What is considered "roaming" by the phone? - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-T989

We all know that there's a setting called "data roaming" or "use mobile data while roaming". I'm wondering what is considered "roaming" to the phone? And how does the phone know it's currently "roaming"?
My guess is, the phone considers itself being roaming when the network it picks up is not the default network specified by the SIM card. For example, if I have a Rogers SIM and I travel to US where Rogers network is not available but only AT&T network is available, the phone will pick up AT&T signal, and thus the phone considers itself as "roaming"?
Is my understanding correct?

it's defined by your SIM card not the phone
once you jump carrier you are roaming

Related

Unlocked - how can I see all local cell provider signals?

Back in the day, I used to be able to see a list on my AT&T Motorola Razr of all the cell provider signals in my area. For instance, if I were in Pittsburgh, I could see the list of available networks compatible with my phone (the phone would apparently create the list from actually getting signal from those cell towers) and if I felt like it, I could switch to a different provider that had a stronger signal.
Now that my gs3 is unlocked I'm hoping I can find a way to see that same information. For example, the AT&T signal in an area might be terrible, but there could be another provider that will give me "roaming" coverage with a better signal. I would then switch to that roaming coverage voluntarily on the fly.
Anyone know of a way to do this? Under settings / more settings / wireless and networks / mobile networks I find "network operators". Currently only "default setup" is listed there. But this is where I'd expect to see other network signals that my phone is getting.

Roaming with my S3 on Jellybean??HELP??

I frequently run from Toronto to Buffalo. I took my S3 from ICS to Jellybean 4.1.1 and have had no issues until yesterday.
Upon crossing, I lost all service. I tried to go into the menus and see what was the matter without success. Later, I
realized that under MOBILE NETWORKS, Data Roaming wasn't checked. So I checked it off........still no service until
I was about a mile from the border, back on Rogers.
Anyone experience this?? I've bad numerous blackeberry's and cross without an issue all over the US and Caribbean.
I'm confussed.......and concerned about making another trip to the US, without my briefcase which has a backup blackberry
in it........
Suggestions? I fugured that checking the roaming box would have grabbed a carrier..........NOPE.........meanwhile,
my friend who has the same phone still on ICS worked fine................that's the strange part...........
Thanks guys.
Hi!
One thing you could check is if you activated the automatic selection of carrier, and if your phone can see other carriers' networks.
1. Go to Settings.
2. Under Wireless and networks, open More settings.
3. Under Networks, select Mobile networks.
4. Select Network operators.
5. Your phone should now disconnect and search for visible networks. (It should show networks you can connect to and ones you cannot; that is normal.) See if you find any carrier listed on this screen when the search is completed. If no network appear, press again Search networks to scan the visible networks again.
6. Press Select automatically to automatically register to the prefered network. When Rogers is in this list, your phone should register automatically to Rogers. If not, then it should roam on a network with which Rogers has a roaming agreement. You should also be able to manually select to which network you would like to roam by pressing the carrier's name (again, you will register only if Rogers has a roaming agreement with the said carrier).
Happened again this morning. However, I did what you said (here in Toronto) and it found BELL, TElus and Rogers. Now, it
would't find anything across in Buffalo. VERY strange. Called Rogers when I crossed and they were no help.
Could it be possible that it's an issue with Jellybean?? The phone is rooted and I used the Robinson's root injected JB ROM.
Suggestions? I'm crossing again in the morning... Can test more settings.....can't bring my old blackberry because it's a
regular sim and this thing uses a micro...
Alexandre-P said:
Hi!
One thing you could check is if you activated the automatic selection of carrier, and if your phone can see other carriers' networks.
1. Go to Settings.
2. Under Wireless and networks, open More settings.
3. Under Networks, select Mobile networks.
4. Select Network operators.
5. Your phone should now disconnect and search for visible networks. (It should show networks you can connect to and ones you cannot; that is normal.) See if you find any carrier listed on this screen when the search is completed. If no network appear, press again Search networks to scan the visible networks again.
6. Press Select automatically to automatically register to the prefered network. When Rogers is in this list, your phone should register automatically to Rogers. If not, then it should roam on a network with which Rogers has a roaming agreement. You should also be able to manually select to which network you would like to roam by pressing the carrier's name (again, you will register only if Rogers has a roaming agreement with the said carrier).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Change preferred carrier network when roaming

Hi,
Does anyone know of a way to change the preferred carrier network when roaming? I suppose I need to change the PLMN on my sim-card?
I found a way with the pc-software below (but did not test it yet):
https://www.dekart.com/products/card_management/sim_manager/
But I would rather have a way to do it on my phone, since it seems that I can only block networks in this program; and not simply change the preferred network.
Reason is that I live near the German border and travel a lot in Germany. My own provider (KPN Netherlands) dictates a their own network there (E-Plus), but it has very poor coverage where I use to travel; especially in 4G. So I would rather have Telekom - T-Mobile as my preferred roaming carrier network.
Is there an app with which such can be done? I remember that at my older phones changing the preferred roaming network was a standard option.
Or does anyone have experience with Dekart SIM-manager or another program which works?
Thanks in advance!

Non-VZW pixel in CDMA network

Is it possible to use pixel in a CDMA network without (or with) help of some kind of dark magic?
I inserted RUIM (Ukraine, Intertelecom) card from my previous phone (Motorola Droid xt1254 VZW) and phone doesn't want to connect to network.
*#*#4636#*#* menu shows CDMA phone number, carrier name and even something like local base stations, but changing "preferred network type" to CDMA auto, CDMA only, LTE/CDMA etc doesn't help.
Btw, in normal phone settings-> network & internet -> mobile network -> preferred network type there are no menu items like Global CDMA/LTE, GSM/LTE etc (as in VZW phone), only LTE, 3G and 2G, so I think I need to change/patch something so phone could change work mode to CDMA...
Intertelecom only allows authorized devices on its network. Your P2XL isn't authorized, which is why it won't connect. Contact them and see if they can add your P2XL to their list of authorized devices.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Intertelecom only allows authorized devices on its network. Your P2XL isn't authorized, which is why it won't connect. Contact them and see if they can add your P2XL to their list of authorized devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. I thought that's what RUIM was for.
The SIM card only holds the account information. The carrier can still prevent the device from working on their network through an internal whitelist. If a device isn't on that whitelist, it won't work.
mr_const said:
Is it possible to use pixel in a CDMA network without (or with) help of some kind of dark magic?
I inserted RUIM (Ukraine, Intertelecom) card from my previous phone (Motorola Droid xt1254 VZW) and phone doesn't want to connect to network.
*#*#4636#*#* menu shows CDMA phone number, carrier name and even something like local base stations, but changing "preferred network type" to CDMA auto, CDMA only, LTE/CDMA etc doesn't help.
Btw, in normal phone settings-> network & internet -> mobile network -> preferred network type there are no menu items like Global CDMA/LTE, GSM/LTE etc (as in VZW phone), only LTE, 3G and 2G, so I think I need to change/patch something so phone could change work mode to CDMA...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have exactly this problem, you have found the solution?
@halif2007: Contact your carrier and ask them to add your device to their internal whitelist. Note however that the carrier is not required to do this, so if they refuse, you have little recourse except find another carrier.
My carrier doesn't use a whitelist
mr_const said:
Is it possible to use pixel in a CDMA network without (or with) help of some kind of dark magic?
I inserted RUIM (Ukraine, Intertelecom) card from my previous phone (Motorola Droid xt1254 VZW) and phone doesn't want to connect to network.
*#*#4636#*#* menu shows CDMA phone number, carrier name and even something like local base stations, but changing "preferred network type" to CDMA auto, CDMA only, LTE/CDMA etc doesn't help.
Btw, in normal phone settings-> network & internet -> mobile network -> preferred network type there are no menu items like Global CDMA/LTE, GSM/LTE etc (as in VZW phone), only LTE, 3G and 2G, so I think I need to change/patch something so phone could change work mode to CDMA...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it the US or European Unlocked Pixel 2 XL? Might make a difference.
michaelbsheldon said:
Is it the US or European Unlocked Pixel 2 XL? Might make a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The US, clean non-carrier.
halif2007 said:
My carrier doesn't use a whitelist
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As noted, Intertelecom only allows authorized devices on its network. However, while I don't pretend to know how the carriers do things, they have to have some system in place which prevents phones other than those that are authorized from working on the network. Regardless, you're pretty much out of luck with Intertelecom. You'll have to check out Vodafone, LifeJ, Kyivstar, 3Mob, or PEOPLEnet and see if they'll allow the P2XL on their network.
Of the carriers listed above, PEOPLEnet and Vodafone uses CDMA. Vodafone though also uses GSM, and it or one of the other GSM carriers is going to be your best bet to get the device working in your country.

No Mobile Networks Available

I am a Canadian who had a working Canadian phone plan. I am traveling in South America and I had canceled my Canadian plan and removed my sim card. I have been traveling in airport mode. Yesterday I tried to buy a Colombian prepaid sim card/plan. The phone was unable to scan for networks. The top right icon is greyed out, in settings about phone network mobile network type "unknown". Mobile Network State "disconnected". I have already done a factory reset.
Please suggest solutions.

Categories

Resources