AT&T GoPhone SIM Compatibility Issues

[Roti2000]

Interesting, Bossman & akraus -- So the places where I CAN get AT&T coverage with this ostensibly Quad Band phone means that it is picking up the signal on GSM-1900?

It will be interesting to see what happens in Mexico--if wikipedia is to believed, Telcel uses 850 for 3g and hasn't rolled it out yet in the area where I'm headed.

So, theoretically, I guess, it should connect via GSM-1900.

Does anyone have any leads on reliable dual-sim quad-bands? I may try and do an exchange/return with focalprice.com if i have bad luck in Mexico.

I travel down there a lot, and many of the places I normally go around Mexico City are in Telcel 3g territory.

[GadgetKen]

Have had good luck with a dual sim quad band MFU V200 phone. Simple features, works well, very sturdy. Very basic though with a camera/video camera, MP3/MP4 player, FM stereo...no wifi, no alphanumeric keyboard, no TV, no touchscreen. But it does the job.

For a phone purchased from the US, lowest risk would probably be a Beyond E-Tech Duet dual sim phone. Only maker I'm aware of that has dual sim phones that are US FCC registered. You could also try before you buy at a store. Can be bought from several dealers including: Search Results for duet phone at JR.com They also have one of the lowest SAR ratings of any phone officially sold in the US: Other manufacturers cell phone radiation chart - CNET Reviews

[akraus88]

Originally Posted by Roti2000

Interesting, Bossman & akraus -- So the places where I CAN get AT&T coverage with this ostensibly Quad Band phone means that it is picking up the signal on GSM-1900?

It will be interesting to see what happens in Mexico--if wikipedia is to believed, Telcel uses 850 for 3g and hasn't rolled it out yet in the area where I'm headed.

So, theoretically, I guess, it should connect via GSM-1900.

Does anyone have any leads on reliable dual-sim quad-bands? I may try and do an exchange/return with focalprice.com if i have bad luck in Mexico.

I travel down there a lot, and many of the places I normally go around Mexico City are in Telcel 3g territory.

In Mexico the 1900 band will work great. 3g is a newer techbology, so wherever the have 850-3g, they have 1900-2g.

Side note: you cannot call with the att SIM in Mexico to any place other than US/Canada/Mexico.

[Bossman]

Yeah. Let us know how it works out for you in Mexico.

I actually also activated a couple of AT&T prepaid sims (one goPhone I bought for $1.25 on ebay and one regular AT&T sim I had laying around) for use when we go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in a couple of weeks. Mainly for the $0.25 rate for incoming and outgoing calls. The goPhone sim will ONLY work in the phone I activated it on. I certainly do not anticipate any problems in Mexico since I will be using regular quadband/3G smartphones.

Originally Posted by Roti2000

Thanks, everyone for all of the help.

The only reason for getting the AT&T SIM is for a trip to Mexico I'm taking in the next couple of days. It will be interesting to see how the setup functions while roaming in Mexico via the Telcel towers.

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

I will post a followup about what happens with it in Mexico.