Question about cell phones in the Middle East

[JimNtexas]

My son is a private in the Army Guard. His unit has received a warning order to prepare to deploy to a combat zone in the middle east in a few months.

My son-in-law was in Kuwait two years ago, he suggests we get my son a prepaid cell phone that will work in the middle east.

I assume that he's talking about a gsm phone. If we get my son a gsm phone can he buy pre-paid sim cards in the overseas PX's?

 

[HooverPilot]

Yes they sell pre-paid cards in the PX. I would recommend buying an unlocked GSM phone (all 4 bands). On arrival he can buy a SIM card & pre-paid time for the phone to make it a local cell phone. After he's done that, use the phone to make a local call to the AT&T Access number and use the Pre-Paid AT&T phone card to call home. I do this in another middle east country and it costs me about $0.17 a minute to call home.

 

[JimNtexas]

Thanks Hooverpilot, that's exactly what I needed to know.

 

[Mud Eagle]

The surest bet -- although expensive -- would probably be an Iridium phone.

I didn't see any local SIM cards at Bagram, Afghanistan, but I may not have been looking hard enough.

 

[HooverPilot]

The surest bet -- although expensive -- would probably be an Iridium phone.

I didn't see any local SIM cards at Bagram, Afghanistan, but I may not have been looking hard enough.

I don't doubt it and I don't have the latest intel on what is avail at the PX in Iraq. I am in another Mid-East Country and this is what I do. From what I can gather, the infrastructure in Iraq and the more "civilized" nature of living in Iraq vs Afghanistan would suggest that there are in fact local cellphone providers. I would ask others who have been there if the PX has them in country.

 

[JohnnyP]

.....

In Afghanistan they use Roshan for the local provider (and also AWCC). I know you can get local SIM chips off base, but I don't remember seeing any in the PX's.

The service/coverage actually wasn't too bad, as I could get cell phone reception in the middle of frikkin nowhere out there. (I remember calling my father from the middle of the desert just because I could off of my little dual band Nokia).

The top off cards were not too bad, $10 would get you "1000 units", and that'd would last about two weeks on normal in-country calling. I think the SIM's we got were 15 bucks each or something like that, can't remember exactly.