Hi ppl, im from mexico, and im about to move to madrid, i have two cel fone with mexican companies, so i was wondering if u could help me with this. i have a panasonic allure, EB-TX310 MSB, MADE in mexico it say, and i have it with TELCEL
i have an LG DM510 made in Korea and i have it with MOVISTAR mexico
i have no idea if im going to be able to use any of these in madrid, can u help me here? id really apreciate any help
thank you!
"Sometimes...is never quite enough" Alanis Morissette
Posts: 57 | Location: LAla LAnd | Registered: 26 January 2004
mexico is on the 800/1900 frequencies like the u.s.a. & canada while europe and asia are on the 900/1800 freq.
so unless your phones are tri-band (900/1800/1900), they will not work here.
i looked up your panasonic and found it on many web pages (for example http://att.com.com/electronics/0-20497514-1304-20688183.html ). that page states it is for use on the TDMA 800/1900 freq. TDMA is "Time Division Multiple Access" and without getting technical i will just say that is an antiquated, out of date type of cell technology (still used in north america ).
conclusion: you can leave the panasonic at home
on to the LG DM510. a step up with CDMA 800 cell technology (digital to put it simply) but still the wrong technology (not GSM) and frequency for spain (or the rest of europe). got this one straight from the horses mouth at the LG cell phones website. your model is HERE
in short...
� the bad news is you will need a new cell phone :cry:
� the good news is you will have a blast shopping for one here, there are soooo many cool models
On my most recent visit to the US, I wanted to take my Nokia 6610 with me and called my Carrier to find out whether or not it was tri-band and they confirmed it for me with one call. So, you may want to at least give them a quick call since that's typically a free thing to do and just find out 110% for sure that it's NOT tri-band before you come over. That's what I'd do.
:cheers:
poseso.... Tony --- English Unlimited... Un ambiente para aprender ingl�s... (An English Learning Environment)
Posts: 656 | Location: Madrid (Kansas City, USA) | Registered: 06 November 2001
also, if you still have the boxes the phones came in, the technology and frequency bands are printed on it in 99% of the cases.
for example, mine says "GSM 900/1800/1900".
be careful, there is also the subject of "locked" or "unlocked" to deal with as, even if they are tri-band, the phones may be locked into the specific cell carrier that sold them to you.
in your case angie, "telcel" for the panasonic and "movistar mexico" for the lg.
not a major problem since unlocking here is frequent and inexpensive but those 2 models may not (as far as i know they are not) be comercialized in europe and hence impossible to unlock.
i double checked at the panasonic allure website and found your "EB-TX310" (no MSB in that dim sum please :jeje: ) and it does not say whether or not it is tri-band.
Sony Ericsson and SIEMENS both make a lot of relatively inexpensive mobile phones that are triband and unlocked. Make sure you buy an unlocked phone and then just purchase a SIM Card from Movistar or Vodafone or Amena once in Madrid. Its very easy to do.
suerte!
Kat
poor grad student
Posts: 104 | Location: NYC NY | Registered: 18 November 2003
Well I have just bought my Nokia 3200!! 47� and 1500 Vodafone puntos!! Not a bad price. It�s good for me as it has a large print keypad (very good for my ailing eyesight). Not sure how good the camera is as of course it is nighttime here but the image doesn�t look too clear to me!( hope it�s my eyesight again!!!) Mind you as I don�t know anyone who has a phone to receive my photos, will that matter!!!
Had to actually get an new SIM card, as my original is so old it wouldn�t support the latest technology. The shop couldn�t believe I had managed on a 9 year old SIM card up till now!!!!
By the way, how do I stop the lens from getting scratched, or won�t it? Or if it does, won�t it matter? Or am I the only one to chuck my phone in the bottom of my handbag and then try to find it if it rings?
________________________________________ Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional
Hi BF.....I live in Mexico too and let me tell you don`t take your phones with you. I was in spain last summer and I bought a phone and used my son`s chip (he has a Telcel plan) We were shocked when we got the bill....long distance on the cell phone from Spain wasn`t bad, but the commmision Telcel charged was outrageous!!!
hey madsue, you can send the photos to me on my cell 656266844 but be careful, mms is still pretty expensive to send so you might get a surprise bill or use your prepaid up fast if you have no contract.
scratched lens: well, you can get a case for the phone to protect it in your bag.
image quality: don't expect much, it is a very basic camera and nokia is not famous for its cam quality. for images, sony-ericsson is much better. also, keep in mind that if and when you ever transfer the pics from the cam to your pc (that may be asking too much huh ), the image quality is better when viewed on the pc.
Gringa, that's insane!!! bringig a SIM card from mexico would indeed mean the phone (even if purchased here) has to be on roaming. you pay for both incoming and outgoing at an absurd rate. sorry you had to go through that but live and learn.
Hey jer, I may have sent you a picture but I�m not sure :jeje: Whatever the phone was doing it was taking a long time!!
Have already taken it back to the shop this morning (having only bought it last night) as it suddenly stopped working! They got it working again in the shop, but will not replace it until I have used it all weekend to double check it! Of course, I get it home, starts working again, stops, then starts!! Another unnecessary trip to Arrecife on Monday!!!!!!!
________________________________________ Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional
Well Jer.... .....who knew....as you said, I know now!!!! So how do I do it when I come to Spain in June? I have the phone just need a SIM? Do you sell/rent those too?
).
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at 
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at 
Another unnecessary trip to Arrecife on Monday!!!!!!!
.....who knew....as you said, I know now!!!! So how do I do it when I come to Spain in June? 
