BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JUNE 26, 2000 ISSUE
INTERNATIONAL -- BUSINESSWEEK LIFESTYLE Phoneless in America? (int'l edition) For Euro cell addicts on the go, there are solutions It's demoralizing--downright maddening. It's the hassle of suddenly having to grope for quarters and line up at phone booths, just like the old days. This is what Europeans face when they travel to North America and find that their trusty cell phones have become dead weight in their pockets. Is there a solution? Yes. Three, to be exact. None is cheap, but for Europe's cellular addicts, America offers lifelines. You can buy a tri-band phone in Europe, which works with 900-, 1800-, and 1900-megahertz frequencies; pack the tiny smart card chip containing the brain of your phone and slip it into a rental in the U.S.; or rent a fully loaded phone at the airport. It shouldn't be so complicated, of course. In Europe, all cell phones operate on one system, Global Standard for Mobile (GSM). But America has a whole passel of standards and frequencies. The result is that when Europeans try using their phones in the U.S., they often have trouble making a connection. The most elegant way to bridge the gap is to buy a tri-band GSM phone that covers frequencies used in Europe and in the New World. There are different models on the market, including the Motorola L7089 at $363 and the Ericsson T28 World at $540. With this option, you won't have to think twice about where you are going, since you can take your phone--and phone number--with you across the Atlantic. STOPWATCH. That's convenient but expensive. Prices can reach $2 per minute for calls to and from Europe. Worse, for calls within the U.S., you must bounce the signal to Europe and back, and pay up to $3 a minute. And watch out. If you leave your cell phone on all night in the U.S., those European calls start ringing at 3 a.m. on the East Coast. Advice: If this isn't on an expense account, carry a stopwatch. If you're still determined to keep your own cell phone number but don't want to bother getting a new handset, you can always rent a tri-band through companies such as Cellhire PLC at www.cellhire.com or Omnitel at www.omnitel.it/sito/asp/home.asp. Cellhire charges $45 a day and requires a $300 credit-card authorization. You insert the smart card from your European phone--and brace yourself for the same high rates. One other problem: GSM still has spotty coverage in the U.S. Before traveling, call your phone company for a GSM map of America. The last option is simply to rent a phone at the airport once you arrive in the U.S. Deposits average $500 and rates run about $1.75 per minute. Of course, no one in Europe knows your number. But at 3 a.m., consider that a blessing. By INKA RESCH _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS The Ripening of the Wireless Web (int'l edition) TABLE: Europe's Mobile Madness Wireless Web, Euro-style (int'l edition) TABLE: What You Can Do on Your Web Phone Phoneless in America? (int'l edition) INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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