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Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 11:31:49 -0700
X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet E-mail/MAPI - 8.0.0.4211
Status: RO
Hello everyone,
I looked into this too a few months ago when visiting from Munich with my
D2 SIM card. The only GSM service provider in SF at that time was Pacific
Bell Mobile. The frequency band (900 MHz[EU] vs 1800 MHz[EU] vs 1900
MHz[USA]) is an issue for terminal roaming (using your own GSM phone), but
shouldn't TECHNICALLY be a problem for plastic roaming (just using your own
SIM card, but inserted into a locally rented GSM phone).
However, the additional BUSINESS problems I ran into were:
1)
PACBELL had a roaming agreement with D1 only, not D2 ... so that wouldn't
have worked for me
2)
PACBELL has decided to implement "SIM Locking" (actually now the
"politically correct" term is "personalization of the mobile"). This means
that they have set up the phones they provide to their users with a special
firmware feature in which only PACBELL SIM cards (and no others) can be
used in the phone. This is to protect their investment in subsidizing the
purchase cost of the phone. Some European operators also have implemented
SIM Locking. YES, this is a controversial issue in the wireless business
as it takes away from some of the original design goals of the GSM system
in general.
The bottom line is that you have to ask you questions directly to the
service provider you intend to use. The biggest problem there is that if
you finally get to a person who is supposed to know what you are talking
about and asking about, they likely don't really know an accurate answer
either.
Probably a better option is to ask you HOME SERVICE PROVIDER (Swisscom or
D2 or Vodafone, etc) what they suggest for you. I know that some companies
will provide their customers with a SIM card or other option to use while
traveling in the "Wireless 3rd World" (i.e. USA or Japan). Besides, their
customer care people are likely far better trained and have longer work
histories than some of the workforce the US providers have, and they are
more knowledgable in answering your questions.
3)
Don't forget that with the roaming charges you would have to pay, you are
probably far better off to just buy a local US service and call from here
directly with or without the GSM service. If you are a fan of the SMS
service in GSM, you may be disappointed with a non-GSM service, but hey ...
what can you do?
I hope this helps,
Chris Cavigioli
P.S. Anybody have some file cabinets and hanging files they are trying to
get rid of? Do you know an office getting rid of some? I need them.
------------
Chris Cavigioli
57 Bemis Street (until 6-May-99)
San Francisco, CA 94131
+1 (415) 585-8022
-- office --> +1 650 584 5591
voicemail and fax:
+1 888 726 8554 toll free (USA callers only)
+49 89 9218 5361 Munich and globally accessible
email: chris-c_at_ibm.net
updated draft resume and letter of rec: http://pws.prserv.net/chris/
------------
-----Original Message-----
From: Stefan Wengi [SMTP:sgw_at_adnovum.com]
Sent: Friday, April 16, 1999 12:42 PM
To: swiss-list_at_lists.Stanford.EDU
Subject: swiss-list: european GSM card
Hi,
does anybody of you guys out there know whether there exists a
possibility to use a european GSM card (e.g. from Swisscom) in an
american GSM mobile phone in the Bay Area.
thanks
Stefan
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Received on Sat Apr 17 1999 - 14:15:00 PDT
