1. Eliminate Roaming Fees — Roaming charges can drastically increase your base mobile phone bill every month. These roaming charges are based on either your current cell phone contract or the limits of service areas that your provider offers. Unlocking your mobile phone can eliminate roaming fees by allowing you to change the SIM to lower priced networks or local networks when traveling.
2. Increase Resale Value — When you decide to upgrade to a new phone, it also time to sell your old one. Unlocked mobile phones are easier to sell up to 300% more valuable than a locked one because they are compatible with more networks, which means there will be more potential buyers for your phone.
3. Use Any SIM on Any GSM Network — With an unlocked mobile phone you can change carriers without buying a new phone. This means you can take advantage of the best service package for your current needs. Then if your needs change, you can change providers.
4. Save with Local Rates — An unlocked mobile phone allows you to take advantage of cheaper rates from rival networks as well as attain an ability to use local service providers while abroad. This will drastically cut down on your tariffs for text messaging and calls home.
5. Global Connections — Unlocking your phone may also enable dual, tri or even quad band functionality on your mobile handset. This means that your cell phone will be usable in even more countries around the globe as well as being a more valuable resale item. There is no longer any reason to own more than one cell phone handset.
6. Dual SIM Adaptors — When your phone is unlocked, there is the possibility of applying a dual SIM adapter, which allows your to have two SIM cards in the same handset. This makes your cell phone a much more versatile tool, for example you can separate work and leisure calls. Switching SIM cards can become as easy as turning your cell phone off and on again. You are in complete control of your mobile phone!
7. Expanded Service Area — Being free of any provider restrictions allows you to increase your areas of service without roaming charges.
8. Fast and Easy — Unlocking takes just 5 minutes of your time and it's as easy as dialing a phone number. There is no need to install any software or upgrade your handsets software.
9. 100% Guaranteed — FlashtotalkGSM.com offers 100% Customer Satisfactions guarantee and a lowest price guarantee. Our customer support team is available 24/7.
10. One-time event — Works for the life of the phone.

Further enhancements to GSM networks are provided by Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, which provides up to three times the data capacity of GPRS.

Using EDGE, operators can handle three times more subscribers than GPRS, triple their data rate per subscriber, or add extra capacity to their voice communications.

EDGE allows the delivery of advanced mobile services such as the downloading of video and music clips, multimedia messaging, high-speed Internet access and e-mail on the move.

Simple upgrade
EDGE uses the same structure, as today's GSM networks, which allows it to be overlaid directly onto an existing GSM network. For many existing GSM/GPRS networks, EDGE is a simple software-upgrade.

Due to the very small incremental cost of including EDGE capability in GSM network deployment, virtually all new GSM infrastructure deployments are also EDGE capable and nearly all new mid- to high-level GSM devices also include EDGE radio technology.

GSM Roaming

Roaming is defined as the ability for a cellular customer to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive data, or access other services when travelling outside the geographical coverage area of the home network, by means of using a visited network.

Roaming is technically supported by mobility management, authentication and billing procedures. Establishing roaming between network operators is based on - and the commercial terms are contained in - Roaming Agreements.

If the visited network is in the same country as the home network, this is known as National Roaming. If the visited network is outside the home country, this is known as International Roaming (the term Global Roaming has also been used).

If the visited network operates on a different technical standard than the home network, this is known as Inter-standard roaming.

GSM Roaming, which involves roaming between GSM networks, offers the convenience of a single number, a single bill and a single phone with worldwide access to over 219 countries. The convenience of GSM Roaming has been a key driver behind the global success of the GSM Platform.

GSM Coverage Maps is a unique resource containing information supplied and approved by the members of the GSM Association.

Network, Services and Roaming information are continually updated to reflect the evolving situation worldwide. Interactive coverage maps, updated quarterly, allow you to navigate to see where exactly you can use your phone.

These definitions are provided simply to help industry discussion and do not indicate the scope of activities within the GSM Association.

SMS and Data Roaming Explained Document (802kb, pdf)

What is GSM?
GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) is an open, digital cellular technology used for transmitting mobile voice and data services.

What does GSM offer?
GSM supports voice calls and data transfer speeds of up to 9.6 kbit/s, together with the transmission of SMS (Short Message Service).

GSM operates in the 900MHz and 1.8GHz bands in Europe and the 1.9GHz and 850MHz bands in the US. The 850MHz band is also used for GSM and 3G in Australia, Canada and many South American countries. By having harmonised spectrum across most of the globe, GSM’s international roaming capability allows users to access the same services when travelling abroad as at home. This gives consumers seamless and same number connectivity in more than 218 countries.

Terrestrial GSM networks now cover more than 80% of the world’s population. GSM satellite roaming has also extended service access to areas where terrestrial coverage is not available.