Travel Technology - world phone

I'm looking for a new phone. As a frequent traveler around the world, I would like it to be compatible to almost all the service provider. Particularly in Asia. I am from the US and currently have T-mobile. Does a phone like this exist? I also would like a high quality camera built in and as a secondary thought a sleek design if possible. Thanks!

Too numerous to list.

Virtually all tri- and quad-band GSM phones are considered 'world phones'.

Best bet is to research which provider offers service in the countries/places you need most and then choose one of their plans and phone offerings.

You could also buy a generic unlocked quad-band phone [off of eBay for example] and buy pre-paid SIM cards at each place you land.

satellite?

Any tri- or quadband GSM phone is a "world phone" that will work in most countries except Japan and South Korea. This means that in the US you'll need either T-mobile or AT&T. Verizon and Sprint use CDMA networks, which are incompatible with the GSM standard used throughout most of the world, though there are a few countries that also have CDMA networks.

Some tri- and quadband 3G phones will work in Japan and South Korea as well. Specifically, any 3G phone that supports the WCDMA/UMTS protocol on 2100 MHz.

T-mobile and AT&T both have roaming agreements with Japanese and South Korean carriers.

Here is an in-depth explanation: http://www.aetherwide.com/articles/roamjapan.html

edit: some examples of phones that will work everywhere including Japan/Korea and have a camera:

-iPhone 3G
-HTC Fuze
-T-Mobile G1 GooglePhone
-HTC S730
-Nokia 6600

Just nessesary to have 900 and 1800 mhz, both frequencies are used widely! 1800 most in cities, and 900 in the country! Quad band phone for sure! 3G is only really used in Japan and South Korea! Otherwise there is no need for it! How many are actually using the video calling feature in the phones?? And data is way too expencive to use abroad!

It looks like I have my work cut out for me. Thanks for the link, gfunkdave and the insightful explanation.

Something I have used for years and think is great is a purchased phone from:

www.mobal.com

I have used the phone throughout Europe and South America and you can buy them for the World or Asia...etc.

Deal is you purchase phone (modestly priced), you set up account for billing and you get charged ONLY for minutes you use.

You own the phone and use it when you travel...I have had mine for 8-10 years and love the convenience, etc.

Finally, you can get cheaper minutes but for me to call home and do brief "how are you...we're fine" types of calls, it is GREAT!

Something I have used for years and think is great is a purchased phone from:

www.mobal.com

I have used the phone throughout Europe and South America and you can buy them for the World or Asia...etc.

Deal is you purchase phone (modestly priced), you set up account for billing and you get charged ONLY for minutes you use.

You own the phone and use it when you travel...I have had mine for 8-10 years and love the convenience, etc.

Finally, you can get cheaper minutes but for me to call home and do brief "how are you...we're fine" types of calls, it is GREAT!

YIKES!!!!

I think that those rates are the highest I've ever seen.

YIKES!!!!

I think that those rates are the highest I've ever seen.

Yeppers. I think the calls on that to the US from the UK are about 5 times what I pay using an Orange UK SIM. They are even MORE than I pay if I just use my ATT phone. They are 50% more than using my ATT phone if I have the $5 a month international discount package and a little bit more (about 20 cents a minute) than if I just use my ATT phone without any plan.

They are more than twice what United Mobile charges for a UK to US call. And United Mobile is a similar, works almost anywhere in the world prepaid account and SIM.

IMHO, anyone that takes a second look at Mobal, either has a lot of money and doe not mind enriching companies lie mobal, or is totally un-informed of other options. Geez! Look at mobal's rates.

This means that in the US you'll need either T-mobile or AT&T. Verizon and Sprint use CDMA networks, which are incompatible with the GSM standard used throughout most of the world, though there are a few countries that also have CDMA networks.
Verizon (and possibly Sprint) should have a few world phones which run on CDMA & GSM. I'm thinking specifically of the Storm/Niagara, which should also work in Japan, IIRC.

I'm really looking forward to the roll out of LTE which shaping up to be the true global standard. Sorry, Sprint.

Thanks all. I've settled on the Apple Iphone 3G for now. I will be traveling to Japan and Korea. In order to use the sim cards in those two countries, does my apple iphone need to be unlocked? And where does it say that the apple iphone supports the WCDMA/UMTS protocol on 2100 MHz?

How often will you be traveling to Korea and Japan? Where will you need coverage in those countries? Do you specifically need your phone on you at all times or can you use it while in your hotel room.

I have not done the iphone thing because it looked complicated the last time I looked into it. I have a Korean phone but before that I would rent a phone at the airport. Cheap and convenient. That was for calls in the country. But for call to the states I use my Tmobile which you have and use UMA over the wifi. Works great

I don't like to keep mulitple phones around. The iphone is amazing from what I read. So much more than a phone and much cheaper too than other quadband phones. You're not just buying a phone but a mini-computer entertainment package. I just need to know exactly where it says it's compatible in Japan before hoping on board.

I don't like to keep mulitple phones around. The iphone is amazing from what I read. So much more than a phone and much cheaper too than other quadband phones. You're not just buying a phone but a mini-computer entertainment package. I just need to know exactly where it says it's compatible in Japan before hoping on board.

A couple points about iPhones, and I love mine, but....

It is tough to unlock them and potentially problematic. ATT/Apple do not technically allow it but you can still do it. But upgrades will likely relock them. Also, iPhones use a HUGE amount of data relative to a Blackberry or Windows mobile phone. And data roaming can cost a lot of money. A LOT of money.

A couple points about iPhones, and I love mine, but....

It is tough to unlock them and potentially problematic. ATT/Apple do not technically allow it but you can still do it. But upgrades will likely relock them. Also, iPhones use a HUGE amount of data relative to a Blackberry or Windows mobile phone. And data roaming can cost a lot of money. A LOT of money.


If he travels to Hong Kong he can pick up an officially unlocked iphone. I love my iphone but I turn it off completely when overseas or even canada. I do use truephone.

Check out the Verizon Motorola Z6c. It's CDMA in the U.S. and Canada (and Japan and some places in China), and 2-band GSM, for everywhere in the world except North America. Verizon will unlock it after 60 days and you can use a local SIM anywhere.

A couple points about iPhones, and I love mine, but....

It is tough to unlock them and potentially problematic. ATT/Apple do not technically allow it but you can still do it. But upgrades will likely relock them. Also, iPhones use a HUGE amount of data relative to a Blackberry or Windows mobile phone. And data roaming can cost a lot of money. A LOT of money.

You've inspired an interesting question.

As an Orange France customer of several years, I can get an unlocked iPhone from them. (Of course, it will come with their SIM inside.)

If I use a prepaid SIM from a provider in another country, would that re-lock the phone?

Check out the Verizon Motorola Z6c. It's CDMA in the U.S. and Canada (and Japan and some places in China), and 2-band GSM, for everywhere in the world except North America. Verizon will unlock it after 60 days and you can use a local SIM anywhere.

What specs are required for a phone to work in Japan?

Why have I always heard that only NTT DoCoMo phones will work there? (I was even told this at the Mitsuwa store in Edgewater, NJ (http://mitsuwa.com/tenpo/newj/eindex.html).)

Also, merely if your phone has the specs to work in Japan, how do you get an account, prepaid or otherwise?

You've inspired an interesting question.

As an Orange France customer of several years, I can get an unlocked iPhone from them. (Of course, it will come with their SIM inside.)

If I use a prepaid SIM from a provider in another country, would that re-lock the phone?

Not as far as I know. I should have been more clear. I was referring to the US iphones which are still locked unfortunately.

What specs are required for a phone to work in Japan?

Why have I always heard that only NTT DoCoMo phones will work there? (I was even told this at the Mitsuwa store in Edgewater, NJ (http://mitsuwa.com/tenpo/newj/eindex.html).)

Also, merely if your phone has the specs to work in Japan, how do you get an account, prepaid or otherwise?I've never tried my phone in Japan so I really don't know. I do know that my Verizon CDMA phones work fine in many cities in China, though Verizon's roaming rates are very high.

This does pose an interesting question. Is it possible to buy an unlocked iPhone in France, and use it anywhere (including AT&T in the US-- I assume so)?

I've never tried my phone in Japan so I really don't know. I do know that my Verizon CDMA phones work fine in many cities in China, though Verizon's roaming rates are very high.

I had TMobile US for years. I had an unlocked HTC TyTN. It had the WCDMA 2100 frequency. I would just turn in on with the TMobile SIM in it and it would work in Japan. You have to have a phone with the right frequency, like WCDMA 2100 and a SIM from a company that has a roaming agreement with a Japanese carrier.

You've inspired an interesting question.

As an Orange France customer of several years, I can get an unlocked iPhone from them. (Of course, it will come with their SIM inside.)

If I use a prepaid SIM from a provider in another country, would that re-lock the phone?

No, a SIM is not a software upgrade. It's only an access point to the cellular company to which you have subscribed.

Only a true software upgrade will re-lock the phone.

This does pose an interesting question. Is it possible to buy an unlocked iPhone in France, and use it anywhere (including AT&T in the US-- I assume so)?

A few years ago, I had a temporary business need for an additional number so I took an unlocked Orange Motorola phone to an AT&T company store here to buy a prepaid SIM.

Fortunately, I did this in person because the card did not immediately work. The AT&T sales person was on the phone for about 15 minutes with their people who were asking all kinds of questions about the numbers on the bar codes inside the phone. Eventually, they got it working.

What specs are required for a phone to work in Japan?

Why have I always heard that only NTT DoCoMo phones will work there? (I was even told this at the Mitsuwa store in Edgewater, NJ (http://mitsuwa.com/tenpo/newj/eindex.html).)

Also, merely if your phone has the specs to work in Japan, how do you get an account, prepaid or otherwise?

3G/UMTS phones that are multi-frequency will work in Japan. 2G/GSM will not. Some operators have roaming contracts with the 3G operators in Japan. It will not be cheap.

Looking forward, the next generation of mobile (which may start being deployed as soon as 2010), called LTE, should work with virtually every mobile operator in every country in the world (except the largest operator in China, but there are others), if you live long enough for universal deployment to occur.

What specs are required for a phone to work in Japan?
Also, merely if your phone has the specs to work in Japan, how do you get an account, prepaid or otherwise?

You need a phone that supports UMTS/WCDMA on the 2100 MHz frequency band.

If you have service with a provider in the USA that has roaming agreements with a Japanese carrier, the phone will work in Japan.

3G/UMTS phones that are multi-frequency will work in Japan. 2G/GSM will not. Some operators have roaming contracts with the 3G operators in Japan. It will not be cheap.

Looking forward, the next generation of mobile (which may start being deployed as soon as 2010), called LTE, should work with virtually every mobile operator in every country in the world (except the largest operator in China, but there are others), if you live long enough for universal deployment to occur.

You need a phone that supports UMTS/WCDMA on the 2100 MHz frequency band.

If you have service with a provider in the USA that has roaming agreements with a Japanese carrier, the phone will work in Japan.

Thanks for these comments. If I went to Japan, I would want a local Japanese number.

Is that possible?

Thanks for these comments. If I went to Japan, I would want a local Japanese number.

Is that possible?

Sure, find a prepaid SIM card or open a postpaid account.

Prepaid SIMs are pretty rare in Japan I think, but I did find this:

http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/prepaid/

The iPhone 3g should work in Japan as it operates in the correct 3G frequency. I have unlocked the iPhone myself. It is a somewhat complicated process. First you have to "jailbreak" the phone. This allows you to install a program call Cydia. With that program you can install the unlocker called yellowsn0w. There are specific tutorials online.

I say get a Verizon phone and have it unlocked. My sister took her s in Dec and said she had no problems.

Since you're already with T-Mobile you're already more than halfway there.

You may not need to buy a new phone at all if yours is already a tri- or quad-band, in which case you just need to contact T-Mobile customer support and request the SIM-unlock for your handset.

What model do you have?

I am currently packing a Blackberry Bold with a global data plan and an unlocked Nokia E65 (with 2100mhz UMTs). The Bold recently and reluctantly replaced by Nokia E71, but a number of carriers are offering unlimited Blackberry data worldwide and no one is doing it with any other platform. The best I had before was 20 megs in 60 countries.

I have a US number which forwards to my foreign SIM card and I can trigger web based callbacks to it from my Bold. Additionally, the E65 has great VOIP on the handset and good two stage dialing utilities which allow me to make calling card calls with entering 40 digit numbers. I've coupled the handset with Devicescape's client which logs me on to wifi where available. On some trips, I add Boingo's worldwide PDA calling plan.

Stu,

You mentioned unlimited Blackberry data worldwide. Can you give us more details?
Who are some of the providers?

Thanks!
Bukzin