villavillakula

A friend just loaned me her phone, an "Alcatel One Touch 310-311." She purchased it in France, about 6 years ago, and has used it multiple times (in France), including last summer, with no problems. She was told that she could use it in Italy, with another SIM card, but never ended up using it in Italy.
SO...my big question is: how do I tell if this phone is a 900/1800 or does it matter? If it worked in France, can I safely assume that, if I buy a new SIM card, it will work in Spain and Morocco, as well?
I've looked through the directions (all in French), as well as at the inside of the phone and can't tell anything about what bands or whatever the 900/1800 stands for.
Any help/advice appreciated!

TommieG

The Alcatel One Touch 310-311 is a dual-band-phone (900/1800) (just Google-it and you'll probably find more info in English also).

The 900/1800 stand for the GSM-frequency used to call with. In Europe (and a lot of other countries) both the 900 and 1800 frequency are used (the 900 was the first frequency handed out by the governments, then followed the 1800). It depends on the network which frequency is used. In the USA the 1900 frequency is used (than you need a tri-band-phone).

Morocco has two networks using the 900 frequency, Spain has both 900 and 1800 networks. See www.gsmworld.com for more info on roaming and the frequency used by the diffrent networks.

If you buy a (pre-paid) SIM-card in Spain and/or Morocco, you will be able to use it there. Maybe it will even be sufficient to buy only a SIM-card in Spain. It will probably work in Morocco too, if the network you bought the SIM-card from has a roaming agrrement wit a Morocco network. But do mind the costs then!

Alec

Another question: Is the phone locked? Locked means it will only accept a SIM card from the service provider that first sold the handset to your friend. To accept a SIM from another provider, whether in France or anywhere else, the phone needs to be unlocked. Undortunately, Alcatel isn't a phone you can unlock yourself free, but you need to take it to a dealer with unlocking equipment and software. The only way to check if the phone is locked is to insert a SIM from another provider. If it says something like 'invalid sim' or 'insert code', it's locked.
It's likely the original French SIM can be used in Spain and Morocco, but you pay dearly for roaming on another network. Also topping up the phone credit while out of France may be difficult.

villavillakula

Dear Tommie and Alec,
Thanks so much for the info! I never dreamed it could be such a multi-layered complex issue, however, it is kind of fascinating! All I really want is an "emergency contact" phone...so that family at home can get in touch with me if needed. I plan to use a phone card for non-emergency use.
So, back to the Alcatel and the question of whether it's locked or unlocked: when I asked my friend, she said she doesn't know, but, when she bought the phone, she was told she could buy another SIM card in Italy and it would work. However, she never tested the validity of that info. It does make it sound as though it's an unlocked phone, doesn't it?
From what I'm understanding, even if it turns out to be locked, you can take it somewhere and get it unlocked for a fee???
That would then mean you could insert a new SIM card in Spain and it would work there???
Also, I went to this website: PrePaid GSM.net
They have this whole chart of "roaming" (???) SIM cards, some of which work ˆn both Morocco and Spain. Would one of these be a better way to go...or do you advise just purchasing a SIM card one I get to Spain?

Alec

If your friend bought the phone as 'pay-as-you-go', then it's almost certain to be locked to the original provider. Alcatel isn't the easiest phone to unlock - but I assume French dealers are likely to be equipped for unlocking, but it's hard to tell for a 6-year old phone.
Getting an international SIM is one way of cutting cost when you are going to several countries, but it still requires an unlocked phone.
If your phone is unlocked, or you get it unlocked, getting one of those SIMs or a local SIM in Spain would make sense. But if it's locked, you can only use the SIM it comes with, which you can probably use for roaming (that is, using a phone outside the country the SIM comes from, by using the infrastructure of another network). The cost will be high, both for calling and receiving (around $2 a min), but ok for emergency use.

villavillakula

Alec,
Thanks for helping me as I try to unwind this phone puzzle! So, if it IS locked, where should I get it unlocked? Should I wait until I get to Spain to deal with it, or should I try and take care of it on this side of the pond? I'm not so concerned with high call costs, as it will be just for emergency call contact...however, I do want it to work. Part of me is considering going back to the idea of purchasing the $49 mobal phone (expensive call costs, but will work anywhere).

Alec

Ifyou google Alcatel unlocking, you'll find a number of dealers/unlockers selling you are a code you tap into your phone to unlock. But there's no guarantee it will work, and if you want to try one out, it's at your own risk. I know some Alcatel models can be unlocked in this way, but don't know if yours is one. Or you can try a dealer in Spain. If they can't do it or it doesn't work, you can always buy a cheap pay-as-you-go phone there and ask about using it in Morocco.