Top Five Tips for Buying a Replacement GSM Cell Phone

• Make sure your carrier uses GSM technology.

• Check to make sure that the phone has the correct frequency for your area.

• Don't worry about activation - simply insert your SIM card and go!

• Check to see whether the phone is factory unlocked and unbranded.

• Talk to your carrier or the seller first about setting up internet and multimedia services.


What Is GSM?
GSM phones require a small electronic chip, called a SIM card, to be inserted into a slot in the handset. This SIM card is the "heart" of your phone - it contains your cell phone number, your phone book, and all of your registration information. Most companies with GSM service provide you access to over 320 GSM networks in over 140 countries. If you move your SIM card to another compatible phone, the new phone will work with your old number and service plan without any special activation.


Which Carriers Use GSM Phones?
In the United States, Cingular Wireless, AT&T, Cellular One and T-Mobile are the major GSM networks. Outside of the US, most other countries, especially in Europe and parts of Asia, exclusively use GSM phones.


What are Unlocked GSM Phones?
An Unlocked GSM phone is not locked to a particular carrier and will work with virtually any GSM service provider in the world. All you have to do to set up an Unlocked phone with your current service is simply insert your SIM card into the back of the new phone and your phone number, service settings and phone book will be transferred over. Phones sold by carriers are usually locked in order to prevent you from using it with a competitor's service.

What does "Factory Unlocked and Unbranded" mean?
A phone that is factory unlocked was never pre-configured for a particular carrier, but instead comes unlocked straight from the manufacturer. An unbranded phone does not have any carrier logos or marks. It is important to determine whether a phone is factory unlocked or was originally sold locked and later unlocked by the seller since the settings and applications may be different and the phone may have carrier logos.

How do I set my new phone up with my current service?
Setting up an Unlocked phone with your existing service and phone number is easy. All you have to do is remove the SIM card from the back of your old phone and insert it into the back of your new GSM Unlocked phone and your service, phone number and contacts will be automatically copied to the new phone and you should be able to make and receive calls immediately.

How do I get my Internet and Multimedia Settings to work on an Unlocked phone?
All carriers have different internet settings. When you buy a phone direct from your service provider, it comes pre-configured with their internet settings and will work right out of the box. Since unlocked phones are not pre-configured for any particular carrier, they will not have these settings already programmed in and you will have to either take the phone to your carrier's store for help setting up the phone's data features or transfer the settings over from your old phone. This process is usually very simple, but sometimes certain phones cannot be properly configured for all carrier-specific data content, so if you are concerned you should contact the seller or your carrier beforehand to inquire.

What are the different frequencies of GSM that I need?
When buying a GSM phone, it is very important to make sure that it has the correct frequency for your area. There are four different GSM frequencies (also known as "bands") that are used around the world: 850 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz and 1900 Mhz. In order for a phone to work in a particular area, it must be enabled with one of the frequencies support by your carrier. In the United States, GSM phones operate on the 850 Mhz and 1900 Mhz bands while the 900 Mhz and 1800 Mhz bands are used in most other countries. Some phones only support two or three of the bands and may not work in all areas even if they are compatible with a SIM card. In this case, the phone would show "No Service" or "Emergency Only". Some carriers operate networks on multiple frequencies, and phones not enabled for all of them may not work in some areas where there is service on an unsupported band, but will work just fine in other areas. A GSM quad-band phone supports all four frequencies and can be used anywhere in the world. If you plan on traveling and want to use your phone outside of the US, a quad-band phone would be best.