Database Users

XDA II Roaming in the US

I have a strange problem!
I have an O2 XDA II, (unlocked), original ROM (1.03 USA), which I'm using with a UK Vodafone SIM. This works fine in the UK, however I am currently in the US trying to roam, without any luck. The automatic network selection does not connect to any network. Using manual network selection, I can select the T-mobile network, which it connects to, with good signal strength, but if I try to make or receive a call it does not work. It also loses the connection altogether after a few minutes. (This SIM works fine in the US in my Motorola tri-band phone). However, if I use my wife's US T-mobile SIM in the XDA II instead of mine, it works fine!
Any ideas?? All help would be gratefully appreciated!
Paul

phone networks must have agreements to let users roam

Vodafone certainly have a roming agreement with T-mobile in the US - I've been using this SIM in a triband phone in the US for years.
Paul

well are you talking about roaming of grps ?
because there are not as many agreements when it comes to grps as there is when it comes to std phone

No, just roaming GSM voice!
Paul

handbook?

Hi Folks
Does anyone have a soft copy of the handbook for the Universal they could post or mail me? Love to have a read.
Also, for the 3G calling, does it use a sim or usim?
cheer
Brett

mavrik64 said:
Hi Folks
Does anyone have a soft copy of the handbook for the Universal they could post or mail me? Love to have a read.
Also, for the 3G calling, does it use a sim or usim?
cheer
Brett
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3G traffic (be it data or video) always require a USIM. If you don't have any, you cannot get onto the 3G network. I'm actually having this issue, as I travel to the UK a lot, where T-mobile has a live 3G network. As I do not have a USIM (since T-Mobile NL doesn't offer 3G yet), I cannot roam onto their 3G network, only onto GPRS...
Bugger...

My operator (Telenor in Norway) enables the customers to use their OLD SIM cards and still have full 3G access!
My SIM card is from 2004, but customers may use cards that go back to July 2000 on the 3G network..
There has been some Over The Air updates, but these might be for something else..
The user only gets a SMS saying: "You SIM card has been updated, please reboot your phone."
So we can use the same SIM on a new and old phone, 3G or no 3G...

http://www.manuals.t-mobile.co.uk/start.asp?manual=1217
Not 100% what you're after, but hope that helps.

stamppot said:
3G traffic (be it data or video) always require a USIM. If you don't have any, you cannot get onto the 3G network. I'm actually having this issue, as I travel to the UK a lot, where T-mobile has a live 3G network. As I do not have a USIM (since T-Mobile NL doesn't offer 3G yet), I cannot roam onto their 3G network, only onto GPRS...
Bugger...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm using a 4-year-old T-Mobile SIM in my JasJar, and I'm getting 3G access with absolutely no problems...
I didn't think there was such a thing as a USIM exactly? I got the impression that a "USIM" was just a normal 3v SIM card which has been enabled for use on the UMTS network. And that's done by pressing a button at T-Mobile 'Command Centre'...
'3' here in the UK make a big deal about USIM cards, and how you have to have one to use a 3G phone, but that only seems to apply to their handsets, because they put about 800 billion security locks on each of them. In my experience, Vodafone and T-Mobile don't require you to upgrade the actual SIM card at all, and I assume that Orange and O2 are the same.

sub69 said:
Well, I'm using a 4-year-old T-Mobile SIM in my JasJar, and I'm getting 3G access with absolutely no problems...
I didn't think there was such a thing as a USIM exactly? I got the impression that a "USIM" was just a normal 3v SIM card which has been enabled for use on the UMTS network. And that's done by pressing a button at T-Mobile 'Command Centre'...
'3' here in the UK make a big deal about USIM cards, and how you have to have one to use a 3G phone, but that only seems to apply to their handsets, because they put about 800 billion security locks on each of them. In my experience, Vodafone and T-Mobile don't require you to upgrade the actual SIM card at all, and I assume that Orange and O2 are the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, you learn something new every day... It could be that one can indeed update the SIM to a USIM with a OTA update, I just hadn't heard about that before. I might put in a phonecall to T-Mobile...
Thanks for the heads-up!

I'd better just point out that my last post was entirely guesswork on my part, based on the fact that my old T-Mobile SIM, and my sister's (3-year?)old Vodafone SIM both work perfectly in 3G devices.
In my case, I never even told T-Mobile that I'd bought a 3G phone, the SIM just worked on 3G from the second I put it in, so no OTA upgrade needed? (Of course, maybe they gave us UK customer's an upgrade one night without telling us?!)
My sister got an official Vodafone upgrade to a 3G phone, so they may have done an OTA thingy at the time, but the actual physical card is the same...

3G on O2 Exec

So my new Exec turned up today, along with a new SIM card, marked 3G.
Do I need to use this card?
My current SIM works fine in it, but Im wondering if I need to put in the new one, call Cust Services and have it enabled, or can I get the 3G service on my existing SIM?

Depends , the 3G card will allow faster internet connection- if in service area
if in stand gprs area , you get a G at top of screen
if in 3G area you get a U

Does that mean I have to use and register the 3G SIM? As far as I was aware, the SIM doesnt actually provide any functionality - its the service class your contract has?

@CPGOD
3G and GSM SIMs are different. Only with a 3G SIM can you use UMTS (3G services). Please check with O2, they may be transferring your number to the new SIM from the old - which would be a good thing if you want fast data download (max speed around 384kbps)

not true, my voda sim of over two years is now 3G enabled...

@twaddle, you're right it is possible to have a SIM that is GSM and UMTS. Did a bit of research and found SIM cards can function in GSM and UMTS modes. This has not been true for "3" network, however.

I'm not really sure the old SIM can be used to received 3G, I've just upgraded and got my old number transfer to the 3G sim, it works after a few hours. If the old one worked then why would they bother giving out the new sim?

3G Signal when using regular SIM card

I just unlocked my SPV-M5000 and replaced the orange 3G sim with a regular Vodafone SIM. Much to my surprise the phone after a few minutes of being on the regular 2G network picked up the UTMS network from Vodafone (the provider name changed and the gprs symbol changed from G to U).
The coverage was only 2 bars and I could not make calls on it anyway, so I changed my network settings from auto to GSM and now only the 2G network is found. I was wondering how this could have happen when using a regular non 3G sim in the first place.
I think the best thing is to get a 3G sim anyway from Vodafone. Is this something that vodafone would normally do. I would keep the same number etc of course, I just want a 3G sim instead of a 2G one.
Thnaks

I am running an O2 XDA Exec and a Sony Eric 750i.
Have asked O2 to send me a 3G compatable card for the Exec which presumably will be the same number, not sure if this will automatically invalidate the original Sim or if this can continue to be run in my SE?
Any ideas?

Vodafone does not provide any seperate 3G sims. they just provide SIM cards and depending on the phone they are in they pick up the signal.
The o2 3G sims work in all phones......3G or not so I don't think they are any different. They could be.
But as far as Vodafone is concerned, they donot provide seperate SIMs for 3G/2.5G.

There is no such thing as a 3G SIM.
The clever stuff is done by your phone.

Voda and O2 do it differently.
With Voda, any sim will do.
With O2 you need a 3G sim, which are different to a standard 2G sim. I believe this has something to do with enhanced security. Either type of sim will work in a 2G or 3G phone, but of course you can only get a 3G signal with a 3G sim and 3G phone.

3G network for O2 Mini?

Hi,
I'm just wondering if the 3g network/simcard will work on the O2 Mini?
This network is in Australia, so for those in Australia knows please let me know.
Cheers

im not sure, i dont think itl work cause the 3G simcards use a different voltage or something, you can use normal sims in some 3G phones but not the other way round...

3g
I have Orange USIM (3G) sim card and its workinhg on Magician without any problem

Some 2G SIM cards can also be used to access 3G networks and 3G services(these type of sim cards is sometimes used, for example in 3 Hong Kong). Some 3G SIM cards (like the ones they have on 3 Australia) are just 3G sim cards, meaning they wont work on 2G phones.

3G needs a special technology which is not available in mini' hardware. Mini users have to just stop with what we already have as they wont even release a WM5 i think so.
However to use 3G effectively you need a cam in the display's front!
www.cartystudios.com

Re: 3g
nedam said:
I have Orange USIM (3G) sim card and its workinhg on Magician without any problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to download at 3G speed? Pointless having a 3G simcard if you can't go faster than GPRS.

If a phone doesn't support UMTS then you won't get a faster speed than GPRS (or EDGE) no matter what sim you put in it.