In article , "CB"
wrote:

    > Though renting is fine, I still say it would be advantageous to get a GSM
    > tri-band world phone that you will be able to use most anywhere you
    > travel
    > to Europe and Asia. This is assuming, of course, you can use the same
    > phone
    > at home.


Some people can't use one at home, however, I discovered when I
investigated this sme time ago. My area, for instance, is not covered by
this type of service.

--
Mary Loomer Oliver(aka erilar)


Erilar's Cave Annex:
http://www.airstreamcomm.net/~erilarlo

i've been following this thread for awhile as i plan to visit
Barcelona for 3 weeks at the end of march. I have wireless service
with ATT (live in the Bay Area) and just got off the phone with them
about this. They said they only sell LOCKED phones and i would not be
able to use a SIM card purchased from another provider. I even said i
knew people who had service with at&t, AND BOUGHT THE t68is and did
just that (hah!), the rep said "no way." She said most carriers and
providers only sell phones that are locked. She said i couldn't buy
an un-locked phone and use it with AT&T service either. I wanted to
replace my current phone with one that would work in spain, and keep
everything on my existing AT&T account. AT&T world service, using
multi-band phone provided thru them, has flat rate of $1.29/minute for
calling inside spain. AT&T has good deals on triband GMS phones
right now (virtually free!), and on calling plans, but the per minute
rate while abroad sucks, as does the SIMS lock thing. They do have
rental phone service for short term use abroad but that's quite pricey
too. After re-reading your post I keep thinking there must be
something i did not ask the right way....but what am i missing here???


"CB" wrote in message news:...
    > Though renting is fine, I still say it would be advantageous to get a GSM
    > tri-band world phone that you will be able to use most anywhere you travel
    > to Europe and Asia. This is assuming, of course, you can use the same phone
    > at home. I am in California and AT&T wireless offers GSM service and are
    > encouring customers to subscribe to this new service with great rates. Then,
    > you can use the same phone anywhere you go. All you have to do is get a
    > pre-paid SIM card from a local carrier which will give you a local number
    > and depending on the package, a certain number of minutes. By the way, if
    > you use your favorite search engine on the internet and look for "GSM
    > tri-band", you will see them as low as $150. Or, if your local carrier
    > offers GSM, subscribe with them and you will get the phone at a discount
    > assuming you subscribe for a year.
    >
    > On a recent trip to Barcelona for example, all I had to do was remove my ATT
    > Sim card, purchase a Vodafone Sim card for 18 Euros and got 18 Euros worth
    > of calls, at 59 eurocents/min peak and 29 eurocents/min off-peak. Very
    > convenient. The Sim card minutes is valid for a year and if it ever runs
    > out, you can always "recharge" it using the phone and a credit card number.
    >

Not the Karl Orff wrote:

    >European GSm is different from N.American GSM

Not true !

My European GSM phone works OK in Florida.

--

Mike @ www.sivros.net

Mike Coverdale wrote in message news:...
    > Not the Karl Orff wrote:
    >
    > >
    > >European GSm is different from N.American GSM
    >
    > Not true !
    >
    > My European GSM phone works OK in Florida.

?? what kinda phone and who is your service provider?? i was told by
my AT&T rep and people who've bought phones while living abroad that a
european-purchased phone won't work here. reply here or email, thanks.

[email protected] (peggytex) wrote:

    >Mike Coverdale wrote in message news:...
    >> Not the Karl Orff wrote:
    >>
    >> >
    >> >European GSm is different from N.American GSM
    >>
    >> Not true !
    >>
    >> My European GSM phone works OK in Florida.
    >?? what kinda phone and who is your service provider?? i was told by
    >my AT&T rep and people who've bought phones while living abroad that a
    >european-purchased phone won't work here. reply here or email, thanks.

It's a Nokia 6310i on the UK Orange network. Only
European tri-band (900/1800/1900Mhz) phones will
work in North America. European dual-band (900/
1800Mhz) phones will not.

--

Mike @ www.sivros.net

tri-band phones of any make will work in Europe or North America, I'm taking
my Sony-Erricson T200 with me, just notify your phone company before you go,
so they don't think your phone was cloned

"Mike Coverdale" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > [email protected] (peggytex) wrote:
    > >Mike Coverdale wrote in message
news:...
    > >> Not the Karl Orff wrote:
    > >>
    > >> >
    > >> >European GSm is different from N.American GSM
    > >>
    > >> Not true !
    > >>
    > >> My European GSM phone works OK in Florida.
    > >
    > >?? what kinda phone and who is your service provider?? i was told by
    > >my AT&T rep and people who've bought phones while living abroad that a
    > >european-purchased phone won't work here. reply here or email, thanks.
    > It's a Nokia 6310i on the UK Orange network. Only
    > European tri-band (900/1800/1900Mhz) phones will
    > work in North America. European dual-band (900/
    > 1800Mhz) phones will not.
    > --
    > Mike @ www.sivros.net