My friend gave me some advice regarding international travel and cell phones--Will this work for my phone?
She said, “Call your phone company a week before you leave and ask for an unlock code. Then when you get here you enter the number into your phone, which unlocks it and allows you to use any SIM card rather than just your own cell phone service. When you get here go to a locutorio and buy a $25 peso SIM card and some credit.”
I’m pretty sure my cellphone is already unlocked because I didn’t buy it from T-mobile. I bought it here. It’s that phone, exactly.
So, it is unlocked, and it does have a SIM card, but aren’t there some other considerations? I don’t know a whole lot about cellphone technology, but I know there’s like tri-band, quad-band, etc. Don’t those come into play here? Somebody give me some advice.
Thanks!
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you would have to contact your cell provider…. the Tri-band and quad-band is simply signal types. The more bands the more coverage. See if your provider offers coverage in the area your going.
you could also buy an international pay as you go phone or even an international calling card.
@Kiev749: I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. She’s not telling me to use T-mobile in BA. She’s telling me to buy pre-paid cellphone credits (sold by in-country cellphone companies), and then use them with the phone I currently have.
That’s a GSM phone. It should work in Europe. You can buy worldwide prepaid SIM cards all over the Internet if you don’t want to wait until you touch down in another country. I would go that route, as you would avoid gotchas dealing with a foreign vendor and the exchange rate.
What’s important is the GSM bands on which it operates: 850/1900. All latin American countries use them so you’re good to go.
@IchtheosaurusRex: I’m not going to Europe. I’m going to Latin America. Thanks for the advice though. What does GSM stand for?
@Jack_Haas: Good to know, thank you. I’m still confused. You said all Latin American countries use “them”—what does the “them” refer to?
@La_chica_gomela I was referring to the GSM 850/1900Mhz bands.
GSM is the most widely used mobile communication system. It operates on 4 frequencies (called GSM bands):
850 & 1900, used in the Americas,
900 & 1800, used in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Your phone is compatible with the 850 & 1900 bands so you can use it anywhere in North and latin America.
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