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Da Geek Kid
join:2003-10-11
::1

Da Geek Kid to trparky

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to trparky

Re: Which standard in South Korea?

The miscommunication here is the SIM/GSM is used interchangeably all over the world and ConM thinks otherwise.
ConstantineM
join:2011-09-02
San Jose, CA

ConstantineM

Member

terms SIM, GSM and UMTS are not interchangeable!

South Korea and Japan are specifically different because they never had GSM networks; elsewhere in the world, I'm not specifically aware of any GSM networks already being shut down (so, suggesting a GSM phone for Europe won't be wrong at all), although I do recall that several operators that have started out since 3G UMTS has already been available, are likewise offering a UMTS-only service with no GSM (»three.co.uk, »WINDmobile.ca and »mobilicity.ca).

Also, some operators switched to UMTS from some other crappy 3G (»bell.ca and »telus.ca, they have a shared UMTS network, IIRC); Verizon delayed the switch, but went directly with LTE with no UMTS. When I was in Canada in 2008/2010, I had an unlocked GSM phone from AT&T, Sony Ericsson W810i, and it wouldn't work with Bell or Telus, but would only work with Fido and Rogers.

And FYI: SIM cards don't mean GSM, either. There are some SIM cards that won't work in any GSM, UMTS or LTE phone, so, even without UMTS: for sure SIM and GSM aren't interchangeable terms at all, I'm again not sure what made you to believe they were.

Let me put it this way: I need a replacement phone for Verizon; you come by and suggest that I can just get a GSM phone, since Verizon has nationwide LTE, and LTE is a GSM descendant -- please keep such advice to yourself, cause it's wrong.

South Korea has no GSM, period.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

So it really comes down to forget about getting him a phone now. Let him sort it out at the US Military Base Exchange Store once he gets to South Korea.

I would hate to have him spend $400 on a phone he can't use.

And here I thought that GSM was the world standard and we in the US were the weird ones.

Da Geek Kid
join:2003-10-11
::1

Da Geek Kid to ConstantineM

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to ConstantineM
Vz is Vodafone and does support GSM service as well as LTE however, using the CDMA phone in conjunction with sim chip LTE is also possible... But Vz is no SKTelcom.
Da Geek Kid

Da Geek Kid to trparky

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to trparky
your friend can buy the Galaxy Nexus unlocked and use it there.
»www.eturbonews.com/30567 ··· t-phones
or
»english.visitkorea.or.kr ··· _5_7.jsp
ConstantineM
join:2011-09-02
San Jose, CA

ConstantineM to trparky

Member

to trparky
GSM is the world standard; US, Korea and Japan are the "weird" ones.

I don't understand why you're confused, though. Everyone told you that an HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus and an HSPA+ Google Nexus 4 will both work in South Korea (unless you disable 3G to save battery).
ConstantineM

ConstantineM to Da Geek Kid

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to Da Geek Kid
said by Da Geek Kid:

Vz is Vodafone and does support GSM service as well as LTE however, using the CDMA phone in conjunction with sim chip LTE is also possible... But Vz is no SKTelcom.

What a bunch of ambiguous nonsense taken completely out of context. You HAVE to use a cdmaOne/whatever phone on Verizon nationwide network, precisely because VZ is not Vodafone, and VZ is not GSM, and a GSM phone won't work in the US on Verizon network. I'm done here.

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

1 recommendation

DaveDude

Member

said by ConstantineM:

said by Da Geek Kid:

Vz is Vodafone and does support GSM service as well as LTE however, using the CDMA phone in conjunction with sim chip LTE is also possible... But Vz is no SKTelcom.

What a bunch of ambiguous nonsense taken completely out of context. You HAVE to use a cdmaOne/whatever phone on Verizon nationwide network, precisely because VZ is not Vodafone, and VZ is not GSM, and a GSM phone won't work in the US on Verizon network. I'm done here.

No one is claiming a GSM phone will work on Verizon, However Verizon has a 310 assignment so they can bill international US people traveling abroad using their version of GAIT, or GSM. Also sorry LTE is UMTS ver 9 i believe. So yes verizon is a GSM network.