"Steve Terry" <g4wwk-remove-to-reply-@tesco.net> wrote in message news:<4BoNa.2798$ju6.42123@newsfep4-glfd.server.ntli.net>...
> "Mike @ www.sivros.net" <mike@sivros.net> wrote in message
> news:1slagv80a7jiu78e6i92ei8200s9id9ole@4ax.com...
> > Martin Ktech <wahalla88@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >You will find that buying a local GSM Sim is going to be cheaper and easier
> > >to use!
> >
> > As long as you are in range of a GSM cell site !
> > For example, have you tried finding reliable GSM
> > coverage in some of the remote valleys of the Lake
> > District or Yorkshire Dales? I have used Globalstar
> > in both places and in similar locations in Greece.
> >
> I toured the Derby Dales last year, and took my 3330 with triple Sim back
> fitted with Voda, O2, and T Mobile PAYT Sims just in case.
> 95% of the time my Orange ED50 6310i worked fine.
>
> Steve Terry

When I go to wild places such as these, I carry four SIMs: Orange, O2,
Vodafone and Virgin. I looked at T Mobile but their PAYT rates seemed
dreadful. The Virgin SIM gives me access to that network at much
better rates. The Virgin is on DD and has roaming enabled. So it
gives me a back up when roaming. I probably could not access any more
networks with it but if something went wrong with my Orange account
then I could use the Virgin SIM. The O2 and Vodafone PAYG SIMs are
not good for roaming.

Like you, my normal SIM is Orange on ED50. When Orange fails (not so
often these days), I go to O2 next if it is a weekend (2ppm) or Virgin
at other times. Surprisingly although, people criticise the T Mobile
network a lot, the Virgin SIM quite often works when Orange has let me
down. e.g. I was in the Center parcs near Nottingham recently.
Orange reception was very patchy but Virgin was fine. Of course this
does not mean that Virgin is better than Orange since I do not look at
Virgin when Orange is available. But it does manage to cover some
Orange holes. I use the Vodafone SIM last. Its rates are the worst
of all my SIMs.

But despite access to so many networks, it would be fun to have a
satellite phone. I try to justify it because I travel a lot.
Unfortunately, they are still too expensive. See the spin off thread:
"satellite phone query - available in UK" for some more chat about
satellite phones.

J