Can UK mobiles be used in Canada?

Hello,

I'm moving back to Vancouver after a few years in the UK, and I'm wondering if I'll be able to use my UK mobile in Canada.

What I would like to do is take out the UK SIM card, get a contract from a Canadian cell phone company, put their SIM card into my phone, and use that.

Does anyone know if this would work or not? I haven't heard any definitive answer, but most people seem to think this won't work.

Answers greatly appreciated!

I think it will only work if it's a GSM phone.

Getting an unlocked sim card isn't too big a deal, but making sure your phone can connect with the network is another story.

Might be worth emailing rogers or something too.

it will most probably work but only with providers that have a SIM card (many dont have sim cards, at least in Montreal). UK phones are unlocked so you dont need an "unlocked sim card" but simply "a sim card", put it in and voila. Just find a current converter to charge it.

Depending on your provider in UK you should ask them to unlock your phone before leaving because if it's locked the sim card in Canada will not work and the provider in Canada will not want to unlock it because they would lose a sale.

Since the voltage of electricity in Canada is lower than in UK you will only need an adapter for the charger (no converter is needed).

Some UK providers might lock their phone. and for the many don't have sim card in Montreal. Bell and Telus don't. but Rogers and Fido have sim card

it will most probably work but only with providers that have a SIM card (many dont have sim cards, at least in Montreal). UK phones are unlocked so you dont need an "unlocked sim card" but simply "a sim card", put it in and voila. Just find a current converter to charge it.

About lower voltage, UK has 220V and 50Khz frequency, Canada has 120V and 60Khz its true BUT you still need a voltage converter because the UK power adapter(unless it is specifically written 120-240V on it) will not know what to do with lower voltage and different frequency. I know that for a fact as I have tried charging a UK phone with a simple adapter and it will simply not charge.
I had experience with 2 uk phones and luckily they were both unlocked (I think it was from O2). Arent they all unlocked in UK ?

Okay. probably that a lot of chargers are 120-240 then, because I was working for a video game company for mobile phone in Montreal and we never used converter to charged our european phones. only adapter.

I don't think the unlock thing as to do with the country. in Germany O2 phones are also unlocked (my girlfriend is with O2). and I'm with Vodafone and mine is locked. So it really as to do with the provider.