Skype in Iceland on Verizon Blackberry?

[oboeguy]

According to Verizon's coverage map, there's no 3G there but there is "GSM data". I have a Blackberry Storm2 which has a GSM chip. Anybody know if I'll be able to get Skype to work there on my phone? The Verizon roaming rates in Iceland are ridiculous (> $1/min) and I'd like to be able to make "local" calls (to restaurants, etc) while on the move.

 

[pm]

The term "GSM data" to me means "EDGE", or worse, GPRS. In my experience on EDGE - and there was a thread on here a while ago about VOIP on EDGE - VOIP doesn't work. The latency is too high and the bandwidth is (just barely) too low. And what you get is a really hard to understand phone call - if you can get it to connect at all. I've personally made Skype calls on EDGE on an iPhone and the call quality was so bad as to be useless. You can do it, but you wouldn't want to do it.

That said, Iceland has two network providers with 3G. They appear to be using standard HSPA 2100 European standard 3G. Skype on 3G works great.
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_is.shtml

 

[oboeguy]

Too bad VOIP isn't going to work with Verizon roaming. We're only going to be there for a few days, though, so it may not be worth the trouble to get a local SIM card (presumably that's the suggestion? pardon my GSM naiveté).

 

[pm]

Oh, sorry. I misunderstood. I read using an Icelandic SIM, not roaming. Sorry. Now that I re-read your post, I'm worried about my reading comprehension skills since you made it pretty obvious.

But the first paragraph is correct in my experience. If it's Skype on EDGE, then it won't work well enough for either party to understand each other very well.

 

[preslove]

Getting a $10 unlocked phone and a local SIM card will be substantially cheaper than any option you could come up with.

 

[oboeguy]

I could swear that I had 3G in spots but it was mostly EDGE coverage. Skype worked out pretty well on EDGE, only having trouble with one call on our last day there. I made a couple of calls from a spot where two tectonic plates meet. Pretty cool. When I tried to call a US number, though, Skype said something about Verizon handling those calls with applicable rates which scared me enough to decided I didn't really need to call the US. What's the deal there?

 

[Spoooon]

I think the deal is that calls made to U.S. numbers (presumably non-Skype numbers) are limited to using your minutes.

 

[oboeguy]

That makes sense, but does that mean that the international rate is charged or is it simply minutes? Not everyone I know back home has a smartphone with Skype(!) so Skype-to-Skype isn't always going to be an option.