Communication while on deployment?

depends. in some forward areas cellphones are not permitted at all because the bad guys use them to detonate IEDs.

wait until you get to where you are going before spending money on something you may not be able to use. BTW, International cell phone rates are pretty dang expensive.

what is wrong with a nice hand written letter anyway?

Don't get a cell phone, you most likely won't be able to use it. Buy some phone cards.

it depends where you're deployed.Every major f.o.b. should have a mwr center where you'll have free access to internet and dsn phones. I've been deployed here in kandahar airfield,afghanistan for the past 6 months and here we can even pay for internet in our rooms. If that's available where you deploy,i highly recommend bringing a laptop and downloading skype. I call home at least once a day and i pay less than 60 bucks for both the internet and skype a month.

If you have wireless internet service where you will be going I suggest a laptop and use SKYPE for free. It's a teleconferencing type of program and you can "call" all over the world with it as long as the other party has it too. You talk into a microphone and it's transmitted over the internet to the pther parties computer.

International plan for sure! Phone cards are a rip off. I lived in Japan and almost went broke calling Texas with those dumb phone cards.

If you have to pick, i choose phone cards.

But honestly its better to chat over the internet, its faster and more available and reliable. Plus you can get to see the person there with cams. I recommend internet ( laptop ).