Korean Job Discussion Forums

[psully]

Hi guys,

I am just wondering if you buy a Korean smart phone- lets say a samsung galaxy - in Korea and you finish your contract and have to go home, will this phone work in N. America?

I know the old normal korean phones don't, but now that we have i-phones and a bunch of other smart phones that can be used internationally, can we now use such phones outside of Korea (not on roaming)?

[OMGtrev]

I'm pretty sure the answer is no. I don't know the specific technical terminology, but I believe they use different... stuff (hardware/software/signals?). An iPhone won't work either, but I hear they're working to make them universal.

[Drew10]

The answer is yes. They will work.

The main thing you need to be aware of is making sure the phone(s) are unlocked (not jailbroken or rooted) before you leave Korea. That usually involves placing a call (or visiting) a service center for your carrier.

Whoever says you can't take your phone with you..is just plain wrong.

[nukeday]

keep in mind most smartphones have a 2 year contract. they will not unlock it for you unless you fulfill your obligation

[Drew10]

[jonpurdy]

[nukeday]

[mkishon]

htc

[chachee99]

[jonpurdy]

[Drew10]

The only portion of the "contract" that must be paid upon cancellation is the remainder of the handset price. There is no fees, nor charges for termination of service.

So KT will not unlock your iPhone until it's paid off, this is verified true by me..I manage a phone retail store and dealt with unlocking an iPhone for a U.S military contractor and his wife.

[bobrocket]

Some phones will work, some won't, CDMA companies have their own version of 3G which is what Korea uses, most Korean phones won't work overseas, not even for roaming, some US companies use the same technology as Korea (same supplier of equipment) but which ones I don't know.
That being said, a Korean made phone, Samsung / LG purchased overseas will not work in Korea.
It's nothing to do with locking / unlocking the phone, it's a frequency issue, some phones support multiple frequencies across varying ranges eg 2g, 3g, but these change depending on the network.
Some phones that don't support this, can be changed with a code to work with companies that have the same system. Usually the older / first established share similar networks, the code is like a phone number for the provider, normally when you ask them to change this it means your going to the competition. Google provides some very easy information to change this.
Newer networks operate complete different allowing for mass roaming but Korea doesn't have this and probably never will.
So if you buy a smart phone it may pay to check to see if it even works first, 2 of the exact same phone might actually be different.

[pk_00]

I bought an LG Optimus One in Korea, paid off the phone and the contract before leaving home to Canada.

Even though there are carriers here that use the Optimus One as one of their models, my model was not compatible with any of them. I had purchased the optimus one specifically because I figured it would work back in Canada.

The only network it was compatible with was Roger's/Fido GSM network. However the phone is not compatible with the 3g network so I can solely make phone calls (no data plan). I really regret it now!

[Jake_Kim]