What is a WORLD Phone?

You Can Use a Cellphone in Most of the World Without a Giant Dish

In the United States several major cell phone carriers, such as Cingular and T-Mobile, have chosen to use the GSM digital protocol that is popular overseas. Their wireless handsets, as well as other brands sold in the U.S., operate on either 850 mhz or 1900 mhz, while European networks operate on either 900 mhz or 1800 mhz. These frequencies, or bands, are incompatible so in order for a handset to work both in the U.S. and abroad it must be capable of transmitting signal on three or four different frequencies. Therefore a wireless handset capable of operating on three of these bands is called a tri-band, while a handset capable of operating any of the four is called a quad-band.

These multi-band phones are termed "World Phones", though a serious traveller would really only consider a quad-band, as tri-band phones were more of an interim step. While several major manufacturers such as Samsung and Nokia have produced competent world phones, Motorola was the first company to popularize quad-band phones and continues to produce more of them than any other carrier. The Motorola RAZR is an excellent example of the company's recent quad-band efforts.

As GSM is easily the most pervasive wireless protocol worldwide with over one billion current subscribers, a traveller with a quad-band world phone phone should be able to obtain useable wireless signal in most urban areas accross the globe.


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What is an UNLOCKED GSM Cellphone?

and Do I Need to Get a Key?

When purchased from a wireless carrier, such as Cingular or T-Mobile, a GSM cell phone will typically come with a "subsidy-lock" or "sub-lock" code. These software codes are installed in the handsets during the manufacturing process in order to prevent consumers from using a phone purchased from one carrier on another carrier's network.

The logic here is that when selling the phone to a consumer, the carrier subsidized the cost of the phone. Free phones are the perfect example of this strategy. Intuitively, consumers know wireless phones are not free to manufacture, but will nevertheless be tempted by the prospect of not having to actually pay money for a new cell phone. The difference between what a consumer pays for a cell phone versus what it actually cost the carrier (always more) is called the subsidy, and to protect their "investment" carriers lock the phones to only work on their network.

Yes, this is kind of a shady thing for carriers to do as consumers do have to sign up for two years of service or pay a hefty cancellation fee in order to get the "free" phone, but it is not illegal.

However, for every lock there is a key. All of these phones with subsidy locks can be unlocked by third party companies using specialized devices. Unlocked GSM cell phones can then be placed in service with any compatible carrier, allowing the consumer a much wider range of choice.

Unlocking GSM cell phones is completely legal in all 50 states and the service is pretty easy to come by. Simply do a Google search for Unlock GSM Cell Phones and examine your choices.


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