So, this Timmy in Czech thing seems to be progressing well. Obviously, slips \’tween cups and lips and all that but well.
Which leads to a little telecoms question. As we move into production I\’ll be spending some time at home, in Portugal, of course. But the bulk of the time will be split between Germany and the Czech Republic. It just happens that the minerals and mines and expertise and engineering companies and etc etc are spread across both sides of the border. We\’re deeply unineterested in what happens more than 25 km into the Czech Rep, and similarly deeply uninterested in what happens more than 30km inside Germany.
(Just as an aside, did see a pub for sale yesterday, one that just about straddles the actual border. Should I?)
This is just great and fine: except for telecoms. For standing at one mine dump, trying to talk to someone standing at another mine dump from the same deposit, becomes an international call.
And of course it gets much worse if one is using a smartphone, to keep up with email etc. The idea of having such a smartphone that is collecting data on international roaming for a week or more at a time is horrifying.
There are two theoretical solutions to this.
1) Two smartphones. One for each side of the border. This obviously means two plans (but they\’re cheap enough) and two phone numbers, which is a pain in the bum.
2) A smartphone that treats Germany and the Czech Republic as one territory. Or even, if this is possible, one that treats all of Europe as one. Including data of course. Or at very minimum, one that gives just one low tariff for phone calls across borders.
I\’ve heard that there are corporate solutions that work along the line of 2). But while it might well be a \”corporate account\” it\’s still going to be just me. So there won\’t be 500 people doing this sort of running around.
So, anyone any ideas? Is there some company out there which would offer me a deal whereby I\’m not making international calls or data roaming everytime I step across the border (which, on some days, could be three or four times!).