So what's with cellphones in Europe ?

[eric2019]

Correct me if I'm wrong but according to my sister (she spent a summer there and gave me her cell phone), I can only use it within the UK and wouldn't work in the rest of Europe. Going over other websites I found out that they all operate on the same frequency in that part of the world so what gives ?

Do I need to buy a chip for the other countries ? BTW : it's one of the pay-as-you-go phones where you buy chips at local shops to boost up minutes.

oy !

e

-----------------------------------------------

It's not LA, it's Hell-A !

[adamgreenfield]

Eeesh. Is it a GSM/GPRS phone, a CDMA phone, or what? It really depends on what the local network standard is, how restrictive the providers are, and so on.

I await the development of a truly global (voice/data) telephony standard.

[eric2019]

Hmm...my sister bought this in Bath last summer. It is Siemens A50... Once you remove the battery, there is a small chip inside. She tells me I would need to buy another card w/minutes.....

???

-----------------------------------------------

It's not LA, it's Hell-A !

[sepia007]

i suggest going to ebay and typing in "gsm phone unlocked". buying an unlocked phone will save you trying to find someone to unlock it for you in your local area. for example, here in manhattan you can get phones unlocked at literally any cell phone store in chinatown. once unlocked you'll be able to use any carrier you like. the uk, france and italy have pay-as-you-go type sim cards that can be bought at any local tobbacco/newsagent type shop. just pop the sim card of whatever country you're in, and it will work.

[eric2019]

that's a good idea. I got the phone already so I don't really want that to go to waste. anyone got ideas for local spots in LA to do this shit ?

E

-----------------------------------------------

It's not LA, it's Hell-A !

[sepia007]

Well, Koreatown, Thaitown or Chinatown. Take your pick.