Using Cell Phones Worldwide

Using Cell Phones Worldwide

Not all cell phones are built alike. It's not to say that one particular handset is better than another, per se, but they can be based on very different technologies and operate on very different frequencies. In Canada and the United States, you'll find two main competing cell phone service operators: those that offer CDMA-based networks and those that offer GSM-based networks. That said, most of the rest of the world works primarily (if not exclusively) on GSM.

But wait, it's not that simple. It's not like you can take your phone from Rogers Wireless or Cingular -- both of which run on GSM-based networks -- and jump on the first plane to Hong Kong! There is also the issue of Locked And Unlocked Phones. When you purchase a phone from a service provider, it is typically "locked" to their network and you will need to go elsewhere to have it "unlocked" so that it can work with another service provider.

Quad-band and GSM

GSM-based technology is much more common than CDMA, though the latter is still used in Korea and Japan. If you are traveling to Europe, you should definitely check out our article on Using Cell Phones in Europe.

In a nutshell, the four most common frequencies that GSM cell phones operate on are 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz. This is akin to the frequencies that you use with cordless phones in the home, except you're not exactly free to choose which frequency you want to use. In North America, networks work on the 850MHz and 1900MHz frequencies, whereas in Europe and a lot of other areas of the world, they use 900MHz and 1800MHz.

So, the simplest solution is to get what is called a quad-band GSM world phone. This is a phone that can work worldwide because it is capable of using all four frequencies. Of course, it has to be "unlocked" first.

Cell Phone Rental

Using your own cell phone worldwide can be a little bit of a complicated process. To make things easier, there are several companies out there that will rent you a quad-band GSM world phone to use, and they'll even bundle in airtime!

Check out our Cell Phone Rental guide for more information and a listing of a few prominent (and useful) websites.

Prepaid Phones and SIM Cards

An alternative is to get a prepaid cell phone. Just as there is Virgin Mobile in Canada and the US, there are many prepaid cell phone service providers worldwide as well (including Virgin Mobile). when you arrive at your destination, you can usually walk right into one of their stores and grab a temporary phone complete with airtime for a fairly reasonable price. It may seem a little strange buying a phone for a temporary purpose, but if you're trip is a bit of an extended one, it may work out cheaper than renting.

If you already have an unlocked quad-band GSM world phone, you can buy a prepaid SIM card instead. Place this where the SIM card goes (usually behind the battery) and use as usual. No need to buy any additional hardware, no need to sign any additional contracts.

Using Cell Phones Worldwide - International Providers

A great resource for listing worldwide cell phone service providers can be found here. From there, you can research each individual company.