I know this issue is partly addressed in a thread on not being able to connect to a network after unlock but I just want to share my own experience and disappointment with the G2 after going to Guatemala.
I have rooted my G2 using Visionary and am running Enomther's ROM pre-the Dec 24 update. Not using any other kernels or anything, but the phone is unlocked for use overseas with other SIMs.
Before I went to Guate I realized that I would be unable to get 3G given the bands used in Guatemala are different from what the G2 is capable of (I think Band I and IV). Fine.
However, I went down there and wanted to do some data roaming before I had a chance to get a local SIM card and I kept getting the message "SIM card not registered to this network". I tried all three carriers in Guatemala to no avail.
When I went to get a SIM card from a local carrier it took a lot of effort on their part to get my phone connected to the internet but eventually I was able to score Edge service with one of the carriers down there. Being Guatemala I don't know if this process was difficult due to the way data plans work down there (prepaid) or if there was something specific with the G2 that prevented it from connecting to the network.
But my overall question is why I was not able to roam with the G2 overseas. Clearly the phone worked fine once I put a local SIM card in but the fact that I was totally unable to roam with the G2 using my US T-Mobile SIM card was very disappointing and has me thinking of reactivating my iPhone, which has never had any issue using it overseas, including Guatemala.
Is this a G2 issue or T-Mobile?
You have to enable international roaming with T-Mobile, I discovered that during a trip to Ukraine. Once I did that my subsequent trips I was able to roam but not very well. The easiest and cheapest thing to do was to use a foreign sim for my purposes.
You have to call tmobile and they will give you the unlock code most of the time. Tell then you are going for business or something like that.
Most likely your data and calling bands will work on edge. But your 3g and wannabe 4g will not work.
Circledog said:
You have to enable international roaming with T-Mobile, I discovered that during a trip to Ukraine. Once I did that my subsequent trips I was able to roam but not very well. The easiest and cheapest thing to do was to use a foreign sim for my purposes.
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Woah, weird. I lived in ukraine for 3 years. And yes buying a ukrainian sim card will cost you about 5-10 dollars a month for a crap load of text messages. UMC is best for ukraine imo.
Completely off topic but how did you like living in Ukraine? I would love to live there for awhile. We adopted a little girl from there and then later another from Moscow, I loved Moscow but Russia was so much more expensive than Ukraine was.
Back on topic sort of. I didn't have a smart phone in Ukraine so I didnt use data, but in Moscow I was able to get 3G coverage with my G2. I had Tmobile international roaming enabled on my phone, but my sim would not register on any networks there, I had to pick up a Russian Beeline sim and then was good to go!
From what I understood about mhz bands and services. There are four total most used bands in the entire world 850 900 1800 and 1900. Us in america use two (one under a thousand and one over) and europe uses the opposite ones. So only up until tri and quad band phones started getting much cheaper (probably about 5 years ago) did phone start working in different countrys. Its only smarter honestly, then a company would only need to make on phone for the world. Then they would be losing out on multiple purchases ofc haha.
Google mobile mhz bands. I don't know everything, but I read quite a bit about this maybe 3 years ago when I bought a tri band nokia.
Ukraine, I was there for 2 years for my church. Became fluent in russian. Then went back to date a girl I met while I was there. After that she came twice for 6 month increments on a visitor visa and we got married at the end of the second. Been happily married for almost 2.5 years now.
Bring on the mail order bride jokes, I've heard them all. We r both young, planning on buying a house this year since the economy has really brought those prices down haha. Sorry for the spam! But hopefully your questions are answered.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Thanks for the responses. I will give T-Mobile a call ahead of my next trip overseas. Just odd that a company with such wide global coverage has no international data roaming plans and makes it a pain the keester to get roaming.
They actually do have international data roaming ($15/MB). The key is that you have to have already added international roaming to your account (it's free to add). Then if you have a data plan in the US, they will allow you to have data while roaming. I think US carriers require you to actively enable international roaming instead of enabling it by default due to the potentially high number of complaints about billing charges (e.g., people using their phones internationally without being aware there will be a higher rate). This way, they can state you were properly warned since you have to contact them first.
Related
Hello,
I just booked a gig for two weeks in Rome (Italy not Georgia) and I was looking for suggestions on the best way to use my Vibrant while outside of the US. My phone is sock, not rooted.
Should I try to unlock it with the process detailed on this forum last week and buy an Italian SIM card? If so, will data work over there (email is important)?
Should I call TMobile and let them know I'm traveling abroad and see if they have a temporary Intl plan?
Sorry for such a basic question, I've just read so many stories of people coming back from trips with their smartphones and getting a $4,000 bill from their wireless company.
Any information/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
NSR
I travel outside the US quite a lot, and unfortunately that's about to increase significantly for me (though most of my trepidation is related to the god-awful airlines and hours of dealing with the bad joke that passes for airport security).
Bottom line: unlock it and get a SIM card that works at your destination (probably pre-paid).
It can be difficult to find these with a data plan that is any good. Plan to spend a lot of time doing a lot of research. It probably won't be cheap. Also, spend some time to understand exactly how much data you actually use, and decide whether that is likely to increase or decrease while you're traveling, and be realistic about it. In some places I've found it's cheaper and easier to rent an entire phone that has a data plan, then just yank the SIM while I'm traveling. Be sure you understand the different types of networks and bands, not all countries are playing by the same rules. (Some parts of Eastern Europe can be downright dismal.)
Under no circumstances do you want to use your phone with your US carrier's international roaming. I bought my G1 shortly before a two week trip to Tokyo, and after a great deal of time on the phone with T-Mobile and a lot of thinking about how I use my device -- and I'm probably just a mid-level data consumer -- I calculated data roaming would cost me about $550 per week. Add my wife to the mix and we were looking at a roughly $2200 bill just for frigging data. I could almost double the length of my trip for that much.
Europe isn't quite that rough, but it's still indefensibly expensive. (Not relevant to you, but worst of all, Japan flat out sucks for mobile phone use by foreign visitors and even visa holders. Which seems pretty ironic.)
International data roaming plans are one of the biggest scams the carriers have going today. "Gouging" is too polite a word for the crap they pull to shoot you a simple wireless signal. Though I gather most of the blame lies with the foreign carriers (and maybe the reverse is true when traveling in the US, I wouldn't know). In any case: Tread carefully.
^^^^ I agree.
I am in the same process right now but researching travel to UK. I definitely plan on unlocking and getting a UK sim. Some UK pay as you go plans offer 50MB/day for reasonable rates. Europe providers can say "unlimited data" but check their fair usage policies, unlimited is anything but.
When I traveled to Europe last spring, I bought a pre-paid Vodafone SIM card for like 25 Euros in Germany (with some pre-paid minutes), popped it in my unlocked phone, and went with it through Germany, Belgium, France and Eastern Europe. All incoming calls are free, all calls to Vodafone customers (all my friends in Europe are on Vodafone) are free. The data was included.
When I traveled to my home country in Eastern Europe I used local providers pre-paid SIM's - again all incoming calls are free, in carrier calls are free, I don't think I had data though.
Be careful to set your phone to not run data when roaming! I forgot to with my G1 and when in Taiwan I turned on my phone to get to the data menu and turn it off. That costs me $6 in data in 20 seconds!
I just did this for the Netherlands. Get Tmo to unlock the SIM, and get a SIM card with data. I didn't have data and I wish I did so I could have used it for maps. Calls were easy though.
Also, definitely turn off data roaming as a setting or you will get hosed.
One option for data use I found to be satisfactory was free hotspots. If your out and about frequently, many cafes, malls and pubs have fre hotspots. Make sure you turn data roaming off, however.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
MV10 said:
(Not relevant to you, but worst of all, Japan flat out sucks for mobile phone use by foreign visitors and even visa holders. Which seems pretty ironic.)
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I can't agree there. Not that this is directly related to the topic, but every phone or SIM I've rented in Japan came with %100 free incoming calls from any location (which is all I ever needed) and relatively unlimited data options.
title sums it up really. im going to america for about 4 months and wondered if my UK HTC HD2 will work over there. im currently on t-mobile in the UK, but the phone is unlocked. im going to be travelling around a bit, but a bulk of my time will be in new york/new jersey area.
if not any advice on a handset that does work? id like to keep people updated with my trip so twitter/facbook access is important.
any advice on what network and what plan to go for? to be honest the first 3 months i will probably pick a pay as you go sim, as i will be working and will have access to twitter/facebook and a phone provided. it is the last month that i will be travelling around and is when data access will be important.
matthewharmon102 said:
title sums it up really. im going to america for about 4 months and wondered if my UK HTC HD2 will work over there. im currently on t-mobile in the UK, but the phone is unlocked. im going to be travelling around a bit, but a bulk of my time will be in new york/new jersey area.
if not any advice on a handset that does work? id like to keep people updated with my trip so twitter/facbook access is important.
any advice on what network and what plan to go for? to be honest the first 3 months i will probably pick a pay as you go sim, as i will be working and will have access to twitter/facebook and a phone provided. it is the last month that i will be travelling around and is when data access will be important.
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Hi,
I am a UK vodafone Hd2 user.
I travel with work to the US, including NY, 1 week every month and get a reasonable service. The main issue is that Edge is the best service you will get.
I do not swap SIM's but use roaming, 1 week is not too bad with data and call roaming packages but expensive for full time.
All other functions work fine including GPS
waspsl said:
Hi,
The main issue is that Edge is the best service you will get.
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Click to collapse
You mean you cannot 3G in US? Is it because UK phones don't operate on the 3G bands in US, or because your operator does not have 3G roaming in US?
thanks for the advice. im with t-mobile so il have to look at their roaming packages. im mainly based in new jersey/pennsylavania areas, can anyone reccommend a network with a good reception? im going to call t-mobile a bit nearer the time and see what they can do, maybe they can transfer me to a US plan? the main thing i wanted to know is am i better of buying a phone when i am out there, buying one in the UK that is unlocked and says USA compatable (quad band i think?) or should i stick to my HD2?
I travel extensively with my phones and my recent month long trip through Europe with my FOCUS brought to the forefront the at&t FOCUS' shortcoming. The fact that it is locked to the at&t network and at&t data and voice roaming rates are AWFUL! So my question to all of the experts on this site is this.
What is the best way to travel with the Samsung Focus, purchased through at&t?
I am willing to purchase a subsidy unlock. But even with an unlocked phone, is there a great international travel GSM commercially available.
I have a friend who has used this with their IPhone, however, it does not look as flexible as I would like for short notice travel. It does appear that it would work with a Focus, locked or otherwise.
http://www.iphonetrip.com/
What are your thoughts? How do I travel with my Focus? Data is my priority, but occasional voice access would be nice as well.
Unlock your Focus and buy a local prepaid SIM card. Prices vary a lot depending on which country you go. But it will be always cheaper than pay AT&T roaming fee.
Focus is not any different than any other phones. All US carrier phones are locked. The only thing with Focus is you have to purchase 3rd party unlock code.
I had a short trip to China recently. I bought a local SIM card for about $15 that comes with 100 SMS/MMS and 50MB of data per month as well as voice minutes PPU. After a week, I used up the 50MB of data and half dozen SMS but the card still has about $10 of value left. These prepaid card typically expire if you don't use it within 3 months.
Thanks Foxbat. That has always been my default option, obviously the only thing making the Focus more difficult is at&t's unwillingness to unlock the phone (They unlocked WM's no problem) requiring the third party unlock.
What I am looking for though is a solid data roaming provider, similar to the IPhone travel with cheap data rates no matter which country I am in.
I would be willing to pre purchase local SIM cards, however, I really cannot arrive in country and take the 45 minutes to go hit a local market or news kiosk and shop for SIM cards. (I have done this in the past). I often hit a half dozen countries on a trip and would like to use as few SIM cards as possible. Also, when traveling through some of these countries I need to not be locked into the one service provider of the SIM card. Tall order I know, but I am just wondering what options are out there.
Basically, I am polling this group of experts on a more 2011 solution to this problem instead of me defaulting to my tried and true 1997 Erickson GSM phone on PacBell solution.
I see. There is place in US you can rent a mifi device (personal wi-fi hotspot using cell data connection) with international data preloaded. You pay a fixed fee and can use as much data as possible within the paid period. I don't remember the name of the business but you can search for it. This way, you get the data conenction covered but still have to pay AT&T for voice roaming and you don't have to unlock your phone.
EDIT: here is the Engadget review of this service http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/01/xcom-global-international-mifi-data-rental-service-review/
Paolo01 said:
I travel extensively with my phones and my recent month long trip through Europe with my FOCUS brought to the forefront the at&t FOCUS' shortcoming. The fact that it is locked to the at&t network and at&t data and voice roaming rates are AWFUL! So my question to all of the experts on this site is this.
What is the best way to travel with the Samsung Focus, purchased through at&t?
I am willing to purchase a subsidy unlock. But even with an unlocked phone, is there a great international travel GSM commercially available.
I have a friend who has used this with their IPhone, however, it does not look as flexible as I would like for short notice travel. It does appear that it would work with a Focus, locked or otherwise.
http://www.iphonetrip.com/
What are your thoughts? How do I travel with my Focus? Data is my priority, but occasional voice access would be nice as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've traveled through Europe a few times, and would recommend Vodafone as your GSM provider in Europe provided you have your phone unlocked.
I used Vodafone SIM bought in Germany in most of the Eastern Europe.
Good luck.
So I'm from Belgium, Europe but am going to study at Northwest Missouri State University from January till the end of April, but of course I need a mobile provider while I'm there, but since I know **** about the carriers in the USA, and well, websites of the carriers don't always mention everything, I'm just asking you guys, which mobile provider and/or plan should I take for those 5 months?
I don't care if it's prepaid or a contract or whatever, as long as it stops after 5 months.
I've got a HTC Sensation, so would like some data with that.
Thanks in advance for responding!
then ur only choices here in the USA is T-Mobile or At&t. If u like to pay more u can go to att and can get 3G data due to the tmobile us frequency is 1700 so you may only get EDGE speed. But with tmobile prepaid cost $50 a month for unlimited talk text and data (i believe 2GB).
your not going to be able to get contact cuz u need a SS# and credit.
t-mobile is great since its parent company its t-mobile deucthe telcom
Sprint, never had a problem
A: Verizon
Sent from my Dinc2
He needs a carrier that uses GSM. Verizon and Sprint are not the droid your looking for.
It doesn't matter if it uses gsm or wcdma i bought my sensation on ebay from usa, it was branded and stuff, so i think it would work with any provider in usa.
You won't actually be able to use Verizon or Sprint with the Sensation because CDMA technology requires completely different radios. To be able to use either standard, your phone would have to be a (what CDMA providers in America call) "world phone", like the iPhone 4S or the Motorola Photon.
Since you already have a phone, you could do either a T-Mobile value plan or a Simple Mobile unlimited plan. Both run on T-Mobile's network, so the coverage should be exactly the same. T-Mobile isn't the absolute best carrier, so I'd check coverage in the area that you'll be spending the most time in. However, T-Mobile's 4G and 3G speeds are pretty good, and better than AT&T (the only major GSM alternative) in most places. I have no idea how (or even if they offer them) AT&T's SIM card-only plans work.
Thanks, I search some more and found this page:
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans
So the unlimited web & text with 100 minutes talk $30 plan would be perfect?
Even though I feel they are the better carrier, AT&T likely wouldn't be a viable option as their prepaid plans do not support smartphone as well as the others.
Postpaid could be an option, but they would likely want a cash deposit since you lack a social and credit history.
yes but NOTICE AFTER 2G tmo slows your data but ur school must have wifi networks built in so that wouldn't really be a problem and u can enable wifi calling at the store (free calls) or use google voice to call
xtrem88 said:
yes but NOTICE AFTER 2G tmo slows your data but ur school must have wifi networks built in so that wouldn't really be a problem and u can enable wifi calling at the store (free calls) or use google voice to call
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WiFi calling still uses plan minutes.
I'll probably call with skype, so that isn't a problem, I've also noticed on the tmo site that tmo has a fast mobile connection at northwest missouri state university, is this 3g?
Its 4g 21 or 42 mbps
Sent from my SGH-T839 using XDA App
Hi guys,
I will be moving to the US (Chicago) next month and I have a few questions for my good Defy friends:
- Will I be able to use my unlocked Defy in the US with 3G speeds and/or HSDPA speeds?
- Is there a carrier that will let me use my phone and give me cheaper prices?
- For new voice+data plans, can I get unlimited for cheap somewhere with good coverage?
- What baseband and GPS settings should I use there?
I'm from Serbia/Europe, and I'm using my Defy with standard Central Europe baseband now and europe gps fix.
I looked around some carriers in US and I think maybe Sprint has some unlimited data plans? Could I use my Defy on their network?
Any help will be appreciated!
Cheers.
I dont see any reason why it would not work, just use correct baseband
E: also im not from usa, so i dont know about us carrier plans but as long as it is unlocked, it should work fine on Sprint network
Sent from my MB525 using xda app-developers app
hsrars-d said:
I dont see any reason why it would not work, just use correct baseband
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Oh really? But which baseband to use in Baseband selection settings in CM7.2 if I want to use Sprint or Verizon or AT&T network?
There is only baseband for TMobile, but 2 or 3 of them though.
from what i know, you will need to use a GSM based operator, some operators in the USA use a system called CDMA, also your speeds may be slow to very slow on T-mobiles USA system as they use a wierd system for data, one frequency for uploads and another for downloads thats not used anywhere else.
Anotheir thing thats worth taking note of is that some US networks charge for incoming calls and texts ( or take incoming calls and texts form your alowance of minutes and texts/sms)
So you need to find an operator that uses a GSM system
you need to have your phone unlocked to work with any sim card
and you should try and find a service that deosnt charge for incoming calls and texts ( or that doesnt take these from your inclusive minutes/texts)
Proda said:
I'm from Serbia/Europe, and I'm using my Defy with standard Central Europe baseband now and europe gps fix.
I looked around some carriers in US and I think maybe Sprint has some unlimited data plans? Could I use my Defy on their network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your phone is rooted (and since you're on xda I'm sure it is) install baseband switcher and download the baseband you need.
Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, so your Defy won't work with them.
T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM.
Your european Defy uses 900 and 2100 MHz for 3G. AT&T uses 850 and 1900 MHz, so you'll be stuck with their slow EDGE network.
T-Mobile uses 1700 and 2100 MHz for 3G. Their 2100 MHz band is compatible with your Defy.
If you want to use 3G on your european Defy then T-Mob is your only option.
An american contract without phone costs almost as much as a contract with a subsidized phone, so you may as well get a phone with american 3G/4G frequencies. Contractless options are ridiculously expensive with all sorts of stupidity such as "daily access fees." Prepaid texts and minutes usually have draconian expiration policies. Some carriers make you register your phones with them, and they only accept phones from a list of "approved phones." From a european point of view, american cell phone service and pricing is a mess.
Yes, my phone is rooted (the 1st day I bought it I rooted it and installed custom ROM ), and it's sim free (unlocked).
And I'm using CM7 so I have preinstalled baseband switcher.
In baseband switcher, when I go to America I have only T-mobile bands: T-mobile 3.4.2-107-9, 3.4.2-107-4 and 6.xx.0.
Which one is the best to use?
Yes I saw that it is a quite a mess with cell phone services in US. It's pretty expensive too (for plans that I have in Serbia). And one have to read all the tinny little words at the end of page (you have to pay for INCOMING SMS/MMS, or for INCOMING calls, and some stupid stuff like that)
So you suggest that I just take full pack - plan+mobile device? I saw that Verizon has the best 4G network in US. Maybe take that? Or you suggest something else? (I would like to have around 1gb of Data per month - that is UNLIMITED Data for me, and possibly free SMS and at least 300min of calls. And of course not to pay that too much - I saw some UNLIMITED Data plan in Sprint, but it is around 80$/month or more).
Now I pay 10$/month for plan that has 600mb/300minCalls/600sms.
Thanks for info one more time.
Cheers.
They will rip you off for 4G data plans. As i saw (out of curiostiy), expensive as hell.
The best way is to relax a bit and once you arrive there figure out the best solution for you and your family. It's simplier to go the brick and mortar store and discuss then to speculate here. They have some family packages that may be good.
And yes it will be better to buy a new phone with contract there. You might as well sell this Defy in Serbia. "leave old things in the past"
When you buy an american phone, Google your unlock options first. When you're back in Serbia for holidays you'll probably want to use your shiny new phone with a serbian SIM card.
Where I live carriers only lock phones on prepaid plans, but american carriers have the annoying habit of locking all their phones, even if you buy them on a two year contract.
rogier666 said:
When you buy an american phone, Google your unlock options first. When you're back in Serbia for holidays you'll probably want to use your shiny new phone with a serbian SIM card.
Where I live carriers only lock phones on prepaid plans, but american carriers have the annoying habit of locking all their phones, even if you buy them on a two year contract.
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Click to collapse
And Verizon is Simless as i know.
I assume you're in the US by now. Have you chosen what to do? I have a US Tmobile defy, and use tmobile prepaid service. 2gb at 4g (3g for defy) speeds then unlimited data at Edge speed is $60/month. that includes unlimited talk and txt.
I don't know which baseband is better either. I'm on 3.4.2-107-4 and haven't had any problems. I've also wondered which is better. I've thought maybe 107-4 is 2g and 107-9 is 3g? and when you switch on 2g/3g it switches itself? I really don't know though.
I wish I'm in the US now. But it seems that employers forgot about all the paperwork required to obtain working visa for US :silly:, so imo I'll be in the US around 1st of January 2013.
Then I can try to answer your questions
But I think I will buy Nexus 4 as soon as I get my 1st paycheck. :fingers-crossed:
I would prefer GSM phone so I could be able to use it when I come to Serbia on vacations. (I heard that iPhone 5 on Verizon is SIM card FREE so it is possible to use it with any GSM carrier But that is IPHONE. Who needs that! )
I still don't know which carrier I will chose. I saw one that looks nice and it is prepaid, maybe it has postpaid too (RedPocket)
I will be mostly in Chicago and Boston, so I think this carrier would be OK.
Or maybe T-mobile...
But before I buy new phone I'll have to choose SIM card to use it on my good old Defy. If you say T-mobile works for you, then I'll get that one (or this RedPocket if I find it somewhere).
HI!
I have a similar problem. I moved to the US (Chicago) for a few months. I have a defy with cm10 installed. Up to date at this point.
I bought a t-mobile prepaid simcard. I get only edge speed. According to what I read, T-mobile uses 1700MHz and 2100 MHz for the 3G. Actually both are required!
When I select baseband there are the three options for t-mob, but none of them work (at the details of the options, both 1700 and 2100 are mentioned). I also tried defy baseband switcher.
Is it even possible to use 3G on T-mobile with this phone? If yes, how?
Thanks!