If you need to go overseas frequently, you will find international mobile phones indispensable.
These phones are GSM or satellite service enabled.
The goal of these phones is to help you keep in touch with people in any part of the world.
Your ordinary TDMA or CDMA phone will not work in all countries; however, it may work in select countries such as Brazil, Argentina, China, Malaysia, and Venezuela.
A phone that is standardized over distances is what you will need.
Why Use International Phones? These phones are not just crucial for keeping in touch with friends and family, but are also important for business if you are traveling abroad on official tours.
1.
Reliable: When you are abroad, you cannot always be sure of the local networks and international calling facilities.
A reliable cell phone network allows you to call family at any time of the day.
2.
Safe: You do not have to worry about monitored calls in a foreign country when you use your own network.
3.
Cheap: In many countries, international call rates are very high if you use ordinary landline phones.
The cell phone rates are considerably lower.
4.
Internet: If you need to stay online due to business dealings, you need to be sure of getting a good internet connection abroad.
If that is not possible, you can use your phone to check the emails.
GSM If you are traveling for vacation or studies, then these are the ideal phones.
Most countries in Europe and Asia are GSM compatible, with the exception of Japan.
The US too is opening up to GSM connections.
These phones have reasonable call rates, and offer many advantages over their CDMA counterparts.
Their features include SMS, email, and even fax.
The data transfer is high speed and uninterrupted, thanks to the use of ISDN and GPRS.
Satellite Phones These phones are not very cheap.
However, if you can get your organization to sponsor them for work related tours, you will find them to be a good investment.
These phones are guaranteed to work in any corner of the world, even remote mountains where no cellular phones operate.
The major drawback of these phones is poor connectivity, as any break in the signal between the phone and satellite can create problems.
You may also need to carry an antenna for enabling satellite communication.
These phones can be used only outdoors.
Select the type of phone based on where you wish to travel and what the purpose for travel is.
A GSM connection is ideal if you are traveling to well-connected and major destinations.
Satellite international mobile phones work in locations that are not covered by GSM.