Cell Phone Providers & SIM Cards?
I am getting ready to leave th United States to work overseas. I currently have Verizon & they informed me they do have cell phones that "unlock" so I can replace the SIM card when I arrive in the new country. So I am looking to switch cell companies, which company can you recommend that provides good serivce here in the US (for before I leave and when I come back), that has a good phone selection and will allow me to access the SIM card? Thanks for your help!!
Answers:
Is the iphone worth it?
Verizon phones do not unlock. To "unlock" a phone means that it must have a SIM card, which Verizon phones do not have. "Unlocking" is removing the connection to the network that you currently use so that you may transfer it to another one, i.e. if you have AT&T and you don't like it, you can ask AT&T to "unlock" your phone so that it can be transferred to T-Mobile.
If you get a new cell phone from AT&T or T-Mobile (get T-Mobile, I've never heard anyone complain about it, but everyone hates AT&T) you can take out the SIM card and switch it to whatever carrier is in the area you will be in. My friend has T-Mobile and while he was in the Ukraine for awhile he took out his SIM card and switched it to their regional carrier and never was charged for international roaming.
Also, make sure that, if you are getting a new phone, you ask for a "Quad-band World Phone." It will receive all 4 cell phone signals so you will get service everywhere in the world. If you get a dual or tri-band phone, you may be in a place that uses the frequency that your phone cannot receive, therefore you wouldn't be able to use your phone at all. The 4 frequencies are 850mhz, 900mhz, 1800 mhz, and 1900 mhz. Make sure it runs all four.
Can the cell phone people notice if..
If they, "do have cell phones that "unlock", what is the problem. Just ask them for the unlock code. If that doesn't work, ask for a manager. Be nice and explain that you are going overseas and you are not just trying to switch carriers and use the phone with a new carrier. If that doesn't work, search for a website that offers online unlocking for around $20. Hope that helps.
The two Major GSM Carriers in the US is Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile. GSM Phones are the ones that use a SIM card. Now which one is better, that is all depending on your specific location. I will give you a coverage map for both carriers. See if you can talk with people around here that are from your area. Or talk with real people and ask who they use.
AT&T -
http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageview...
T-Mobile -
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/...
AT&T does have more of a phone selection. But with both companies you are going to have to sign a 1 yr or 2 yr contract. I don't know if that is something that you are going to want to be doing since you are going to be going overseas.
If you decided to do something like that, you might want to think about going with AT&T. The reason is that they do have rollover minutes. So if you do come home to visit, the minutes that you have not used (since you've been overseas) will actually have added up. Just something to think about.
There is a couple policy and procedures to get the phone unlocked for both companies, and they usually don't want to give it too you within the first 3 months of your contract.
But that is ok, because if you get the "free" phone with the contract, you can actually spend money on phones that are already unlocked on the internet. Ebay is one place to look, but here are other sites that I go to and see what is new:
http://wirelessimports.com/store/home.as...
http://www.importgsm.com/home.php...
http://www.myworldphone.com/
And here is a site that I read over personal reviews of the phone:
http://www.phonescoop.com/
One more thing, when you go to work overseas the phones that can be purchased at the stores are already unlocked and will work with any GSM network.
I hope this helps a little.
Apple iphone how do you procure games..
Any unlocked phone that's Tri-band or Quadband can go to most countries with GSM-based networks - networks that use SIM cards. You failed to mention which country you're going to so your choices of companies can be narrowed down.
But if you wanna stay with Verizon when you come back there's hope for you Verizon was wrong to say that they do not have a cell phone that takes a SIM card. They have one: The Blackberry 8830. It has a SIM-card slot which is only functional when it's OUTSIDE the United States. But when you're here in the U.S. it's CDMA-based, meaning it won't need a SIM card to function with Verizon.
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