Registered: Feb 2002
Location:
Posts: 27

VP & Cell phone use

Zaw said:

Go out and buy a GSM phone and transfer the SIM card in there.

My question is, is it easy to transfer the SIM card from the VP to a Cell phone? For instance, If I am not using the VP and my wife is going to be traveling, can I easily switch the card to an extra phone for her to use. or is this not practical? Also, is it easy to find cell phones that use that GSM & SIM card system?
Karlton

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK
Posts: 92

You don't say where you are, but if you have a decent phone shop (or you live outside the US), it's very easy to get hold of GSM phones, tho be aware that the typical subsidy on a new phone with connection can be a couple of hundred pounds.

Your best bet may be to try and pick up a phone secondhand, either from a dealer on somewhere like Ebay.

All GSM phones se the SIM card system, and virtually every modern phone will work with the same card used in the VP. However, be aware of a couple of things: really old phones may use 5 volt SIMs instead, or may want a full size SIM, which is credit card size - the smaller SIMs, and the lower voltages will be found on most phones made in the last 3 years or so, so you should be pretty safe with any of those.

finally, if you buy second hand, ensure that the phone is either from the network you're intending to use it on, or is 'unlocked.' Because of the subsidy, many networks 'lock' a phone so that it will only work with a SIM from themselves - otherwise what typically happens is people buy a phone from a network with a big subsidy, and use it on another one, or in a country where subsidies are lower, and the network gets no call revenue back.

Nigel.

Registered: Feb 2002
Location:
Posts: 27

Thanks for the feedback Nigel!
Karlton