Moving to the USA

rover600

I lost my fone today ( left it on the roof of my car and drove off lol ) so I need to replace it, but, I`m moving to the USA in about 5 months time so does anyone know if I can use an Irish phone on a US network?

I dont want to buy an expensive fone here and not be able to use it over there so if it`s a case that I cant connect to an American network I`ll just buy a cheap fone here and give it away when I leave.

Thanks.....:).

Davy

You can use most new phones in the USA, just depends on the bands. At the same time, you might want to consider getting one sim free so you can use a USA sim card, if the phone is locked, it will only work with your irish sim card, and the calls will be expensive because of roaming.

If you think of a phone, post it here and someone can confirm if it has the correct bands

rover600

I`ll do that Davy, thank you.

rover600

Davy wrote: »

You can use most new phones in the USA, just depends on the bands. At the same time, you might want to consider getting one sim free so you can use a USA sim card, if the phone is locked, it will only work with your irish sim card, and the calls will be expensive because of roaming.

If you think of a phone, post it here and someone can confirm if it has the correct bands

I`m thinkin` of going with a Sony xperia J .....mid range so if it doesnt work over there it wont be the end of the world?

Davy

rover600 wrote: »

I`m thinkin` of going with a Sony xperia J .....mid range so if it doesnt work over there it wont be the end of the world?

That will work over there

rover600

I got it today....very happy with it and if it works over there all the better....thanks Davy

rover600

Just an update on this...
The radio in the fone is utterly useless, I took it back and they tried a couple of other new ones and they were the same so it looks like there is an issue with them. I had a quick search online and searched `Sony xperia J radio problem` and saw a few others with the same problem.
I do a lot of walking and usually listen to the radio through my fone that way I dont miss any messages.
I was willing to ignore the radio problem and one evening I used the radio app, but when I got home after a 2 hour walk all my credit was gone....I didnt realise the radio app was so data hungry..:(.
I got a full refund.....now...the search for a mid-range fone with a radio that works is back on....:)...pity cos I liked it otherwise.

Enrique2SIM

Hi,

I would purchase a dual SIM smartphone if I were in your shoes. In that way I can use my local SIM card until I move and when I get there I buy a free SIM card and use it until I find a convenient plan over there.

Also before you buy a new device make sure about what type of band the phone uses to connect to public networks (GSM, WCDMA, UMTS, etc.) The following are the bands available in the US:

2G: GSM 850, GSM 1900
3G: UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, UMTS 1700, UMTS 2100
4G: LTE 700, LTE 1700, LTE 1900, LTE 2100

Regards

rover600

Enrique2SIM wrote: »

Hi,

I would purchase a dual SIM smartphone if I were in your shoes. In that way I can use my local SIM card until I move and when I get there I buy a free SIM card and use it until I find a convenient plan over there.

Also before you buy a new device make sure about what type of band the phone uses to connect to public networks (GSM, WCDMA, UMTS, etc.) The following are the bands available in the US:

2G: GSM 850, GSM 1900
3G: UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, UMTS 1700, UMTS 2100
4G: LTE 700, LTE 1700, LTE 1900, LTE 2100

Regards

Thanks Enrique,
Thats a very helpful post.
I`m just back from a Vodafone store now where I went for the Samsung S3 mini...it`s soooo much better than the Sony...awesome sound and radio function...and I`ll keep my fingers crossed that I can connect to a US provider when I move there, if not it`s not the end of the world.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply with that info.

Enrique2SIM

Hi,

You're welcome. I think your S3 Mini should work without any issue, also I believe the carriers that handle the networks of your phone are AT&T and T-Mobile.

Hope everything goes well with your device !

Regards.