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Do some research before you start spouting crap:
http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/network.php?cid=88&cname=Canada

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the next step from 3G/WCDMA & HSPA for many already on the GSM technology curve but also for others too, such as CDMA operators. This new radio access technology will be optimized to deliver very fast data speeds of up to 100Mb/s downlink and 50Mb/s uplink (peak rates).

Designed to be backwards-compatible with GSM and HSPA, LTE incorporates Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO) in combination with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) in the downlink and Single Carrier FDMA in the uplink to provide high levels of spectral efficiency and end user data rates exceeding 100 Mbps, coupled with major improvements in capacity and reductions in latency. LTE will support channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz and both FDD and TDD operation.

Although both LTE and WiMAX use the OFDMA air interface, LTE has the advantage of being backwards compatible with existing GSM and HSPA networks, enabling mobile operators deploying LTE to continue to provide a seamless service across LTE and existing deployed networks.

http://www.gsm.org/technology/lte.htm

You have no clue what LTE is and I suspect that you are a shill for Verizon trying to hide the fact that they should have gone with HSPA+ first before going to LTE so that they could have a fall back mode similar to how Edge is a fallback mode from HSPA.

Buy a 4-band GSM phone. That kind of phone has the most flexibility and can be used in 219 countries. References:

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)
GSM World

The GSM system uses different 4 bands. A phone that can use any of them is the most flexible.

When you get where you're going, go to a marketplace and buy a SIM card. That gives you a local number. If you meet someone you want to communicate with later, you will have a local number to give him or her. If you plan to communicate with the person after you leave, don't forget to exchange email addresses, because you will use a different SIM card in a different city, usually, and have a different number.

SIM, Subscriber Identity Module

Doesn't "Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory" mean that they have to offer the same terms to Apple that they would offer to Motorola, HTC, et al?

The requirement for RAND terms applies only to members of the GSMA. Apple is not a member, initially because it saw no need to become one twenty years ago, and more recently perhaps because membership would require it to grant RAND terms on some of its own patents to the other members of GSMA. Hint: GSMA membership includes Ericsson, HTC, Intel, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, Samsung, and many others, but not Apple or Motorola.

Depends on what you mean by 'unknown'.

Unknown to the carrier is a no-brainer, they must be able to admit imported phones on their network (unless they sell only sim-locked contracts and allow no inbound roaming).
I believe (haven't checked fully) that IMEIs for all GSM phones need to be registered with a central database before they're released into circulation at all.

Depending on strictness, unregistered devices may not be allowed on the network at all (India) or be very restricted in available features.

err - believe it, here's Norway. Sweden is not so hot, but still good. Finland is very good, too.

err - believe it, here's Norway. Sweden is not so hot, but still good. Finland is very good, too.

err - believe it, here's Norway. Sweden is not so hot, but still good. Finland is very good, too.

1. In USA there are 4-5 competing standards: that means that if you switch provider, you likely have to change your phone - anywhere else (curiously, except in Japan) there is GSM.
   In EU each country had its own standard so when you had to travel, your phone did not work anymore (I remember still in 1992 using an analog phone while sailing... nice, except when you reached another coast of the Mediterranean, you had no coverage anymore) . Since mobile phones are obviously useful when traveling, in 1987, GSM standard was defined and cellphone providers never looked back. BY 1993 it began to be implemented.
2. Anywhere else, except in the USA, you don't pay to receive calls - you don't have to choose a monthly-fee-based plan if you don't want to, and prepaid cards have similar cost to plans (and expire in 1 year, not in 1 month!). In brief, you pay only what you use!
3. In the USA you have to subscribe to a plan for a year, and if you unsubscribe, you pay huge penalties.

In any other market, similar threatening conditions would not be tolerated:

• would you agree to have your home phone service subject to a 1-yr min. contract, effectively preventing you from switching providers?
• would you like to have a TV market where you have to buy an new TV set (with a different video standard) if you move from NY to LA?
• would you like to have to pay for incoming long-distance phone calls at home?

With such conditions, it's not strange that the cellular phone market is in such a bad shape. It's surprising it's not in a worse one!

Then, although you can get tri-band GSM phones that work in the U.S., Europe, or most of Asia with just a change of SIM card; these GSM phones don't work in Japan!

They don't require a change of SIM card; I can use my phone and card on any network that has a roaming arrangement with my provider once I've arranged that with them. Looking at the network operators listing, I don't see any entry for Japan, so I don't believe the current version of GSM is used there at all. They say that tri-band phones cover all current GSM networks.

So I bought another Sprint PCS dual band phone. :(

PCS is GSM on a 1900MHz band. So there is no such thing as "PCS dual band". There might be phones that can do PCS and some analogue standard, of course.

Then, although you can get tri-band GSM phones that work in the U.S., Europe, or most of Asia with just a change of SIM card; these GSM phones don't work in Japan!

They don't require a change of SIM card; I can use my phone and card on any network that has a roaming arrangement with my provider once I've arranged that with them. Looking at the network operators listing, I don't see any entry for Japan, so I don't believe the current version of GSM is used there at all. They say that tri-band phones cover all current GSM networks.

So I bought another Sprint PCS dual band phone. :(

PCS is GSM on a 1900MHz band. So there is no such thing as "PCS dual band". There might be phones that can do PCS and some analogue standard, of course.