Cell phones

[gratto]

Will any Triband GSM cell phone work there or are there just some certain models?

I was wondering as I was going to pick one up off ebay for a few hundred instead of getting one there for almost a thousand in NZ.

[xanctus]

I believe as long as you a triple band cell phone you can pretty use it anywhere in the world...I think...please correct me if I'm mistaken

[MelissaLG]

We learned that not any GSM phone will work in NZ, and the same may be true for tri-band. My GSM phone from the US did not work in NZ. We even tried putting in a SIM card from a NZ service provider, but no go. I would highly recommend that if you buy a phone here, make sure it is specifically marketed as "international" AND that it is guaranteed to work in NZ. The good news is that I did buy a decent phone in NZ and it did not cost a thousand dollars, although I still felt as if I had been ripped off having to pay $350-400 NZD for a phone. I am used to getting my phone for free or paying just $50 USD if I want a kick-ass phone. However, the even worse shocker was the price for service. :eek I practically needed a ventilator not to pass out.

[veronica]

thats not a shock to those of us from the UK>

[xanctus]

Melissa, did you unlock your phone before you leave? my friend who is from Indonesia had a t-mobile carrier here in US, and when they went home, they called t-mobile to unlock their phones. Now, they can use it...I wonder if that's the case in NZ, especially when you have a triple band phones...they usually can switch signal automatically.

[veronica]

yep you have to have an 'unlocked' cell phone to work over here

[karltsmith]

If you want to unlock your sim card you can get free PUK codes from this site!


http://www.trycktill.com/default.asp


Happy Blah, Blah, Blahing and TXTing and PXTing!

[gratto]

what model phones are people using over there now. I seen some Mortrola(SP) here that are triband and GSM on ebay unlockec for around 100 bucks or so. But wanna make sure I get the right model just incease.

[MelissaLG]

Melissa, did you unlock your phone before you leave?

No, I did not unlock the phone prior to going to NZ...I was not aware that it was locked in any way. In the past, while here in the US, I have had to unlock my phone before (using a PUK code) because it came up as "SIM card blocked" for some reason, but I did not realize that this had anything to do with using the phone in other countries. I'll have to contact AT&T and see what they have to say about unlocking my phone for use in NZ. Thanks for the tip!

[Tara Sage]

My hubby bought his phone in from UK and just bought a new sim card no problems!!

It isn't an up to date phone either so I was surprised.

However I just bought a new phone, NZ was the perfect excuse to update my cell phone, I have a nice new one now with a built in camera!!!!

Prices are about on par with UK I think