Re: Cell Phone For Overseas?

Im just back from South America and I dont think a satelite phone is really necessary. Just make sure to bring a QUAD-BAND-MOBILE, because there are several different frequencies for mobile phones. In South America its mainly 1900 and 850. In all the bigger towns you'll have reception which is mainly useful for text messages. Its not really a big deal to recharge your mobile. In South America its hard to avoid sometimes to stay in Hotels, especially for security reasons. On the other hand internet cafes are cheap and you'll always be able to recharge you phone there. Also check beforehand to have a contract that is open for roaming. The other option is to buy a chip locally (only costs a few dollars for a prepaid), but consider that very often you can not send or receive text messages with local SIM cards. It simply doesnt work.