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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.
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.
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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.
Hey there,
I'm going down to the U.S for a trip to Darien Lake for a weekend soon (my family and I are Canadian). I need phone/text/internet access with fast speeds and very reliable service. I have heard 'Straight Talk' tossed around a bit on these forums, though I don't know if I would be allowed to purchase it (as a non-U.S citizen). I have an unlocked N7000 Galaxy Note to use on any service and would prefer to use it if possible. So, it is in this situation that I humbly ask for advice from my fellow XDA'ers.
Kindly,
LiquidNitrogen
Not sure where you are in Canada my friend but take a look at this... Perhaps you can order one or find something similar in your area...
http://www.omegacell.com/collections/us-roaming-sims
LiquidNitrogen said:
Hey there,
I'm going down to the U.S for a trip to Darien Lake for a weekend soon (my family and I are Canadian). I need phone/text/internet access with fast speeds and very reliable service. I have heard 'Straight Talk' tossed around a bit on these forums, though I don't know if I would be allowed to purchase it (as a non-U.S citizen). I have an unlocked N7000 Galaxy Note to use on any service and would prefer to use it if possible. So, it is in this situation that I humbly ask for advice from my fellow XDA'ers.
Kindly,
LiquidNitrogen
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I believe you can just go to straighttalk.com and order yourself a sim card [choose AT&T sim]and a $45 month unlimited card. Should be around $60 shipped.
Edit: I'm not sure they ship internationally. Could you have it shipped to the location you are staying in the states?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Go with Straight Talk. ST uses ATT's network so very reliable in most places in the US and fast data as well.
I live in Rochester, used to live in Buffalo, so I travel between the cities quite a bit, right through Darien Lake area.
I would look at Red Pocket (goredpocket-dot-com). They use the AT&T Go Phone prepaid coverage (You can google the map, then put in Pembroke, NY as the address. Pembroke is town adjacent to Darien Lake). You will see coverage is fine there, and I've had no problems with calls through there.
I'm sure you can buy a Red Pocket SIM on Amazon and have it delivered to Canada. Red Pocket used to cater to the Asian Market who would be coming to the U.S., So signing up from Canada probably won't be a problem.
I should also float the question the other way, what's the best Prepaid SIM to use when I visit Canada? This will be the first time I'll be taking a GSM phone to Canada (I previously had Sprint).
straighttalk is the way to go. they have a cheaper 30 dollar plan also.
maddog2727 said:
I live in Rochester, used to live in Buffalo, so I travel between the cities quite a bit, right through Darien Lake area.
I would look at Red Pocket (goredpocket-dot-com). They use the AT&T Go Phone prepaid coverage (You can google the map, then put in Pembroke, NY as the address. Pembroke is town adjacent to Darien Lake). You will see coverage is fine there, and I've had no problems with calls through there.
I'm sure you can buy a Red Pocket SIM on Amazon and have it delivered to Canada. Red Pocket used to cater to the Asian Market who would be coming to the U.S., So signing up from Canada probably won't be a problem.
I should also float the question the other way, what's the best Prepaid SIM to use when I visit Canada? This will be the first time I'll be taking a GSM phone to Canada (I previously had Sprint).
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I looked around recently, Petro-Canada looked like a pretty good bet.
The problem is, us getting Petro-Canada SIMs is likely the same problem he'll have trying to get a Straight Talk SIM or Red Pocket SIM - They won't ship internationally, not even across the US/CAN border. I know Straight Talk's BYOD SIMs are mail-order only, you cannot purchase them in brick-and-mortar stores. Dunno if Petro-Canada SIMs are easier to find in their gas stations.
I live near the NY/PA border and have been looking into SIMs for if I ever want to make a trip to Montreal.
Yeah get the ST Sim and get it delivered to someone here in the States to either forward it to you in Canada our have it waiting here for you to pick up in the States. The Sims are sent by Fed Ex ground unless you want it delivered quicker and you can pay for 2 day or next day shipping.
Sent from my GT-N7000 Samsung Galaxy Note "Go big or go home" using XDA app
The only reason I suggest Red Pocket over straight Talk is that there's an unofficial daiy cap with straight talks data (go ahead and read about the problem in the forums) where as with Red Pocket you get to use your block of data however you like. You cam tether, use it all in one day, etc.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
I dont view straight talk as a pre-paid SIM in its classic sense.. as its a monthly contract...
I recommend a visit to http://www.telestial.com/ to view available options.
Mystic38 said:
I dont view straight talk as a pre-paid SIM in its classic sense.. as its a monthly contract...
I recommend a visit to http://www.telestial.com/ to view available options.
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It's "monthly" but you only need to get it a month at a time. It's not a contract, no need to sign up for multiple months.
The more basic "pay as you go" plans are so basic that a Note will exceed the cost of a better plan rapidly.
As for Canadian prepaid, I'm really not sure. I've never had to use prepaid, I've always had a plan. Rogers/Bell/Telus are the 'big 3' companies in Canada, which all have more or less the same service and quality - the difference is in pricing and packages. I've always been a Telus user, as they have very clear and fair pricing, but I know many who are on Rogers (not too many on Bell though). Bell is usually more expensive for what you get. Whatever you do, stay away from Wind Mobile - their coverage sucks, their customer service is terrible, they are a royal pain to deal with and they only use T-Mobile's bands.
Prepaid SIMs are pretty easy to get. I've seen them alot at gas stations, Walmart, convenience stores, 7/11, etc. It's impossible to get unlimited data here in Canada though, even on contract you can't get it. Our providers have been very strict about that. And on top of that, within the past few months, they've upped their efforts to increase pricing and reduce caps on their data offerings.
I believe the major cellular companies to check out are Rogers/Telus/Bell (big 3) and their subsidiaries Koodoo, Virgin Mobile, Fido. This should help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_mobile_phone_companies
Anyways, back to my issue, I'm going to need alot of data as much data as possible (~4 to 6 gb). Red pocket seems pretty good but they only give you 2GB of data. I'm looking at Boost Mobile right now but they use Sprints network, which is supposedly slow, but they don't cap their data (supposedly). The unofficial data cap on Straight Talk makes me want to avoid it, as I've read its 100mb/day which is very small.
LiquidNitrogen said:
As for Canadian prepaid, I'm really not sure. I've never had to use prepaid, I've always had a plan. Rogers/Bell/Telus are the 'big 3' companies in Canada, which all have more or less the same service and quality - the difference is in pricing and packages. I've always been a Telus user, as they have very clear and fair pricing, but I know many who are on Rogers (not too many on Bell though). Bell is usually more expensive for what you get. Whatever you do, stay away from Wind Mobile - their coverage sucks, their customer service is terrible, they are a royal pain to deal with and they only use T-Mobile's bands.
Prepaid SIMs are pretty easy to get. I've seen them alot at gas stations, Walmart, convenience stores, 7/11, etc. It's impossible to get unlimited data here in Canada though, even on contract you can't get it. Our providers have been very strict about that. And on top of that, within the past few months, they've upped their efforts to increase pricing and reduce caps on their data offerings.
I believe the major cellular companies to check out are Rogers/Telus/Bell (big 3) and their subsidiaries Koodoo, Virgin Mobile, Fido. This should help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_mobile_phone_companies
Anyways, back to my issue, I'm going to need alot of data as much data as possible (~4 to 6 gb). Red pocket seems pretty good but they only give you 2GB of data. I'm looking at Boost Mobile right now but they use Sprints network, which is supposedly slow, but they don't cap their data (supposedly). The unofficial data cap on Straight Talk makes me want to avoid it, as I've read its 100mb/day which is very small.
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I would rather have data cap than ever deal with sprints network again.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
The ST $30 "All you need" plan may only be available on their phones and not on an unlocked phone from another GSM carrier. Hope I'm wrong. See http://straighttalksim.com/index.php
lamou1nr said:
I would rather have data cap than ever deal with sprints network again.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
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Thanks for the advice on the Canadian Prepaid.
As cor your issue, I believe Boost is CDMA only because it's runs on Sprint's native coverage.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
I will be in Canada on vacation in March for 2 weeks. We will be on Vancouver Island. We will be in Victoria for a few days, before heading to Tofino for the Pacific Rim Whale Festival. I want to get a prepaid sim card to use with my N4 while on vacation (primarily for internet access). Couple of questions.
1) How much do prepaid sim cards cost? Can I get one for just 2 weeks or, if I have to, for one month. How much internet do they include?
2) Any carrier I should choose or stay away from?
3) Where do you buy them?
TIA
Nobody?
I don't know any of the specifics of going prepaid.
You can however just go into a Telus or Bell store, or Best Buy, Future Shop etc...and get a SIM and be up/running.
Telus: http://www.telusmobility.com/en/BC/prepaid/index.shtml
Bell: http://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Cell_phone_plans/Prepaid_plans
Rogers: http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=WRLS_PREPAID_LANDING
I can't comment on who has coverage/best coverage on the island. I'm with Bell FWIW. And yes, cell phone costs are much higher than you're used to!
Enjoy Tofino, I've been there a couple of times.
just fyi, Rogers/Telus/Bell are the "big 3" carriers in Canada
Rogers also owns Fido and Chatr
Bell also owns Virgin and Solo Mobile
Telus also owns Koodo
These subsidiary brands might offer just slightly better plans. Though it seems like there's lots of competitions, be prepared to be offered the same plan across companies.
There's also Wind Mobile and Mobilicity that you could consider as their plans might be cheaper, but check the coverage.
Best places to shop around are those malls, as many carriers would setup booths that you could drop in and ask the details.
Have fun in Tofino
Hello folks
I hope if there's any right place at xda for what I want to ask it is the "networking" subforum... If not then I'd like to apologize. :angel:
In the near future (heck in about one week!) I'm starting my journey to America. I'll be in New York for two weeks and then go to Toronto. After two to four weeks there I want to start travelling through Canada (backpacking). And as I have half a year time (or as long as my money suffices ) I really want to go everywhere (except for the far northern part of Canada). Now... I am asking myself what would be the best solution in terms of "connectivity"!?
As I am from small Switzerland I don't really know how it works with different carriers covering different areas because here all the carriers cover the whole country so it's nothing I'd consider when choosing a carrier. Is it like roaming when you're in a region where your carrier doesn't have his own antennas but another one has?
Some other questions are:
0. Will my Sony Xperia Z (bought in Norway ) work in CA & US? (Model Number C6603)
1. Is there any possibility to have a number in NYC and also use it for Canada without a lot of trouble?
2. Would you choose to have a contract (I guess you also call it a plan) or would you go with a prepay card for each of the two countries and just load it with money from time to time?
3. I found this pretty neat site called coveragemapper (unfortunately I cannot post the link... ). According to this site Bell / Telus and Rogers Wireless have the best coverage. Do you think either of them is a good choice?
I know xda is everything but a travelers-forum but I thought everyone who's here really knows the different plans and options from each carrier and how it all works! So I hope that you can help me out with some information!
greets from Switzerland
Michel
You will of course have GSM voice coverage, and decent LTE where it is available. 3G coverage is going to be spotty with that model. North America does not use WCDMA Band I which is the ubiquitous default band in most of the world and that model lacks most of the 3G bands used in the US. (As far as I can tell you only have band V available to you)
Yes, frequency bands in North America are a total mess compared with the rest of the world. (And the pervasiveness of cdmaOne and friends make it even worse)
evildave_666 said:
You will of course have GSM voice coverage, and decent LTE where it is available. 3G coverage is going to be spotty with that model. North America does not use WCDMA Band I which is the ubiquitous default band in most of the world and that model lacks most of the 3G bands used in the US. (As far as I can tell you only have band V available to you)
Yes, frequency bands in North America are a total mess compared with the rest of the world. (And the pervasiveness of cdmaOne and friends make it even worse)
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Hi evildave
Thanks for your reply! Okay, that's good to hear at least it'll work. I do have an old Galaxy Nexus which I could use as well if that's any better. But anyways I won't be depending on my internet connection on my travels. At least hopefully.
hell-o-world said:
Hi evildave
Thanks for your reply! Okay, that's good to hear at least it'll work. I do have an old Galaxy Nexus which I could use as well if that's any better. But anyways I won't be depending on my internet connection on my travels. At least hopefully.
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You would have more consistent and reliable data service with the Galaxy Nexus (at the cost of peak speed).
evildave_666 said:
You would have more consistent and reliable data service with the Galaxy Nexus (at the cost of peak speed).
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Okay, thanks. Actually I dislike the Nexus since I am an audiophile and need a lot of memory space for my music. But I'll see, maybe I'll take it anyways and have it as a spare phone.^^