2006-03-22 00:52:19Andy Liao
Totally Mobile
By JACK VAN ANTWERP
The short answer for getting your mobile phone to work overseas isn’t so short. If you have no idea whether your phone is 3G, C.D.M.A., G.S.M. or A.M.P.S. compatible, or if you want some Wi-Fi with a side of quad band, we’ve done the homework. Here are four quick and workable solutions to staying in touch wherever you go in the world.
Using your current phone and mobile number
Pro: everyone can reach you.
Con: it’s a local call for them, but on your dime overseas. A few background facts first: G.S.M. phones work all over the world; Cingular and T-Mobile work on a G.S.M. network, while Verizon Wireless and Sprint operate on a C.D.M.A. network, which works in fewer places overseas. But be warned: you must call customer service to set up your phone for roaming abroad before you leave. Verizon now has the Samsung SCH-i830 world phone, which works on both G.S.M. and C.D.M.A. networks for phone calls and e-mail. Sprint also has travel options.
Tip: check rates before you go. Just picking up your voice mail messages could cost $10 if you aren’t careful.
Getting a local number in the city or country where you are traveling
Pro: it’s much cheaper per minute. Most incoming calls are free. People calling you from the United States pay, not you.
Con: requires an unlocked G.S.M. handset. Having a local mobile phone number is cheaper, especially if you are traveling for business and have to make and receive frequent calls within that country. Check with your wireless company to see if your existing phone can be unlocked; otherwise, buy a new handset. The lock prevents you from taking out your phone company’s SIM card and replacing it with another. But that’s exactly what you want to do: switch out the SIM card and buy one in the country in which you are traveling. Check out www.prepaidgsm.net for information on rates around the world.
Tip: buy a prepaid SIM card at the airport and ask the clerks to set up your voice mail in English.
B.G.A.N. (Broadband Global Area Network) satellite-based communications
Pro: global telephone and high-speed Internet service in remote areas with one device.
Con: the cost. If cost is no concern but absolute connectivity is, Inmarsat’s B.G.A.N. system provides Internet and wireless phone service no matter if you are calling from your yacht in Croatia or your base camp on Mount Kilimanjaro. The Thrane & Thrane Explorer 500 allows you to be on the phone, surf the Web, video-conference live and send huge e-mail attachments — all at the same time. Initial cost is about $2,700; voice calls cost about $1 a minute and data transfer about $6 a megabyte. Available this summer in North America and South America.
Tip: save your money so that you can one day afford to use B.G.A.N. on your yacht in Croatia.
Wi-Fi Internet telephone service
Pro: it’s very cheap. Never pay a hotel phone bill again!
Con: it requires an open Wi-Fi hot spot. The UTStarcom F1000 from Vonage lets you make calls through a Wi-Fi Internet connection. No longer do you need a laptop to take advantage of the cheap Internet phone deals. Vonage charges $25 for unlimited calls to the United States and Canada, and you can make those calls from anywhere in the world. Skype comes out with its Wi-Fi phone in April. Calls will cost as little as 2 cents per minute. Skype users call other Skype users for free and rave about the sound quality of its service. As public Wi-Fi hot spots grow, Wi-Fi phones will be the cheapest way to talk internationally.
Tip: Apple AirPort Express lets you create your own Wi-Fi hot spot.
The short answer for getting your mobile phone to work overseas isn’t so short. If you have no idea whether your phone is 3G, C.D.M.A., G.S.M. or A.M.P.S. compatible, or if you want some Wi-Fi with a side of quad band, we’ve done the homework. Here are four quick and workable solutions to staying in touch wherever you go in the world.
Using your current phone and mobile number
Pro: everyone can reach you.
Con: it’s a local call for them, but on your dime overseas. A few background facts first: G.S.M. phones work all over the world; Cingular and T-Mobile work on a G.S.M. network, while Verizon Wireless and Sprint operate on a C.D.M.A. network, which works in fewer places overseas. But be warned: you must call customer service to set up your phone for roaming abroad before you leave. Verizon now has the Samsung SCH-i830 world phone, which works on both G.S.M. and C.D.M.A. networks for phone calls and e-mail. Sprint also has travel options.
Tip: check rates before you go. Just picking up your voice mail messages could cost $10 if you aren’t careful.
Getting a local number in the city or country where you are traveling
Pro: it’s much cheaper per minute. Most incoming calls are free. People calling you from the United States pay, not you.
Con: requires an unlocked G.S.M. handset. Having a local mobile phone number is cheaper, especially if you are traveling for business and have to make and receive frequent calls within that country. Check with your wireless company to see if your existing phone can be unlocked; otherwise, buy a new handset. The lock prevents you from taking out your phone company’s SIM card and replacing it with another. But that’s exactly what you want to do: switch out the SIM card and buy one in the country in which you are traveling. Check out www.prepaidgsm.net for information on rates around the world.
Tip: buy a prepaid SIM card at the airport and ask the clerks to set up your voice mail in English.
B.G.A.N. (Broadband Global Area Network) satellite-based communications
Pro: global telephone and high-speed Internet service in remote areas with one device.
Con: the cost. If cost is no concern but absolute connectivity is, Inmarsat’s B.G.A.N. system provides Internet and wireless phone service no matter if you are calling from your yacht in Croatia or your base camp on Mount Kilimanjaro. The Thrane & Thrane Explorer 500 allows you to be on the phone, surf the Web, video-conference live and send huge e-mail attachments — all at the same time. Initial cost is about $2,700; voice calls cost about $1 a minute and data transfer about $6 a megabyte. Available this summer in North America and South America.
Tip: save your money so that you can one day afford to use B.G.A.N. on your yacht in Croatia.
Wi-Fi Internet telephone service
Pro: it’s very cheap. Never pay a hotel phone bill again!
Con: it requires an open Wi-Fi hot spot. The UTStarcom F1000 from Vonage lets you make calls through a Wi-Fi Internet connection. No longer do you need a laptop to take advantage of the cheap Internet phone deals. Vonage charges $25 for unlimited calls to the United States and Canada, and you can make those calls from anywhere in the world. Skype comes out with its Wi-Fi phone in April. Calls will cost as little as 2 cents per minute. Skype users call other Skype users for free and rave about the sound quality of its service. As public Wi-Fi hot spots grow, Wi-Fi phones will be the cheapest way to talk internationally.
Tip: Apple AirPort Express lets you create your own Wi-Fi hot spot.