Stupid question regarding phones

[wigglesworth]

I live in Yorkton Sk, Canada, Our only service providers here are Rogers and Sasktel. My question is this.

How do I know what type of phone would work in my province if it's not carried or endorsed by either of the companies?

What is the benefit of a "unlocked" GSM phone?

Is GSM better or comparable to digital?

I'd hate to buy a phone only to realize that it won't work here, how do I go about to quarrantee that a phone would work here, what do I look for in a phone?


Thank You

[Jason Dunn]

Hello from a fellow Canadian. :-)

A few quick points:

- GSM *is* digital

- The benefit of an unlocked phone is that you can actually use it. ;-) A locked phone means it only works on one network - you'll need an unlocked phone to use it here in Canada.

- I don't know what system Sasktel uses, but Rogers is GSM so you'd need a voice + GPRS data account with them

- Tek 'n Toys (http://estore.shopplex.com/app/storefront.aspx?modid=30214092059015&aid=5) is our site partner, and they're based out of Calgary. The Smartphones they sell are unlocked and will work here in Canada. Be warned though, without the carrier subsidies that you get when you sign up for a new contract, they're not cheap phones!

Good luck. :-)

[wigglesworth]

Hi Jason a question for you
I want to buy a quad band unlocked world phone and would use a Rogers’s monthly plan. The concern I have is that Rogers GSM coverage is very limited in our province.

SaskTel has their 1X (1X is based on SaskTel Mobility's existing CDMA network.) If I’m in an area that has no Rogers coverage at all but there is SaskTel coverage, will my phone pick up SaskTel’s frequency ?

I don’t understand how that works and I don’t want to be stuck with a cell phone that has limited coverage.

Thank You

[Jason Dunn]

SaskTel has their 1X (1X is based on SaskTel Mobility's existing CDMA network.) If I’m in an area that has no Rogers coverage at all but there is SaskTel coverage, will my phone pick up SaskTel’s frequency?

1X and GSM are two completely different technologies, and unfortunately as of yet there isn't a single phone that covers both. If you want to go 1X, you'll need a Samsung i600, the only 1X-compatible Smartphone on the market. Here are a few on ebay:

http://search.ca.ebay.com/ws/search/SaleSearch?ht=1&satitle=samsung+i600&sonewuser=1&sosortproperty=1&sacategory=64355&catref=C1

The real problem is that with CDMA devices, you can't just pop in the SIM card and have it work like you can do with a GSM phone - odds are that SaskTel will not activate the phone for you. I had a 1X Samsung i700 and Telus refused to activate it for me - I simply couldn't use it! :-(

So, honestly, GSM is your only option until SaskTel starts selling a Smartphone.