The thing about unlocked cellular phones is that the process can get really frustrating. It does not have to be complicated, you know.
Assuming you are not looking for the latest unlocked cellular phone, the following three steps are all you need to help you pick the cell phone that is right for your business.
Step One: Figure out the cell phone coverage you need.
Step one involves figuring out where you are going to be using your new unlocked cell phone. Do you work in the city or the country? Also, do you often travel aboard and intend to use your phone around the world?
If you work primarily in US metropolitan areas, you do not have to worry about whether you need a GSM, CDMA or TDMA phone. They all work pretty well.
On the other hand, if you work in rural, remote or undeveloped areas, your best bet is a CDMA or TDMA phone since these providers have the best coverage in rural or undeveloped areas.
If you intend to use your cell phone while abroad, GSM is the communications standard used outside of North America.
If you purchase a GSM phone so that you can use it abroad, you need to make sure the phone is purchase an unlocked cellular phone.
With an unlocked GSM cellular phone, you can easily swap out the SIM card within the local country and buy prepaid SIM cards to avoid expensive roaming charges. These local country SIM cards are often available in corner stores in most countries.
Step Two: Figure out the cell phone rate plan you need.
Once you have figured out where you are going to be primarily using your new cell phone, the next step is to figure out what business rate plan is the most economical for your needs.
Most providers offer different plans based around buckets of minutes that are allocated between different time periods in a day or week.
If you are going to be using the phone primarily during the day, you will need a plan that will give you the maximum number of minutes when the sun is up.
On the other hand, if you are going to be using your new cell phone primarily on the weekends, you need a plan that gives you the maximum number of minutes on Saturday and Sunday. Those are the two extremes. Other plans offer some combination of weekday daytime, evenings and weekend minutes.
If you are unsure of your calling patterns, take advantage of the free first-month promotions offered by many providers to figure out when you make your calls and then switch your plan accordingly if necessary. Many phone companies will analyze your cell phone usage if asked to and will recommend a plan that minimizes your monthly cost.
Step Three: Buy your new cell phone.
If you are going to be buying a GSM phone because you intend to travel and use the phone abroad, stick to tri-band/tri-mode phones. These phones can operate on a multitude of frequencies that various operators abroad may use. Otherwise, do not worry about whether the phone is tri-band/tri-mode or dual-mode.
Other than that one consideration, choosing an unlocked cellular phone is all a matter of taste.
Be aware about the factors that make up your unlocked cellular phones. They might make a lot of difference. Ones that you did not put much attention on.
S. Stammberger is the owner of
Inter
Cell Phones. A website dedicate to information on cell phones and ringtones.
