Traveling With Your Cell Phone
Whether you are gone for a few days or a few months, it's good to be able to call when and where you want with ease and to be accessible to your loved ones and other important people while you are gone.
There are a few barriers however that often prevent travelers from the US in just toting along and using their cell phone elsewhere. Many countries use different radio frequencies and encoding.
Find out more about what travelers need to communicate via cell phone while traveling to other countries by reading further.Quad Band GSM Phones or The World Phone
Most of Europe, Asia, and Africa use a GSM network. The US, Canada, Australia and a few other countries sometimes use CDMA, TDMA, and iDEN networks as well.The phone you use when traveling must operate off of the same type of network. GSM phones are generally the best choice for travel as GSM networks are the most prevalent type.
In addition, different countries use different frequencies. Once you know where you will be traveling to, you can look up the country to determine what frequencies are used to assure your phone will work.
There is an easier way however. Tri-band and quad band phones are available. A quad band phone for instance can operate at the four frequencies used most often across the globe. Thus these phones provide a good option for travelers.
About Networks
The most common cellular networks are GSM and CDMA. GSM is prevalent globablly. In the US, AT&T and T-Mobile phones are on a GSM network while Sprint and Verizon use the CDMA network. GSM phones are generally necessary when traveling to Europe as that is the predominant network there.Sprint and Verizon have recently come out with some CDMA/GSM hybrid phones however. Sprint has the Blackberry 8830, Samsung Ace, and Motorola i930 while Verizon has the Blackberry 8830 and Motorola Z6c. These phones work on the CDMA network in the US and the GSM networks in Europe. (they will not work on the GSM network in the US)
Getting Service: International Roaming
Once travelers have the right phone, they need to get service. If their cellular carrier has international roaming available via the right network (usually GSM) and cross billing agreements in place with carriers in the country to be visited, this can be a simple option. However, users should be sure to acquaint themselves with the roaming charges before leaving as they can be a bit pricey. International Services from US Cellular Carriers
Major US cellular companies now offer programs for customers who travel internationally:Getting Service: Prepaid Minutes
By buying an unlocked GSM phone or world phone a traveler can also install a SIM card which is compatible with the service used in the country they will be visiting. Then, pre-paid service can be purchased easily eliminating any need for an unwanted contract or service agreement. For anyone who travels quite a bit this may be the most cost effective solution. Local SIM Cards for Your Destination
Local SIM Cards can be purchased when you arrive at your destination or online at Telestial.com, InTouchSmartCards.com, or CallInEurope.com.
Quad Band, World Phones, and Other Products
Samsung Blast Phone (T-Mobile)
Amazon Price: $0.01 (as of 08/28/2008)
Samsung T819 Bronze Phone (T-Mobile)
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 08/28/2008)
Motorola Z6c World Edition Phone (Verizon Wireless)
Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 08/28/2008)
Samsung T639 Phone (T-Mobile)
Amazon Price: $0.01 (as of 08/28/2008)
Samsung T429 Phone (T-Mobile)
Amazon Price: $0.01 (as of 08/28/2008)
Unlocked GSM Phones
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
SIM Cards
AT&T 3G SIM Card + $10 Prepaid Starter Kit
Amazon Price: (as of 08/28/2008)
ZiO FoneMate SIM Card Manager - card reader - USB ( CM-43000 )
Amazon Price: (as of 08/28/2008)
SIM Card Reader, Blue
Amazon Price: $5.33 (as of 08/28/2008)
T-Mobile Sim Card
Amazon Price: (as of 08/28/2008)
Cingular 3G SIM Card
Amazon Price: (as of 08/28/2008)
Calling Internationally From Your U.S. Phone
Prepaid calling cards can save significantly when calling from a landline or cell phone in the US to international locations. Learn more about them here.-
International Calling Cards - Calling Overseas From The USA
-
In the past people have avoided making international phone calls unless they absolutely had to because of the cost, but in this age of advanced technology there are many ways in which the cost of making international calls can be greatly reduced, in...
Renting a Cell Phone for Your International Travels
Another option for travelers is to rent a cell phone. The charges for renting the phone and for per minute talk time varies widely from service to service and is dependent upon your destination.A few services online include travelcell.com, cellularabroad.com, and rangeroamer.com.
More Communication Assistance for Your Trip
12 Language Talking Translator Foreign Pocket Electronic Speaking Dictionary
Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 08/28/2008)
Franklin TG-450 12 Language Translator
Amazon Price: $31.99 (as of 08/28/2008)
Lingo TR-1650 Travel Mate 16 Language Translator
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 08/28/2008)
Pocket 6 Language Translator English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 08/28/2008)
Instant Immersion Translator Deluxe vv2.0
Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 08/28/2008)
Do You Have an Old Cell Phone to Sell?
International Cell Phones: Did You Find What You Needed? Let Us Know!
If you are still looking for the best deals on cell phone plans be sure to visit our full service cellular and home electronics store.
|
JAV010
Great lens and very helpfull thanks 5 stars Posted August 25, 2008 |
|
poddys
This is a very useful resource, thanks. It takes a lot to figure out the different cell phone systems, especially if you are travelling. I lensrolled this into my International Calling Cards lens, and 5 ***** well deserved. Posted July 29, 2008 |
|
bbug
Need to know info for the traveler. Posted June 01, 2008 |
Introduction: woinary.
Quad Band GSM Phones for Travel: pacdog.
A Few More Words About Networks: Squeakymarmot.
Getting Service: International Roaming: ruurmo.
Getting Service Prepaid Minutes: jmerelo.
Internation Services from US Cellular Providers: inkiboo.
Renting a Cell Phone for Your International Travels: jepoirrier.
This site is listed at LensMasterWorld.com.
