I am traveling to India in December. How do I get a cell phone to use there for five weeks? I...?

First off, there is no one nation wide mobile phone subscription for India. India is divided in many districts, and each disctrict is covered by different providers.

However, some guidelines will get you there. First off, you need a GSM phone that is GSM 900/1800 compatible. Any phone that has this is OK, and you can get them in the US.

Next, you need to choose a provider. Keep this in mind:

1. First of all you must check which Service Providers are providing services in the areas where you will be using your phone.

2. If you want National or International Roaming then also check whether the Service Provider you have chosen facilitates roaming in the regions or countries where you visit frequently.

3. Cost of owning a handset

4. Cost of having a connection

5. Fixed monthly expenses

6. Usage charges.

7. Also it is helpful to check with the people using mobile in your area for the quality of service.

In your case, I would advise on taking a pre-paid, as you will only use it for a few weeks.

Next, you can try to contact the provider of your choice, and ask them whether they are willing to ship the SIM card abroad. However, there is not much chance any provider will do so. You can find all their contact details here:

http://www.india-cellular.com/Cellular-Subscribers...

An alternative is having a local representative buying the prepaid card locally for you, and having the SIM shipped to you by mail.

If this is also no alternative, you have to obtain the SIM locally on arrival.

Hope this helps you out...

i have no clue about before getting to india but once u get here getting a phone will be really easy. you can get a pre paid connection for less than a dollar so long as you provide the necessary papers.

In the UK, you can buy a basic unlocked nokia for about 16 USD, so I guess you can buy at a similar price in the US?

If not you can buy cheap (but athey cost more than in the UK) unlocked phones in India