Dual Sim Chip Smartphones

I have Verizon Wireless and have the grandfathered north america plan.  Verizon uses CDMA technology and partnered with IUSA (CDMA) in Mexico.  Now that IUSA was bought out by ATT, IUSA is going to a GSM system.  Verizon has given me a new dumb phone that has a brand new Verizon SIM so that it will continue to work in Mexico.

I would like to get a smart phone that will work with 2 sim chips, one a TelCel chip and one Verizon chip.  Have any of you had any experiences with these type of phones?

I have never heard of a 2 sim smart phone. Who makes them?

They make them.  They are mostly used for global travelers.

http://listado.mercadolibre.com.mx/doble-sim#D[A:doble-sim]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=unlocked+dual+sim+phone&_osacat=9355&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1311.R1.TR5.TRC1.A0.H3.Xunlocked+dual+sim+smartphone.TRS0&_nkw=unlocked+dual+sim+smartphone&ghostText=&_sacat=9355

I believe that it has been illegal in the USA to have a single cell phone have 2 phone numbers.  

It would be nice to be able to use the same phone for my USA Verizon number and my Mexican TelCel number.

CanuckBob wrote:I have never heard of a 2 sim smart phone. Who makes them?

They are on Amazon, etc.  I thought I might bring one next year and give it a try.  Search for
GSM unlocked dual sim phone.

I have used them for a while
I buy them from China
I use a site ChinaPhoneArena to study whats available
I buy through one of his sponsors so I have someone on my side
I use PayPal to pay - only bu putting money onto paypal
There is Credit or Debit Card exposure since Paypal has not card info for me.

I have THL phones now
I'll soon have KingZone and MLasi ones.
quad band GSM and quad band 3G are a minimum.
4G stuff is new on China Phones and offerings are limited.

Not a problem for me. I use WiFi access for most internet access.

Good Luck

If you have an unlocked phone, any sim card should work. We use At&t in the US, when we hit Mexico, we insert our Telmex sim card and are good to go!

I have a dual SIM card phone but have never used the second SIM. Maker is THL out of China, paid $80 including shipping.

Seems to do most of what all the smart phones do. I say "seems to" because I've never had a smart phone before.

I also bought a bluetooth watch to go with it. $35. Seems to do what the iPhone watch does. My impression is that it is more of a "gimmick" than anything else.

However, I did read in the literature that if the watch is coupled to the phone, the watch is accurate to 50/ 1 millionths of a second. I don't know how I ever lived without that feature...........

I posted this question on Mexconnect, and got other interesting responses.  Instead of c/p those posts to this thread, here is the link.  Mexconnect dual sim chip


I have not gone back to that store in Chapala but will next week.

I bought this from amazon for my other half because it was cheap! however even thought I am a confirmed Apple person and this is Android I have to grudgingly say  that this is really rather impressive! Its the same size as the iPhone 6 plus It works with the telcel chip out os the box and works with AT&T from the US chip as well. The camera is excellent. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00LI6ITI0/ref=olp_tab_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

You might want to research this a bit further but it has always been my understanding that a GSM phone cannot be made to work on a CDMA network or a CDMA phone made to work on a GSM network.  Telcel/AT&T/Rogers are GSM networks, IUSA/Verizon/Bell/Telus are CDMA networks. North American frequencies are different than many other countries around the world - that is why a "quad-band" phone is referred to as a "world" phone.

check out the "blu" phone, I have one and it works great with a t-mobile chip and a telcel chip

Playaboy wrote:I have Verizon Wireless and have the grandfathered north america plan.  Verizon uses CDMA technology and partnered with IUSA (CDMA) in Mexico.  Now that IUSA was bought out by ATT, IUSA is going to a GSM system.  Verizon has given me a new dumb phone that has a brand new Verizon SIM so that it will continue to work in Mexico.

I would like to get a smart phone that will work with 2 sim chips, one a TelCel chip and one Verizon chip.  Have any of you had any experiences with these type of phones?

If you have a USA Verizon Wireless grandfathered unlimited data phone then don't give that up... it's very valuable.  Verizon uses CDMA, but all you need is a global phone.  I use an LG G3 which supports both CDMA and all the various GSM LTE bands.  Verizon is different than most other carriers in that their phones are not SIM locked so you don't need to ask them to unlock the device.

So whenever you travel to Mexico or any other country you just change the SIM card, and when you return to the USA you just put your Verizon SIM back in the phone.  Works great, but you have to make sure and get a "global" smartphone on Verizon's network. There are currently three different SIM card sizes. My phone uses a Micro SIM, but if I travel to a country that provides Nano SIM cards I have an adapter. If for some reason I end up with the old large SIM cards I have a SIM cutter that cuts it into a Micro SIM size (the actual connections are the same). 

-Joe

I have been in the States a lot recently.  Tech support with Verizon is not up to speed concerning global phones.

I will still have 2 phones when in the USA but will only need a one phone in Mexico.

I just purchased a used phone off of Craigslist (great price with some extras).  It is a Kata I3S, dual chip GSM.  It sees both my Telcel and Verizon chips.  Telcel registers on the ATT network.  My Verizon sim chip will only work once I am out of the USA.  Next week I will know for sure if things will work.

I returned tonight.  As soon as I turned the phone on at the GDL airport, both chips, Telcel and Verizon, registered on the networks.  Once I got home to the land line, I dialed both numbers and when the  phone rang it showed which number was ringing.

Now I am down to one phone in MX but still need 2 phones when I am in the USA.

Great info ! I've been trying to figure out my next step in possibly using my phone while in MX. Here's what I have. Motorola Moto G (1st Gen) that signed up to Page Plus service NOB using the Verizon CDMA network. I use pay as you go plan which limits to 3G. My phone has two Sim slots with neither currently populated. The phone spec says CDMA 800/1900 - CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. Assuming it is compatible, what service lakeside and where to buy the sim ? Thanks !

Woody, speak with Verizon about getting a one of their new GSM sim cards for your phone. CDMA is being phased out in Mexico.

Okay, Thanks Playaboy.. I'll check into it !

JoeInMO wrote:

Playaboy wrote:I have Verizon Wireless and have the grandfathered north america plan.  Verizon uses CDMA technology and partnered with IUSA (CDMA) in Mexico.  Now that IUSA was bought out by ATT, IUSA is going to a GSM system.  Verizon has given me a new dumb phone that has a brand new Verizon SIM so that it will continue to work in Mexico.

I would like to get a smart phone that will work with 2 sim chips, one a TelCel chip and one Verizon chip.  Have any of you had any experiences with these type of phones?

If you have a USA Verizon Wireless grandfathered unlimited data phone then don't give that up... it's very valuable.  Verizon uses CDMA, but all you need is a global phone.  I use an LG G3 which supports both CDMA and all the various GSM LTE bands.  Verizon is different than most other carriers in that their phones are not SIM locked so you don't need to ask them to unlock the device.


-Joe

So if you have unlimited data, I assume that that still does not cover data in Mexico and you would still pay some kind of roaming charge if using Verizon data in Mexico, right?

Yes you are roaming if out of the USA. I use Banda Ancha for data in MX

tictoc wrote:

JoeInMO wrote:

Playaboy wrote:I have Verizon Wireless and have the grandfathered north america plan.  Verizon uses CDMA technology and partnered with IUSA (CDMA) in Mexico.  Now that IUSA was bought out by ATT, IUSA is going to a GSM system.  Verizon has given me a new dumb phone that has a brand new Verizon SIM so that it will continue to work in Mexico.

I would like to get a smart phone that will work with 2 sim chips, one a TelCel chip and one Verizon chip.  Have any of you had any experiences with these type of phones?

If you have a USA Verizon Wireless grandfathered unlimited data phone then don't give that up... it's very valuable.  Verizon uses CDMA, but all you need is a global phone.  I use an LG G3 which supports both CDMA and all the various GSM LTE bands.  Verizon is different than most other carriers in that their phones are not SIM locked so you don't need to ask them to unlock the device.


-Joe

So if you have unlimited data, I assume that that still does not cover data in Mexico and you would still pay some kind of roaming charge if using Verizon data in Mexico, right?

No, Verizon's Unlimited Data would not work in Mexico, but if your USA Verizon phone number is not that important to you and you don't need Unlimited Data you can sell your plan on eBay for about $500 or more.

As for phones... all you need is a global phone that works on any network. Just pop in the appropriate SIM and you're good to go.

I have no idea who offers the best data package for a smartphone in Mexico, but I will need to investigate that soon.

Thanks,
-Joe

I just purchased a global unlocked phone off ebay this past weekend since the phone I carry NOB is CDMA ONLY.  I went with a new Blu Studio 5.0 C for about $75US. I was going to wait until we got lakeside to buy a Sim for pay-as-go but since we will be driving down this time I'm thinking about buying a SIM from Vincent at http://www.mexicosimcard.com/. That way we will have service soon as we cross. My plan is to either refill that SIM lakeside later or buy another SIM local when first one expires. Depends if Vincent can provide a SIM with a MX number local to lakeside exchange which is what I prefer.

Woody wrote:Depends if Vincent can provide a SIM with a MX number local to lakeside exchange which is what I prefer.

There are no cell numbers with a local lakeside exchange. They are all Guadalajara numbers.
That said, long distance calling is free in Mexico.

Zenwoodle : Thanks for that clarification. I'll ask Vince for a Guad number. Just didn't want it to be Cozumel, Acapulco, or something other than Lakeside. Probably moot since, as you say, all LD is free in MX.

Woody, I was looking at those Blu phones. Did you get a single or dual sim model?

Playaboy : The model I purchased is dual Sim and I believe most of the Blu models are as well. Blu makes a ton of different models and it's a bit difficult to determine all the differences among them. I've not seen a comparison chart but basically, it's a choice of screen size, display resolution, dual or quad processor, and how much ram memory.  I settled for Blu Studio 5.0 C as it had good reviews/features and fit my budget. I did call Blu customer service and found them to be very helpful answering my questions. Fingers crossed that all works as planned ! Good luck to you.

http://bluproducts.com/images/studio50c/STUDIO5.0CSGENG.pdf

http://bluproducts.com/index.php/android-phones#