There are four bands on which GSM phones operate, 850, 900, 1800 and 1900. The 850/1900 bands are mostly used in the Americas, while the 900/1800 bands are predominantly used everywhere else. Phones are manufactured with 2, 3, or all four of these bands, and it is important that the phone you use matches the bands of the system in the country you are in. Since quad band phones operate on all of them, and don’t cost much more than the others, they make the best purchase for a traveler. Also, it is important to make sure that the handset is unlocked for travel.
The phone that I bought was originally sold by the U.S. company AT&T. It has AT&T branding on the phone, and in the start-up graphics. In order to check to see if this phone was indeed unlocked, I purchased a T-Mobile prepaid sim card on the web site. If this worked, then I could conclude that the phone was indeed unlocked.
I ordered the sim card over the T-Mobile web site over the weekend, and it arrived by UPS truck on Thursday. I immediately placed it in the phone that I purchased, and tried to activate it online. The web site told me that the activation code that came with the card was invalid, and to call to activate.
So, I called to activate the phone. First using the automated voice system, which didn’t work, and then through a live person. As it turns out, this didn’t work either. I waited a full day (they told me it may take as long as 2 hours) and called back. The new person said that he would submit it again. Again, 24 hours, nothing. I called back again, and after speaking with 6 different representatives, finally got it activated. Verified it by making a call, and sending a text.