International Cell Phones Present a Wireless Tangle

For many travelers, a cell phone is not only a critical business tool but, since the events of Sept. 11, a security blanket. On domestic trips, it’s usually a matter of packing the phone and turning it on when you arrive at your destination. But if you’re going abroad, the situation is more complex.

Internationally, the technology that operates cell phones and networks is, for all practical purposes, incompatible with U.S. technology. GSM, or Global System for Mobile communications, is the dominant technology outside the United States. Although GSM phones are available in some major markets in the U.S., even those phones will not work internationally because phones abroad operate on different signal frequencies. Further, you must be signed up for international roaming services and your provider must have a roaming agreement with local cellular providers.

So what to do? Here’s how to navigate the wireless tangle.

Start by contacting your cellular service provider, which can tell you about compatibility issues. If you determine that your phone will not work at your foreign destination, here are some options:

* Buy a new phone. If you travel outside the United States frequently, you may want to buy a phone with both U.S. and international GSM compatibility. Phones such as the Ericsson T28 World and Nokia 8890 allow you to make and receive calls from your regular cell phone in most of the world (the major exceptions being Latin America, Japan and Korea). The phones also vary in price: $110 for the Ericsson T28 World, and $420 for the Nokia 8890 with a 12-month service commitment. California residents can order them from the Cingular Web site (https://www.cingular.com; click on “e-Store” in the upper right-hand corner). Telestial (https://www.telestial.com) offers the same Ericsson phone for $219 and the same Nokia for $479, with no service commitment.

Cingular and VoiceStream are the major players providing GSM cell phone service in the U.S. You also can buy these phones at local cell phone dealers; they typically require a service commitment. And you may need to purchase adapters for your phone charger in foreign countries; those are available at travel stores.

* Rent a cell phone. RentCell ([800] 404-3093, https://www.RentCell.com) and Planetfone ([888] 988-4777, https://www.planetfone.com), among others, rent preactivated international GSM-compatible phones. These services generally charge about $50 a week (rates vary by length of commitment), plus charges for calls. The phone is shipped to your home or office with a lightweight charger and the necessary foreign adapters. To reach you when you’re abroad, callers dial a preassigned phone number. RentCell’s number is U.S. based; Planetfone is in Great Bri-tain. When you return, you simply put the phone in the provided express-shipping package to return it.

RentCell also rents international GSM phones that allow you to transform its phone into “your” phone if you already have a GSM phone. The rented phone will ring when your regular cell phone number is dialed, and calls will be billed to your regular cell account. All you need to do is switch your SIM card (a small card inside your GSM cell phone that’s programmed with your cell phone information) to the rented phone. It is a fairly simple procedure, and RentCell provides instructions on how to do it yourself.

Remember, if you are using your own phone (or a rented phone with your SIM card) you must make certain the phone will work in the countries you will be visiting. Check with your cellular service provider to see whether you have international roaming activated on your account, and make sure your cellular provider has roaming agreements in the cities where you will be traveling.

* Rent a cell phone upon your arrival. Many international airports have companies that make rental cell phones available at the airport, but you’ll be asked to leave a large deposit. You can also arrange rentals in many urban areas, or a hotel concierge should be able to assist you.

Some companies, such as Rent-a-Cellphone (https://www.rent-a-cellphone.com), based in Great Bri-tain, allow you to reserve ahead of time and pick your phone up on arrival at Heathrow, Gatwick or the Dublin airport post office, or the phone can be delivered to your hotel. The phone rents for about $33 a week, plus additional fees for delivery. There’s a minimum use fee of $3 a day. In Great Britain, incoming calls are free, and calls to the U.S. and Canada are 60 cents a minute.

* Rent a satellite phone. If your next foreign (or even domestic) vacation is taking you to the wilds, far away from civilization and cell phone networks, a satellite phone may be what you need. You can rent one for $100 per week (plus airtime) from RentCell, among others. You must be outdoors to make or receive calls, but you can do either from virtually anywhere on the planet. (The signal bounces off the nearest satellite.) RentCell offers a variety of phones, including a model that looks like a slightly larger-than-normal cell phone as well as devices in small briefcases that allow higher-quality voice calls and data transmission. Airtime rates vary.

* If none of these ideas works, you can do what Byron Munson of Los Angeles did in preparation for his vacation this month in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He called his service provider and learned that it did not have a roaming agreement there. “It would have been nice for the convenience, but it’s not worth getting a different phone,” Munson said. His solution: Buy phone cards to use from his hotel phone.

Still, if you like the security of being connected, a cell phone offers that peace of mind for as little as $50 a week. If there is an emergency and you need it, it is priceless.

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Christopher Reynolds is on assignment.

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James Gilden’s e-mail address is JamesGilden@aol.com. Comments or suggestions about the column also may be sent to Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; e-mail travel@latimes.com.