radioguy wrote:
wrong. I paid full price for my GSM cell phone. I did NOT get any
discounts on it at all. There is not any slot to put sim
cards into. Not even if you tak it apart. There is no any way to
reprogram the sim number associated with the cell phone, not even if
you take
it apart.

Then it is NOT a GSM cell phone. The GSM specification includes a smartcard
subscriber identity module (SIM), which minimally includes enough information
that the phone system can identify the unqiue phone, which ultimately gives
it a telephone number, etc, a caller directory, a record of SMS messages
sent and received, etc.

And it IS a multi-band cell phone.

These are the GSM phones sold in the U.S.

It could be a TDMA or CDMA phone, in the U.S. they use 800 and 1900 mHz.



So there is no way to bring our U.S. cell phones to Europe or
Australia or anywhere else in the world and use it there by just
puttting in
a different sim card (oer different sim number) like the Eurropeas and
Australians and the reast of the world say we can.

Sure you can. I know people who do it all the time, both ways.


The GSM cell phones sold in the U.S. an NOT be unlocke, even if you
try taking them apart to do it. The cell phone companies won't allow
it, even though the law here requires otherwise. So I don't know how
they get away with it, but they do.

They are not GSM phones. GSM service providers will unlock phones, for
example Cingular, for a fee, or in some cases for free. There is also a
booming business of ilicit phone unlocking, unlocking equipment, etc.

In fact, GSM is not the only system that uses SIM cards, Motorola's MIRS
network (called iDen in the US) also uses them. That causes a lot of confusion
when people bring iDEN phones here and expect to use them on a GSM network.

BTW, one of our SP's operates an 800mHz CDMA network and has roaming agreements
with US SP's. A friend of mine was here in April and his us CDMA phone roamed
onto their network when he turned it on. It was so expensive to use, he
bought a GSM pay as you go phone for himself and his wife anyway.

I'm going to speculate here, but I expect that if anyone is lying it was the
person who sold you the phone.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM