[bpm30]

Hi, I'm new to cell phones, and I was reading about how different cells have different radio bands. I know tri band has 3 bands and quad band has 4 bands, and that quad band allows for greater roaming. In North America, we use the 850/1900 frequency correct? Does this mean if the phone has either 850 or 1900, then the phone is functionable in North America? While researching different phones, I haven't seen a tri-band phone that was missing both the 850 and the 1900 frequency, but yet there are people wondering if certain phones will function in North America. Are there actually tri-band phones that don't have 850 AND 1900 frequency, so that's why they're wondering if it'll work?

Thanks.

Sorry if the question was a bit confusing

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› See More: Tri-band/Quad-band question

[n1ckel5]

tri-band without 850 and 1900?

as far as i've seen, there are 4 bands: 850, 900, 1800, 1900.

a tri-band would hav 3, with the bands dependent on the market the phone was designed for. a us tri-band would definitely have 850 & 1900. europe phones usually omit the 850 and have 900.

and if you're going for a us phone, you'll probably want both 850 and 1900. t-mobile runs on 1900, but roams on 850. by omitting 850, you lose out on roaming capabilities. if you're only using your phone in the states, a dual-band 850/1900 will work fine...that's what i use.

[bpm30]

thanks n1ckel5, so if I had a europe tri-band phone which has 900 instead of 800, would it still work in north america?

[n1ckel5]

yes, but i strongly suggest getting a phone w/ 850. you'll lose all the areas covered by the 850 band. and from what i've seen of posts from people who've done what you're thinking about, they usually end up pretty unhappy.