Portability of European cell phones in the US

Does anybody know how difficult it is to use European cell phones in the US? I'm thinking of taking mine over there, but have heard that not all phones work over there. Any experiences?

You need a triband phone from my understanding. I know that my dual band phone didn't work. Sorry, you'll have to get a more qualified answer from someone else, probably some of the (ex)Sony guys would have a clue.

I remember Opa saying you need a GSM 1800 and most European are 900 or something like that but you can get a phone that does both. I'll ask him and get back to you.

Your phone should work in the States if it's GSM tri-band, i.e. it can do 900/1800 (Europe) and 1900 (US).

If you intend to use the phone with a SIM card from a US network operator, you might want to make sure that it isn't locked to the SIM that you're currently using.

If you're just going to use it with your german card, check with the service provider to make sure they allow roaming abroad. Also check how much it will cost.

Trust my Altzheimers, Showem and Malky are right, Opa says Triband 1900/850 (U.S)

I have a triband that I use both in Germany and the US. I use two separate SIM chips though -- one for each country. Otherwise, the international roaming fees are way too expensive.

From what I understand, use of gsm phones is still a little bit limited in the US. All I can tell you is that my gsm works fine in NYC, DC, and the SF bay area.

depends where you go. in the northeast (NY, NJ, new england) you get voicestream, which are a complete ripoff for incoming calls (about a £ a minute) and coverage outside cities is patchy

you do need a triband phone (and don't forget to switch to 1900 if you have an old motorola that does not do so automatically)

I left the states before cell phones were around (or at least in my neck of the woods) so I have no idea how the system is set up - though from what I understand they are cheaper than normal phones there now.

Anyway, I was going to take my phone over in August. How difficult would it be to get an american chip for it? Do they sell pre-paid cards and if so, can anyone tell me where I can get one easily? (I don't even know how easy it would be to get a pre-paid card here, if you can just get one at the vodaphone shop or if you still need to apply for them, I mean.)

There are a lot of prepaid plans available. First off, you need to make sure your phone is unlocked so you can use another sim card.

I use Virgin Mobile Prepaid at the moment and they're on the Sprint network (I'm in California).

T-Mobile uses GSM so you should be able to get a new sim card.

A good thing to do is go to one of the above providers, plug in the zip code of where you'll be, see if they offer service and go from there. Google is your friend.

You can get prepaid plans almost anywhere, WalMart, Target, Costco, Safeway, etc, etc.

Thanks. The phone is unlocked.
So, I can wander into WalMart and pick up a card, pop it in the phone and go? Sounds perfect. (Almost too easy )

Cingular also has GSM service. I still have a US cell phone account with them and the phone works in Europe as well. My phone is a quad-band which will also work in Asia. A tri-band will be fine for the US and Europe.

i like cingular (but that's what my US phone is).

yeah you can get prepaid at different places, gas stations, walgreens (note- NOT walmart, although they might have them, but please don't go there!), etc

Ok, anyone have any suggestions for how much I should buy, I'll be there just over 2 weeks, but I don't imagine I will be calling Germany at all with it and maybe only to be gotten ahold of and to tell people when I will be arriving in which towns. I have absolutely no idea what the rates would be, last time I spent about a buck at a pay phone in the middle of no where trying to leave a message on my cousins answering machine in a different town, but same state).

T-Mobile's Prepaid cards will cost ya $50, but it comes with a $30 credit.
Atlest mine did when I got it.. Most others are the same. For the record Cingular has better coverage than T-Mobile in most areas.

Check the providers homepage for coverage of the areas you'll be going.

DDbug, it'd help if you weren't going to the middle of nowhere! many places in the US have more prepaid/pay as you type things for more densly populate areas (eg not Montana and not most of Utah etc)

If flying into O'Hare, there is a Telefone store of some kind, that sells prepaid cards for all the providers, well atleast there was when I went thru there in 2005. It was near Mc'Donalds

i dont think she's going into ohare, but rather Atlanta (or some other crap place) and there are a few McD in Ohare

Yup - layover with two kids in Atlanta then on to SLC, Utah, drive to Wyoming and from the middle of that square state fly to Minneapolis. Then home (though that home stretch may possibly be over o'hare).
So I would be looking in SLC. Mere - I should ask your friend...

she has Tmobile in SLC. i don't know what's good in Wyoming. i know in MN Cingular and Verizon are popular (and Tmobile is around there too).
yeah ask Maija she'll know where to get what you need.

sooo sorry for flying into Atlanta!

Thanks, mere

The major issue with only having a triband phone is that 1900 coverage is more limited - lower frequencies (like 850, 900) have wider coverage, which is useful in rural areas, and many US operators only have 850 coverage.

You can check out which operators where, have which coverage, and use which frequency bands, worldwide at the GSM Association web site, http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml

Specific USA information is available at http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_us.shtml

For background...

There are 4 GSM bands 850, 900, 1800, 1900 (MHz). Most parts of the Americas (e.g. USA, Canada, various S.America) uses 850 & 1900. The rest of the world uses 900 & 1800. (the Caribean seems to be a mix of all possibilities!)

A normal European GSM phone will support 900 & 1800, some triband phones support 900 , 1800, 1900. It is unusual to find a quad band phone, but these do exist.