International cell phones...

[Gumby]

Greetings Kids,
Would anyone have some insight/input/recommendations, on what type of Intl. cellphones they are using? I'm looking for service in major cities in Europe, Caribbean. Does anyone have a GSM phone yet, and using it in the states? any comments?
Thanks..G-man...

 

[banned username 2]

We use T-Mobile (formerly Voicestream) with Motorola v60g (GSM) phones... Works great... covers pretty much everywhere in the world except Japan... US GSM coverage is increasing rapidly... For the best coverage in the US only, go with a CDMA service such as Verizon... The v60 phones have been really reliable and the batteries last a long time...

 

[2000flyer]

I'll second Falcon Captains comments. I just switched to T-Mobile, and while I haven't used it in Europe yet, I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Rates vary from $1.99-4.99/minute in Europe (not sure in the rest of the world).

Also, rather than switching or getting an international cell, you might try whichever FBO/Handler you're using abroad. There are many now that rent phones during your stay. Don't have any idea what they charge however.

Regards,
2000Flyer

 

[Gumby]

Intl. cell phones...

Thanks guys...I unfortunatley just switched to ATT wireless domestic from Sprint, and adding the Intl feature, and finding some surprises. I thank you both for the quickie responses....G-man..

 

[doubtful]

hey gumby, i was contemplating doing what you did. what surprises have you encountered?

 

[Gumby]

Intl. cell phones..

The major problem was dealing w/inept salespeople at the local phone stores. I've gotten better and more reliable info from the 800 help center. There was alot of confusion on where certain brands of phone based on their Mghz. would or would not work.

 

[LearjetGA]

Be sure to have a triband phone. That means the european net is on 800 Ghz and the US is on a 1900 GHz (or the other way)

Most companies offer that kind of product. I have been using an Ericsson T39m for more than a year and i am very happy with it.

The phone rates depend on which provider you have in Europe. You have to check with your phone company if they have an agreement with a local company

SMS or instant messaging is very cheap. I pay about 5 cents a message.

 

[pa56pa]

cellphone

As one guy put it... the best in the US is Verizon (CDMA) system... As usual, the US is behind on the technology as the rest of the world, especially in Europe and Asia are on GSM. Cingular has GSM but limited.... However, you can go into these countries, say... Hong Kong or even Manila, and change the GSM chip on your phone to a much stronger GSM phone chip allowing you to receive and communicate with a much stronger signal at places not normally received by the likes of Voicestream or Cingular. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but there are very few places in the Asian communities here in the States that do this.. if I find them, I'll let you know. Nevertheless, GSM is the way to go with a minimum of a tri-band phone so you would be able to use it in most countries with a weaker signal. I know that in say, Belize, for example, my Verizon phone works because they're predominantly a TDMA/CDMA system. So, it depends on what system your destination is under.

 

[leftseat10]

T-Mobile

I've used my Ericsson R520 via T-Mobile all over Europe and Asia...pretty good service in the USA and Canada as well.

 

[banned username 2]

Get the Motorola V60g phone, it is a Tri-Band GSM phone...

Ericcson and Nokia don't support corporate aviation...