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Using A Cell Phone When Traveling in Amsterdam

Posted August 11th, 2011 in Netherlands by Dan

Using A Cell Phone When Traveling in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is an amazing city filled with impressive architecture and beautiful canals that meander throughout the city. This is the capital of the Netherlands, and is a very popular travel destination for tourists from all over the world. There is literally something for every type of traveler, whether they may have a preference for history and culture, a vibrant night life, or simply the calming charm of an old European city. Amsterdam is the largest city in Netherlands and is considered to be the creative and cultural center of this region of the world.

Travelers will need to set up their cell phone for Amsterdam access. There are several affordable cell phone options. In order to enjoy effortless mobile phone usage in this city, travelers will need to have a GSM Amsterdam cell phone and a SIM card. The SIM card permits callers to be identified on the mobile network in a particular country. The SIM cards also store all phone numbers and contacts and permits users to have a unique number. It is very easy to add on minutes either by calling the service provider or using the internet.There are a few ways to go about acquiring cell phone for Amsterdam access. One way is to have your own unlocked cell phone and insert the compatible international SIM into the phone. But this can be very expensive as the roaming charges based on the existing service plan will be applied. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid high roaming charges by either buying a prepaid phone or renting one during your stay in Amsterdam.

Renting a phone is typically better for very short stays. The phone will include starter minutes and will come will a choice of features and options. The rates are charged on a weekly basis and can add up if the rental is extended for more time. Travelers may find better deals buy purchasing a prepaid phone and SIM, especially if they are staying beyond two weeks. The weekly rental fee can grow to become higher than the actual cost of a phone.

With prepaid phones, there is no worry over confusing contracts and weekly rental fees. This is usually the most cost efficient option. Travelers save time and money by doing their planning in advance and purchasing a prepaid GSM phone and SIM card online. They can also easily be purchased once in Amsterdam. There are several kiosks available in the airport that will stock all that a traveler needs for Amsterdam cell phone service.

Travelers can purchase a prepaid SIM card at a number of the local shops. The most common shops are actually the so-called phone houses. These phone houses are operated by a particular service providers, such as Vodaphone, but there are also a number of phone houses that are independent. It is important to research the various providers prior travelling to Amsterdam. The different prepaid SIM cards come with varying connectivity choices and service options. It is not difficult to set up Amsterdam cell phone access, especially if travelers plan ahead.

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Traveling with a Cell Phone in the Netherlands

Posted July 4th, 2011 in Netherlands by Dan
Although cell phone coverage as well as service for the Netherlands is quite exceptional when compared to that of North America, it subscribes to the Global System of Mobile Communications or GSM standard supporting four major frequency bands. Unfortunately, the two bands most common in Europe (900 and 1800) are not those served in either the United States or Canada rendering those cell phones unusable in the Netherlands.
Currently, the only way to offset this is to purchase a GSM tri-band phone or prevail upon the North American servicer to provide a handset with a Subscriber Information Module or SIM chip which will facilitate use of the assigned North American phone number. This is usually initially quite expensive in addition to the extremely high roaming rates charged. A less expensive alternative is to purchase a prepaid Netherlands SIM card which can be put into a previously purchased GSM phone; however, this may not be easy since Holland requires residency to buy a SIM card. The cheaper, less formidable alternative is to simply rent a cell phone for the Netherlands at the airport taking advantage of local cellular costs.
Rental of a cell phone for the Netherlands is not particularly expensive ranging from no charge for the phone itself (charges are incurred for only the service provided) to up to $1.99 per day for travel days only. Rental packages contain a SIM card which the traveler may retain. The unit will be will be assigned a phone number peculiar to the United States (access code 1), a small number of free airtime minutes, access to a travel journal, round the clock customer support and follow-on rates of approximately 25 cents per minute. Additionally, incoming calls are usually free, voicemail access ranges approximately 70 to 75 cents per minute, and outgoing SMS messages about $1.00 per minute. (How does one measure a text message by the minute?) There is almost never a contract and usually no credit check, both advantages to the cell phone in the Netherlands.

Delightful Amsterdam

Mobile phone masts or towers, both numbers and locations, are the primary requisite for determining quality of coverage and service within a geographic area. There are five major mobile service providers in the Netherlands: KPN, T-Mobile, Dutchtone, Telfort, and Libertel. KPN’s mobile network claims 3,000 sites covering 97% of the populated area and 5.5 million local subscribers. Assuming shared mobile masts due to the controversies of the early 2000s, the following information as to the number of local subscribers may give the traveler insight in service quality. T-Mobile is the second largest with something less than half of KPN’s subscribers followed closely by Libertel (Vodafone) with the remaining two, Dutchtone and Telfort bringing up the rear. As can be seen by this information, KPN far out distances its competitors; however, most authorities agree that the gap is closing rapidly and the service areas of the second and third competitors can be expected to greatly increase by 2013.

With this information, some travelers may still choose to pursue ownership of a GSM phone especially if travel is a way of life and trips to many destinations are expected. For those for who travel is not often but who require convenience and dependability renting a mobile along with renting a car can be the least expensive answer. So if your trip is brief, unique and, in short, just a vacation, consider just renting a cell phone in the Netherlands.

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