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Part four summarizes the four different options you
have for getting cell phone service internationally and helps you to
choose which is best for you, while part five helps you choose the best
type of phone for service in the countries you travel to. Lastly, part
six showcases a very low cost solution for infrequent international
travelers.
Why Aren't All cell phones Compatible?
There are two answers to this question. First, there are various
different types of radio frequencies and encoding services which
different cell phone services use - and if your phone doesn't receive
the frequency and encoding of the local service, it becomes, of course,
useless.
The second problem is a commercial problem - your phone will only work
on other companies' services if there is a cross-billing (ie roaming)
agreement between the companies. Roaming is common within the US, but
becomes more problematic internationally. We talk about roaming in part
two of this series.
To get cell phone service in another country you need both a compatible
phone and a compatible account. You can either buy or rent a cell phone,
either in the US or overseas, but be sure you get one that will be
compatible internationally in the countries you plan on traveling to
(see part six). And you have several different ways of getting airtime
as well. Read on for an explanation of all these issues and suggestions
on the best way to get a phone working.
Frequency and Compatibility Issues
The good news is that almost everywhere in the world (except for the US
and Canada) uses GSM type digital cell phone service. This service was
originally at a frequency of 900 MHz and now increasingly is being
upgraded to an 1800 MHz service. If you have a GSM phone, in theory you
can access service in 212 different countries! (As of Nov 04)
Although the US and Canada have some GSM service (in the US, offered by
T-mobile and Cingular (including the former AT&T), in Canada, by
Microcell/Fido and Rogers/AT&T) most cell phone service is of a
different type (CDMA or TDMA, or, in Nextel's case, iDEN) and a
different frequency as well!
Unfortunately, the GSM service in North America is in different
frequency bands to the rest of the world - 1900 and sometimes 850 MHz
instead of 1800 and 900 MHz. And there is no way that a 1900MHz phone
will work at 1800 MHz (or vice versa). Frustrating, isn't it!
Note that not all other countries use regular 900/1800 MHz GSM. Notable
exceptions include Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and some Central/South
American countries, although there may be some limited coverage GSM
networks in these countries, and/or GSM networks at the US 1900MHz
frequency. These issues are discussed in detail in part six.
Multiband Phones
Some phone manufacturers (eg Siemens, Ericsson and Motorola) have
started making dual and triple band phones to enable you to have a phone
that will receive 1900MHz (and sometimes 850MHz) in the US and either or
both of the international frequencies as well.
This is a wonderful solution if you want one phone to work both locally
and internationally. If you are going to choose one of these phones, it
is very strongly recommended that you get a triple band phone that
includes both the international frequencies as well as the two US
frequencies. Murphy's Law being what it is, if you get a phone with only
one of the two international frequency bands, you'll surely end up in
black spots with no service much more frequently than if you'd bought a
full triple band phone.
So - bottom line summary : You need a 'tri-band' or 'quad-band' GSM
phone that operates at 900/1800/1900MHz for maximum compatibility.
Dual Band Phones
This is an ambiguous term. It might mean a phone that has both the
international frequencies (900/1800 MHz), or it might mean a phone that
has one international frequency plus the US frequency (ie 900/1900 MHz).
A dual band 900/1800 MHz phone works well everywhere except the US,
where it is useless.
A dual band 900/1900 MHz phone works perfectly well on the US GSM
network, and on most (but not all) of the international GSM network.
Triple Band Phones
These are better. The cover either both international frequencies plus
one US frequency, or both US frequencies and one international
frequency.
Most modern phones are tri-band. We recommend you should choose a
tri-band rather than dual-band phone.
A Warning about 'Triple Band' phones
Now that the US is using two frequencies for GSM service (see the next
section on Quad band phones) some phones are being sold as triple band
phones which feature both US GSM frequencies and only one of the
international frequencies - the 1800 MHz band.
Unfortunately, the 1800 MHz band is less commonly used than the 900 MHz
band in the rest of the world. This makes these types of triple band
phones not as useful as a triple band phone with both international
frequencies while traveling out of the US.
If you're buying a triple band phone, make sure you understand which
three bands it includes.
Quad Band Phones
Aaagh! The GSM providers in the US are now (late 2003) starting to
'recycle' some earlier frequencies that were first used for the original
analog cell phone services almost 20 years ago.
These frequencies are in the 850 MHz band. The benefit of this band is
that cell sites can have slightly longer range with the lower frequency
than they do with the higher 1900MHz, which makes them useful in rural
areas.
This makes sense for them, but really complicates matters for the
handset manufacturers, and for us as handset purchasers.
And so, if the service providers continue to develop their 850 MHz
cells, it will be necessary for US-only phones to be dual band (850/1900
MHz) and for full international compatibility, they will have to be quad
band (850, 900, 1800 & 1900 MHz).
Fortunately quad band GSM phones are becoming more common and less
expensive.
US GSM Service
If you want a phone that will work in the US as well as internationally,
you'll need to sign up with a carrier that provides GSM service in the
US.
The two major suppliers of GSM service in the US are currently T-Mobile,
and Cingular. Note that the merger between AT&T and Cingular has now
been essentially completed, and so for new service your choice is
essentially either T-Mobile or Cingular.
Nextel is thought to possibly also provide some GSM service. Other
carriers that exist in small parts of the US can be found listed on this
site (make sure the listing on the page refers to a carrier with current
GSM service!).
Do You Really Want One Phone for Everywhere?
It sounds like the perfect solution - one phone that works everywhere in
the world. But if you decide this is what you want, you'll probably find
that the GSM network in the US is much more limited than the more
established networks of the pre-existing major TDMA and CDMA network
operators, and fewer service plans from fewer suppliers.
Maybe it is better to have a phone with one of the major established
services for the US and a second, separate phone, to use when overseas?
Locked or Unlocked?
If you're buying a phone, it is very desirable that it be 'unlocked' -
this means that it will allow any SIM (SIM's are explained next week)
from any service provider, anywhere in the world to be used in it.
This is one of the magic features of GSM. All your account information
is in this replaceable SIM - to change carriers, you simply change SIM
cards - but only if the phone allows you to do this.
Obviously, many phone companies hate to make it easy for you to ever use
another carrier's service! For this reason, it is disappointingly common
that some phone companies will electronically 'lock' the cell phone you
buy from them and restrict it to only work with SIMs they supply. Try
never to buy a locked phone, because you truly are then a captive of
that phone company.
Of the three GSM services in the US, AT&T stubbornly does not provide
unlocked phones - their supposedly 'global' phones will only work if
you're prepared to use your US AT&T phone account and pay their very
high international roaming rates.
Some Cingular phones are now sold unlocked. Others are claimed to be
unlocked, but, alas, prove to be locked. And others are sold locked.
Some people report being able to subsequently persuade Cingular to
unlock locked phones, but generally they have no success at this. Buying
a locked phone from Cingular would seem to be a poor choice, due to the
uncertain nature of ever getting it unlocked.
T-Mobile has the fairest policy - they will unlock your phone 90 days
after you've activated service, and it is a quick simple process to
arrange this to happen. Apparently they only will unlock one phone per
account.
For this reason, you should preferentially buy phones from T-Mobile,
never from AT&T and preferably not from Cingular. At the time of writing
(Aug 04) T-Mobile also seemed to have the best plans and range of added
value services.
If you already have a locked GSM phone, or if you want to buy a phone
that will be locked when you receive it, this page tells you how we can
unlock many types of phones for you, quickly and easily.
Where to Buy a Phone
Tri-band phones are available from about $100. A good one costs little
more than $200, and the top of the line, ultra-deluxe unit complete with
color screen, can be had for about $500. Prices are of course cheaper if
you buy the phone together with new phone service. You have four main
ways to buy a phone.
-
You can buy a phone together with a
service plan from a US carrier such as
T-Mobile or
Cingular - the
advantage of doing this is that the phone will probably be
discounted below the normal selling price. Of course, you'll also
have to sign up for a year or more of service. In addition, make
sure that the phone is not 'locked' (or that you can get the phone
unlocked subsequently).
-
You can buy direct from the
manufacturer - check out their websites. This is usually the most
expensive option.
-
You can buy on eBay - amazing values
can be found on eBay - go to this page for a current list of
auctions. At the time of writing, eBay were listing 1200 different
GSM phone items and accessories for sale! If buying on eBay, all the
usual cautions apply, of course - buy from sellers with positive
feedback and pay by credit card.
-
You can buy from a specialty
supplier. I've used
Telestial and been very pleased with their service.
-
Mobal
offer very inexpensive GSM phones (as little as $49) complete with
bundled service through their provider.
-
You can buy while overseas - but in
such a case, you may not be able to conveniently research the phone
alternatives open to you, and most likely, the phone will not then
be also compatible in the US. You might also find yourself spending
substantial amounts of your travel time attempting to arrange this
purchase, it may be several days before you succeed, and you may end
up paying more than you would for the same phone in the US.
Phone Rental
Maybe you just want to rent a phone? Count on a minimum rental cost of
about $75-100, even if only for a week, and you may be required to use a
more expensive carrier for calls as well with a rental phone. For the
cost of only one or two rentals, it is much easier to buy your own
phone.
AT&T also rent phones (as well as sell locked GSM phones and GSM
service), but the representative I spoke to told me that they only rent
phones to their existing customers, and the process seemed to be
incredibly complex and unwelcoming. Other companies also provide phone
rental service, including Planet Omni and WorldCell.
Things to Look for in a Phone
In addition to ensuring that the phone is a tri-band (900/1800/1900 MHz)
or quad-band GSM phone, there are several other things that you should
check for :
-
The battery charger must be 'dual
voltage'. It needs to operate on all voltages from about 110V to
240V and on frequencies between 50-60Hz.
-
The phone needs to be unlocked so it
can operate with any SIM, anywhere in the world
-
Try and get a phone with a
Lithium-Ion type battery - these are much better than the Nickel
Metal Hydride batteries. And definitely do not get a phone with an
old fashioned Nickel-Cadmium battery.
Cell Phone Driving Laws
Different countries, including parts of Canada, all of Britain, and some
states within the US, have different laws that may restrict your ability
to use a cell phone while driving an automobile. Here's a handy list of
countries/states and any restrictions that might exist on your cell
phone use. Getting in trouble with foreign police is never pleasant - it
pays to know this information.
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