International Cell Phone Services

If you are one who has a lot of international travel, so you'll want your customers to be able to reach you wherever you may be in the world. But what are some of the options you have when it comes to maintaining your current level of cell phone (telephone cellular) services worldwide? Do you have to buy a new plan? Do you have to pay outrageous prices? Precisely what is available?

First and foremost, the country where you live is very important when it comes to international cell phone (telephone cellular) services. Most countries have a standard for wireless communications known as Global System for Mobile Communications or GSM. However, the U.S. does not follow the GSM standard and allowed competing wire carriers to develop their own standards. So if you come from USA and want to get mobile phone coverage in another part of the world with your existing equipment, you probably will not be able to do it.

So let's get back to our options for international cell phone (telephone cellular) service. It is important to understand that the key issues to effective international cell phone service is that you must have a phone that handles those frequencies, plus a service that is compatible in the country you are communicating from. If you have a phone set that handles GSM service, so your phone will be compatible for at least 212 countries worldwide, with regard to hardware is concerned. The only other item you'll have to deal with is the service plan.

GSM frequencies operate worldwide typically at 900 MHz, but more and more mobile phones (telephone cellular) operating at 1800 MHz. There are some mobile phone services in the U.S. and Canada, but they are working on 1900 and 850 MHz, and is therefore incompatible with the world. That is why more and more we are starting to see tri-band phones sold that are compatible with both international and North American GSM frequencies. The Nokia 3220 is a good example as it will handle both 1800 and 1900 MHz frequency bands.

But what of the international cell phone (telephone cellular) service? If you get one of the tri-band phones, you can get a SIM card that can be used in several countries. These SIM cards are just like prepaid phone service. You insert the card into your GSM phone that can and have international roaming coverage, wherever the card is valid.

When you choose an international mobile phone SIM card for GSM phone, there are things you should consider when deciding on where the SIM card to buy. First, what is the original calling credit (how long before you have to recharge)? Of course, you know rate structure of both the incoming and outgoing calls. Next you should make sure that your phone and SIM card you buy will be valid in the countries you intend to travel.

Since you will not be global roaming with your home phone (telephone cellular) service, you will want to let everyone know how they can contact you with your new number. You can also change the greeting on the answering machine at your regular home phone service to tell your caller your new access number while you are out of the country.

While you are using SIM cards will be exchanged or replaced, be sure that you save everything (phone numbers, memos, notes, etc.) for your cell phone (telephone cellular) handsets, and not on the SIM card. If you save all data on your SIM card, so the information will be available when you exchange for a new card in another country.