What is a GSM phone?

When visitors from North America travel to Europe it is not always easy to stay in contact with people back home. North American cell phones do not function in Europe due to the different cell network frequencies. What to do? Renting a European GSM cell phone is always an option. Many companies in the U.S.A. will ship you a phone before departure but this can be expensive - especially when you make a call. If you find that you are travelling to Europe on a regular basis you may want to consider buying a GSM cell phone instead of renting one.

European GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cell phones do not require a monthly contract. Instead, one buys a SIM card chip and installs this in the back of the phone. This chip has your phone number and phone time stored in a tiny microchip within the card. What makes this system perfect for the traveler is that you can recharge the chip with just the amount of phone time you want during your stay without a monthly contract. When the card runs out of time simply buy more prepaid time at any newspaper kiosk, tobacco store, etc. The card (and phone number) remains yours to keep as long as you charge it once per year. Most GSM phones function throughout Europe. However, you will need to buy a separate SIM chip (phone number) for each country that you want to visit. For example, we have chips for Italy, France, Germany, etc. for Drawbridge To Europe business trips. Swisscom does offer a SIM card that works in all countries if you do not want to hassel with multiple cards. The downside of the Swisscom card is that the calling rates will be higher per minute.

The phones typically cost around $60-80* including a SIM card and one hour calling time. Compare this to the cost of a rental (and calling rates with the rentals) and you may find that buying your own GSM phone is worthwhile if you visit Europe often. When you buy additional SIM chips for different countries expect to pay around $40-50* for the initial purchase of the chip (again with one hour calling time included.) Recharging the phone calling time can be purchased in different amounts - typically $10-15* is the minimum amount of phone time one can purchase. Incoming calls are free!

Visit one of the numerous cell phone stores found in all European cities to purchase your phone and SIM cards. The stores will display logos for the various cell phone networks outside the store on their signs. Click here to research the network choices in the country you will visit. Make sure the GSM phone is compatible with all the European GSM networks - a GSM 900/GSM 1800 phone.

Of course, as with any cell phone, you do not want to make an international call and have long conversations with the folks at home. However, having a phone number where they can reach you can be very helpful.

If you need to talk on a regular basis with someone back in the U.S.A. we have found that certain phone companies do not charge a higher rate when calling a European cell phone. On our business trips we simply make a quick call back to the office, have them return our call, and then we are able to speak at only $0.12/min since incoming calls to the cell phone are free. Be careful with this however, if your home phone company has a surcharge for calling a cell phone in addition to your normal international rate you may be paying more like $0.60-$1.00/minute. We have been able to get this $0.12/min. rate using a dial up access long distance company "10-10-811." Be sure to always check with the long distance company first before your hour long conversation with the folks at home.

*Please note that all of the pricing information above is based upon our experience using our GSM phone in Italy, France, and Germany. You may find these costs vary in other European countries and as market fluctuations change rates and prices.

Acronym glossary

• GSM = Global System for Mobile communications\
• SIM = Subscriber Identity Module - or the little chip you insert in the back of the GSM phone that contains your phone number and phone time credit.

For more information please visit these sites:
A list of all the GSM networks around the world by country.
A Frequently Asked Question page about GSM

*Note for U.S. PCS phone users: GSM has been introduced in the USA, but sadly again, using a different frequency: GSM 1900! One way around this incompatibility while traveling is to buy a multi-frequency phone that can work in both continents GSM 900/GSM 1800/GSM 1900. Often this type of phone will cost more than just buying one for the U.S. (GSM 1900) and one for Europe (GSM 900/GSM 1800.)

However, if you do currently have a GSM 1900 account in the U.S. you can use your SIM chip to bill your U.S. account while traveling in Europe, assuming your account has a roaming agreement in the country you will be visiting. One of the major advantages to GSM phones is the ability to transfer the SIM chip from one phone to another. You can therefore use your SIM card in a different GSM phone and your home account will be charged for the call. These rates will be very high. (i.e. a person traveling to London can remove the SIM chip from their USA Nokia 5190 1900MHz phone and insert it into a European 900MHz GSM phone. Upon return, the SIM card can quickly be reinstalled back into the Nokia 5190 single-band GSM phone.)