(+) Using a Cell Phone When Traveling Overseas

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

NOTE: The following article does not contain any genealogy-related information.

I recently wrote a Plus Edition article entitled (+) Sometimes it is Cheaper to Provide Your Own Internet Access that discussed how to obtain high-speed Internet connectivity when traveling in the U.S. and in foreign countries without paying outrageous Internet access fees to hotels. In the comments following that article in the Plus Edition web site at http://eogn.com/wp/?p=14605, a newsletter reader asked, "Would you please discuss using a smartphone in Europe for calls to US, not the internet? What are the costs involved?"

I thought I would share my response to that question with other Plus Edition subscribers in case anyone else has a similar interest.

Using a U.S. cell phone while traveling to other countries usually will either be (1.) impossible or (2.) very expensive. Some American cell phones don't work at all in other countries. The North American cell phones that do work overseas use the Global System for Mobile Communications (usually abbreviated to GSM) protocol; but, using North American GSM phones in foreign countries can be very expensive.

In short, here is the situation for most American and Canadian cell phone owners:

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