European Cell Phones

European cell phones may or may not work when traveling overseas, just as US cell phones may not work in Europe. Many people crave the freedom that the cell phone represents. As a result, they often have a cell phone with them 24 hours a day.

They can't imagine a moment without it. But most do not realize the complexities involved when it comes to different service providers, different types of phone, interchangeability, different frequencies and the potential complications that you could face when seeking to use your phone in a foreign land.

In what some would consider an anomaly, GSM networks can be found in approximately three quarters of the developed world, whilst the network featured most strongly in the United States, CDMA, can only be otherwise found in approximately 20 percent of the world. Obviously, you are likely to see a compatability problem when United States users take their phone overseas.

Secondly, frequency band differences can cause problems. On the whole there are five varying GSM bands worldwide with European cell phones in the GSM frequencies of 900 and 1800 MHz, and North Americans in the band of 850 and 1900 MHz. Other continents tend to follow their European counterparts. Thus, your European cell phones may well not work if your next major overseas destination is the US.

If you find that your European cell phones will not work when you take your next trip to Disney World, you have a couple of options. Firstly, give some thought to buying a dual band phone which you can use without any hassle in North America.

This will probably be the cheapest option for you. When your vacation is coming to an end, a tri-band phone can be useful as these phones will probably work in all Asia Pacific, North American and European markets.

The latest 3G dual-mode phones incorporate a combination of GSM and 3G technology. 3G may be your savior here, as they can be purchased for use in most countries. However, make sure that you get the correct frequency combination.

The benefit of dual-mode 3G phones is that they are versatile and provide higher speeds and better functionality which makes them suitable for functions other than their primary use. However, these phones do tend to be somewhat more expensive. As is the case with most conventional phones, European cell phones work on the GSM network and so you will find that they work in many parts around the globe except for probably North America.

European cell phone owners have a distinct advantage when compared to a large number of their North American counterparts, as those in the USA with phones that use the CDMA network face a greater number of potential restrictions when traveling outside of their home continent.