Marc, Yes, the Sim card is the KEY.

I became quite good at this living in Europe. There are triband and now, quad band phones. In most of Europe and French Polynesia, triband phones are great. Your SIM card from your dual band phone can be placed in a triband phone. Your phone number and phone book (on the SIM card)stays the same.


You must go into the store and have them set up the phone for international service, wait 24 hours and you are set to go. Rates are about $1.00 per minute plus tax.

With a quad band, the same simcard can be placed into the quad phone. You need to check in which countries you have service.

Now, this doesn't mean a t-mobile sim card is transferable into a Cingular phone.

Interestingly, Doug and I had the same Sony triband phone. He had T-mobile and I had Vodaphone (EUrope). My Vodaphone in the US went in and out of T-mobile to Cingular depending on where I was. Doug picked up T-mobile beautifully in Europe. However, in French Polynesia he could barely get a signal and I got a stong one. Go figure.

I now have Cingular with Quadband (MOTO RAZR/$199). This should work in Africa with the same SIM card as you have in you dual band. Cingular works in South Africa. Determine what phones will work in Africa. I assume a quad band definitely will work. A triband may work in South Africa. It looks like it is GSM. Then call 1-866-CINGULAR to activate international roaming (before you leave the US or Canada) or international long distance. It looks as though service is $2.49 per minute.