Using a phone in London

I've heard that EE has a good network. You can use your phone if it's unlocked and quad-band GSM, purchase an unlocked phone here or buy one there. The benefit of buying one from them is that the agent there could probably help you get it going. Here's their directory to find an EE store if you know the post code of where you're staying: http://storefinder.ee.co.uk/ee/stores.html

There are a bunch of other providers and many should work great in London. O2 is another that I have used: http://www.o2.co.uk/storelocator

If you use your own phone, depending on how your phone works, there might need to be some settings adjusted. I have an iPhone and it automatically adds a +1 when I'm outside the US and call one of my contacts. I'm not sure if all phones do that. And usually if I restart it, it will update the network settings, however, sometimes I have to do settings -> general -> reset -> reset network settings, to get it working properly with a new SIM.

You can get a basic phone for £5-£10 and add £10 calling credit. Will give you a UK number, throw the phone away when you go. Depends what you need from the phone.

Nathan,

It all depends on the type of phone you own... Do you have a GSM or CDMA phone - both can be used on Straight Talk... If you have a quad-band GSM phone, you should be able to walk into any phone store in London and purchase a SIM. I had really good luck with O2 about 18 months ago. It was about GBP20 for 2.5GB of broadband and plenty of minutes/texts to get through a 10 day trip.

Todd

nathan,

AFAIK, StraightTalk phones are not compatible with European cell networks. While they may be capable of operating on GSM networks, they're not equipped with the two primary frequency bands that are used outside of North America, 900/1800 MHz.

The easiest solution would be to visit a Carphone Warehouse when you arrive in the U.K. and tell the staff there what type of phone you're looking for. They sell for most of the U.K. mobile networks, and will provide the best phone for your needs.

If you just want to call relatives rather than having a mobile phone available 24/7, then the cheapest way is to use your laptop to make Skype calls. They work out much cheaper than any mobile phone will.

Straight Talk phones can't be used outside the US/Mexico.