International cell phones

March 16th, 2011 · No Comments · Reverse Phone Number Lookup

Because the technology in American cell phones is different from that of the rest of the world, albeit only slightly, it still means that a US cell phone owner traveling abroad may find that his phone has compatibility issues with the GSM system used elsewhere in the world.

The U.S. cell phone may not be compatible for several reasons. First, radio frequencies and encoding services may be different within two companies, even those within the U.S. Second, again-even in the U.S. your phone won’t work on the competitor’s frequency unless there is a cross billing agreement between the two companies involved. This problem is exacerbated when more than one country is involved

If you want a cell phone which will work in the U.S. and in Europe as well, you should be prepared to purchase a triple band phone-one which will work on 900 Hz, 850 HZ and 1900 HZ. This should play in most areas of the world. It’s important to buy the correct triple band cell phone, as some are missing one of the U.S. actors.

In addition to the single and duals band phones, the triple band has now been followed by a quad band.

Once you purchase the right phone for U.S. and satellite services, you also need to signs up to use the internet service; you must connect with one of the service providers who can use the GSM network. Only three providers in the U.S. have GSM service, Cingular, and T-Mobile. Even if you purchase service one of these two companies and purchase a tri-band phone, some of the companies routinely lock out so you cannot call off another competitor’s network. You may find it very difficult to persuade Cingular, for instance to unlock your phone when you need it overseas.

You can buy an international cell phone from the manufacturer which will probably cost the most, you can buy it along with its service plan through an American dealer, You can buy it from Ebay where some tremendous bargains are to be found. You can also purchase through a specialty supplier such as Telestial. Prices are similar to other phones of the same power.

You can, of course buy overseas, but will face the same compatibility issues in reverse once you return to the U S. You will also find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time arranging for the overseas purchase.