Phone nooblet

[blakeatwork]

So, the last phone I picked up was a Samsung SCH-something or other about 5 years ago; it's ugly, grey, the battery is almost gone, and the LCD is about to give up the ghost :P

I've been with Telus (ClearNET) since I got my first cell in '97 or '98, so I've never worried about things like frequencies, unlocking phones, porting phones to a different carrier.

So, I'm curious; what is this unlocking phones and SIM cards all about? Can I buy a Bell phone and use it on Rogers or Telus? Does buying the phone outright make more sense then a contract?

I think I'm most likely to get a Samsung Galaxy model, just not sure on the carrier at this point.

[davidA]

So, I'm curious; what is this unlocking phones and SIM cards all about? Can I buy a Bell phone and use it on Rogers or Telus? Does buying the phone outright make more sense then a contract?
Welcome to the forums. I won't discuss details as I am in a rush (and it's a big subject) - what is means to me though, is that if I have an unlocked (tri or quad band) phone, I can take it to Europe (or any other country) when I visit and use it with a local SIM card (on a local carrier) at rates a thousand times cheaper than what the Canadian carriers will charge me for overseas (roaming) service.