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Hi everyone,
I recently purchased a Z500a and am looking toward the future. In about a year I will be moving to Sweden, and as cell phones are very expensive there, I was hoping to not have to buy a new cell phone and just take this one with me. I have several questions, however.

I know the Z500a uses 850 and Europe uses mostly 900, but the Z100a also has 1800 which is also available in Sweden. According to this map, the biggest company in Sweden -- Telia -- covers the whole pretty much whole country with 900/1800:
http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=se&net=te
Does this mean that my phone would pretty much would work everywhere in Sweden without a problem?

Second, I'm a bit confused about the SIM card thing. Would I be able to simply call up Telia, purchase one of their plans, and then have them send me a SIM card or something? How would this switching work?

Finally, I'm pretty sure that the phone is locked. About how much would it cost me to unlock it? I read that Cingular, when cancelling my plan and telling them that I will be moving, would tell me how to unlock the phone -- is this true?

Thanks!

[ This Message was edited by: Dan1113 on 2005-04-18 04:29 ]
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Posted: 2005-04-18 02:05:03
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Quote:
On 2005-04-18 02:05:03, Dan1113 wrote:
... and as cell phones are very expensive there


This is mainly due to our high VAT (around 25%). If you want to buy a phone realy cheap here you can always sign a plan where you are locked for 12 or 24 month. It works pretty much as your Cingular plan I guess.

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According to this map, the biggest company in Sweden -- Telia -- covers the whole pretty much whole country with 900/1800:


That's true. Its the biggest operator here. But they tend to be a bit more expencive when it comes to fees as well.

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Would I be able to simply call up Telia, purchase one of their plans, and then have them send me a SIM card or something? How would this switching work?


You go to a mobile phone store such as The Phone House or one owned by Telia (they are just called Telia shop) and ask to sign a contract. I suggest you go for a refill card rather than a plan. In the long run its cheaper that way and most popular form of contract today.

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Finally, I'm pretty sure that the phone is locked. About how much would it cost me to unlock it?


A Swedish company called Mumien (www.mumien.se) takes around 30 USD to unlock a phone.

Quote:
I read that Cingular, when cancelling my plan and telling them that I will be moving, would tell me how to unlock the phone -- is this true?


I don't know. At least Swedish operators will not unlock your phone unless you pay them money and they only unlock phones they have locked.


[ This Message was edited by: Arne Anka on 2005-04-18 02:37 ]
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Posted: 2005-04-18 03:35:33
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well the problem is with 900/1800 here in europe...
if you have a network who only uses 1800mhz it uses 1800 everywhere. A network who uses 900/1800 uses mainly 900 and only in dense populated areas 900 AND 1800 (to improve signal strenght when many cusomers are calling at the same time)
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Posted: 2005-04-18 09:06:53
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you could purchase the mobile in another european country that offers cheaper mobiles. Germany is cheap I believe (very low VAT (16%?) or in the Netherlands you can buy a cheap prepaid phone from vodafone (19% VAT) with simlock (upto € 200 cheaper) and get it unlocked and you still have a cheap phone. Hey if you buy a phone now, you can get a free sim unlock after a year (there are also many shops here who unlock your phone for € 10 to € 15) let me give 2 examples, the motorola MPX 200 is € 99 on prepaid and the motorola V980 is € 199 on prepaid. Both more than € 200 cheaper than simlock free. Simunlock fee at Vodafone is € 50
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Posted: 2005-04-18 09:14:13
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I've heard that Cingular is pretty good about unlocking your phone if you are either finished with your contract or close to finished. Obviously if you are moving you are either going to be finished with your contract or will be paying the early termination fee. In either case I think they would unlock your phone.
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Posted: 2005-04-18 09:30:01
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Quote:
On 2005-04-18 09:06:53, Dragonfly_TP wrote:
well the problem is with 900/1800 here in europe...
if you have a network who only uses 1800mhz it uses 1800 everywhere. A network who uses 900/1800 uses mainly 900 and only in dense populated areas 900 AND 1800 (to improve signal strenght when many cusomers are calling at the same time)


What is wrong with using just 1800?
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Posted: 2005-04-18 11:26:01
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Its nothing wrong with 1800 except you need more antennas to cover same area as the 900 MHz band. That's why the 1800 band is more common in the cities than on the country side where there is no economical benefit to use 1800.
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Posted: 2005-04-18 19:06:18
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The map for Telia, "900/1800," covers pretty much the whole country...so would 1800 work everywhere and I'd be fine?
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Posted: 2005-04-18 23:28:53
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We really suggest you buy another phone after reaching here. Your phone will work, but only like 25% of the time. This message was posted from a K500
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Posted: 2005-04-18 23:33:24
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Quote:
On 2005-04-18 23:28:53, Dan1113 wrote:
The map for Telia, "900/1800," covers pretty much the whole country...so would 1800 work everywhere and I'd be fine?


Yes, the map covers almost whole Sweden. But it does not tell how much is 900 and how much is 1800. Operators having both 900 and 1800 like Telia only uses 1800 in areas (like cities) where the 900 capacity is not enough. Otherwise only 900 is used.


[ This Message was edited by: Arne Anka on 2005-04-18 23:18 ]
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Posted: 2005-04-19 00:16:32
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