Using your Cell Phone Abroad

Cell phones have become very popular of late in the States, but compared to the vast number of Europeans walking around with these things, it’s still not even a close contest. Unfortunately, merely having a mobile phone doesn’t necessarily mean it will be of use to you on your trip, though the situation is much better if you’re coming from Britain or the continent, because all European wireless companies use the same digital technology, GSM, or global system for mobile communication.

Just sign up with a network provider that offers international roaming, like T-Mobile (more on the monthly plans they offer can be found at ®www.t-mobile.co.uk).North American companies, on the other hand, use frequencies which aren’t compatible with GSM, rendering pretty much all US and Canadian mobile phones useless abroad. If you think you can’t do without one (believe me, you can), try International Mobile Communications {® 1-888/967-5323, (fewww.worldcell.com) or Nextel Communications (® 1-800/639-8359, ®www.nextel.com/ worldwide); the former rents cell phones and has accounts you can set up for international calling, while the latter has paired with Motorola to come up with a service that works on the GSM frequency. Prices for both, however, are exorbitant, whether it’s in rental fees or per-minute rates.

You could also check into renting a mobile phone while in Europe, which would be less expensive, though still likely an unnecessary hassle. Phones with prepaid cards are available at sales offices affiliated with GSM throughout the continent: see ®www .gsm.org for a comprehensive list of stores.