Number dialing in Kiev with US cell phone

[StickyFly]

How do I dial a kiev number with my US cell phone when I am in Kiev? Say her number is 380-44-555-12-34, what numbers exactly would I dial on my cell phone?

[aikorob]

This is from memory.....last time I visited Odessa, there were no changes to call or SMS my girl----it was the same as me being back in Atlanta.  I kept my T-Mobile sim card in my phone, and the signal bounced its happy way to her phone. Big charges for voice, so we mostly SMS on the days she had to work.

You  MAY need to put a "+" in front of the number.

[StickyFly]

so I'd dial +380-44-555-12-34 ?

[dn1960]

I found it to be so much cheaper to buy a cheap cell phone there and use their service.  I guess it really depends upon how many times you plan on travelling there and how much you use the cell phone.  For me, I literally saved enough to pay for the phone ten times.  My last visit I actually bought a top of the line Nokia because I was having problems accessing the internet.  I really need 24-hour access because of the time differences and not all internet cafes allow access from your personal computer.  I had great access when I needed it and no astronomical bills when I returned home.  Now I just change my message and shut my U.S. phone off when I travel to the Ukraine.
To answer your original question.  I still had to dial it as if I was in the U.S.  It would be either +380 44 555 12 34 or 011 380 44 555 12 34.  I'm not sure if it's different between service providers.  You can also go to an internet cafe and go to your provider's web site.  They always have instructions for the different countries.

[AnastassiaAsh]

The best is to buy their local sim card and put it into your cell phone and then you can dial directly any local number there, so to connect with her you will dial - 44-555-12-34.

If you still want to use your American sim card, then the best would be to buy a calling card and then dial - local American number + PIN + 011-380-44-555-1234.

If you dial directly from your American sim card to her cell then it can cost you several dollars a min which is ridiculous.

[Fogged]

Just to add to AAsh's post on the Ukraine SIM card. First, your cell phone must also be GSM compatible because some North American wireless providers uses a different network than the Europeans.

Second, your cell phone must also be unlocked before the Ukraine SIM will work in your phone.

[Pike]

The OP may not even know what a SIM card is, depending on his carrier in USA.

Verizon and Sprint use CDMA systems without SIM cards.  Of the top 4 carriers, only T-Mobile and ATT use GSM based systems with SIM cards.

Even where the OP has a GSM based phone with a SIM card, there are still two more hurdles.

First, as another poster noted, the phone must be unlocked from the USA carrier, so that it will operate with another carrier's SIM card.

Second, there is the frequency or band question.  Bands are different in USA compared to Eastern Europe.  At a minimun you need a tri-band phone and even better a quad-band phone.

To do this right, best to plan ahead before leaving USA.  Go to ebay and purchase a cheap GSM quad band phone that is unlocked.  Then you can travel around the world, purchase SIM cards in each country that has GSM based mobile phone systems, and make calls at local rates.

[msmoby_ru]

The best is to buy their local sim card and put it into your cell phone and then you can dial directly any local number there, so to connect with her you will dial - 44-555-12-34.

If you still want to use your American sim card, then the best would be to buy a calling card and then dial - local American number + PIN + 011-380-44-555-1234.

If you dial directly from your American sim card to her cell then it can cost you several dollars a min which is ridiculous.

No, no, no,  Anastassia ! ))

Your advice to buy a local sim is sound enough - due to high termination charges in UA - no international calls are "cheap" unless you can use voIP - the internet..

BUT..

This is Europe.. 011 is NOT a recognised international dialing protocol..

One must use 00 on a land line then the country code to dial internationally.. and when using a mobile ( cell phone to you ) one can use 00, but it is always better to store all number as:

 +1 city code xxxx ( N.America)

 +380 xxxx ( UA)

+7 xxxx ( Russia)

- then no matter WHAT Sim card is in the phone and irrespective of your location in the world - it will connect...

[AnastassiaAsh]

I was talking about using a calling card with American sim, then you just have to dial as if you are in the US: local access number + PIN + 011-............

You are talking about direct dialing, am i right?

[msmoby_ru]

I was talking about using a calling card with American sim, then you just have to dial as if you are in the US: local access number + PIN + 011-............

You are talking about direct dialing, am i right?

But if you are using a US sim card - in Kiev  - even if you are calling a Ukrainian local number, you'll be paying roaming rates on top of the calling card rates..

Are we talking about the same thing?

[Stirlitz]

How do I dial a kiev number with my US cell phone when I am in Kiev? Say her number is 380-44-555-12-34, what numbers exactly would I dial on my cell phone?

It depends. I guess the best way is to use the plus.

Otherwise (if it does not help), try either 8-044-555-12-34 (Ukrainian mode) or 011-380-44-555-12-34 — either of them should work.

[msmoby_ru]

It depends. I guess the best way is to use the plus.

Otherwise (if it does not help), try either 8-044-555-12-34 (Ukrainian mode) or 011-380-44-555-12-34 — either of them should work.

?????!
Igor are you saying you CAN use the North American 011 protocol to dial in Ukraine :-0 ?... The guy is asking how to dial from within Kiev.. 011 won't work...  That's like saying, " dial 001 XXX XXXXXXX" to dial someone in North America from New York, or "use 011 44 207 xxxxxxxx to dial someone in London from London."..


Stick to always using the + format ( country code , city code, local number -*usually* dropping the leading zero - plus the local number...... and you'll be fine anywhere in the world-dialling anywhere.. !

Ukraine can be a bit more complicated than many countries as the local way - using 8's or even 0-10 for international - is blooming confusing.

[StickyFly]

Thank you for all the replies. The reason I want to dial from my phone is because the only time I'd need to call my girl is when I arrive at her building in a taxi I call her to come down to open the door. After that there is no need for me to use my phone hence no need to get a local card.

I will try to ask the taxi driver to call her. If that doesn't work I will use the +

[msmoby_ru]

Thank you for all the replies. The reason I want to dial from my phone is because the only time I'd need to call my girl is when I arrive at her building in a taxi I call her to come down to open the door. After that there is no need for me to use my phone hence no need to get a local card.

I will try to ask the taxi driver to call her. If that doesn't work I will use the +

Good luck !