jackie/steve

My daughter wants a new phone for christmas(have told them to choose things that fit into a suitcase) but what i need to know before i go to the shops is..
can any phone i buy from U.K, be used in Oz ..Do i just get it a new sim card when we arrive..
or do i have to buy a certain make/network...
Thank-you in advance..

wafc

You have to make sure that the phone from the UK is unlocked to any network, some phones can be unlocked via a simple code found on the internet or they can be unlocked by taking them to a mobile phone shop, but then some phones cannot be unlocked at all, best to either check on the net once she knows which phone she likes or hold off and buy one in Oz.

esperanza

One thing that you will need to check is whether the phone is dual-band or tri-band. Most new phones are tri-band, which means they will work around the world. (I'm not actually sure about Oz but US & Canada will only work with tri-band phones)
Chances are your daughter will then need to put an Australian SIMcard in it to use it in Australia - using a UK one is likely to be extortionately expensive. I'm sure other people can advise on that.
I would expect that the best way to do this would be to choose a phone from an Australian website then order it for your daughter.
It is usually v expensive to buy an unlocked handset with no contract attached to it - cheaper to find a payment-plan that suits you (or your daughter) which comes with a new handset.

Hope that made sense and is some help!

furkew

A UK phone works fine in Australia provided its unlocked as you say, but if you are planning on buying a new phone, dont forget they can break very easy, and if you have a UK phone in Oz, you will probably have problems with warranty issues.

If you have a monthly account mobile, then you will get a phone free the same as in the UK when you open an account. Try looking on some of the Oz telecom provider sites for info.