Editing GSM frequency bands (section)

== Multi-band and multi-mode phones ==
Today, most telephones support multiple bands as used in different countries to facilitate [[roaming]]. These are typically referred to as multi-band phones. Dual-band phones can cover GSM networks in pairs such as 900 and 1800&nbsp;MHz frequencies (Europe, Asia, Australia and Brazil) or 850 and 1900 (North America and Brazil). European tri-band phones typically cover the 900, 1800 and 1900 bands giving good coverage in Europe and allowing limited use in North America, while North American tri-band phones utilize 850, 1800 and 1900 for widespread North American service but limited worldwide use. A new addition has been the quad-band phone, also known as a World Phone,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.cellhire.com/products/international/cell-phone/international |title = International Cell Phones |access-date = 3 September 2013 |publisher = Cellhire |archive-date = 4 March 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304020052/http://www.cellhire.com/products/international/cell-phone/international |url-status = dead }}</ref> supporting at least all four major GSM bands, allowing for global use (excluding non-GSM countries such as Japan, South Korea and as well countries where 2G system was shut down to release frequencies and spectrum for LTE networks like Australia (since 2017), Singapore and Taiwan (since 2018).

There are also multi-mode phones which can operate on GSM as well as on other mobile phone systems using other technical standards or proprietary technologies. Often these phones use multiple frequency bands as well. For example, one version of the Nokia 6340i [[GAIT (wireless)|GAIT]] phone sold in North America can operate on GSM-1900, GSM-850 and legacy [[Digital AMPS|TDMA]]-1900, TDMA-800, and [[Advanced Mobile Phone System|AMPS]]-800, making it both multi-mode and multi-band. As a more recent example the Apple [[iPhone 5]] and [[iPhone 4S]] support quad-band GSM at 850/900/1800/1900&nbsp;MHz, quad-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA at 850/900/1900/2100&nbsp;MHz, and dual-band [[CDMA2000|CDMA]] [[Evolution-Data Optimized|EV-DO]] Rev. An at 800/1900&nbsp;MHz, for a total of 'six' different frequencies (though at most four in a single mode). This allows the same handset to be sold for [[AT&T Mobility]], [[Verizon Wireless|Verizon]], and [[Sprint Corporation|Sprint]] in the U.S. as well as a broad range of GSM carriers worldwide such as [[Vodafone]], [[Orange S.A.|Orange]] and [[T-Mobile International AG|T-Mobile]] (Excluding-US), many of whom offer official unlocking.