In many parts of the world, it is cheaper to set up cellular phone networks than it is to lay phone cable. As such, we have seen a huge rise in the use of cellular phones. They have become such a part of everyday life one wonders how we ever managed without them. For some reason, when calling to a cellular phone in another country, the rates tend to increase considerably. Take India for example to use a prepaid calling card for india, the rate may be as low as twelve cents per minute. However, when you use a prepaid calling card to call to a india cellular phone the rates increase dramatically. As such it is best to try using the phone card to call home phones in India. Sadly India as many other countries there is a shortage of home phones. Regardless, cellular is the next big thing so we need to take some time to discuss it. For travelers, cellular phones can offer some incredible benefits. However, they also present certain challenges, not the least of which is whether they will even work when traveling from one place to another.

A recent trip to India taught me just that. I spoke with the rep. of my cellular phone company and he told me my phone would work fine in India. Sadly nothing could be further from the truth. I got there and was unable to call to the from India with my phone. The same rep told me I would be able to call to the us from the India and was incorrect. That is what led to me researching the subject and posting the information so you can read all about it and decide for yourself whether it is worthwhile to purchase a phone card to call cellular phones or a calling card to call back home from abroad.

Along with the obvious convenience and quick access to help in emergencies big and small, cellular phones can be both economical and essential for travelers trying to stay connected. An example: it's not uncommon for cellular calls to be cheaper than local calls made from some hotel rooms. European hotels in particular are known for excessive phone tariffs -- three days of connecting locally at a five-star hotel in Amsterdam once cost me more than $100! As mentioned in my other article, this was due greatly to the fact that there is nobody governing what the hotels can charge if you don;t use a prepaid phone card to call from your room.

In other situations, a prepaid calling card along with a cellular phone may be the only way to get online. Short of that, there are a few internet cafes scattered throughout Europe that offer high speend connections so you can email files with speed.

Cellular phone usage for the traveler can sometimes be a bewildering affair. This is due to the preponderance of various differing -- and incompatible -- cellular systems often delineating entire continents or regions. This is one area where Europe i way ahead of us. They set up a standard known as GSM in Europe years ago so you can travel from country to country using the same phone and not have to change phone cards (sim chips). Meanwhile stateside, we are still stuck with at least four different cellular standards. The main systems in use are outlined below.

GSM - Global System for cellular telephones One of the few cellular phone standards with a self-explanatory name that is actually more or less accurate. It's the closest thing there is to an "international" standard -- GSM systems are used in nearly 200 countries (with 600 million subscribers) worldwide, from Europe (where the standard originated) throughout Africa, Asia and Australia. Coverage in these areas is for the most part excellent; in some cities the use of picocells even makes it possible to use phones on moving subway trains. Though a latecomer to North America, GSM is now making some substantial gains there, though with a different flavor than used elsewhere. Originally utilizing the 900 Mhz spectrum, GSM providers in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia later added additional capacity at 1800 Mhz. In North America, however, GSM service is currently available only at 1900 Mhz. The good news for world travelers is that most cell phone manufacturers offer dual-band (900 and 1900 Mhz) or tri-band (900, 1800 and 1900 Mhz) phones that will work in most places GSM systems are found. The bad news is that a fourth GSM system -- GSM 800, operating at 850 Mhz -- may soon join the fray in the US. I'm only aware of one "quad-band" (GSM 800, 900, 1800, 1900) phone so far, but if the standard achieves widespread use I'm sure we'll see more.
While growing rapidly, in the US and Canada GSM service can be scarce outside of larger urban areas. In Latin America, coverage currently exists only in parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, Paraguay and Peru (all at GSM 1900) along with Venezuela (GSM 900) and Brazil (GSM 1800). Other notable non-GSM countries include South Korea and Japan. GSM is a feature-rich technology that includes fax capability and SMS (short messaging service). Most providers offer e-mail to SMS gateways, making it possible to receive flight updates and breaking news alerts over the phone. Many providers also offer quick connect data services through ISDN lines, and the latest generation GPRS (Global Packet Radio Service) promises high-speed "always on" data connections much faster than the traditional 9600 bps. If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of GSM and hope that it soon is available everywhere. My principal cellular phone is a tri-band "world" phone with service from T-cellular, one of the largest GSM providers in the US with roaming agreements with GSM carriers worldwide .

Example of tri-band GSM "World" Phone

AMPS - Advanced cellular Phone System At one time, this system might well have been "advanced" compared to earlier methods. The original 800 Mhz analog cellular system introduced in North America in the early 1980s, now it's pretty much technically obsolete. However, even though it's been replaced by newer digital technology, in some rural areas from the US to Australia to Turkmenistan, it still might be the only cellular signal to be had. I often carry a pre-paid AMPS phone as a backup for non GSM-areas. An enhanced version called N-AMPS (Narrowband AMPS) offers some digital phone-like features such as text messaging. Most of the US now uses E-AMPS, for enhanced AMPS. Every country in the Western Hemisphere has 800 AMPS service, as well as American Samoa, Angola, China, South Korea, Lebanon, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Solomon Islands, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Western Samoa.

D-AMPS - The first digital version of AMPS, also using the 800 Mhz spectrum. Still used (though not widely) in certain countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Israel, Malaysia, Myanmar, Panama, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

TACS - Total Access Communications Service The original European 900 Mhz analog system launched in 1985 by Vodafone. Still used in Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, the India, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Yemen. Uses a protocol known as Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA). Variations include ETACS (Extended TACS), ITACS (International TACS), IETACS (International Extended TACS, NTACS (Narrowband TACS and JTACS (Japan TACS).

NMT - An analog rival to AMPS and TACS that uses 450 and 900 Mhz spectrum. Still used in most parts of Europe and Asia, including Algeria, Andorra, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, the Faeroes, Finland, France, Greenland, Hungary, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Now that GSM is so widespread, some countries may be planning to halt NMT service. In Finland, for example, NMT900 service was shut down in early 2000; NMT450 service will be discontinued at the end of 2002.

TDMA - Time Division Multiple Access The first digital network widely used in the Americas, this is the system which at one time was and still is largely the core of major US wireless networks like AT&T and Cingular. (Of these, however, AT&T and Cingular are now converting some US bandwidth to GSM 1900. They may also use the newer GSM 800, which operates at 850Mhz). Outside the US, TDMA networks can be found in Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China (including Hong Kong), Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guam, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Russia, St. Maarten, Suriname, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Some industry analysts are forecasting that the increasing growth of GSM and CDMA in the Americas will eventually signal the end of TDMA.

CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access A rival to TDMA in the Americas, this standard was developed by QualComm, from which providers must license its use. CDMA carriers in the US include Sprint PCS (which oddly enough started as a GSM carrier), Alltel, and Verizon. There are now CDMA networks elsewhere in the world, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, El Salvador, Guatemala, Israel, South Korea, Peru, Russia, Venezuela and Zambia. This offers some international roaming capability, though nothing like the near-global coverage available from GSM carriers. In the purest technical sense, CDMA is more efficient than GSM. In actual application, GSM has such widespread following and rich features to keep CDMA from being much of a threat. However, it's entirely possible that CDMA will contribute to the eventual demise of TDMA in the Americas, though that time is likely to be many years away for the US and Canada, and much longer for Latin America.

iDEN - (Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network) iDEN is essentially a hybrid of TDMA digital cell phone and two-way radio. Providers are limited (examples are NEXTEL in the US and Amigo in Israel). Phone equipment is produced exclusively by Motorola, the company that created the standard by blending their historic experience with handheld radios with the expertise in cellular technology. Certain iDEN phones offer GSM 900 compatibility, making global roaming possible in many countries without iDEN networks.

PDC - Personal Digital Cellular Behind GSM and D-AMPS, the world's mostly widely used digital system, though its use is limited to Japan.

PHS - Personal Handyphone System A newer Japanese standard especially designed for high-speed data transmission up to 32 Kbps. Some installations may also be found in parts of China, Thailand and Taiwan.

For more information about systems and providers in specific countries, I highly recommend the world cellular reference page at Teletechnics cellular Systems.

Satellite Phones

Ah yes, thanks to our friends at Motorla, satelite phones have become a reality. Whether you're posting a breaking news story from the mountains of Afghanistan or just staying in touch with the office during a Caribbean cruise, satellite phones can be the only choice when you absolutely, positively need a phone in the far reaches of the world. The principle is simple, years ago, Motorola launched Iridium. "The Iridium Satellite System is the only provider of truly global, truly mobile satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the Earth (including oceans, airways and Polar regions). Through a constellation of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites operated by Boeing, Iridium delivers essential communications services to and from remote areas where terrestrial communications are not available. The service is ideally suited for industrial applications such as heavy construction, defense/military, emergency services, maritime, mining, forestry, oil and gas and aviation. Iridium currently provides services to the United States Department of Defense and launched commercial service in March 2001." - Iridium.com Satellite phones can be expensive, though Iridium's $1.50 USD charge is sometimes equaled or surpassed by international cellular roaming rates for some GSM carriers. However, only recently have they achieved acceptable speeds for data transmission.

Since there needs to be a clear line of sight between the antenna and satellite, performance can also be affected by poor weather and use is generally restricted to outdoors (though they will sometimes work through glass or canvas). This can also limit the ability to receive incoming calls, though for applications on boats and other places an external antenna can greatly enhance their use. Also, phones like Qualcomm's GSP1600 (shown at right) offer compatibility with existing AMPS and CDMA networks to help alleviate some of these drawbacks while allowing users to stay connected well beyond the reach of lowly terrestrial networks. Users of the Thuraya system serving Europe, North & Central Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent can also access local GSM networks in those areas. Also, external antenna connections can help overcome some of the limitations to indoor usage.

Satellite phone systems are expensive to build and far less competitive than conventional cellular systems, so there are only a few providers to choose from like Iridium, Globalstar, ICO Global, Ellipso, Inmarsat and the previously mentioned Thuraya. Great strides have been made in making these phones increasingly portable, though briefcase models are still available and just about all of them need an oversized antenna.

**Brief portions of this article have been quoted from Kropla.com, I would implore anyone planning on making a trip to swing by this site first. The information presented can be a real life saver.

 

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