Yackie 101: SIM Cards

So I’ve been constantly telling international travelers to get a Yackie Mobile SIM card and I’ve realized that many people don’t know what a SIM card is. So here is another yet another tutorial that breaks down the basics of SIM cards.

What is a SIM card?
The SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card also known as a “smart chip” is basically the “brain” of the phone, providing cellular service as well as many other functions including call log, voice mail and SMS and GPRS (internet connection standards). SIM cards are the size of a credit card but they have a pop-out chip about the size of a postage stamp which fits into all modern GSM phones. The smart chip is embedded with circuitry and when inserted into a GSM mobile phone provides wireless phone service on a particular GSM network. SIM cards are usually available prepaid or on a contractual basis, however Cellular Abroad only offers the prepaid version which is the most popular because of the user’s complete control over how much they spend. There are no hidden fees or surprise charges.

How do I install a SIM card?
SIM cards typically are credit-card sized cards with a smaller SIM chip almost completely floating within the card and attached on one edge of the chip by some perforated plastic. The chip is approximately the size of a standard postage stamp folded in half.

Whether you are a frequent business traveler, or just a tourist seeking a reliable and affordable cell phone solution, the Yackie Mobile International SIM card is the solution. The Yackie Mobile International SIM card makes it easy and affordable for anyone traveling overseas to enjoy the safety and convenience of cellular service! As long as you have an unlocked GSM tri or quad bnd cell phone, you can benefit from using the Yackie Mobile International SIM card.

Yackie 101:Unlocking Your Mobile Phone

An international SIM card can be one of the best ways to cut your roaming costs and international calling expenses when you travel or study abroad. Most people already have a mobile phone and many do not realize that you can take your mobile phone with you as it will work around the world. To do this, you need to check that your phone is:

1. Tri or Quad Band Mobile Phone
2. Unlocked

Is My Phone Compatible?

Most modern mobile phones run either tri or quad-band GSM which means that it will work in most countries around the world. If you have an older dual-band phone this may not work. Your best option is to check the manufacturers website or your mobile phone manual as it will tell you what GSM bands your phone can work on. Most of the world run on the GSM 900/1800Mhz bands, while the USA runs on GSM 850/1900Mhz bands - however you can check every country at:
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml

If you have bought a phone in the last 12 months it will most likely be fine!

Is My Phone Locked?

If you know your phone is GSM compatible with the country you are visiting, the next step is you need to find out if your phone is locked. If you have bought a mobile phone, most networks will lock the phone to their network - meaning that you cannot use this on any other network. This will obviously restrict you if you want to use a different SIM card, however you have every right to unlock it and this is perfectly legal.

Cell phones today are designed to use a subscriber identification module (SIM) card in the form of a little microchip that the store puts in there that holds their subscriber information. When you hear the term “locked” cell phone, it is referring to a code inside the SIM card that causes that phone to work directly and only with their service. So if the phone is locked, the SIM card only works with that particular carrier where the phone was purchased. The reason carriers do this is to keep consumers from purchasing phones on their plan at greatly reduced price, only to use it with another carrier. Some carriers will only keep the phone locked until they feel they have recovered the cost, at which time those same carriers will unlock the phone so it can be used with another carrier.

In June of 2004, a class action lawsuit was filed by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) because they felt as if these locked phones were interfering with their rights to do business with anybody they wanted to. The idea was to leave the phones unlocked or at least have them unlock themselves after the initial contract was over. There are many web sites out there that advertise the ability to unlock your phone, depending on what kind it is or how old the phone may be. The reason that some of them can be unlocked without visiting the place of business is the software that is on the phone itself. In most instances, the higher priced phone will allow you to enter a code that a provider will sell you that will enable the software to be unlocked.

A question that I am constantly getting from students that travel around the world is “How do I unlock my phone?” To some of you this may not make much sense, but essentially what the person is asking is how can I use my mobile phone around the world when I travel!

If your phone is locked you can unlock this by one of the two methods:

1. Contact your network provider and ask for your phone unlock code. All mobile phone networks have to give this to you by law, however many may make it hard for you to get your code, or make you wait a long time for it. If that is the case you can opt for option
2. Do a Google search for “mobile phone unlocking” which will come up with a number of websites that will offer mobile phone unlocking for a small fee. You can even enter your make and model of your phone to that search to get a more specific answer.

As long as you have an unlocked GSM tri or quad band cell phone, you can benefit from using the Yackie Mobile International SIM card. The Yackie Mobile International SIM card makes is easy and affordable for anyone going overseas to enjoy the safety and convenience of cellular service! Why pay exorbitant rates for incoming and outgoing calls from other providers when you can enjoy better service at substantially lower rates?

Visit YackieMobile.com for more information

Hopefully this has give you all the information you need to make your sim card purchase and avoid roaming costs when abroad!