Mobile Phones


This is a short, general guide to mobile phones. Most people in the UK now have at least one mobile phone but SIM free phones, are now more widely available and are very useful if you want a particular phone to replace an older version or if you want to buy a new model to use its more up-to-date facilities. We won't however go into all the details of what is avaialable, as there are now many models, from cheap & cheerful, to quite sophistcated PDA versions giving access to the Internet, streaming video, TV, MP3 etc. All these "bells & whistles" are described in our listings in our eBay Shop and at the various mobile phone brands' websites.

SIM Free Mobile Phones

Any mobile phone that is not "badged" with the name of a telecoms airtime provider, e.g. O2, Orange, Vodaphone etc., can normally be operated using a SIM card of the user's choice, on any UK network. Thes will be branded with the name of Motorola, Nokia,  Samsung, Sony Ericsson and so on, who are the main manufacturers of Mobile phones. All the SIM free mobile phones we sell, are "unlocked", which means that the user can insert a SIM card of choice and register with the relevant network.

These days, all mobile phones are at least Dual Band, e.g. they either operate on the 900 or 1800 MHZ frequencies, that are used by the UK and European network providers. Some moblie phones are now available as Tri-Band, which enables their use in the USA & Canada as well as Europe. A very few and usually quite expensive mobile phones now have Quad Band capability, which essentially means that they can be used all over the world. Generally, the phones will switch automatically between bands as the user travels from region to region, so there is no requirement to mess around with phone network settings.

However, just because a mobile phone can operate in different regions of the world, it does not mean that the user can just go ahead and do so. Many subscribers to the various networks are on "Pay as you go" tariffs and some airtime providers restrict users' ability to make and receive calls, messages & texts whilst out of the UK. THere may be a requirement to "pre-pay" or sign up to a direct debit prior to travelling, so that the airtime provider either has the money up front, or can extract it from your Bank Account when required.

Although many users will be on a "Pay Monthly" contract, it is well worthwhile calling your customer service number in advance of travel, in order to discover what needs to be done to allow full use of the mobile phone whilst abroad.

Don't forget also the significant increase in call and text messaging costs whilst abroad. Even though the EU has indicated that "roaming" charges (what other networks charge your provider for use of their network - which of course they pass on to the customer) are "too high", it has yet to be seen just how much these charges will come down (some estimates cite a 70% reduction is likely!)

 In the UK, there has been a lot of regulation and competition to assist mobile phone users in cutting their costs but these changes have not yet been reflected in othe regions. It will be sensible to check what the bills are likely to be, rather than return home to an unexpected shocker.

We also sell SIM cards, so if you are in the market, we can normally sell you a card and a SIM free mobile phone in order for you to get started. Note that the provision of a new SIM card means that there will be a new mobile phone number that is embedded in the SIM.

NB: We do not provide a "porting" service for existing mobile numbers to be transferred - your airtime provider will have all the necessary details should you require this facility.

Also, we do not have the ability to provide specific numbers, sequence of numers, or prefixes for any SIM card that we sell - they are all supplied with random numbers.

Please visit our eBay Shop for more information.

E & OE

(c) MPRC 2006