Develop Bugs

[Q] What will happen if I use my Epic in China?

Traveling to China next week and I know CDMA networks are scarce outside of America. Is there any small chance that Ill be able to roam on some Chinese CDMA network for no extra cost? Im betting not but wanted to ask around anyway.

I think free roaming only applies on the US, PR and USVI. I would recommend getting a cheap GSM phone with their frequencies and get a prepaid SIM while over there.

The world will end.
In all seriousness, it depends on if China has a CDMA network setup that has roaming agreements with Sprint, which would result in international overage fees. Or you could just use google voice over a laptop.

Ancient Chinese secret .... LOL
But really i think they would charge the $#!T out of you....

really wish google voice's voip calls worked in android browser

Check out roamsimple.com and get yourself an unlocked quad band GSM phone. Was a great solution for traveling through about a dozen countries in Europe. Not sure on their coverage in China but they seemed like a reputable company to work with.
Once you leave the states CDMA is just about worthless in 90% of the world.

Agreed with insanity. When I was there you could get a sim for your gsm phone or look at the full bars on your phone and get pissed it wouldn't make calls I did the latter. Had alltel razr and had full signal the entire time I was there, but when I called it would never go through. I think that's why they make global phones
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Use skype in connection with wifi to make calls? Could be a cost affective way to be able to make calls over there.

[Q] GT-I9250 with T-Mobile US SIM card roaming in Japan

Hi There,
Just came back from Tokyo Japan today. I noticed that my T-Mobile US SIM with my GNEX GT-I9250 doesn't work in Japan. I checked that Japan uses UMTS=2100MHz, which is covered by the GNEX. Why would roaming not work? Anybody has similar experience? Could it be SIM issue, since I had the same SIM for around 4 or more years now...?
Any input is much appreciated. I will need to get it up & running asap, as I probably will need to take another trip soon...
Thanks in advance!

Well it depends if there is a roaming agreement between T-Mobile and whatever carrier you're trying to use... and there may be issues because the T-Mobile SIM is provisioned to use 1700/2100 AWS, not 2100 specifically. The SIM probably isn't set up to roam properly if I had to guess.
But really, you don't want to roam. The prices are astronomical. You saved yourself a lot of money not roaming. Just buy a local SIM/hotspot when you get there, or contact T-Mobile about their international data plans (and ask how they handle the SIM incompatibility).

IF its not TMobile prepaid you got to call TMobile and let them know your leaving the US so they activate the International Roaming.....

I went to Tokyo last year and I had no issues making called or sending texts. But my raining charges were ridiculous. My gf calling me all the time ran my bill up to $800.00. -_-
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Thanks guys for the inputs.
best1923: I am on monthly plan, and did call ahead to T-Mo and let them know I was going to Japan. I recalled they even responded "Have a pleasant trip to Japan." So I doubt it is that. Appreciate nonetheless.
martonikaj and foxehkins: I would buy a local sim too if I do make a lot of local calls. Problem is, I don't. ppl know me by my US number, and I'm there only for short period of time. So doesn't make sense for me to get a local sim. Since foxehkins confirms that roaming does work (@ the expense of $800+), guess I'll find out from T-Mo store if it could be the sim that's causing the issue.
Thanks.

T Mobile USA/International One X owners in need of new SIM when...?

Hello all.
It appears we can expect the transition for 3g data on the 1900 MHz PCS band sometime between now and the end of the year as T Mobile is really looking to deploy LTE in 2013.
So, we (T Mo USA customers) all learned the hard way that we needed an older model micro SIM in order to get data on our phone.
Does anyone know if we will need a newer micro SIM (actually-the current micro SIM provided by T Mobile for the One S) to access the 3g data once it has been deployed?
What do you opine? Any insight would be great.
Thanks!

Shouldn't need to. Some places already have the 1900Mhz deployed as test beds and I haven't heard anything about needing a new sim.
All SIMs do nowadays is hold your subscriber number that gets relayed to a tower. That number is then looked up in a database to see if you meet requirements (e.g. are a paying customer, what services you have enabled, etc.).
I have an old SIM from 2007 that I am still using so I it doesn't work I'll let you know
I had no trouble going from a 2G to a 3G device with it if that helps you.
The only thing I'm worried about is if the 1900Mhz will be counted as roaming on AT&T and whether we'll have to pay extra for it.

I'm not getting data. I just got a sim card from tmobile today.
No data for me. Talked to tmobile and they said to talk to HTC.
What should i do?

Ask for an older SIM. The newer SIMs that Tmo has been using haven't worked on One Xs. Try seeing if they have any older miniSIMs and then you can cut it into a microSim.

jonshipman said:
Shouldn't need to. Some places already have the 1900Mhz deployed as test beds and I haven't heard anything about needing a new sim.
All SIMs do nowadays is hold your subscriber number that gets relayed to a tower. That number is then looked up in a database to see if you meet requirements (e.g. are a paying customer, what services you have enabled, etc.).
I have an old SIM from 2007 that I am still using so I it doesn't work I'll let you know
I had no trouble going from a 2G to a 3G device with it if that helps you.
The only thing I'm worried about is if the 1900Mhz will be counted as roaming on AT&T and whether we'll have to pay extra for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T Mobile has roaming agreements with AT&T, so I wouldn't worry about that. With regards to 3g on the 1900 MHz PCS band, it actually has nothing to do with roaming agreements via AT&T. T Mobile is actually reframing their network to allow HSPA and HSPA+ via 1900 spectrum opposed to its current structure which only supports 2g data on the same frequency.
According to T Mobile, they are refarming frequencies of their network to modernize their network; pushing 3g traffic to their 1900 MHz frequency allows them to deploy true LTE on their current 3g AWS bands (1700/2100).
My original concern was, how there is clearly an incompatibility with the newer micro SIMs and the international One X, will that incompatibility cause me to have to switch SIMs when 3g is moved over 1900? I'm not savvy enough to understand the issue between T Mo's current micro SIMs and the reasoning behind the incompatibility with the One X. I certainly don't want to miss out on faster HSPA speeds when it does take off in Boston so, I figured I would ask.
Do you have your One X set to GSM or GSM/WCDMA auto? I currently have mine set on the latter.
Thanks!

AndG404 said:
I'm not getting data. I just got a sim card from tmobile today.
No data for me. Talked to tmobile and they said to talk to HTC.
What should i do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a thread in the General section discussing this.
You should call into a local store and say you need an older micro SIM, specifically ask for a non GBA micro SIM. If your local store does not have one in stock, the rep might be nice enough to email other local reps and call you back (as they did with me) when they receive a response. Hopefully, you wont strike out. If so, you would have to eBay or Amazon your older micro SIM.
I ended up driving about 10 miles from my office to pick one up as none of the T Mobile stores closest to me (6 of them) had them in stock. When I finally got one, I had never been happier getting Edge speeds in my life, lol.

Thanks, man!
:good::good::good:

batequeixo said:
:good::good::good:
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Click to collapse
No prob! Glad I could help

Status update...
I thought it would be courteous to update all reading this thread on my discoveries.
I've re-visited the T-Mobile store with a copy of the information found on this thread in hands, only to find that the guys working on that store are either unprepared or unwilling to help. They told me that T-Mobile only carries one type of micro sim across all their stores, they indicated they were not willing to do the legwork, very disappointing since I've been T-Mobile's customer for over 10 years.
Sounds like the alternative is to dig this special, older micro sim out of ebay or amazon, or move to another provider.
Any other alternatives?

That stinks!
Please know that I too struck out after calling 3 local stores (all within 3-5 miles). You probably got someone with less experience or perhaps you went during store peak hours. I recommend you call a branch (obviously not that one) and ask for a manager. Let the manager know that you are looking for a specific type of micro SIM, a non GBA kind. Let him or her know that you have struck via customer care and that he is your last resort as the T Mobile store closest to where you live no longer carry that SIM.
Out of all of T Mo stores that I called, only one person had no clue of what I was talking about but did get someone else on the phone for me. They all told me they no longer carried the older micro SIM.
Don't let this experience discourage you. If you want it for free, you have to call around.
Last resort would be eBay, etc.
Good luck bro!

Hey guys, im thinking of getting a One X for t-mobile and I want to know if all full size sims are non GBA. i already have a cut down full size sim so will that work in the One X on edge speeds?

Jelly: That's what I did when I first got my international HOX and it worked fine with EDGE. Please share if you start receiving 4G speeds....
Thanks,

Why dont you guys just wait till tmo announces their new htc one+?

Can the Sprint GS3 be unlocked to use international GSM?

Title says it all. I will be deploying soon (ARNG), and want to know if my new GS3 will work overseas. Thanks.

I doubt it. It doesn't have a SIM slot visible... I also doubt it has an internal one for GSM use. The Verizon version apparently does or will have that functionality. Verizon peeps, is there a SIM slot visible on yours?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

That's not good. The big question now is do I get a phone that I'll only be able to use for 6 months. :-(

there's a sim slot for the LTE sim card under the battery cover on verizon is that what you mean?

so sprint does not have a sim [gsm] capability?
=(

i have the USCellular version of the galaxy and they give you a sim card for the phone to support their LTE service for 4G.

jasondhsd said:
there's a sim slot for the LTE sim card under the battery cover on verizon is that what you mean?
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Click to collapse
I thought I read somewhere that the Verizon and Sprint GS3 were supposed to be identical hardware wise.

Verizon and Sprint still live in a tiny bubble where the USA is the only country on the planet.....CDMA is old outdated technology, but they try to make it sound cool with 'LTE' catchphrases and the like.
GSM is the predominant service on the planet for cell phones - period. And that's why I have stuck with T-Mobile, even when sometimes their US coverage is not the greatest. I am usually never far from a wi-fi hotspot (they are EVERYWHERE and free in lots of places), so I can live with the coverage issues here and there. Let's face it, all the carriers have coverage issues depending on where you are, so it all balances in the end.
If you actually travel to other countries and would like to take advantage of very cheap pre-paid SIM cards that let you use GSM providers globally, then don't buy a Sprint or Verizon phone. The roaming charges will make it nonviable unless you like getting hit for up to $5 per minute! Many don't realize that cell phone plans in the US are ridiculously overpriced compared to most other countries (Australia, Europe, UK etc), because there's a thing in these other countries called competition and that has every company fighting for your business. Here in the US, we have the big 4 trying to monopolize everything, although there is change in the wind with companies like CREDO (great company BTW - shame it's on Sprint's network so global use is out), Virgin Mobile, Walmart and MetroPCS making the big 4 be more competitive. I still can't believe Verizon's plan costs - my girlfriend and I happened to stop and chat with them in Costco the other day and for us to have unlimited voice, text and SHARE 2GB of data a month it would be way over $220 per month for us both.
With T-Mobile we have unlimited everything (2GB data EACH, and then they 'may' throttle beyond that, although I haven't experienced a slow down when I've only just gone over) for $140 a month total.
It's easy to unlock a GSM phone to be able to use local SIM cards in whatever country you are in, giving you complete freedom on planet earth.
Or you can stick with your 'LTE' (Limited Talk Everywhere)..lol

Globespy said:
Verizon and Sprint still live in a tiny bubble where the USA is the only country on the planet.....CDMA is old outdated technology, but they try to make it sound cool with 'LTE' catchphrases and the like.
GSM is the predominant service on the planet for cell phones - period. And that's why I have stuck with T-Mobile, even when sometimes their US coverage is not the greatest. I am usually never far from a wi-fi hotspot (they are EVERYWHERE and free in lots of places), so I can live with the coverage issues here and there. Let's face it, all the carriers have coverage issues depending on where you are, so it all balances in the end.
If you actually travel to other countries and would like to take advantage of very cheap pre-paid SIM cards that let you use GSM providers globally, then don't buy a Sprint or Verizon phone. The roaming charges will make it nonviable unless you like getting hit for up to $5 per minute! Many don't realize that cell phone plans in the US are ridiculously overpriced compared to most other countries (Australia, Europe, UK etc), because there's a thing in these other countries called competition and that has every company fighting for your business. Here in the US, we have the big 4 trying to monopolize everything, although there is change in the wind with companies like CREDO (great company BTW - shame it's on Sprint's network so global use is out), Virgin Mobile, Walmart and MetroPCS making the big 4 be more competitive. I still can't believe Verizon's plan costs - my girlfriend and I happened to stop and chat with them in Costco the other day and for us to have unlimited voice, text and SHARE 2GB of data a month it would be way over $220 per month for us both.
With T-Mobile we have unlimited everything (2GB data EACH, and then they 'may' throttle beyond that, although I haven't experienced a slow down when I've only just gone over) for $140 a month total.
It's easy to unlock a GSM phone to be able to use local SIM cards in whatever country you are in, giving you complete freedom on planet earth.
Or you can stick with your 'LTE' (Limited Talk Everywhere)..lol
Click to expand...
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And what's your point?
To the OP: no, you can't use a SIM card on a Sprint S3, so no GSM.
Sent from my O=O

csmasn said:
And what's your point?
To the OP: no, you can't use a SIM card on a Sprint S3, so no GSM.
Sent from my O=O
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did have a long answer, but thought my point was pretty obvious to the OP?
If you travel internationally and still want to use your phone (wifi hotspots using grooveIP doesn't count as global use), then buying a Sprint or Verizon GS3, or any other verizon/sprint phone is a poor choice, unless you don't mind coming home to a monstrous bill (easily several hundred dollars, and that's conservative if he is overseas for 6+ months at average international roaming charges of $3.50 per minute, but as high as $5 per minute).
If you already bought the phone from Sprint you should have a 30 day return/cancellation policy, which in your case would be wise to utilize, even moreso if you plan on regular international travel - Sprint/Verizon are bad choices for regular world travel. If you can't/don't want to cancel service, then you would be wise to buy a local el-cheapo pre-paid phone in the country you are based. Your GS3 is only useful for wifi calling/playing solitaire unless you can afford hundreds/thousands $'s bill over your 6 month stay.
Good luck to you.
Edit: Just noticed your OP was in July, so you are stuck with your phone......local prepaid phone is your option.

World Phone Opinions

Hey guys, just wanted to see what peoples experiences have been with the world phone capabilities. I will be travelling to New Zealand this December and want to get an idea of the best way to go about using my phone there.
I am currently running UKB, but would plan on using something stock like andybonestock for my travels...(unless we actually get the ics source before XMAS and we have a stock ics ROM that is 100% functional). I was thinking about buying a certain amount of data while there so I don't have to rely solely upon wifi hotspots.
What have you fellow users been doing when going abroad and what was your experience?

I just got back from a 2 wk trip in Italy and ran AndyBoneStock just like you're thinking.
I simply used the preinstalled SIM card from Vzw and had them activate it so it would work with their European partner, Vodafone--more expensive than unlocking it and installing a local SIM card but I wasn't really planning to use the phone too much and this way I'd keep my own telephone number. I also signed up for Vzw's 100MB of global data for $25, as much for insurance against the occasional or accidental overcharge as anything else.
I was able to make and receive calls pretty much everywhere BUT the data connectivity SUCKED. Maybe it was the fault of their European partner, Vodafone or maybe I screwed up some setting, but I could only pick up a data signal the first couple of days and from then on, no data on the go (even in major cities like Venice, Florence and Rome). I kept getting notification that I'd lost data roaming but clicking the notification would only jump me to the mobile data settings page where I already had data roaming enabled, so I was never able to sleuth it out. I ended up relying on WiFi for email and web connectivity. And when I landed back in the US, my phone locked on to 3G within a few seconds, so I'm thinking it wasn't my settings. \_O_/
And another note, texts from the US always came through blank, with a "message format not supported" message. WTF?
So, what's the take-home lesson? See if you can talk to somebody who's traveled to NZ and get tips on whose carrier to use--Vzw's or a local SIM once you've unlocked your phone.

Not a problem
I've used the phone in Germany, France, Switzerland, London, and Malaysia with no problem. I called Verizon and had the SIM unlocked so I was able to use local SIM cards. I'm running rooted stock so I can't comment on any custom ROMs.

I've used the phone in India, Amsterdam and London - stock rooted worked fine in each location. I had VZ unlock the phone right after I got it, but used the built-in Vodafone SIM and never tried a pay-as-you-go SIM since there really wasn't any need.
On my last trip, CM 7.2.0 worked fine with an APN change to use the "VZW Embedded GSM" settings I pulled from the stock ROM. The phone would switch from Orange to O2 to Vodafone NL depending on whatever it found in the area. Speeds were pretty decent as well. Texting worked, but I never tested MMS so I can't comment there.
This phone has been excellent for those reasons: working CM7 port, world radios and decent speed/features/battery life. It will be a tough search to find a suitable replacement.
xene97 said:
I've used the phone in Germany, France, Switzerland, London, and Malaysia with no problem. I called Verizon and had the SIM unlocked so I was able to use local SIM cards. I'm running rooted stock so I can't comment on any custom ROMs.
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joeinternet said:
I've used the phone in India, Amsterdam and London - stock rooted worked fine in each location. I had VZ unlock the phone right after I got it, but used the built-in Vodafone SIM and never tried a pay-as-you-go SIM since there really wasn't any need.
On my last trip, CM 7.2.0 worked fine with an APN change to use the "VZW Embedded GSM" settings I pulled from the stock ROM. The phone would switch from Orange to O2 to Vodafone NL depending on whatever it found in the area. Speeds were pretty decent as well. Texting worked, but I never tested MMS so I can't comment there.
This phone has been excellent for those reasons: working CM7 port, world radios and decent speed/features/battery life. It will be a tough search to find a suitable replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Are you guys referring to the stock froyo - downgraded root as the ROM? It would be nice to use something like CM7 over the froyo...more options and whatnot.

i used my dinc2 both in germany and in india during a trip. i had two pretty bad mistakes during this time.
one was that i forgot to have my sim unlocked so i had to wait for a week before i could ask my family in the U.S to call verizon and get the unlock code. i did get a few calls before i got a local sim that i mistakenly took and was charged the ridiculous roaming fee. i think it was like 8 dollars for just 3 minutes of talking.
after unlocking it, making and receiving calls were fine, but my data connection was a pain in the a$$. apparently vzw phones cant get apn settings automatically, so unless you have internet to look them up your screwed. i didnt know this at the time and i kept annoying the cellular guy because i thought he messed something up, but it was in fact my phone. i'd recommend getting an app like tweakker to get your apn settings automatically, provided you do have wifi connection.
other than all that, the phone is pretty great abroad. but i would like to know if anyone else got a full 3G connection abroad. for some reason i was only getting edge speeds.
ps. make sure you put your phone in gsm mode and not in global mode once you get a local sim.

I'd like to know how this goes for people, too. I will be traveling to Mexico and buying a Telus SIM or two for the trip.
Plan to use my DInc 2 and a used Aria for me and my wife.
My DInc 2 is unlocked and rooted but my first attempt at using a T-Mobile SIM was unsuccessful (on Skyraider). Will flash rooted 2.3.4 OTA and install tweakker apk and see how things go. Thanks to all for their input on this thread.
Would love to hear if CM7 is working well with GSM networks.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

I've used mine in Europe with a sim from ekit. Reasonable price and good connectivity.
For New Zealand, they charge 49 cents per megabyte.

UK & Ireland
I unlocked my Dinc2 before heading to the UK and Ireland (really simple phone call to Verizon). I was running aeroevan's cm9 from 8/22 while I was overseas. While in the UK, I went to ASDA - the Walmart of Britain and bought a prepaid SIM (it's actually a Vodafone SIM) for 20 pounds that had 500MB of data, unlimited texts and 1000 minutes (I think). Popped the SIM in and filled out the APN settings under System Settings > Wireless & Networks: More > Mobile networks > Access point names. Changed the Network mode to GSM/WCDMA preferred and was good to go. While in Ireland, I got an O2 SIM for about the same price with a little more data. Changed the APN settings to O2 and was good to go there, too.
Hope that helps.

RangerSteve said:
I unlocked my Dinc2 before heading to the UK and Ireland (really simple phone call to Verizon). I was running aeroevan's cm9 from 8/22 while I was overseas. While in the UK, I went to ASDA - the Walmart of Britain and bought a prepaid SIM (it's actually a Vodafone SIM) for 20 pounds that had 500MB of data, unlimited texts and 1000 minutes (I think). Popped the SIM in and filled out the APN settings under System Settings > Wireless & Networks: More > Mobile networks > Access point names. Changed the Network mode to GSM/WCDMA preferred and was good to go. While in Ireland, I got an O2 SIM for about the same price with a little more data. Changed the APN settings to O2 and was good to go there, too.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks dude...I imagine NZ will be a similar scenario to the UK.
Sent from my ViperDinc

RangerSteve said:
I unlocked my Dinc2 before heading to the UK and Ireland (really simple phone call to Verizon). I was running aeroevan's cm9 from 8/22 while I was overseas. While in the UK, I went to ASDA - the Walmart of Britain and bought a prepaid SIM (it's actually a Vodafone SIM) for 20 pounds that had 500MB of data, unlimited texts and 1000 minutes (I think). Popped the SIM in and filled out the APN settings under System Settings > Wireless & Networks: More > Mobile networks > Access point names. Changed the Network mode to GSM/WCDMA preferred and was good to go. While in Ireland, I got an O2 SIM for about the same price with a little more data. Changed the APN settings to O2 and was good to go there, too.
Hope that helps.
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Click to collapse
Were you able to get 3G speeds doing this? I have read reports of some users stuck on edge when using GSM data.