GSM CELL PHONES

1. GSM Cell Phones

GSM network has been on the rise in USA for about the last decade now, and becoming very popular cell phone network; significant competitor to already established CDMA & TDMA standard. In this section, we would like to give you some information on what type of frequencies work in USA, types of cell phones and providers as well as information on obtaining a SIM card for your phone.
Most of the European GSM networks work on 900MHz/1800MHz frequencies, whereas USA GSM networks mostly run 900/1900. Most of you already possess cellular phones that you operate in your home country. Please note, if your cell phone is tri-band (900/1800/1900), it will most likely work in USA. So, please do not forget to bring it with you. You will certainly need the communication, calls, text messages, and internet. All you will need is an American SIM card, which can be purchased in many locations all across the 50 states, including at our E-POINT locations in Ocean City or Rehoboth Beach. Another item you might need to purchase is power adapter that can also be purchased at our center for low price of $5. You can use that same power adapter for your other electronic devices that you might want to carry with you, such as, chargers, MP3 players etc. If your phone is dual band (900/1800), then it will not operate in USA even if you have international roaming activated. So you will need to purchase a cell phone.

As a general Guideline for your information:

Dual-band - A dual-band phone operates at both the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum. Dual-band works in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and much of South America.

Tri-band - A tri-band phone operates on three frequency bands, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz, allowing you to use it in Europe, Africa, Asia, nearly all of North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Quad-band - A quad-band phone allows you to roam almost anywhere globally. It covers the 850 Mhz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency ranges. Many countries in South America only have 850 MHz GSM service while both 1900 MHZ and 850 MHz GSM services are supported in the USA. 99% of all countries use the GSM standard.

Also, please note that E-Point Student Center retails inexpensive phones, SIMs, package(phone+SIM) special deals for students, and as soon as you arrive please ask us about how it works and how much it is. We are also selling high end cellular products, Nokia smart phones, unlocked APPLE iPhones etc. If you have GSM related questions please email us epointcafe@gmail.com , subject - GSM question and we will be happy to reply promptly.

2. SIM cards

The SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card - a.k.a. "smart card" - holds all of a subscriber's personal information and phone settings. In essence, it is the subscriber's authorization to use the network. It also holds the phone number, personal security key and other data necessary for the handset to function. The card can be switched from phone to phone, letting the new phone receive all calls to the subscriber's number.

The SIM is inside each handset and functions as its digital brain. The authentication and encryption capabilities of the SIM prevent your phone from being stolen and your calls from being eavesdropped on. The SIM's digital memory, which stores information like your rate plan, phone number and service features, also allows you to easily personalize your service and contains user ID and billing information that can be switched between different phones. So, with your SIM card installed, you can make or receive calls personally even when you're using a borrowed phone. Upgrading your phone is as simple as slipping your SIM card into your new phone.

Please note, that E-Point Student Center sells SIM cards of all major GSM providers. We have prepaid plans and individual contract plans available for clients. Please check the rates of all the providers below and as soon as you arrive we can give you proper explanation about advantages and benefits from each provider so you can make the right choice purchasing one.

Please remember, it is always cost efficient and cheap to obtain a Sim card in USA rather than bring your own form your home country and use it here. Because, roaming charges that you may pay with your original provider can be multiple times higher than just getting the US Sim card. Also, local calls and text message charges will be much lower with US obtained Sim card.

3. GSM Providers. T-Mobile

T-Mobile is one the largest GSM provider in the world. E-Point is an authorized dealer of T-Mobile. We are proudly activating hundreds of students from all across the globe who visit Ocean City and Delaware resorts in the summer. As mentioned above, if you already have a tri-band phone, you can purchase the Sim card at our location and we will activate you in seconds. We will give you USA cellular number that you can use to call, send/receive SMS and much more. Or, in case you do not possess phone, not a problem, you can purchase low price cell phones that you can use for summer. Based on our experience, PAY BY THE DAY plan was most popular plan with those students, who were making many calls per day. For those, who does not make many calls use Pay As You Go plan. Below is the chart of plans and rates. Please email us with questions epointcafe@gmail.com, subject GSM, and we will be happy to answer.

T-MOBILE rates for prepaid plans

Included with every T-Mobile Prepaid plan:

Nationwide long distance (including calls to Alaska and Hawaii).
Nationwide roaming on the T-Mobile USA Network.
t-zones* (browsing for HiFi Ringers®, MegaTones®, wallpapers, and more)*.
VoiceMail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling**.

*t-zones not available on all devices.
**Airtime rates apply to voicemail retrieval, each call during a conference call, and call waiting.

Additional services for your T-Mobile Prepaid plan+

Text messaging (10¢ to send, 5¢ to receive)
Picture messaging (25¢ to send and receive).
Ringtones and wallpaper (prices vary).
Games and applications (prices vary).
International dialing to over 150 countries (international rates apply).

4. GSM providers. AT&T

AT&T is considered as the Largest GSM provider companies in USA. And also has fastest 3G network in the nation. At our E-Point center we offer AT&T products as well. We sell low price Sim cards and phones. Below is the chart of the rates for prepaid plans.

Name of the plan

Anytime Minutes

Daily Access Fee

Mobile to Mobile

Long Distance

Pay As you Go

Unlimited Talk

$0.10 per minute

$1 per day, Only If you use phone

Unlimited

Included USA

Pay As You Go

25cents a minute

$0.25 per minute

No charge

$0.25 per minute

Included USA

*Daily Access of $1.00 for the Pay As You Go Unlimited Talk plan is assessed each day you use your phone for a voice call and is debited from your account balance the day after you use your phone.

Pay As You Go cards are available at our Center in these amounts:

Card Denomination	Expiration Period
$15	30 days
$25	90 days
$50	90 days
$75	90 days
$100	365 days

5. GSM Provider. O2 Wireless

O2 Wireless