The Cell Phone Mysteries, What Are Dual Band, Tri Band And Quad Band Cell Phones And Where Will They Work? ( Part 1)

Author xlxmarketing 21.11.2008. | 14:48

The world of the mobile phone is a confusing one these days and few things can be as frustrating for people wondering how to start a cell phone business than trying to work out which GSM band will work where and whether they need phones with multiple cell phone bands. Here’s a quick look at GSM frequencies and how they work on cell phones. This is part one of a two-part blog series.

gsm frequency map

Curious about where different GSM frequencies will work? Here’s a GSM map to show which GSM frequency works where and to help you make sure that your cell phone is compatable with your region.

The world of the mobile phone is a confusing one these days, particularly for those wondering how to start a cell phone business. Few things are perhaps as confusing as GSM frequencies and GSM phones that seem to work in some parts of the world but not in others.

Multiple band cell phones and GSM frequencies can be especially confusing for anyone wondering how to start a cell phone business.

So what is the background behind the GSM network?

The GSM network was first suggested by a group of European technicians and policy makers in 1982 and it didn’t take long for consumers and phone makers to adopt the new network after it first emerged in 1991. It wasn’t long before there was growing GSM coverage in an increasing number of countries.

The GSM world grew quickly. There were more than one million subscribers spread over 70 carriers in 30 countries by the end of 1993.

Not only did the new GSM mobile network send and receive all of its information digitally, making it the first 2G mobile phone to be developed it also gave users a great deal of freedom on what they did with it. For the first time they were able to send short written messages to each other for a fraction of the price of a phone call, they could change their carrier and/or go to a different country without getting a new phone.

The inclusion of the GSM SIM card which can be moved from one phone and put into another is what makes GSM phones so flexible and user-friendly.

All they needed to do was to take one GSM SIM card out and replace it with another GSM card and they were in business.

But, as the unknown powers of the world decree, things shouldn’t be that easy and the GSM frequencies set by most of the GSM networks had already been assigned to other purposes by the powers that be.

So, in a situation very similar to TV watchers and people with surveillance systems, a phone that worked in Sussex England wouldn’t pick up anything in San Antonio in the US. Basically it wasn’t a case of one GSM frequency fits all.

As a result, many cell phone makers create cell phones that can work with more than one band with some working with as many as 4 bands.

Still this doesn’t mean there aren’t questions and people are often left asking:

  • What is GSM?
  • What are the GSM frequencies?
  • Why do GSM phones have more than one band?
  • Will different frequencies work in different areas?
  • How can I check if a phone will work in a particular area?
  • How are multiple band phones defined and where will they work?

We’re going to attempt to look at those questions in this article.

What is GSM?

GSM, Global System for Mobile communications (or the Acronym formally known as Groupe Spécial Mobile) is a wireless transmission standard used for mobile phones and, recently wireless modems. GSM and CDMA differ because GSM networks use a SIM card to store all the necessary information to send and receive calls where with CDMA phones everything is kept on the phones.

If you are looking at how to start a cell phone business and you don’t have thousands in working capital GSM mobile phones will probably be a better option than CDMA as they won’t be attached to a particular carrier and don’t require you to be licensed to a particular provider to sell unlocked cell phones.

Another reason to select GSM over CDMA is that it will open up the potential customer base for each phone. As unlocked gsm phones can be used with any GSM networks. To date there is no such thing as an unlocked CDMA phone. When it comes to cell phone plans most providers (especially those in the states) love CDMA phones because it locks their consumers to them.

small-reading-man-with-glasses

Interested in learning what the actual GSM frequencies are and how they affect with GSM frequencies with different parts of the world? Check out part two of this blog.

Want to learn more about how to start a cell phone business in particular or GSM frequencies in general? Check out these great resources:

Author xlxmarketing 21.11.2008. | 14:48
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