Triband concerns in a cell phone

[mbm]

I'm currently using Fido as my carrier and I was wanted to buy a tri band phone with 850/1800/1900MHz. I checked www.gsmworld.com and tried to see if the phone will work in the country i'm visiting. I will be visiting Saudi Arabia and it supports GSM 900.

I called Fido and they said Saudi Arabia supports both 900/1800 and the phone that I will be buying the Nokia 5200 will not work. The fido rep claimed that the phone has to be both 900/1800 in order to work.

I don't get it , i'm completely lost, if it supports either band why should it have both the bands ??? :confused:

Thanks

[Paolo]

I'm currently using Fido as my carrier and I was wanted to buy a tri band phone with 850/1800/1900MHz. I checked www.gsmworld.com and tried to see if the phone will work in the country i'm visiting. I will be visiting Saudi Arabia and it supports GSM 900.

I called Fido and they said Saudi Arabia supports both 900/1800 and the phone that I will be buying the Nokia 5200 will not work. The fido rep claimed that the phone has to be both 900/1800 in order to work.

I don't get it , i'm completely lost, if it supports either band why should it have both the bands ??? :confused:

Thanks

The Fido CSR is partially correct, but the CSR needs to read up a bit more on frequencies in use in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has 2 GSM Carriers, one is Etihad Etisalat Company, which uses 900 and 2100, The other carrier is Saudi Telecom Company STC, which uses only 900 mhz. Your 850/1800/1900 phone will NOT pick up any service in Saudi Arabia, not even if you had to make an emergency 112 (their equivalent of 911) call.

[mbm]

The Fido CSR is partially correct, but the CSR needs to read up a bit more on frequencies in use in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has 2 GSM Carriers, one is Etihad Etisalat Company, which uses 900 and 2100, The other carrier is Saudi Telecom Company STC, which uses only 900 mhz. Your 850/1800/1900 phone will NOT pick up any service in Saudi Arabia, not even if you had to make an emergency 112 (their equivalent of 911) call.

Thank you Paolo, now it makes sense, what if I unlock the 5200 and use a SIM from Etisalat or STC ? will that work ?

[Paolo]

Thank you Paolo, now it makes sense, what if I unlock the 5200 and use a SIM from Etisalat or STC ? will that work ?

I just answered your question, your 850/1800/1900 mhz phone will NOT pick up signal (IE THE PHONE will not see any radio waves) in Saudi Arabia's 900 mhz only network, the numbers tell you why. has nothing to do with using a fido or an Etisalat or STC SIM. it still wont work regardless if you put some s00per d00per sim card that works every where in the world.

If you want signal in Saudi Arabia, you need a phone capable of operating in the 900 mhz band. look at the specs.

[mbm]

I just answered your question, your 850/1800/1900 mhz phone will NOT pick up signal (IE THE PHONE will not see any radio waves) in Saudi Arabia's 900 mhz only network, the numbers tell you why. has nothing to do with using a fido or an Etisalat or STC SIM. it still wont work regardless if you put some s00per d00per sim card that works every where in the world.

If you want signal in Saudi Arabia, you need a phone capable of operating in the 900 mhz band. look at the specs.

Thank you sir :)