traveling abroad???

[chueh]

I requested my phone carrier to unlock my phone from the US in order to travel abroad.

After successfully unlocked through SPRINT, I thought that my cellular data from the other country could be picked up sprint's signals.

Unfortunately, that's not that easy or simple. Nothing was working, except limited wifi. What else I should have done before leaving the USA? Is there a way to purchase foreign data plan or talk time here in the US, so once I arrive at the airport of a foreign land, I could use my phone right away ( I was trying to see if there were cell phone stores at the foreign country airport to see if i could rent something, but there was only wifi-rental). I saw cell phone stores outside the airport for people to rent/purchase temporary plans, yet I wanted to use my phone as soon as I landed but not afterwards to make important calls).

Obviously, I am like an idiot when it comes to cell phone usage. If you can explain to me briefly how traveling plan works, I would really appreciate your great helps.

 

[ocnbrze]

I requested my phone carrier to unlock my phone from the US in order to travel abroad.

After successfully unlocked through SPRINT, I thought that my cellular data from the other country could be picked up sprint's signals.

Unfortunately, that's not that easy or simple. Nothing was working, except limited wifi. What else I should have done before leaving the USA? Is there a way to purchase foreign data plan or talk time here in the US, so once I arrive at the airport of a foreign land, I could use my phone right away ( I was trying to see if there were cell phone stores at the foreign country airport to see if i could rent something, but there was only wifi-rental). I saw cell phone stores outside the airport for people to rent/purchase temporary plans, yet I wanted to use my phone as soon as I landed but not afterwards to make important calls).

Obviously, I am like an idiot when it comes to cell phone usage. If you can explain to me briefly how traveling plan works, I would really appreciate your great helps.

what country are you in? what phone do you have?

sprint uses cdma cellular technology which most places in europe do not use. i believe most countries uses gsm tech. i believe sprint with newer phones might have both techs built in.

did you talk to sprint before travelling?

here check this article out:
https://thesavvybackpacker.com/smartphones-data-plans-abroad-europe/

 

[Hadron]

Nowhere in Europe uses CDMA - or indeed most of the world. But many CDMA phones have some non-CDMA capabilities as well these days, and LTE is available widely (though the US uses different frequencies to Europe, so again it depends on the phone whether it's compatible). Stick your model number into willmyphonework.net to check compatibility.

But "unlocking" isn't what you want. Unlocking allows you to use the phone on another network in the sense of stick another network's SIM in it. It you want to use your Sprint service abroad you should enable international roaming on your account.

Neither will help if the phone isn't compatible with the network though.

 

[mikedt]

I presume you're not in the Americas, and you're in Africa, Asia or Europe somewhere? Could be the Sprint phone you've got is American bands and modes only, like CDMA. What you should have done, is checked that your phone has the bands and modes for the region or country you intended to visit.

CDMA is only used in China, Japan and the US.

 

[chueh]

I have Motorola E4, and I checked the compatibility (thanks to the posters here for this thread to check it). The device is capable for GSM. I traveled to Taiwan, where GSM is used.

My carrier is Tello, using Sprint technology. Thus, when my phone was unlocked, it was in Sprint network, but only worked in the US.