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Handhelds Wireless Networking Hardware

How (and how well) do Wireless "Worldphones" Work? 70

Posted by Cliff from the digging-for-details dept.
Milo_Mindbender asks: "I've seen a number of new phones (like the Sony T616) advertised as 'worldphones' that handle three or four GSM bands. As someone who travels to Japan and Europe occasionally I'm wondering how (and how well) these actually work. Can you get a temporary or prepaid SIM with a local carrier and just swap it or are the US carriers 'service locking' phones so you have to do international roaming with them even in foreign countries?"
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How (and how well) do Wireless "Worldphones" Work? More

How (and how well) do Wireless "Worldphones" Work?

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  • What do you think? (Score:4, Informative)

    by RMH101 ( 636144 ) on Wednesday March 24, 2004 @07:51AM (#8654551)
    To roam, you need two things. Hardware that works in the area you're using it in - if GSM, there are 3 frequency bands and a lot of new handsets support all of them.
    You next need a phone company to service you - if in a foreign country this means either your service provider has a roaming agreement with a foreign service provider, or you stick a new SIM in the phone from a new service provider.
    the latter option will change your phone number.
    Fairly simple, really - just ask your phone company.

  • Depends on the Carrier (Score:4, Informative)

    by jspayne ( 98716 ) <jeff@p a y nesplace.com> on Wednesday March 24, 2004 @07:55AM (#8654564) Homepage
    First, you have to go with a GSM phone: that means T-mobile or Cingular/AT&T.

    Second, if you buy the phone from the carrier, it will be locked and will not allow you to use a SIM card from another carrier. However, you can usually get the unlock code after you have had the phone awhile - T-mobile has been known to give out the unlock codes after 90 days.

    You could also buy an unlocked phone from an independent dealer, but understand that this will cost significantly more. Unlocked phones *will* work with US carrier SIMs.

    Jeff

    • Or just tell them that you are traveling abroad and they will unlock it from day 1. T-Mobile usually has sub-1 day turnaround time for sending you the unlock codes via e-mail...or at least it was that way when unlocking 2 of my phones.
    • > Unlocked phones *will* work with US carrier SIMs.

      Otherwise me using my Ericsson R520m would be just an illusion.

  • US is different (Score:4, Informative)

    by glassesmonkey ( 684291 ) on Wednesday March 24, 2004 @07:59AM (#8654584) Homepage Journal
    Before this gets out of hand, most of the US is not on GSM. Two issues here:
    * the frequency bands allocated (the 4 bands supported by these GSM phones) and
    * the encoding (GSM, CDMA, TDMA)

    GSM is gaussian shift keying (overlapping gaussian shaped pulses)
    CDMA is code-division mux'ing (using the real & imaginary parts of the signal as bits)
    TDMA is time-division mux'ing (splitting up the signals into time slots)

    • US GSM coverage (Score:3, Informative)

      by glassesmonkey ( 684291 )
      Ok I meant half of the US cities instead of most. I don't think GPRS phones work in Europe.
      CDMA networks (like Sprint and Verizon)
      GSM/GPRS networks (like T-Mobile and Cingular)
      Nort America Coverage Map [gsmcoverage.co.uk]
      Typical US markets are a mix of the following: (800=800 MHz; 1900=1900 MHz)

      800 AMPS

      800 TDMA

      800 CDMA (verizon)

      800 iDen (nextel)

      1900 CDMA (sprint pcs)

      1900 GSM (at&t, cingular, t-mobile)

      1900 TDMA (at&t)

      • Re:US GSM coverage (Score:5, Informative)

        by d99-sbr ( 568719 ) on Wednesday March 24, 2004 @08:41AM (#8654729) Journal
        GPRS definitely works in Europe. It is an extension to GSM that uses free time slots to transmit packet data. It has nothing to do with making telephone calls.

        One killer app with GSM is that it roams seamlessly between operators that have mutual agreements. Hence, as long as you use a reliable operator, there is no need to swap SIM cards when you travel abroad.

        While in Norway last week I discovered that even GPRS roams perfectly, much to my surprise. I was able to use my cell phone for internet service through my Swedish operator, without changing any settings. Talk about mobile internet!

        This is why it will take many years before GSM will lose its position as king of cell phone services - it just works, and is _reliable_ as hell. Audio quality is not optimal, but it's good enough. Data throughput is limited, at least without EDGE, but it's good enough for email, and it's _reliable_.
        • While in Norway last week I discovered that even GPRS roams perfectly, much to my surprise. I was able to use my cell phone for internet service through my Swedish operator, without changing any settings. Talk about mobile internet!

          I was in Norway last week too and I had exactly the same experience with my Danish GSM/GPRS phone. No setup changes needed, just call up and check the email. I've used GPRS in France, Germany and Great Britain without problems and I fully expect it to work when I go to Italy n

      • If, by half of US cities, you mean the smaller half, then yes, half of the cities probably don't have GSM coverage. Major cities (>20K people), interstate highways, airports, and most other major roads have GSM coverage.

        CDMA coverage is far better, however, largely due to the nature of the technology (larger cells).
      • DOn't worry, GPRS roaming works perfectly well. I live in Europe and I've travelled much of the world with my (Vodafone, non SIM locked) GSM phone with little problems (OK, so my provider didn't have roaming arrangements with Laos & Vietnam).

        Since I have had my GPRS enabled Sony Ericsson T68i I travelled to France and South Africa. In both these countries my GPRS data worked extremely well and without any configuration or hassle. Expensive though, I think it cost 15 Euro's per MB in South Africa....

        GP
    • No, GSM is Groupe Spe'ciale Mobile (or Global System for Mobile Communication, if you're allergic to French). "Gaussian shift keying" doesn't even abbreviate to "GSM" :P
    • Come to think of it, your other expansions aren't quite correct either (though they're closer).

      CDMA is Code Division Multiple Access, and doesn't have anything to do with "real & imaginary parts of the signal." Real and imaginary are useful ways to denote things in math and physics, but there's no such distinction in the real world. You can't broadcast a "real" or "imaginary" radio wave; it's just a radio wave.

      TDMA is Time Division Multiple Access.

      This page [arcx.com] has a brief explanation of the two.

  • Dupe (Score:2, Informative)

    by bruthasj ( 175228 )
    This is a dupe. We get this every two months; I'll let you do the search to grab the links for each.

    What I post every time when this question comes up:

    1. Get a cheap cell phone that works in the local area that you go to.

    2. Get a temporary SIM card at your local 7-11.

    World phones are overpriced both in initial cost and service. Do NOT proceed.

    Enjoy!
    • That's just bs... All you have to do is buy a cellphone that isn't locked to a certain carrier, and that handles the GSM-band of the countries you're planing on visiting, and then either roam or buy a local SIM-card.

      I've been roaming within europe since mid 90's, and I've used tri-band phone in europe and the us since late 90's; no problems at all.
    • depends on what you call your 'world'.

      around here roaming comes as standard from every operator, and most phones are too starting to be 'world phones'(tri-band) as well.

      all phones are sim unlocked here as well.

      so the question here becomes how long you are going to be in that foreign country, and which country is it(because 'roaming' is sometimes actually fucking cheap)? if spending long times in a country where it would be expensive to use the homeland operator then buy a local prepaid card from there.

      i
    • Wow man, your advice is as bad as your .sig.

      Get a clue and a sense of humor ;-)

      X.

  • Some don't even work well where they're sold! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dbirchall ( 191839 ) on Wednesday March 24, 2004 @08:13AM (#8654633) Journal
    I've been an ATT customer since 2000 (when they borged Honolulu Cellular). I was on their TDMA network (which worked fine) until a year ago, when I switched to their new GSM one.

    Switching was a royal pain in the ass, since they had totally replicated everything staffing-wise and billing-wise and all that, for the new network, and at that point, folks still weren't very clear on where to forward existing customers who wanted to switch. Eventually, though, I got a nice shiny Nokia 3650 (at no small expense).

    At that point in time, I was told up front that GSM was pretty much available only in and around the biggest town in the area (where, conveniently, I live), and that service would be coming soon further out (where TDMA service already was, and had been, available). Okay, no problem.

    10 months passed. I noticed that there my coverage wasn't nearly as good as it had been. More than about 10 miles from town in any direction and I had no service. I went for a long bike ride, spent 7 hours incommunicado, and my wife was calling hospitals to see if my body had been brought in.

    Why did all this happen? Simple. The Nokia 3650 is a 900/1800/1900MHz "World Phone." Here in town, ATT's tower has GSM on 850/1900MHz... everywhere outside town it's 850MHz only. Whoops, ATT.

    Oh, and of course you can go to any ATT kiosk or store in town and buy a 3650 to this day. The new 3620 (850/1900MHz, yay!) isn't yet available in stores... but it will be, soon... I hope...

  • Works for me (Score:3, Informative)

    by trajano ( 220061 ) on Wednesday March 24, 2004 @09:14AM (#8654888) Homepage Journal
    I got an old Motorola Timeport P7389 that is unlocked and a new Nokia 6600 which is also unlocked. They work well across networks, I travel to the Philippines, Belgium, US and Canada and I just get a prepaid SIM card whenever I change locations. I avoid international roaming for security purposes especially the Philippines where crime is rampant.

    You can get your phone unlocked at a lot of places here in Toronto, you should be able to get your phone unlocked if you live at any urban place as well. If you are lucky to have a Nokia you can get a DCT4 calculator [unlockme.co.uk] (googled "free DCT4 calculator") and unlock the phone yourself, I've done that with my Nokia 6600 and my mom's Nokia 6610 as well.

    My parents get international roaming on their Sim cards when they come to Canada (safe place as it is) and use their existing cell phones (all Nokia world phones) from the Philippines, works pretty well.
    • Wish I had mod points to give you... it took me FOREVER to find that site and that application last November when I wanted to use my phone in England. I don't know why this is such a hidden thing!

      I've unlocked at least 8 cellphones now (only myself and another needed it) just on general principal.

      Only thing to watch out for is which code to use (the first one works on most, but 7 seems to do better with T-Mobile). Also, there's some gotchas to the 3650s (my phone), but that website tells you all you n
  • I'm not a shrill for Tmobile [tmobile.com], but am happy with their service and specifically looked for an international roaming plan before porting my number from Nextel out.

    We chose the Motorola V66 [t-mobile.com] phones because of their triband functionality.

    After activating the TMobile Worldclass [t-mobile.com] service (free to activate) I have traveled to Europe without a problem. I switch to the local band, and I'm on in most cases. Only once have I had to call local customer service.

    There is a list [t-mobile.com] available online. I do know that m

    • Blah, too early. Supposed to be SHILL not shrill. I'm still neither *grin*.
    • Another great thing about T-Mobile is that they have the geekiest add-on service of any mobile phone company. All you can eat GPRS data transfer is $20 extra per month. So is all you can eat 802.11b Hot Spot service. Of course getting both will set you back $40 extra per month. And you have to have a $30/month or more phone plan to get the deal on GPRS. My $20/month econo plan doesn't count. However, it's sufficient for the $20 a.y.c.e Hot Spot deal.

      Oh yeah...phone sound quality and coverage rocks here in

  • World Phone Information (Score:4, Informative)

    by macguys ( 472025 ) on Wednesday March 24, 2004 @09:34AM (#8655096) Homepage
    I travel (not as frequently as I would like) to Europe and have lately been taking a Motorola P7389 tri-band GSM phone on my travels. The phone, while not the latest model, works great. I purchased it, unlocked, on eBay for short money.

    On my latest trip, I purchased a Vodaphone NL [vodaphone.nl] from the cell phone kiosk at Schipol airport (the Netherlands) for about 20 Euro. It came with a number that is good for at least a year, and included 5 euros of credit. To top up the service, I only had to go to any of a number of outlets wherever I was in Holland, or if I could read and write Nederlands a little better, could refill the service from the internet site. Oh yes; all incoming calls (including international ones) were free. The in-country rate was less than I pay for my contracted Alltel phone here in the states.

    I had the same experience in Greece and Beligum with different carriers.

    I like the GSM system because it doesn't because of the flexibility it offers. If my phone dies, I can simply remove the SIM card from it and put it in another phone. I haven't verified this, but heard while I was in Europe that the EU has mandated that all phones sold in EU countries are requried to be unlocked.

    GSM is a standard throughout the world (except for the US, Iraq, Afganistan and I believe, Argentina). An excellent site for finding out about prepaid GSM services is http://www.prepaidgsm.net/ [prepaidgsm.net],

    Don't be fooled by "word phones" offered by various US carriers. These phones are locked tri-band phones that roam on European GSM networks, but which are charged at outrageous rates by the US company.
    • That first line in the second paragraph should have read Vodaphone NL SIM card. There is a reason for the preview button.
    • > Don't be fooled by "word phones" offered by various US carriers.
      > These phones are locked tri-band phones that roam on European
      > GSM networks, but which are charged at outrageous rates by the
      > US company.

      Best bet in the US is to buy an unlocked or never-locked European import of some last-year model. The prices are much better, the phone is most likely tri-band (since it obviously has to work in the US), and it's not locked. The US GSM phone market is still in its infancy. People are not used
  • In some places, it easy to get hold os a pay as you go SIM. However, with the usual crap about terrorism/drug dealers/insert bogeyman of choice, it is very difficult in many countries to buy a SIM card without having proof of legal residence in the country where you are visiting. For someone coming from the US to say, Germany and living out of a hotel, this would not be possible. The workaround is to ask the host organisation to organise a SIM in their name. Not possible for tourists but businessmen can try

  • Why? (Score:2)

    by bluGill ( 862 )

    Why do you want pre-paid for a few weeks? I'm sure it makes sense, for some, but why? Personally I'd tell my friends to only call in emergency's, and use my Tmobile sim over there. Sure you pay roaming, way to much, but you also get one number that you can give everyone, and can always be reached in emergencies. Use the hotel phone.

    If you really will make a lot of calls over there, to others over there, pick up a prepaid phone there, they are cheap enough.

    BTW, while you are at it, call your carrie

    • I carry a cell phone when I travel in Europe for the same reason I have one here. It's a way for clients to contact me and without clients, I don't have a source of income. With incoming calls free, a euro SIM is very cost effective.

  • Japan (Score:2)

    by molo ( 94384 )
    Both GSM and CDMA are useless in Japan. NTT Docomo uses a different proprietary protocol.

    -molo
  • In order to use your gsm sim in Japan you need a 3g w-cdma handset, some include support for european gsm 900 & 1800 such as the nokia 6650 but I haven't seen one that works in the US as well... T-Mobile and probably other us carriers have roaming agreements with J-Phone and some J-Phone handsets will accept your sim card.
  • On a related note... I was shopping for new phones recently and had two sales people tell me that an unlocked phone will lead to more roaming charges since it will auto-switch over to another provider's network if the signal is better. Is there any truth to this?
    • and had two sales people tell me that an unlocked phone will lead to more roaming charges since it will auto-switch over to another provider's network if the signal is better. Is there any truth to this?

      No, there isn't. It's FUD to make you buy a locked phone.

      Most newer GSM phones will let you create a list of preferred networks - my now rather old Ericsson R520m has this option - so you just make sure your service provider is on the only entry on that list.

      I use this function when I'm abroad to sele

    • Nope, roaming partners are controlled in a completely different way that a sim provider lock.

      Now, AT&T firmware phones have a tendency to hold onto a crappy digital signal well below usable levels when a perfectly good analog signal or roaming partnet was available. (Old non-GSM phones)

      Unlocking a GSM phone will also NOT void your warranty, make your phone run slower, require you to pay an early termination fee, or any other form of FUD.

      AT&T will never unlock your phone... trust me, I tried wh
  • I have a T-Mobile Motorola V66 triband GSM phone and I love it. I travel regularly to or through the UK, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand (My phone is based in the US). I do have to change frequencies in most of the world but this is done easily through a menu selection in the phone.

    T-Mob's phone are locked so that you can't put another company's SIM card in the phone, but you can find sites on the internet with instructions to unlock phones (I leave locating the sites as an exercise for the reader) . . . or m

    • I have a question, though, regarding putting in a SIM card. If I have to change my number when I use a prepaid SIM card, then I have to request my home cell number be forwarded to this one, correct? Otherwise, it's only good for making outside calls. So to request my home carrier to forward my cell number to an international number I'd guess that'd cost a lot. So this way I incur charges too.
  • Before anybody tells you different, if you buy a World Phone with a contract from Cingular (Ericsson T616, Motorola V400) they are now UNLOCKED so you can use a sim card from any GSM provider directly.

    Cool, huh?

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