In our fast paced world almost anyone travels abroad at least once in their lifetime. Moreover, some people travel frequently for personal or business purposes. No matter of what reasons are behind your decision to travel abroad, it is recommended to make sure that your cell phone will work in a country you are planning to travel to.
Depending on what network technology and GSM frequency band your phone supports, it might work in one country, but not in another one.
Currently, there two network technologies used in the world – CDMA and GSM. The majority of countries (around 80%) and network providers use GSM technology. Thus, if you have GSM phone, it is a high chance that it will work in a foreign country you are going to. However, only around 20% of the world uses CDMA technology. CDMA networks are present in quite a few countries, but more popular in the US, Canada and Mexico. Thus, if you own a CDMA cell phone, it will not be supported on GSM networks.
Furthermore, five different GSM frequency bands are used around the world. For example, in Asia and Europe 900/1800 MHz are used, in North America 850/1900MHz are used and, finally, in South America and Caribbean islands 900/1800/1900MHz are being used. Therefore, if you live in the US or Mexico and travel to Asia or Europe, your cell phone probably won’t work in above mentioned countries.
Thus, our advice to you is to check that your phone is GSM compatible and supports a frequency band compatible with the frequency band of the country you are planning to visit.
Furthermore, even if your phone does not work in a country you have to travel to, you still have a few options to save money on international phone calls. To save money on roaming charges, all you need to do is to buy a dual band phone, tri-band phone, 3G dual-mode phone or quad-band phone.
You probably wonder what those above mentioned phones are and how you can save money by buying one of them. That’s why here at FreeUnlocks.com we prepared the guide that will help you to choose a right phone for your specific travel needs.
Thus, what are a dual-band phone, tri-band phone, 3G dual-mode phone and quad-band phone?
A dual-band cellphone is a phone that is supported in the country you are travelling to, but won’t work in the country of your permanent residence. There are two types of dual band phones currently present on the phone market:
1. 850/1900MHz phones that work in North America only
2. 900/1800MHz that only work in Europe and Asia/Pacific
Tri-band phones are supported in almost any country except South Korea and Japan. Two types of tri-band phones currently exist:
1. 900/1800/1900 MHz that are supported in Caribbean islands, Asia Pacific, North America and Europe
2. 850/1800/1900 MHz phones that are supported in Asia/Pacific and North America
Quad-band phones just like tri-band phones are supported almost anywhere except South Korea and Japan. Currently, there is only one type of quad-band phone available for purchase:
1. 850/900/1800/1900MHz phones that are supported by any GSM operator in the entire world
Finally, 3G dual-mode phones are ideal for people who plan to travel to South Korea or Japan. 3G dual-mode phones work in both South Korea and Japan, as well as in almost any other country on our planet. 3G dual-mode phones are the combination of WCDMA and GSM technology. You can select 3G dual-mode phones out of two types currently available for purchase:
1. 3G/900/1800/1900MHz phones that work in Japan, Asia/Pacific, Brazil, South Korea, Europe, Africa, Canada, USA, Caribbean islands and Central and South America
2. 3G/850/1800/1900MHz phones that work in Canada, USA, Central and South America, Japan and South Korea, but are not supported in Africa, Brazil, Asia/Pacific and Europe
Dual-band phones are the least expensive phones and if you are on budget, we recommend buying a dual-band phone. However, if money is not a problem, it is highly recommended buying a tri-band phone. A tri-band phone can be used anywhere in the world and more importantly you can use it in your own country when you are back home from a foreign country you are planning to visit.
Furthermore, if a phone you currently use works in the country you are travelling to and it is an unlocked phone, you can simply buy a local SIM card once you get to the country of your travel. Only GSM cell phones have SIM cards. If your phone is unlocked, a SIM card of any network provider can be used. If you do not know if your phone is unlocked, it is very easy to check by inserting a SIM card not issued by your original phone carrier. If after inserting a SIM card you can go to the Menu of your mobile phone, your cell phone is indeed an unlocked phone. On the other hand, of you are unable to see the Menu and an error message such as “SIM not valid” or “SIM card not accepted” popped up on your phone screen, your phone is a locked phone.
However, even if your phone is locked to a certain network provider, it is easy to unlock it by going to FreeUnlocks.com. At FreeUnlocks.com we have been providing phone unlocking services for the last 5 years and would be happy to unlock your phone. To unlock your cell phone, simply visit our site and select the model and brand of a phone you need to unlock. Further, just decide to whether you prefer to pay for your SIM Network Unlock PIN or you would be more interested in receiving your unlock code for free.
At FreeUnlocks.com we are able to offer free phone unlocks because of our business partnership with a major online payment platform TrialPay. In order to unlock your mobile phone for free, select one free offer by TrialPay vendors and complete it successfully. You are free to select any offer available on TrialPay page.
Once you have completed the offer, we will email the instructions on how to unlock a cell phone fast and for free and an unlock code to the email address you have given to us when you submitted the order.
After you have received your unlock code, enter it into your mobile device and start using all great benefits that unlocked phones can offer.