Click below to
find interesting
information from our
June 2009
newsletter
relating to:
Roaming
Travel
Mobile phones
Roaming
Networks
that
don't
publish
prices
In an
extremely tough
and recessionary
environment,
Australian
travellers are
looking closer
than ever at
roaming costs.
Despite a
recent
Parliamentary
enquiry, roaming
prices amongst
Australia's
major mobile
networks show no
signs of
reducing rates
(indeed in a
thumbing of the
nose, Optus and
Telstra raised
roaming prices
earlier this
year).
Worse,
perhaps, are
those
second-tier
carriers that do
not publish
their roaming
prices.
Travellers
contracted to
these
second-tier
carriers (often
called MVNOs -
Mobile Virtual
Network
Operators) face
hazards when
roaming.
Examples include
People
Telecom and
Virgin Mobile.
These carriers
generally don't
publish roaming
rates on their
websites.
Customers often
have trouble
getting prices
from these
carriers even
with a direct
query.
In all cases
we've been able
to find, these
MVNOs charge
even higher
rates than the
"Big 3" networks
they re-sell.
Sometimes this
is an
across-the-board
markup,
sometimes a
large markup of
one particular
call type (such
as charging to
receive a call
at the same rate
as making an
international
call).
Travellers
are more reliant
on their mobiles
than ever, but
vRoam as the
only Australian
provider of
alternate
post-paid global
roaming services
offers
significant cost
reductions.
Using vRoam
is remarkably
easy:
·
No change to your current provider or contract - vRoam provides
global SIM cards
which are
outside the
scope of your
telco contract
·
Casual (per-trip) or permanent use, with or without contracts
·
Automatic fulfilment on travel notification
·
Users remain contactable on their Australian mobile number
·
Enhanced voicemail and more
Join
Australia's
smartest
travellers!
Travel
Videoconferencing
A recent
article
in the
Journal of
Management
Science
examines the
effectiveness
of
video-conferencing.
The research
shows that
video-conference
participants are
more influenced
by the manner of
the person
giving a
presentation,
rather than the
content. The
reverse is true
for face-to-face
meetings - the
content
influences more
than how
likeable the
speaker is.
Apparently it
is all due to
the demands of
video-conferencing
- having to
apply the
discipline to
take turns
talking, being
more aware of
body-language
and appearance
and pacing the
conversation; so
the listener is
often distracted
from the
content.
So perhaps
the rule of
thumb is that if
you want to get
your message
across
effectively
(rather than
just your
manner...),
you have to be
face-to-face to
be effective.
That means
travelling!
vRoam of
course will help
make your trip
cheaper and more
effective with
SIMs with
lower costs,
please
contact us
to enquire
further.
Mobile phones
Making
calls when
travelling
Experienced
travellers
know a few
tricks for
making your
life easier
when you
travel
internationally.
We do get
occasional
customer
calls for
help with
dialling
numbers, so
here is a
few tips
that can
trap the
unwary
modern
traveller
(we'll have
more tips
next month).
Area codes
- use them, but
drop the leading
"0"
Australia is
unusual in that
mobiles can dial
numbers without
an area code
(say you call
"9519 2258" from
a mobile in
Sydney, we will
answer; if you
dial it in
Melbourne it
won't work
without the "02"
area code).
Most other
countries
require the full
area code for
calls no matter
where you are.
If you are
calling using an
international
dial code (with
the country
code) then the
leading "0" of
the area code is
(usually... see
below) dropped.
So generally to
call vRoam from
any mobile
anywhere is the
world, "+61 2
9519 2258" will
work.
Some area
codes can be
odd, at least to
Australian eyes.
In Germany, for
instance, area
codes can be
anywhere from
three to six
digits long.
Area codes tend
to change over
time as well
(often combined
with a change in
the subscriber's
phone number),
if you are
having
difficulties,
check the area
code/ number
first.
Except in
Italy
(sometimes...)
Italian
numbers are
idiosyncratic.
With Italian
area codes,
do not drop
the leading "0"
if you are
calling an
Italian
mobile from
overseas e.g.
"+39 03 xx xx xx
xx"; but you
do drop the
"0" if you are
calling a
landline
e.g. "+39 6 xx
xx xx xx" for a
Rome number.
Italian mobiles
all start with a
"03", all others
are landlines.
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