Survive Guide - South India and Kerala - page 1050

» Some travellers have reported their SIM cards being 'blocked' once the company realised they had moved from the
hotel where they registered their phone. Others have been luckier for the entire duration of their travels.
» Another option is to get a friendly local to obtain a connection in their name.

» Prepaid mobile phone kits (SIM card and phone number, plus an allocation of calls) are available in most towns for
about ?200 from a phone shop, local STD/ISD/PCO booth or grocery store.

» You must then purchase more credit, sold as direct credit. You pay the vendor and the credit is deposited straight into
your account, minus some taxes and service charge.

CHARGES
» Calls made within the state or city where you bought the SIM card are less than ?1 a minute. You can call internation-
ally for less than ?10 a minute.

» SMS messaging is even cheaper. International outgoing messages cost ?5. Incoming calls and messages are free.

» Most SIM cards are state-specific. If you use them in another state, you have to pay (nominal) roaming charges for
both incoming and outgoing communications.
» The government may have done away with roaming charges altogether by 2013, making calls on the move cheaper.

» Unreliable signals and problems with international texting (messages or replies not coming through or being delayed)
are not uncommon.
» The leading service providers are Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Idea and BSNL.

» As the mobile-phone industry continues to evolve, rates, coverage and suppliers are all likely to develop during the
life of this topic.

Phone Codes

» When calling India from abroad dial your country's international access code, then 91 (India's country code), then
the area code (without the initial zero), then the local number. For mobile phones, the area code and initial zero are not
required.

» If calling internationally from India dial 00 (the international access code), then the country code of the country
you're calling, the area code (without the initial zero) and the local number.
» Land phone numbers have an area code followed by up to eight digits.

» Toll-free numbers begin with 1800.

» To make interstate calls to a mobile phone, add 0 before the 10-digit number.

» To call a land phone from a mobile phone, you always have to add the area code (with the initial zero).

» Some call centre numbers might require the initial zero (eg calling an airline ticketing service based in Delhi from
Karnataka).
» A Home Country Direct service, which gives you access to the international operator in your home country, exists for
the US ( 000 117) and the UK ( 000 4417).

» To access an international operator elsewhere, dial 000 127. The operator can place a call to anywhere in the

world and allow you to make collect calls.