by James Boyd

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 15, 2009

Can you use a cell phone in another country? Sure. Can you use the one you have? Maybe. First, examine the country or countries you will be visiting and find out what kind of technology is commonly used there for cell phone traffic. There are two basic types in widespread use today: GSM and CDMA. If your provider is Verizon Wireless, you use CDMA. If you have AT&T or T-Mobile, your phone uses GSM. If you use a different provider and you are not sure, the simplest test is if it has a SIM card, it uses GSM. If not, it is CDMA.

GSM is much more common than CDMA in most parts of the world. The exception is Central and South America, where you will find some CDMA networks. If your technology is not used in the country you will be visiting, you will have to rent or purchase a phone. You can arrange through your provider to add a feature to your account that will allow you to use your phone in another country. You will use the same phone number you now have, so that way is very convenient.

If you use a SIM card you have the option of purchasing service locally. You will be assigned a number, so you will not use the phone number you have in this country, but it can be a lot cheaper. In some countries the charge for using your American cell phone is $5 a minute. That is for making or receiving calls. Any time you connect to the local network you will be charged. Your friends at home, however, will not be making an international call when they call you. You will pay the local fee but they will not.

If you go to Japan or South Korea you must have a G3 capable phone. If your phone does not operate on a G3 network, it will not work in those countries. One other detail you should examine before you decide whether you can use your phone in another country: signal frequency. Most newer phones are quad-band, meaning they will send and receive on any of the four commonly used frequencies. Some older phones are limited in that respect. If your phone will only operate in the 1900 or 800 ranges, and the place you are going uses 900, your phone will not work.

When you check with your carrier to learn the charges of using your phone in another country, you should also find out the cost of text messages. Often they are only a few cents apiece, even internationally. For voicemail, you will pay the toll for a voice call when you access your voicemail. As for data downloads and Internet connections, stay away from those. Rates can be a penny per kilobyte, which means downloading a video from YouTube could cost you forty dollars.

Coverage in some countries is excellent while in others it is almost nonexistent outside of major cities. Check before you go.

One more thing about using your cell phone abroad: if you obtained your phone from your carrier, it is probably locked to that carrier. Before you can use a foreign SIM card in it, it must be unlocked. Call your carrier and they will give you the code and the procedure.

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