Hi,
I just bought a T-Mobile Pocket PC. It is locked onto T-Mobile and I want to use it on Cingular Wireless for a couple of days till my number is ported to T-Mobile in the next 5-6 days as I have been told.
Any solutions will be most appreciated but please understand it is a brand new unit I have bought after cooking the ROM on the old Siemens SX-56 still lying with me; and I really really don't want to mess this one up. It has Windows Mobile 2003 edition on it.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Before trying to unlock it, I would check that Cingular are NOT operating on the 850Mhz band in your area as they are in mine (Atlanta) As the XDA is only tri band, it will not work on Cingular's 850 network. Even if there are roaming options in your area, I have found that the Cingular SIM prevents roaming on 1900Mhz, when a native Cingular 850Mhz band is present.
Thanks for the reply. Yups, u're right but I wanted to use the phone in London and its ok since they have a 900Mhz bank there. Also, I spoke to T-Mobile and they will be sending me the unlocking code in 4-5 days, they are more helpful than Cingular in that way.
Ah, London!, my home town!! You may know this already, but in case not, here goes...
Before you go, make sure that T-Mobile USA have your account set up to make international calls. When you get there, you will have to manually change the band on your phone to pick up the 900Mhz band. Once you do that, the phone will probably connect to either the O2 or the Vodaphone network, as T-Mobile operates only on the 800 band over there.... You will of course be hit for some pretty hefty call charges, as all your calls (even to UK numbers) will be treated as international calls. It took me a couple of trips and a couple of $400 - $500 monthly invoices to get wise to what was going on. Then, once I had the phone unlocked, I switched to using an O2 Pay and Go SIM card whenever I am in the UK, leaving a message on my US TMO voice mail with the UK number if someone wanted to reach me. It saved me a lot of money when I finally figured it out.
Re:
Well my friend you saved me the trouble of figuring it out on myself and of course the huge amounts of un-justified spend dollars!!!
Thanks a bundle! I will take your advice and use the pay-to-go cards instead of my T-Mobile service, and leave the voice mail and I can as it is extract the voicemail from anywhere, unlike the Cingular voicemail which you cannot except just from your phone.
Great! glad to help A couple of other things spring to mind...
When you go into the O2 store to get the 'Pay and Go', see if they can also set you up for international calls. Its about a $3.00 one time activation fee. That way you will be able to dial back to the US with the Pay and Go SIM. Rates are about $1.50c a minute. You may have to phone O2 custmer service to activate it, buts its worth the trouble.
O2 will also give you a top up card that you can use at pretty much any gas, sorry, petrol station to top up your pay and go account. Just give the attendant the top up card, a credit card and tell them how much you want to add to your pay and go account. Its pretty slick!
Also, if you need to pull e-mail down from your US e-mail account, you can always just put the T-Mobile SIM back in and connect via GPRS through O2. I believe that there is a data option available with O2 Pay and Go as what they call one of their "bolt ons", but I never managed to get that done on my last trip. Anyway, have a good trip!!
Re:
Thanks a million!
Hi,
Could those Universal owners in Australia response to this thread with...
a) What provider they are with
b) What plan they are on
c) The procedure for configuring their unit with their provider (to this point of surfing the net on mobile broadband.
Rather than trial and error I thought I'd try and cheat and just ask someone who's gone through all the pain already.
I would also be interested to hear comparisons between plans and providers.
Regards
Michael
I'm interested too! I've been looking on the net at Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Three but I can't see anything really great - all very exy!!
Most are linked with phones on plans - not good for us we've already got the unit.
I want a sim only plan that gives me reasonable rates for data download.
I'm using Three - gave the bundled phone to a friend who wanted to upgrade an old NEC. $99 Cap Plan includes $15 towards data usage, but i've never managed to get past the $99 cap yet.
The data speed is fast - to get 3G you need to create a new connection, set the AccessPoint, which is "3netaccess", and leave all others blank. Roams to Telstra GPRS when out of coverage in Oz.
Don't bother with Three if you go overseas - there's no data coverage outside Australia for Australian customers.
There is also no comprehensible FAQ on their site for the MMS setup - just lots of pages with "your phone comes preconfigured - don't change it" comments. Ringing support is no good, if you try to, they soon figure out you are not using "their" phone, and can't help you.
If anyone else here has MMS working please give the settings.
Telstra Universal on 3G
I purchased my JasJar in the UK on a business trip, and with my UK Vodafone SIM had 3G working fine.
For Telstra 3G you need a new USIM for 3G - they should supply for free if you're a post-paid customer.
It actually roams onto the joing 3/Telstra network and drops back to Telstra GPRS.
The Telstra settings are simple - telstra.internet for the APN
Also, the 3G data plans are more generous - I changed from $55/month 5MB plan to a 3G $15/month 6MB plan.
All seems to be working fine.
www.andrewgrill.com
I have the JJ and use Telstra. The process was simple, Tell my secretary to give it to me, TElstra call me back and say that I have it, use the Imate auto configure to install it and of I go.
Expensive yes, but in the overall scheme of my business costs, its not worth looking at. Telstra I believe have a special for the video call bit that they charge the same for a video call as they do for a mobile phone call, to get you to join and try it. I dont have anybody interested in video calls.
I didnt need a telstra sim to do this, and havent actually tested it for videos.
I only really use it a little bit for internet connectivity, and given that I have wireless networks at home and office, I dont use the GPRS to 3G connectivity much.
Heads up though and it is posted in these forums elsewhere that phone companies (and I suspect telstra) would limit it your speeds to the minimum required for video conferencing which is 128kb ps, whereas 3G networks are capable of 384kbps, and only switch it on when you ask for it.
I really dont have that much need, and it doesnt even come close to the capabilities and speeds, ease, costs and overall benefits of the ADSL wireless network.
Hi, I sold my Universal (O2 Xda Exec unlocked) to somebody on eBay who lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Today I received this e-mail from him after he received it:
"My sim card doesn't work."invalid or missing sim card" appears.Can you help me to figure out."
Any ideas anyone?
PS: I should add that mine was one of the 1st Execs shipped in December and was definately unlocked as I had it working with O2 and Orange. All I have changed is to install the new Extended ROM update from their web site, which I presume doesn't have SIM locking does it?
PPS: Update from user: "Thanks for your response.Australia has got a couple network. I currently use $49 cap plan Optus network. but I don't have any idea about frequency."
my friend had a problem with optusnet, told it was the phone!!
I put my telstra sim in, worked perfectly the first time.
went to optus, requested a new sim, got it tested it didn't work, logged a support call, waited for call back, tried agin with support, nothing returned, got a telstra sim the next day and never looked back...
moral, optusnet support sucks when they don't sell you a phone, the knoledge is limited and competency sucks.
BUT I do use them for adsl, and home phone, even then acknowledge that they suck.
Tell your customer to test it on a friends telstra card and run the telstra cab, its something in optusnet.
by the way, my friends phone wa the imate jam / xda mini so the problems hadn't even started with the 3g network of the exec.
my jasjar works perfectly on telstra.
pm me, or get your customer onto the forum if I can provide localised help.
Thanks. Can you please clarify what you mean by "run the telstra cab, its something in optusnet"? What is a 'cab'?
Are they the same network and would he be able to retain his account, or does he have to switch networks?
Networks in Australia
Although Optus and Vodafone in Australia actually share a 3G network (3G air interface) everything beyond that is separate so for billing etc your friend would need a new SIM card. It's likely thet Optus people did not sell him a 3G SIM card - they will have to tell them what it is for so they give him the right SIM.
In OZ, Telstra share with 3 so you 'roam' onto the 3 network for 3G even though you have a Telstra SIM
the cab file is located on the extended rom, or on the 02 website, or the imate website, I have also posted the file elsewhere on this forum if you look for telstra.
if you cant find it, i can locate it and post it, just dont have it handy now.
a cab file installs programs or settings to a device. this particular one sets up all the mms, phone and 3 g settings. if he did a hard reset, the phone itself would ask him his communications provider and do this automatically. but telstra can only be used on telstra, and optus on optus networks, and they are effectively strings of commands to access gprs, 3g, and wap sites.
he may not have run the setup correctly on this. if he installs total commander, and types into the address field \extended_rom\ he would be able to locate the file on the device already and just run it to establish his correct settings.
however, i feel it is likely that the sim card is dud.
Hi all, thanks for your previous help. The customer now has a new SIM from Optus, Australia, which works great for calls.
However, he cannot set up GPRS. He states:
"I tried everything to set up gprs setting.I couldn't.I check the my friend's xda ii series gprs setting.It has got auto config option.So it does itself.But my xda exec ask me phone number ,domain name,username password,dns setting etc.
I rang to Optus technical support.They told me they don't support this one.They gave me dns number but didn't work. But I think . if xda ii works, exec should work.I just need set up for Australia. Please help me."
Does anyone have a link to an Optus Australia auto-config util that will send him the config in a magic SMS?
Failing that, can you type all the details here or provide a link to the Optus cab?
I'm with Vodafone on a $79 cap. The cap value includes data ($1/5min), but the billing by time rather than downloads might not suit most people.
As for configuring the phone - I just downloaded the operator settings CAB file from clubimate.com. Sets up everything perfectly!
AFIK, Vodafone and Optus are the only ones that will offer Sim-only 3G plans. Of course, you can go with Three, and just discard the phone (you can get a free phone on a $29 cap!)
JJ on Three network
JJ on Three network.
I'm going to check this post and report in the near future:
http://aussie3g.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=16121&highlight=jasjar+3netaccess
telstra also offer 3g plans, but I use their phone network and sim card as part of our corporate plan.
I have sent the customer the std cab file on my imate rom, which he reports was not beneficial for him.
I am not on optus so don't actually have the configuration settings.
spludge said:
Don't bother with Three if you go overseas - there's no data coverage outside Australia for Australian customers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i never tried data, but videocalls worked fine...the only limitation being it only works on the overseas 3 network (3 - Hong Kong in my case, this was 2 years ago when i still lived in brisbane)
It's okay guys, Optus were giving him wrong details. He found the right ones -- they're all over Google
Is there any way of knowing in which countries GPRS will work in? I've got a T-Mobile MDA Vario and on one or two occasions I wasn't able to get GPRS up and running in order to browse the net. Just wondering if it doesn't work in some countries or if that was a coincidence.
Isn't there a list of countries/companies which T-Mobile have roaming agreements with on the T-Mobile website ?
Yes but this only indicates where you can use the phone. My understanding is that this does not necessarily include GPRS/data availability or access.
Yes, just because you can roam does not mean you can use GPRS. I do not think that info is on www.gsm.org either. Drop an email to T-Mobile customer service if it isn't on their site.
Must admit I always buy a local SIM for data usage now that many operators have pre-paid GPRS.
GPRS abroad..
T-Mobile do have partners abroad - for the preferred network to use and cheaper calls - but that doesn't mean you will get any of your GPRS allowance wheilst roaming.
I have the Web'n'walk tariff , but my mobile bill was still over £160 when I got back after a week in Eire.
I think the GPRS / MMS data usage was at their standard roaming tariff.,, whatever that is.
Charlie Grillo
Some examples
I couldn't use GPRS with O2 in UK (where T-Mobile wasn't available). I had no trouble with multiple carriers in Barcelona and always found T-Mobile itself in Frankfurt and Bonn. GRPS works in Paris (didn't note the carrier) and never worked with any of NINE partners in Taiwan last year.
prestonmcafee, thanks for the examples. Your visit to the UK must have been some time ago, T-Mobile exists here now, I think they initially came in the market a couple of years back when they acquired what used to be one to one, or whatever they were called.
Yesterday!
Sorry I wasn't clear, what I meant was that I couldn't get GPRS in the UK in the places where T-Mobile wasn't available; T-Mobile is usually available but not always. Victoria Station and Heathrow have places where T-Mobile's signal is so low that the automatic connection on a US T-Mobile phone connects to O2, and in this case, GPRS will fail.
Sometimes, but not usually, a manual connection would turn up T-mobile even when the phone had connected to O2.
I just returned from 5 weeks in the UK yesterday.
LOL
Help!!
I'm due to fly out to Australia for a 3 week holiday on Saturday.
I had planned to purchase a PAYG (or prepaid as they call it) SIM and use it in my unlocked
Vario II to keep in touch with family/friends via email and also update an
online travel blog. Unfortunately I have just discovered that none of the
Australian cell networks appear to offer full internet access on PAYG.
Anyone know if this is the case, and more importantly anyone know of a way I can get full internet access whilst out there without having to pay t-mobile £7.50 per MB for roaming data (i only pay that a month for unlimited access at home!)
Hi
Im not sure about the prepay card you are speaking of..... but I just move to Sydney and spent the first month trying to sort some mobile internet out.
In the end I got an uncle to set up a vodafone account for me then I used that (they wouldnt give me an account unless I could provide 3 months Australian payslips and about 50 forms of ID)
So good luck!
Try to organise it before you leave or you may find it really difficult.
Sorry that probably doesnt help you much...
There must be someone who does prepay 3g/gprs over here!
mobile internet in australia sucks, i work for Telstra and even on my staff plan its damn expensive.
id love to get unlimited mobile net on my jam, ive often said id gladly trade my phone line for a dataline on my mobile anyday of the week.
As far as i know, none of the australian service providers have internet access on prepaid sims. I guess you are out of luck.
I have a Note 3 (sm-n9005, Android 4.3) and my service provider is T-Mobile (Hungary). According to T-Mobile customer service if the GPRS on the phone can't connect directly to a Satellite, the software sifts to the t-mobile which, of course, costs me money. Is there any way of stopping that from happening? T-Mobile will be delighted to sell me a package but it's expensive enough as is.
If you have an idea or suggestion, I'd appreciate your sharing.
humphster said:
I have a Note 3 (sm-n9005, Android 4.3) and my service provider is T-Mobile (Hungary). According to T-Mobile customer service if the GPRS on the phone can't connect directly to a Satellite, the software sifts to the t-mobile which, of course, costs me money. Is there any way of stopping that from happening? T-Mobile will be delighted to sell me a package but it's expensive enough as is.
If you have an idea or suggestion, I'd appreciate your sharing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPRS is the name of 2-3G data cellular packet service, and as such it NEVER "connects to satellite". You probably want to say GPS, which is something slightly different
From what I have seen on Note 3 the GPS module is a little trickier - see this thread for more details:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2626200