. this article is an orphan as no other articles link to it . please introduce links to this page from related articles ; try the find link tool for suggestions . february 2009 this article needs more links to other articles to help integrate it into the encyclopedia . please help improve this article by adding links that are relevant to the context within the existing text . october 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message telestial wireless solutions for travelers industry wireless services founded 1999 headquarters boston massachusetts usa area served united states and over 210 countries worldwide key people ken grunski founder parent jt group limited website http www.telestial.com telestial is a mobile virtual network operator headquartered in boston with a large share of north america s international cell phone market . telestial also has operations in australia the uk and europe . telestial works with over 300 companies in the travel industry . telestial is a provider of international cell phones and sim cards . contents 1 history 2 services and products 3 references 4 external links history edit telestial began operations in september 1999 and was founded by former telecommunications consultant ken grunski . by establishing dealerships with wireless carriers overseas telestial was able to offer travelers a local cell phone service at local rates with a local cell phone number as an alternative to an expensive phone rental and later convenient but expensive international roaming . telestial became incorporated in february 2000 and launched telestial.com in june 2000 offering two dual band gsm 900 1800 handset and local prepaid sim cards from seven countries including germany france uk and south africa . this is the first time that local sim cards were available to consumers in the us and around the world for purchase outside their respective host countries . in 2003 telestial introduced the hopabroad service for north american travelers . this is the first international prepaid roaming sim that offered a single flat rate for coverage in 70 countries . 1 subscribers pay one low rate for outgoing calls of .95 usd per minute incoming calls .35 usd per minute with a single sim card . 2 in march 2007 with local prepaid sim cards and dealerships covering over 70 countries from new zealand and fiji to tanzania sweden and brazil as well as the explorer and passport international roaming sim cards 3 telestial agreed to merge operations ekit.com pty ltd retaining all brands and services . in 2010 jt global of the channel islands acquired ekit becoming the new parent company of telestial . 4 services and products edit telestial sells gsm cell phones that work in countries in europe and asia as well as phones that will work both in these countries and in the united states and canada . the company also sells prepaid cell phone service packages for countries in europe and asia . this includes a subscriber identification module sim card the component that identifies your phone to the service network . the sim card also stores your phone number and your security codes . telestial sells the phones and services online . 5 in may 2009 telestial became the first company to offer a dual number sim the passport sim with u.s. and u.k. global cell phone service all in one . 6 the passport retails for 29 including 10 of airtime . incoming calls to the u.s. number cost 0.19 per minute while incoming calls to the u.k. number are free regardless of where the call originated . 7 with the passport sim telestial also offers an optional 800 number that can be linked to the sim so contacts in the u.s. can avoid long distance or international charges though calls will cost you 0.35 per minute . 8 the passport sim also offers prepaid data plans that give travelers total control of expenses for mobile data and online activity from a wireless device . 9 the passport sim also gives travelers the telestial travel journal an online travel journal that scans the telestial phone and automatically keeps track of where the travelers are on a google map . users can add photos and journal entries and family and friends can keep track of the trip by checking the telestial website . 10 references edit calling all travelers anywhere in the world technology allows for more options . sfgate . 2 november 2003 . retrieved 14 october 2014 . 1 archived june 25 2010 at the wayback machine . international sim cards . telestial.com . retrieved 14 october 2014 . jt global homepage . jtglobal.com . retrieved 14 october 2014 . howstuffworks consumer electronics show 2001 . howstuffworks . retrieved 14 october 2014 . roam around the world with one phone . prnewswire.com . 11 may 2009 . retrieved 14 october 2014 . 2 dead link 3 archived february 1 2009 at the wayback machine . global telecom leader telestial introduces new pre paid data services . marketwire . retrieved 14 october 2014 . roaming abroad . the columbus dispatch . retrieved 14 october 2014 . external links edit practical traveler avoiding a large phone bill when traveling new york times 2010 07 27 keep in touch macworld 2007 07 06 another phone menu how to call home from abroad boston globe 2007 07 01 phoning home plan ahead before heading overseas chicago tribune 2007 07 22 10 ways to keep europe within reach new york times 2007 08 05 telestial ekit retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title telestial & oldid 743675358 categories mobile phone companies of the united statescompanies established in 1999mobile virtual network operatorscompanies based in san diegohidden categories articles with wayback machine linksall articles with dead external linksarticles with dead external links from october 2014orphaned articles from february 2009all orphaned articlesarticles with too few wikilinks from october 2014all articles with too few wikilinksarticles covered by wikiproject wikify from october 2014all articles covered by wikiproject 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