| ps you’re a businessman who needs to | | | | is happening on another radio station at 98.3 MHz |
| stay in touch with you’re clients even if | | | | unless you retune your radio. You got it? This is |
| you’re traveling from one side of the | | | | actually how the phone frequency band works. |
| world to another or maybe you’re just | | | | Formerly, the US only used 1900 MHz for its GSM |
| someone who wants to be updated of all the | | | | cell phone service. But in the passing years, there |
| news and hips around. So, you’re looking | | | | has been a growing amount of GSM service on |
| for a perfect phone that suite your needs, are | | | | the 850 MHz band simply because this type of |
| you not? But what type of frequency band will | | | | service is usually been used in rural areas, since it |
| you consider? | | | | has better range than the 1900 MHz band. |
| In the US, GSM services use two frequency | | | | However, it was also been used in city areas |
| bands while there are also two different | | | | especially when the cell phone company has spare |
| frequency bands that were used by them | | | | frequencies unused in the 850 MHz band and no |
| elsewhere in the world. Considering this dilemma, | | | | remaining frequencies to use in the 1900 MHz |
| some of the notable mobile phone manufacturers | | | | band. |
| like Nokia, Siemens, Ericsson and Motorola | | | | On the other hand, when the US started to use |
| developed a phone that can work on all four | | | | GSM, a few other countries with very close links |
| frequency bands commonly called as quad-band | | | | to the US chose to copy the US and use the |
| phones. | | | | same frequencies that US used. In fact, almost |
| So what about this frequency band? Let us try to | | | | without exception, all international countries that |
| understand more about it. | | | | use the non-US international frequency bands |
| Cellular phones use radio waves to transmit | | | | have 900 MHz service. |
| conversations. These radio waves can be at | | | | So which frequencies are needed when traveling |
| different frequencies. Consider this interesting | | | | internationally? |
| record of different frequencies used by different | | | | If you intend to use your phone only |
| types of radio services. | | | | internationally, you need to decide if you'll be using |
| GSM cell phones use frequencies within four | | | | the phone in countries that use the international |
| different frequency bands. | | | | frequencies or in countries that use the US |
| •850 MHz (824.2 - 848.8 MHz Tx; 869.2 - | | | | frequencies, or in both. Nevertheless, in all |
| 893.8 MHz Rx) | | | | common bands, 900 MHz was used internationally |
| •900 MHz (880-2 - 914.8 MHz Tx; 925.2 - | | | | and the 1800 MHz will only give expanded |
| 959.8 MHz Rx) | | | | coverage in countries that also have 900 MHz. |
| •1800 MHz (1710.2 - 1784.8 MHz Tx; | | | | However, if you intend to use your phone only in |
| 1805.2 - 1879.8 MHz Rx) | | | | the US, you just need to get a dual band phone |
| •1900 MHz (1850.2 - 1909.8 MHz Tx; | | | | that has both 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. A single |
| 1930.2 - 1989.8 MHz Rx) | | | | band phone with only 1900 MHz will give almost as |
| Although 850 and 900, 1800 and 1900 are | | | | good coverage anyway. |
| seemingly close figures, a phone that works in | | | | Summing up, if you intend to use your phone in |
| one frequency band unfortunately can not work in | | | | both the US and internationally the best solution is |
| the frequency band next to it unless added as a | | | | to get a quad-band phone that will work on four |
| specific extra frequency band. To contrast, when | | | | bands which is the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz |
| you have your FM radio tuned to a radio station | | | | bands. |
| at 98.1 MHz, you can obviously never hear what | | | | |