Droid 2 global in Ukraine

[PCalex2012]

Im going to Ukraine for the US Peace Corps in September 2012.  I am a poor college grad getting a 170$ a month stipend so I can't afford the Verizon  plan for two years overseas.Is getting a foreign Sim card for my D2global and just unlocking it cheaper?  I lived in Israel for a while and I seem to remember seeing other people putting local Israeli Sim cards into their phones.  This is my first smart Phone so I'm new to this.  I'm hoping I can just get a new cheap Sim card in Ukraine and unlock and be able to make calls.  Will I also be able to use google and navigation or is that separate from a Sim card since that is data usage and not an actual phone call.  I guess the second part of my question is is their an affordable way to get a cheap data package overseas in say Kiev, Ukraine.

Thanks,

Alex

[silver6056]

Generally, getting a 3rd party SIM will be cheaper than Verizon's plan, certainly for calls and texting and probably for data.   You should get the phone unlocked while you are in the US, and check it with another SIM to make sure the unlock code is correct.  (You can use any SIM, including an AT&T or T-mobile SIM to test this, things have worked if you are not prompted for another unlock code.  However, you won't get service using these SIMs while in the US).

http://travel-2-ukraine.com/information/communication.htm  lists some carriers, no idea how up to date that is though.

But, since you are joining the Peace Corp, you are almost certainly not the first person in this situation!  When you arrive (or even before) they should be able to tell which carrier and packages are the best value.