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If i buy ANY GSM phone, will it work on AT&T's GSM service?

B

bmacd

Lifer
There are a ton of cool phones that the US doesn't seem to have, but places like India and Japan have. If i were to buy one and unlock it, will it work by dropping the SIM card in?

-=bmacd=-
 
not quite that simple...first the phone needs to be working on the same bands as att, then the phone needs to be unlocked...THEN you can drop your sim card in and it should work
 
Originally posted by: ddwbi0
not quite that simple...first the phone needs to be working on the same bands as att, then the phone needs to be unlocked...THEN you can drop your sim card in and it should work
Click to expand...

Yeah. First and foremost, the hardware must support the frequencies used in the United States, or you'll have nothing more than a "cool" paperweight. Frequencies used in the US are 800 MHz (AKA "cellular" or 850 MHz) and 1900 MHz (AKA "PCS").

Then, as mentioned, the phone must be unlocked from the provider that origianlly sold the phone--some are never locked, but many are.

Finally, you'll need to contend with the issue of finding a charger for the phone that plugs into US outlets, or else finding an appropriate AC-AC adaptor.

Even after you've done all that, the phone may lack support for some AT&T specific features, though it should theoretically make and receieve calls just fine.

Is it worth it?
 
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