it will explain everything.
Sounds an excellent system.

Do you have first hand experience? Have you experienced any problems?
 

DBK

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Jan 9, 2013
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Sounds an excellent system.

Do you have first hand experience? Have you experienced any problems?
Unless I misunderstood your original question you weren't after the cheapest deal, you wanted a sim which worked where you were living or staying. This depends entirely on what networks are available at those locations.. You could buy a payg sim on spec and see if it works but scanning would be best in the UK although for France you would have to find out which local provider your own UK provider used, if it wasn't the same company, which it would be if it was say Orange.
 
Jul 29, 2013
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That's the beauty of globalgig one price and you know that there is a suitable provider wherever you are in Europe and the UK at one price.even with your tablet set to roaming

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OP
OP
maison
Oct 7, 2013
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Unless I misunderstood your original question you weren't after the cheapest deal, you wanted a sim which worked where you were living or staying. This depends entirely on what networks are available at those locations.. You could buy a payg sim on spec and see if it works but scanning would be best in the UK although for France you would have to find out which local provider your own UK provider used, if it wasn't the same company, which it would be if it was say Orange.
You are correct that we have a problem getting a signal. The lower costs of SIMs suggested by posters will also help though.

We have scanned the various carriers at our French address but each one appears to drift in and out. Sometimes one is best, then at another time another is better.

There doesn't appear to be an answer at the moment.
 

DBK

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Jan 9, 2013
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For data try a mifi which takes an external aerial, you can get high gain ones. Something like this : Broken Link Removed

Worth contacting Addie at motorhomewifi and see what he can suggest hardware wise.
 

callumwa

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Jan 16, 2011
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I use my UK 3 all over France on the "Feel at Home" tariff. It works (roaming) on almost all the french Networks.
The french network it chooses to use varies depending on the signal locally.

I do find however that if you manually chose different networks you can get an improved signal compared to the network the phone automatically chooses.

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Judge Mental

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We are on Three for the iPad now and have little success in France.

When we asked Three why our reception was so bad over there the salesman said " it's because our coverage in France is crap".

At least he was honest if unguarded.

iPads not that great for reception are they? (we have one) maybe try the sim in another device, android?

Also take heed of Calum's post above....
 
Mar 11, 2013
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I have had fist hand experience I use it all the time . All you need is an open phone ,you tell toggle on line which countries you wish to visit and they issue you with a no. for that country. Your family can phone or text you on your sim no. as normal and on their usual contract .When you phone you are seen as a French or Spanish etc phone and calls and text received are free and phone calls made are usually around 3p a minute, Take a look at the web site. togglemobile.co.uk. Good luck.

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Feb 16, 2013
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We have mobile phones and iPads which we use in France.

One phone is on 02, one on Tesco Mobile, and the iPad is on 3.

Local reception on all the units is poor as we are in a small valley. Reception on 3 is poor all over the area, we find.

Can anyone recommend a Pay as You Go SIM that might give better coverage?
What do other people use close to you, would they help you.
 
OP
OP
maison
Oct 7, 2013
5,867
36,736
South Wales
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Swift Escape Compact
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Since 1988
Unfortunately we all seem to have a similar problem. As I said earlier I think it is the fact that we are in a valley that causes the problem.

Three years age Orange applied for permission to build a transmitter mast in the forest on the hillside above us. There was a protest from the villages around, complaining that the "radiation" emitted would be hazardous to their children's health.

Orange won permission and built the mast. Unfortunately, the communications control box burned out so they rebuilt it. It burned out again assisted by burning tractor tyres. Orange gave up and built the mast again, elsewhere. I guess the locals got their wish. (If not a decent mobile signal).

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DocHoliday

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Jul 25, 2014
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Joemobile for me - worked very well when I was in France, all over the place.
 

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