Asia - Cell (Mobile) Phones in Singapore, if arriving from India?

We are arriving in Singapore Tues evening (leaving from Delhi).

I asked these questions from a Singapore perspective in that subforum:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=775805

I am now asking the questions from an Indian perspective.

Do all Indian cell (mobile) phones, and their respective plans, allow for usage when travelling abroad - in this case, Singapore (but later on, in Canada (where we reside) or USA)? If one is unsure of the answers to the question, should we go to the service provider (of the cell/mobile phone)?

If the answer to the above (first) question is yes, is it more practical to bring the cell phone from India to Singapore, or rent or buy a separate one (with an associated temporary plan) from Singapore?

I have an Airtel prepaid SIM card from India that I use with a quad band GSM phone and it roams everywhere there is GSM. Don't know what the roaming rates are, though.

If you have a GSM 900/1800 phone, just buy a prepaid SIM card in Singapore.

I am a low tech person, so I do not fully understand what you are saying.

The cell phone was bought in India. We are looking into model number, type etc.

I believe that you are saying that GSM is the (only?) type of cell (mobile) phone network used in much of the world, including India and Singapore? Obviously, a different type of network is used in Canada/USA (we live in Canada).

What is a GSM 900/1800 type mobile phone? Are there other types of cell phones?

I am a low tech person, so I do not fully understand what you are saying.

The cell phone was bought in India. We are looking into model number, type etc.

I believe that you are saying that GSM is the (only?) type of cell (mobile) phone network used in much of the world, including India and Singapore? Obviously, a different type of network is used in Canada/USA (we live in Canada).

What is a GSM 900/1800 type mobile phone? Are there other types of cell phones?

If you have a GSM phone, you will be fine in SIN.( Fine as in OK and not Fine as in summons.. ehheheh...seeing how SIN is a FINE City.

Pre-paid SIM card is the best option.When you reach SIN you can head down to the nearest telco which has shops in most major malls.. Singtel/M1/Starhub or in some instances convenience stores like 7-11 and even some money changers.

Have a good safe trip.
Cheers!
:D

So, odds are very high that your phone will work just fine, but just in case...

The cell phone was bought in India. We are looking into model number, type etc.
Which operator are you using in India? If Reliance or Tata, you have a CDMA phone, which will not work. However, if you have any other operator (Airtel, Idea, etc etc), you most likely have a GSM phone and it should work fine.

Obviously, a different type of network is used in Canada/USA (we live in Canada).
A "triband" GSM phone will work even in Canada/US; if you can tell us the phone's model number, we can tell you if it it's one or not.

A "triband" GSM phone will work even in Canada/US; if you can tell us the phone's model number, we can tell you if it it's one or not.

Ummm you'd better make that a "quad-band" (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) phone if you are thinking of using it in both Asia and the US.

Generally, the west coast is GSM1900 but once you start heading east, you will find that GSM850 is more widespread. I was in a New York highrise once with a triband (GSM 900/1800/1900) phone and had NO SIGNAL! My quad-band PDA phone on the other hand was 4 bars strong and ringing...