What mobile phone companies are popular in Norway?
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at
11:12 am
I’m studying abroad in Norway for a year and I was wondering what companies are used most often for cell phones there. Like here in America we use Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile probably the most. I have a T Mobile phone that would be great for over there, it has the Norwegian letters and all, but I need to know if it’d be good or bad to sign up for T Mobile there. I want something that won’t be out of service a lot.
Filed under: Tapit Software
Telenor is the biggest and has the best service. I have an international plan through them, which in itself is a lot, but it makes it more affordable calling family back in the States. Once in Norway, go to any electronics store (such as Euronics or Elkjøp) which sell cell phones and plans (including pay-as-you-go). They help you with a variety of companies, not like the states where you go to one store for one company. If you don’t get a satisfactory answer or help on options from one person, go to another or another store. Because they sell mobiles and plans at general electronics stores, not everyone who works in one specializes in knowing everything about it.
As far as using your T Mobile phone over here: I’m not sure if there is a chance that they work together as companies–most likely not, but check with T Mobile to be sure. If not, ask T Mobile if you can get the code to unlock your phone so you can use the same phone over here. It usually requires having a plan on a phone for over a year before it can be unlocked. Then they will give you a series of codes that can only be tried up to a certain amount of times before it is permanently locked. They might send the codes in email, once you have requested it. Once a phone is unlocked, you are free to use any SIM card you want in it. Companies are usually reluctant to do this, but it is very possible, as long as you aren’t under further contract.
The deciding factor in using a foreign phone in Europe, however, is finding out which bandwidth it operates on. If your phone is a quadband phone, it will work over here. They operate on two different frequencies over here than they do in the states. If your phone is only dualband, it will only work in Oslo, at best. Check with T-Mobile if your particular phone model is quadband.
Chess is popular with the students since it’s cheap. Telenor is a bit better though. There’s Netcom too, but I haven’t used it. T-Mobile isn’t here.