Thai bought Nokia work in usa?

[meand]

i swear I am not trolling I am totally phone illiterate.

I picked up a Nokia lumina 520 in thailand, and wondering if I can use it in the usa. Or does it not work like that? The phone has windows 8 on it I believe, the one with the box updates on the desktop.

Thanks for any info.

[NamKAheng]

Yes, if it is unlocked, put the new USA SIM card in the phone and it will work.

[meand]

Yes, if it is unlocked, put the new USA SIM card in the phone and it will work.

Thanks, I will google that. But just in case I can't get it, how do I unlock it? Thanks.

[meand]

Yes, if it is unlocked, put the new USA SIM card in the phone and it will work.

Thanks, I will google that. But just in case I can't get it, how do I unlock it? Thanks.

It looks pretty straightforward watching YouTube, so strike that question

[NamKAheng]

You can get it unlocked in most of a phone shops in MBK in Bangkok.

[casualbiker]

Most if not all phones sold in Thailand are unlocked. Just try a different network Sim card to check.

Check your model number for what frequency it will work on.

http://m.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_520-5322.php

US carrier : http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies

[dddave]

USA uses two separate networks; GSM, same as Thailand and most of the world and CDMA, used in US, Canada and a few other countries. AT&T and T-Mobile in the US are GSM and should work in your phone, Verizon (CDMA) will not.

There are many good Pre-Pay options in the US now. Most are much better options than the post pay, multi year contract plans.

Most important is to find a provider with good coverage in your area as no one carrier seems to cover the USA equally.

You can read pre-pay provider reviews and buy a SIM on Amazon or wait until you are in the US and go to any store selling phones.

[Thaimaishoe]

USA uses two separate networks; GSM, same as Thailand and most of the world and CDMA, used in US, Canada and a few other countries. AT&T and T-Mobile in the US are GSM and should work in your phone, Verizon (CDMA) will not.

There are many good Pre-Pay options in the US now. Most are much better options than the post pay, multi year contract plans.

Most important is to find a provider with good coverage in your area as no one carrier seems to cover the USA equally.

You can read pre-pay provider reviews and buy a SIM on Amazon or wait until you are in the US and go to any store selling phones.

Not entirely true. AT&T and T-Mobile (and some MVNO's associated with them) use GSM, BUT they do not operate over the same frequencies as GSM in the rest of the world (I know Canada uses the same feq's and possibly one or two other countries, but in general, it is different.) You need what is referred to as a "World phone" or Quad band phone ( there are two frequencies per location, so for use in all locations you need to tune all 4 hence the quad)

You can think of it like this, GSM vs CDMA is like AM vs FM, it doesn't matter how much you spin the tuning dial, you will never recieve an FM broadcast on an AM radio - they just work differently. Your phone comes preset to tune in two particular radio stations, and they are different stations in Thailand than in the US, and your phone does not have a tuning dial. You need a phone that tunes in all 4 stations.

This info is only very basic, I think there are more frequencies in use now, and you might need to consider LTE vs whatever whatever, but the above is true. You can not simply say it is GSM, it will work.

[meand]

So, do I need unlock it before tryin g one of these cards?

[burgdawg]

meand...

your Nokia Lumia 520 IS ALREADY UNLOCKED. Just show up in USA and head to WalMart, or anyplace to buy "Phone-To-Go Minutes.

By the way---I am THREE Nokia Mulia and am thrilled with all of them: Lumia 630, 928 and 930

Yes, check out eBay once you are in USA I picked up a NEW, never used Nokia Lumia 930 for $300 USD or 10,000b.

Yes, my phones work in USA and SE Asia. Have at it. You bought a nice phone...use and abuse it!

[meand]

meand...

your Nokia Lumia 520 IS ALREADY UNLOCKED. Just show up in USA and head to WalMart, or anyplace to buy "Phone-To-Go Minutes.

By the way---I am THREE Nokia Mulia and am thrilled with all of them: Lumia 630, 928 and 930

Yes, check out eBay once you are in USA I picked up a NEW, never used Nokia Lumia 930 for $300 USD or 10,000b.

Yes, my phones work in USA and SE Asia. Have at it. You bought a nice phone...use and abuse it!

Thanks. Is this the card/minutes I need?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/AT-T-Mobility-45-Walmart-Exclusive-Email-Delivery/36040271?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_middle&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id=94659014431&category=0%3A1105910%3A133261%3A1056206&client_guid=c4bebd41-7ce7-4f5a-98d8-70a1de8c9ae4&config_id=0&parent_item_id=27449094&guid=bc001348-3496-40a5-be40-182fc12b4f00&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

I will abuse it proper if I can get it working

[burgdawg]

yes...that is a good start. You can also stop by any Verizon store and buy the same minutes.

Why Verizon in USA? Verizon is the licensee for Nokia In USA, that is why. I would not buy any of Verizon f-u packages, too expensive.

Verizon has a "phone to go" program. Stop at Verizon first before WalMart.

You will need a USA phone number ---SIM card. I believe on the 520, it is standard sized SIM card.

Note: on Nokia Lumia 928 or 930 Icon---they take a mini or micro SIM card. Verizon has a nifty crimp/cutter tool that will cut

your SIM card down to size. Suss out eBay for the 930 Icon. It has a 20 megapixel camera, or the Nokia 1020 with a 41 megapixel camera.

Nokia are not popular in USA. Too bad. I've dropped mine too many to recount---no dings, no problems.

Any Samsung S5 or Note owners can attest to shattered screens. The Nokia is bomber proof.

Go to the Nokia Windows store on your phone and load up with Nokia maps...simply incredible. I was used to Google Maps----which is great if you have a MacBook Pro, Sony Vaio, broadband and plugged into power.

You DO NOT WANT to load Google Maps onto your Nokia 520, trust me. Google Maps are battery, memory and network hogs. Load the Nokia Maps for North America, Thailand or wherever you will be heading. They are free. Zoom into where YOU grew up and scroll about. You will be impressed.

One day, you will be like I was last December...out of cell phone range (no network), no power supply, on a my bicycle off the back roads of Isaan and lost. I flipped open all my maps.....they did not help me. I opened my Nokia 630 and in 2 seconds, discovered my wrong turn. You see, the Nokia ovi Maps have a built in GPS and this green button denotes your location. Yes, even without a network signal, it pinpointed my location.

Want something even niftier? Let's say you are taking a bus trip in Thailand or USA....flip open your Nokia maps and follow your progress. If you can speak Thai, yes, download the Nokia Maps in any language you want.

Hope this helps....

[mgjackson69]

The Nokia Lumia 520 is quad band, it will work fine in USA, as long as it is an open market (unlocked) phone.

[casualbiker]

The Nokia Lumia 520 is quad band, it will work fine in USA, as long as it is an open market (unlocked) phone.

Only the RM917 model is quad band. The others are dual and triband WCDMA (3G)

Not sure which model they sell here. I'm guessing the triband RM915.

[mgjackson69]

With that said,

Asia-spec dual-band will not work in USA. Asia-spec tri-band might work in USA, depending upon the area you are in.