Every smartphone has a SIM card with its own phone number. But what if you could have two phone numbers on a smartphone? That’s more convenient than you think.
Quite a few people share a smartphone together. That is of course cheaper than two smartphones, but also has a number of disadvantages. One is that you cannot use certain services and apps, such as DigiD, together. Everyone needs their own phone number for this. In this article (link article Help my smartphone falls short) you can read more about this.
One way to have your own mobile number is to buy a second smartphone. But even with a budget smartphone you will lose at least 100 euros, not counting the subscription costs. Fortunately, there is also another solution: dual sim.
What is dual sim?
A smartphone contains a SIM card. This includes information about your mobile provider, your subscription and your telephone number. Without a SIM card you cannot make mobile calls or use the internet without a WiFi connection nearby.
Usually every smartphone has a SIM card, but there are more and more smartphones with dual SIM. This means that you can place two SIM cards in your smartphone. That also means that you have two phone numbers on a smartphone. This also allows you to use DigiD, WhatsApp and other apps and services that require a telephone number per person. An extra smartphone is then no longer necessary.
How does dual SIM work?
Two SIM cards in your smartphone work largely the same as a SIM card. Most smartphones with dual SIM have a drawer that fits not one but two SIM cards. You put it in and when you close the drawer and turn on your smartphone, it immediately recognizes the two cards with the data on them.
There are three different types of dual sim smartphones:
• On a smartphone with passive dual SIM, you switch between the SIM cards and thus the phone numbers. This is necessary because such a type of smartphone only has one antenna for sending and receiving phone calls and messages. Only one SIM card can use it at a time. You can indicate on this smartphone which SIM card and therefore which telephone number you want to use at a certain time. This is the cheapest type of dual sim smartphone.
• Standby dual smartphones also only have one antenna, but the phone numbers are both active. At least they are both waiting for one of them to be used. For example, if a call is made to one number, the other number is temporarily paused and cannot be used.
• An active dual smartphone has two antennas. This means that both SIM cards and thus telephone numbers can be used at the same time. For example, you can call one phone number at the same time and receive a text message on the other number. These are the most expensive dual sim smartphones.
What is dual sim useful for?
Because with dual SIM you have two phone numbers on a smartphone, you can simply use DigiD, the CoronaCheck app, WhatsApp and other apps and services with two people. A passive dual SIM smartphone is enough for this.
You can use the one SIM card plus phone number for everything you want to do on your smartphone: such as calling, texting, using apps and surfing the internet. Do you need the smartphone for an app or service where the other phone number is requested? Then you temporarily switch to the other SIM card.
Since you only use the second SIM card very little, a cheap prepaid SIM card is sufficient.
Dual sim is also increasingly used for holidays to other countries. You can often call and use the internet cheaper locally with a SIM card from that country. When you arrive in the other country during your holiday, switch on the foreign SIM card. Please note that in some cases you have to switch on the foreign SIM card before your arrival, for example by plane. You can read this in the instructions for the foreign SIM card.
Finally, dual sim is also popular with people who want a mobile number for private use and a separate number for their work. They use dual sim to keep those calls and associated charges separate. This way they don’t have to take two smartphones with them.
This is how you get dual sim
If you want to use dual sim, it is wise to first check whether your current smartphone already has that option. Please refer to the manual for your smartphone. Is it a dual sim smartphone? Then you can place an extra SIM card in it.
If you need a new smartphone for dual sim, you don’t need to buy an expensive smartphone. There are a number of great budget smartphones with dual sim. You can read more about that in this article. If you want to use the second SIM card a lot for calling and surfing the internet, you can opt for a SIM-only subscription. That is a subscription only for the SIM card, without a smartphone attached to it. If you do not want to use the second SIM card often, a prepaid SIM card is sufficient.
It is important to pay attention to an extra SIM card that the smartphone is SIM-free. That means you are free to use any SIM card from any mobile provider. Often if you have bought a smartphone with a subscription, the device is not unlocked until the subscription expires. In that case, you can only buy a second SIM card from the same provider to use dual SIM.
You can read whether your smartphone is SIM-free in the subscription conditions of your mobile provider.
