There is more than one way to use your mobile phone abroad. Services like GPS, SMS, and calls without relying on Wi-Fi.
Want to know how? Keep reading.
How to Enable Your Phone for Use Abroad?
Some countries do not use the same frequencies that carriers in Brazil use. Therefore, before requesting to enable roaming, you need to check if your phone can pick up those frequencies.
For the USA, for example, the bands your phone can capture are:
| Technology | Bands |
|---|---|
| 5G Bands | n2 (1900 PCS), n5 (850), n12 (700), n41 (2500), n66 (1700), n71 (600), n77 (3700), n78 (3500), n258 mmWave (26GHz), n260 mmWave(39GHz), n261 mmWave (28GHz) |
| 4G Bands | B2 (1900), B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1), B5 (850), B12 (700), B13 (700), B14 (700), B17 (700), B20 (800), B25 (1900+), B26 (850), B29 (700), B30(2300), B41 (TDD 2500), B66 (1700/2100), B71 (600) |
| 2G Bands | B2 (1900) |
Source: https://www.kimovil.com/pt/frequency-checker/US
The United States, for example, no longer operates on 3G. These small details are what you need to check before contracting an international roaming plan.
To find out if your phone supports any of the frequencies above, you need to check the IMEI – International Mobile Equipment Identity.
The IMEI is a sequence of numbers, like the fingerprint of each mobile device.
This number can be found on the device box, in the manual, or on a sticker inside the device’s battery compartment.
You can also discover it by dialing *#06# and hitting call.
With this number in hand, search on the manufacturer’s website and compare the supported frequencies with those of the country you want to visit.
| Technology | Bands |
|---|---|
| 5G Bands | n3 (1800), n7 (2600), n28a (700), n40 (2300), n78 (3500) |
| 4G Bands | B1 (2100), B3 (1800), B5 (850), B7 (2600), B28a (700), B40 (TDD 2300) |
| 3G Bands | B1 (2100), B5 (850), B8 (900) |
| 2G Bands | B2 (1900), B3 (1800), B5 (850), B8 (900) |
Source: https://www.kimovil.com/pt/frequency-checker
Now that you have checked this information, it’s time to contract the international roaming plan from your carrier.
This way, you can use your mobile device abroad just like you do here in Brazil.
Another advantage of finding out your phone’s IMEI is that you can check if the prepaid SIM card you purchased there will work.
They tend to be cheaper than the international roaming plans offered by Brazilian carriers.
