BootsnAll Travel Community

not that you need to talk on the phone while you're on a round the trip journey, but has anyone bought a cheap one with phone cards that worked in more than 1 country in Asia? just curious...

I bought a phone in Shanghai, but it wasn't cheap. It was in this giant mall with dozens and dozens of phone-sellers of every make and model -- thousands of phones! And most were very high-priced. I settled for one for about USD$100. Dunno, maybe you get can a cheap phone in Thailand or somewhere.

But the service in Asia is amazing. The cards are pretty cheap and very easy. For instance, you buy them at 7-11 in Thailand and the clerk's will set it all up -- put in the new SIMS, call and activate them. And the reception is a hundred times better than my home in America.

It sucks that American phones don't work in Asia, but I believe phones from most other places in the world work there.

GSM 900 works in most of Europe and a few other places
GSM 1800 is almost 100% worldwide (including Europe)
GSM 1900 is USA and Chile.

I have no idea why its different for the USA but it used to cause lots of problems for people who regularly go back and forth.

Now with Tri-band and Quad band phones its less of a problem.

Not all American networks are GSM, as I understand. At least that was the case when i was involved in telecoms a few years ago.

i brought my fancy-smancy European tri-bad phone to Asia and used my Swiss and Thai SIM cards...was glad to have it. It worked everywhere but in Burma (except near the Thai and Chinese borders.)

But, I lost the phone in Cambodia :P Oh, well.