Albania and Cellular Freedom
As soon as we got off the plane a week ago and went through customs, there was a Vodafone store. Immediately, I took Schofield to it and we both got SIM cards and a 30-day phone plan.
See when I was in China and Japan two summers ago, I was surprised to see that you could go into any corner store and get a SIM card. Outside of the United States, all phones are unlocked. But in the United States, we have succumbed to cellular feudalism.
You want to use AT&T, probably will have to get an iPhone.
Want a Google Pixel phone, you must sign-up for Verizon.
Want to afford your phone? Then you sign a year or 2-year contract to get a good deal. We sign these contracts and buy these devices and give our loyalty to these corporations. But is it the best way?
I specifically bought an unlocked phone before I left; I made sure that it was GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) frequency because GSM is the frequency used in Europe, Middle East, Asia (except for Japan and S. Korea), and Oceania. But when I got to the store, Orlando (the tech) apologized over and over again. I bought 5G but he could only make 2G work on my phone. I found out later that my phone is only 2G capable, which is unheard of in Albania.
So why the difference?
Since every phone uses GSM frequency here, they are all unlocked. After you buy a phone, you can go to any carrier. Don't like Vodafone? Then use Eagle. Or Plum. Just pop into a store, buy a SIM card, and choose your data and cellular plan. You can go month by month.
And that is why Albania - one of the poorest countries in the Balkans - can boast of 5G networks: Free market competition. Knowing that any of their customers can leave at any time makes each company strive to give you the best deal and the best service. Like I wrote in my first post, I bought a 30-day plan with unlimited 5G and 400 talk minutes for $10.
Then in the US, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint have just started testing 5G networks. They aren't even on the market.
Why? Because each cell carrier got to create their own standards and thus are highly incompatible. Americans are locked into cellular feudalism wherein we give our loyalty and money to our carriers and hope they provide the necessary service. Even the pay as you go plans are hooked up with major carriers. What would it be like if we could come and go as we please from these plans? Could we lead the world in cellular service?
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| One of MANY Vodafone stores in Albania |
You want to use AT&T, probably will have to get an iPhone.
Want a Google Pixel phone, you must sign-up for Verizon.
Want to afford your phone? Then you sign a year or 2-year contract to get a good deal. We sign these contracts and buy these devices and give our loyalty to these corporations. But is it the best way?
I specifically bought an unlocked phone before I left; I made sure that it was GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) frequency because GSM is the frequency used in Europe, Middle East, Asia (except for Japan and S. Korea), and Oceania. But when I got to the store, Orlando (the tech) apologized over and over again. I bought 5G but he could only make 2G work on my phone. I found out later that my phone is only 2G capable, which is unheard of in Albania.
So why the difference?
Since every phone uses GSM frequency here, they are all unlocked. After you buy a phone, you can go to any carrier. Don't like Vodafone? Then use Eagle. Or Plum. Just pop into a store, buy a SIM card, and choose your data and cellular plan. You can go month by month.
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| Sign at the Albanian Post Office where you can purchase plans |
And that is why Albania - one of the poorest countries in the Balkans - can boast of 5G networks: Free market competition. Knowing that any of their customers can leave at any time makes each company strive to give you the best deal and the best service. Like I wrote in my first post, I bought a 30-day plan with unlimited 5G and 400 talk minutes for $10.
Then in the US, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint have just started testing 5G networks. They aren't even on the market.
Why? Because each cell carrier got to create their own standards and thus are highly incompatible. Americans are locked into cellular feudalism wherein we give our loyalty and money to our carriers and hope they provide the necessary service. Even the pay as you go plans are hooked up with major carriers. What would it be like if we could come and go as we please from these plans? Could we lead the world in cellular service?
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| ALBania's own telecom company |
I've been seeing more and more about this. I'm also intrigued and worried about our latest issue with net neutrality. Commercialism has truly taken over our country.
ReplyDeleteI lived in France for four years, and at the time I left, it was free to call the US and have unlimited data, voice, and texts for 20Euros (about $30 at the time) per month. Now I am paying about $60 for sub-par service in the US. I also wonder what effects being forced to buy "Unlimited" plans in the US does to our consumption of screen time (and the suffering relationships and sleep that come with it). The options are definitely more diverse in every other country I have visited, making cell phone access more equitable and customizeable.
ReplyDelete