Cell Phone Service

[AdaraMarie]

My SO is going to be deployed somettime. We currently have Sprint as our cell phone carrier. Does Sprint work overseas? What does everyone else use for communication (cell service) when your SO is deployed? The location is undetermined at the moment, but we are looking for providers who will work in Kuwait, Afghan, Iraq, Syria, etc. (if this is violating OPSEC please please let me know!)

[Wild*Rose]

we're turning off my husband's cell phone service--he can still use wifi in certain places to email or Facebook and he can get Facebook/email on the ship on his computer.

[idratherbehiking]

My husband has a deployment coming up and everyone is telling him he needs to switch to Sprint (We have AT&T) because of the free unlimited international roaming, and unlimited texting. He'll be in Europe though.

[Margot31]

When my husband was deployed we put his phone on hold and he got a phone and sim cards once he got over. When he was working acquisitions he would take his phone and we would only FaceTime when he had internet service.

Now come his next deployment I am not sure what the plan is....since now we learned about the wifi thing but we might still put his phone on hold and get something else for the actual deployment. We also did calling cards but he is on a ship and only way he can contact me when he is not in point is ship phones.

[AdaraMarie]

Oh I forgot to mention, he's Army... if that matters

[DakotaCowgirl]

I would just get a phone there and use that. My phones never worked as they were not SIMS phones.

[HisJuliet]

When DH deployed, we shut off he cell phone service. I'm not sure if anyone could or did have private cell service when he deployed. We contacted through skype because internet was the best method of communication.

[TrishAFSpouse]

Yes, sprint works overseas (we just sent overseas and turned on international data). up to you if you want to incur the costs. Might be cheaper to get a phone there, or use FB (free on wifi)

[AdaraMarie]

So we shouldn't use our iPhones while he is overseas? What about an I pad? I guess I am just picturing him in a tent, with a dirt floor, cots, old computers (like when they first came out) with like an antenna thing for communication LOL. I might sound a little naive, but Kuwait and places like that have wifi?!

Has anyone just bought an international phone, like Viaro? What's the difference from a phone with a SIM card and one like an iPhone with no SIM card (I dont understand electronics and technology very well...haha)?

[leftover]

It really depends on what base he's stuck at. Bases have DSN phones that are free for 15 minutes/day, they can get internet in their barracks for $35/month. The last deployment, I kept my iphone, and he just called me on Skype.

The deployment before that, he was on a RRP with 30 other guys and there was one computer. Before that, he went halves with his roommate and they bought their own satellite dish, then ran it to three other rooms and charged their neighbors for it.

We really did just fine with the DSN phones and Skype. 15 minutes doesn't seem like that long, but when he can't tell you about anything except what he ate for dinner, the conversation is pretty one sided.