Why no partnership deals with US companies?

[Mezzomama]

I am generally happy with the service I've had from O2, and the billing for travel in Europe is ok. But I travel to the US for family visits about every other year, and I am not happy with the absence of a low-csot way of using my phone while there. I'm not making or receiving business calls from the UK, I'm just phoning or texting family members in the US to make arrangements, let them know where I am and so forth, and accessing local information.

Years ago, before I had a smart phone, and I think with a different network, I was able to use a partner network while in the US. This was not perfect, as the local coverage wasn't very good. The last time I travelled, I bought a cheap sim in the US and installed it with a bit of difficulty, but again local coverage was ok in one area, not so good in another but ok for texting. This also tends to take a good part of a day, which is not what you want during a visit. But it looks as though my only real option for this visit is to buy a sim from one of the big US networks, who at least have an outlet near where I am staying.

Yes, I know about Tu Go, but that can eat data and needs wifi. At least I can use it and a messaging app until I get a sim, so long as there's wifi where I am.

But wouldn't it be easier if O2 had partnership deals with networks outside Europe? Or if there was some kind of international standard, at least among the bigger companies, that would cover local calls and texts for travellers?  I would be willing to pay a small charge to access something like that. 

Am I the only one?

[MI5]

No, it's a great idea but not something o2 offer - Three do though so you could look at getting a Three sim before you travel.
http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home

[Bambino]

A Three sim is good if you need to call and text back to the UK, but not good for calling within the US. I'm a little puzzled as to why you would have difficulty using a US sim, or why it would take a good part of a day to send a text, unless you're using a sim from a lesser known network. T-Mobile in the US has pretty good coverage around the country, and it's very simple to get a Pay & Go sim and pop it in. Not very expensive either.

[jonsie]

Three is a good option but I would tend to go with a local sim. That's what I have to do in Thailand.

[Mezzomama]

The problem wasn't in sending texts, it was getting the sim (a budget package) installed and activated in the first place--it took a couple of hours and a few tries after purchasing it and putting it in the phone, with the help of a family member--and we're both reasonably techno-savy.T-mobile was the partner service  in the pre smart phone days, and coverage was a real problem in the area where some of my family lived. 

I'll be arriving fairly late in the evening, so won't be able to buy anything until the next day and will not be with family at that point. I hope by going to a major network's outlet, I can get the kind of service I have had in O2 shops and get everything going more quickly. But wouldn't it be better if travellers and students could set something up before leaving home that would activate on arrival? It's not possible to buy  a sim from this end, at least not from the major networks. 

[Mezzomama]

Three won't be suitable for my needs and I will buy a local sim. But it would be better if I could set something up before leaving home that I could then activate on arrival.

[Bambino]

I've never had a problem with T-Mobile in the US anywhere. Your O2 sim will work in the US. You'll just be paying roaming charges to use it until you get a local sim. Making a call is £1.10 per minute. Receiving a call is 90p per minute. Sending a text is 40p each.

[Fellwalker]

I echo the problems of finding a US SIM in the first place. In Washington DC I couldn't find  any cheap SIM suppliers within travel distance.  The retailer quoted on the Net10 website didn't stock sim cards at all.  Top up cards were readily available (Oh goody) . The AT&T store I eventually got a SIM from had real trouble and it took an hour all in all. He had to change settings on the phone using details from a support website. This is on a standard Google Nexus 5.

The next issue is that while in Washington DC,  4G was available,  I've since had no data whatsoever in Maryland (including Annapolis) or in Virginia (currently in Williamsburg).  So far it is a damned waste of money. I've also had 3 calls trying to track the previous user of this SIM!  It is only the British accent that seems to convince them I'm not that person.

O2 cost of data outside EU is ridiculously high, hence my reason for the local SIM. BUT BEWARE: UK PHONES USE DIFFERENT CARRIER FREQUENCIES so even when the US local next to me had 5 bars of 4G, I couldn't get any.

Coverage maps do not show the channel number  / frequency - only that US phones with their frequencies will probably get coverage. The only overlap for 4G seems to be at 2100.

United States
2G capabilities = GSM 850, GSM 1900

3G capabilities = UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, UMTS 1700, UMTS 2100
4G capabilities = LTE 700, LTE 800, LTE 1700, LTE 1900, LTE 2100

LG Nexus 5 Micro-SIM
Network Technology (UK PHONES)
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800)
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
GPRS Class 12
EDGE Class 12

If I come back I'll be looking for a cheap US phone I can tether.  I looked at wifi hotspots but they are 4 or more times the price that UK ones are. And they don't include the data plan! 

[PhoneDoc]

Most convenience stores in major american cities stock prepaid SIMs. You can also order american sims from eBay and amazon in advance of your travels

[Mezzomama]

When I tried to order through Amazon, none of the offers I tried shipped to the UK. Believe me, I have spent a few hours, including online helps, trying to get something set up.