CelTrek - a new int'l SIM

[bones_boy]

Please keep us up-to-date on your impressions, DRNewcomb. I like the idea of a Yackie-like offering, but without all the issues that Yackie has/had. One question I have, does CelTrek have an option to record your phone calls like Yackie does/did?

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by bones_boy

Please keep us up-to-date on your impressions, DRNewcomb. I like the idea of a Yackie-like offering, but without all the issues that Yackie has/had. One question I have, does CelTrek have an option to record your phone calls like Yackie does/did?

I believe they do. There seems to be one recorded call in my account but I have not played it. I've been traveling since Christmas and have not had much time to explore the finer points of the service. They have provisions for sending SMS from your online account page but it does not seem to work. There are a number of the finer points I'd like to understand better. They seem to have two prices associated with outgoing calls: The first to your mobile, the second to what ever number you are calling. So yesterday I made two calls in a single session. This was billed at $2.38 for a 6:55 callback to the mobile and two 15c calls to numbers in the USA. So there's an argument for using the speed-dial feautre.

[GadgetKen]

Considering getting one of the CelTrek cards to supplement my United Mobile card. CelTrek rates look like they vary quite a bit from country to country. Interested in the low Bahamas rate. The CelTrek site also mentions in their FAQ's that data will be offered in 2q07. Data isn't offered on many prepaid international cards (off the top of my head I think Mobal and GT-Sim), so this would be a real plus if and when they offer it.

Some questions on their service when you have a chance:

Do they have reliable customer service (wouldn't want a Yackie like experience)?
Any additional charges for the US dial-in number that they don't mention on their website(is there a monthly or annual charge for it)?
Do incoming calls work reliably, and is the call quality good?
Are card refills relatively glitch-free?
If you use data once they offer it, can you let us know your impressions of ease of setup and use, and data rates?

Thanks!

[DRNewcomb]

So far, the customer service has been great.
I asked them about a local number in the 228 area code and was told that they didn't have any numbers in 228. So, I didn't ask any more about that. I can use my VoiceStick number to forward to the number they assigned in the Fla. Keys*.
I'm also very interested in their future data options.
All incoming calls have been very reliable, even when the earthquake right after Christmas disrupted communications all around the western Pacific. They worked in Singapore when T-Mobile didn't.
I have not topped the card up, so I can't comment on that.

*Having a number in the Keys bothers me a bit. After Hurricane Katrina our numbers in the impacted areas didn't work for a couple of weeks. The Keys are frequently visited by hurricanes and I'd hate to have the service shut down because of a storm.

[GadgetKen]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

All incoming calls have been very reliable, even when the earthquake right after Christmas disrupted communications all around the western Pacific....The Keys are frequently visited by hurricanes and I'd hate to have the service shut down because of a storm.

Glad to hear CelTrek worked when other options did not. Maybe they will add additional local number areas as they expand and you can switch your phone number to avoid a potential storm service disruption with the Florida Keys inbound number.
Have a satphone (Iridium) that I've used in instances where I ran out of communication options, but call costs are fairly high, and best used outside for direct line of sight. Thinking of getting another international prepaid sim (other than my current United Mobile sim) to expand coverage, and add features (which is why I was curious about Celtrek's upcoming data offering). Probably won't need until the end of the year, so I'll see how CelTrek and their competitors work out before I decide on another sim.

[DRNewcomb]

Originally Posted by GadgetKen

Glad to hear CelTrek worked when other options did not. Maybe they will add additional local number areas as they expand and you can switch your phone number to avoid a potential storm service disruption with the Florida Keys inbound number.

My assumption was that the connection back to T-Mobile was via the Pacific undersea cables, which were cut, while the connection to CelTrek went back to Israel the other way. Had the earthquake been in the Indian ocean the results might have been different.

Have a satphone (Iridium) that I've used in instances where I ran out of communication options, but call costs are fairly high, and best used outside for direct line of sight. Thinking of getting another international prepaid sim (other than my current United Mobile sim) to expand coverage, and add features (which is why I was curious about Celtrek's upcoming data offering). Probably won't need until the end of the year, so I'll see how CelTrek and their competitors work out before I decide on another sim.

I had an Iridium account until they raised the monthly fee. In my case it was more of a toy than a tool. Only once (just after Huricane Katrina) did I wish I still had it.

[GadgetKen]

That would make sense with the CelTrek card working because it didn't need the Pacific cable.
After some thought, my solution for another card may actually be a Digicel card. Travel to the Caribbean for pleasure, and their sim cards are good for inexpensive roaming across their the entire Caribbean network (can also roam on Cingular in the US for about a dollar a minute) plus I could refill over the web to keep the card alive between trips. Would also give me data if I signed up for it. Cable and Wireless bMobile service is another possibility but I've generally had better luck with Digicel for voice quality and call completion.
For travel to Canada (business) I have Fido, and for an aviation museum trip to the UK in the fall I can use the United Mobile card.
Still might consider CelTrek in the future if they offer data and United Mobile doesn't come up with an offer to compete.

[snidely]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

*Having a number in the Keys bothers me a bit. After Hurricane Katrina our numbers in the impacted areas didn't work for a couple of weeks. The Keys are frequently visited by hurricanes and I'd hate to have the service shut down because of a storm.

DRN -
CelTrek, I assume, issues "virtual numbers" - something involving E-1 servers, SIP servers etc. The call does NOT pass thru a physical location in Florida, but wherever the E-1 server is. What little I could figure out about all this is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-carrier
Also: http://www.answers.com/topic/virtual-phone-number-1
and: http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/788...ward_dial.html

This is all way beyond me. Your only worry would be if the E-1 server would go out - and that can be located anywhere, as I understand it. It would seem that CelTrek, being a U.S. company, would want the server to be on this continent, rather than overseas, to avoid latency problems.
OTH, I could be wrong.
I think all (or most all) of these outfits like voicestick, onesuite etc. use virtual numbers as well. And Vonage and all other VOIP carriers.
I assume if you are in France and dial a Vonage French number, the call would have to go to an E-1 server in the U.S. and the SIP server in the U.S. and back to France, causing some latency. I doubt Vonage would have servers in all the countries for which they have numbers.

STU - who seems to know more about this stuff here than almost anybody can probably explain this better!

...mike (Who hopes someone here can tell me what I just said)

[herkdrvr]

Its been over a month since the last posting. Just wondering how CelTrek is working out for the users? I have a UM card but would love to get something a bit cheaper or at least that has more reliable SMS. Thanks!

[teothx]

Now I see the rate...it's a very good sim.
But I don't understand some, for example in the rate calculator sms have a price, but if you see in the sms rate list (there are on their web site), they list another price....