I knew before I left how hard it is to get a mobile phone in India. What I did not realize when we first arrived is how CRITICAL it is to have a mobile phone in India.
To get a phone is a very easy. You go to an electronics store, pick out the phone and pay for it. Getting a sim card to activate the phone can take a minor miracle if you are a foreigner. First, you must go to a vendor with a copy of your passport, visa, your FRRO registration letter (kind of like a green card in the USA), and two passport size photos. They will then send someone to the address on the FRRO to verify you actually reside at that address. This sounds easy enough but it is not.
To get your FRRO letter, the entire family must fill out about 20 forms then go to the government office and spend about 3-4 hours going through that process. You literally stand in 4 different lines to complete the process. Thankfully IBM helped with this process but still frustrating. This typically happens between 7-14 days after your arrival. We did it on day 5 when we were still at the hotel so we get to do this process again with the next 8 weeks to change our address to the new house. Again all four of us must go in person on a weekday.
Once you get all the forms, you go to the vendor and pick a plan. They will then activate your phone within 24 hours. My phone activated properly but after 3 days and many phone calls, Ken's was still not active. They finally had to issue him a new number to get the connection completed. We were happy to have this complete but during our first week we were without a phone. We tried to order a pizza from domino's but was unable to complete the order because they needed your mobile number to SMS (text) to confirm you actually ordered. You could not give them the hotel number to call and confirm, it had to be by text. You also have a car with a driver. Most places do not have parking readily available so the way it typically works is the driver drops you at the door and you call him when you are ready to be picked back up. This severely limited where we could shop during this time. They even ask for your mobile number when you are entering various locations (private schools) as a sort of identification code. If you tell someone you do not have a phone they do not know how to respond. You just get a blank stare like they are in shock. Everyone has a mobile number, even those who live in "tent villages" have a mobile phone. The way it works here is you can get a cheap phone and then get a sim with no talk time. You only pay for outgoing calls so people can call you but you can not call out. It seems that a lot of maids/drivers/cooks have mobiles this way. The thought that someone who obviously has money, would not have a phone, is absolutely unfathomable to everyone.
In conclusion, if you are coming to India plead to a friend to get a prepaid sim card for you to use for your first two weeks in country. It will make your life so much easier.
To get a phone is a very easy. You go to an electronics store, pick out the phone and pay for it. Getting a sim card to activate the phone can take a minor miracle if you are a foreigner. First, you must go to a vendor with a copy of your passport, visa, your FRRO registration letter (kind of like a green card in the USA), and two passport size photos. They will then send someone to the address on the FRRO to verify you actually reside at that address. This sounds easy enough but it is not.
To get your FRRO letter, the entire family must fill out about 20 forms then go to the government office and spend about 3-4 hours going through that process. You literally stand in 4 different lines to complete the process. Thankfully IBM helped with this process but still frustrating. This typically happens between 7-14 days after your arrival. We did it on day 5 when we were still at the hotel so we get to do this process again with the next 8 weeks to change our address to the new house. Again all four of us must go in person on a weekday.
Once you get all the forms, you go to the vendor and pick a plan. They will then activate your phone within 24 hours. My phone activated properly but after 3 days and many phone calls, Ken's was still not active. They finally had to issue him a new number to get the connection completed. We were happy to have this complete but during our first week we were without a phone. We tried to order a pizza from domino's but was unable to complete the order because they needed your mobile number to SMS (text) to confirm you actually ordered. You could not give them the hotel number to call and confirm, it had to be by text. You also have a car with a driver. Most places do not have parking readily available so the way it typically works is the driver drops you at the door and you call him when you are ready to be picked back up. This severely limited where we could shop during this time. They even ask for your mobile number when you are entering various locations (private schools) as a sort of identification code. If you tell someone you do not have a phone they do not know how to respond. You just get a blank stare like they are in shock. Everyone has a mobile number, even those who live in "tent villages" have a mobile phone. The way it works here is you can get a cheap phone and then get a sim with no talk time. You only pay for outgoing calls so people can call you but you can not call out. It seems that a lot of maids/drivers/cooks have mobiles this way. The thought that someone who obviously has money, would not have a phone, is absolutely unfathomable to everyone.
In conclusion, if you are coming to India plead to a friend to get a prepaid sim card for you to use for your first two weeks in country. It will make your life so much easier.
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