Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sakim]

Hi to anyone who are technology saavy,

I am actually going to Korea within a few weeks, and I have question concerning cellphones. I have a helio phone that I use here in the States (from my understaning the phone is a CDMA), I am going to cancel the phone and I plan to use the same phone in Korea with a Korean provider. Would it be cheaper and easier to unlock my helio and use it in Korea? Or would it be better to buy a new/used cellphone there?

[DCJames]

haha

not going to happen

[Gnawbert]

I don't know the exact tech specs of WHY it isn't possible, but I'll say that it is almost certainly not going to happen.

Short answer: probably not. Cheaper just to buy one or get a contract.

Long answer: They use some proprietary CDMA 3G system over here that's not compatible with any western phones I've heard of. Neither my iPhone nor Sprint CDMA Treo work over here and they've worked in Peru of all places.

Korea may pride itself on many things, but their cell phone system is pretty silly. Just the sheer act of getting photos off of, or MP3's onto my LG / Sky phone requires downloading TWO separate pieces of windows based software and it still hardly works. And don't get me started on voicemail... No one uses it, and getting it to work has been a nightmare. My director explained this to me by saying "It's easier for Koreans to text than leave a message".

[sakim]