UAE unlocked BB Z10 and BBMV status

**fine1b01** · 02-01-2013, 11:16 AM

i have a question: if i buy an unlocked bb z10 from dubai and use it in africa bbm voice will be missing too? can u plz clarify for me because im planning to get it
thx in advance

**ShushUAE** · 02-02-2013, 09:51 AM

I was actually thinking the other way around. If you buy a Z10 from outside the UAE, will BBMV be able to work. I understand that the carriers (Etisalat and Du) have both put the brakes on BBMV stating that it will cause a revenue loss. Surely BlackBerry aka RIM should be able to resolve this considering that the Middle East is one of their growth areas. I am not actually sure how they block BBMV. Perhaps if the phone is jalibroken, will that work ?

Questions open to the floor

**fine1b01** · 02-02-2013, 03:59 PM

u just confused me more... lol ur supposed to be helping me :'( i want this phone so it will be cheaper for me get it from dubai plus i can always find somebody thats going to dubai, the alternative is finding somebody thats going to london which is kinda hard.. so can u help a brother with an inquiry cause as u see ur the only person to actually answer

**MattUK** · 02-02-2013, 04:03 PM

Regardless of where you get your handset, if the network has blocked it, then it won't work. When you power up the phone with your SIM it will register on the network, and the network settings will be set to those of your network, and they will have blocked the routing to the RIM servers.

You could try something like HideMyAss if that works in those countries, and see if that bypassed it.

**fine1b01** · 02-02-2013, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by MattUK

Regardless of where you get your handset, if the network has blocked it, then it won't work. When you power up the phone with your SIM it will register on the network, and the network settings will be set to those of your network, and they will have blocked the routing to the RIM servers.

You could try something like HideMyAss if that works in those countries, and see if that bypassed it.

im currently living in DRC... i have a bold 9900 with os 7.1 and bbm 7.. i can make voice calls normally on my wifi so i know the service isn't blocked here... what i was afraid of is that the whole blocking in the z10 case would be made on the software side and not network side, do u get me?

**Mashail J.** · 02-02-2013, 04:26 PM

I dont think they're blocked if u get it outside Etisalat and Du.
The bbmv worked perfectly when i was in UK but when i came back to Dubai it didnt

**fine1b01** · 02-02-2013, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Mashail J.

I dont think they're blocked if u get it outside Etisalat and Du.
The bbmv worked perfectly when i was in UK but when i came back to Dubai it didnt

ok thx.. then i will tell them to get me a sim free unbranded one...i still have to wait another week to get..or is it available in UAE(i guess the prices will be very high right now.. more than 700-750$)?

**MattUK** · 02-02-2013, 04:38 PM

If you are using wifi, then you are not using their network anyway.. so you are bypassing it already.

**fine1b01** · 02-02-2013, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by MattUK

If you are using wifi, then you are not using their network anyway.. so you are bypassing it already.

so its all good then.. the problem is just using it in UAE.. even if bought from UAE but used outside everything will work normally...thx alot guys u just saved me like 200$ lol

**ralfalasi** · 02-19-2013, 02:59 PM

any updates about how to bypass etisalat/du block on BBM VOICE/VIDEO CALLS ON BBM10 ON Z10 AND ALSO screen sharing ? ?

**xdoomx** · 02-19-2013, 03:03 PM

I doubt it will be blocked on the device side. That would mean custom software being loaded on each one and strict control of phones being brought into the country. Impossible. The blocking would probably be effected by the network. Any BB10 would have the same issue I predict

Posted via CB10

**kazmi** · 02-19-2013, 03:41 PM

You need to be careful about the model you are getting as well. AFAIK, the ones available in the UAE at the moment from DU, Etisalat or Axiom are the ones without LTE. Don't know if that makes a difference but I would check just to be safe. Also, if you buy one from the UAE and use it elsewhere, BBMV should "technically" work on 3G/4G depending on the local carrier you are using.

One interesting example: my family has iphones in the UAE; and FaceTime does not work on them. They don't even have FaceTime to be able to run it. When my wife was visiting, her FaceTime would work on wifi even though she had an Etisalat sim in there (keep in mind OS 6 had NOT been released then so FT was only possible over wifi anyways). I wonder if this BBMV restriction is on the same network level or one step deeper?

**fine1b01** · 02-20-2013, 05:09 PM

oh thx for the heads up...but whats the difference anyway, i mean software wise.. updates and such...between having just the 3G model and the 4G model... where im living LTE isnt available yet and by the time it gets here i would just buy a newer BB model

**kazmi** · 02-20-2013, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by fine1b01

oh thx for the heads up...but whats the difference anyway, i mean software wise.. updates and such...between having just the 3G model and the 4G model... where im living LTE isnt available yet and by the time it gets here i would just buy a newer BB model

No difference in the software/OS. Only in the radio hardware. It's only really important if you travel a lot and if your area is expecting to get LTE soon. Personally, I always feel that if I'm spending that much money, I would like to get the best the device has to offer. If your needs will not be evolving anytime soon and you are happy with 3G, then the model available in the UAE should work just fine for you.

**fine1b01** · 02-20-2013, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by kazmi

No difference in the software/OS. Only in the radio hardware. It's only really important if you travel a lot and if your area is expecting to get LTE soon. Personally, I always feel that if I'm spending that much money, I would like to get the best the device has to offer. If your needs will not be evolving anytime soon and you are happy with 3G, then the model available in the UAE should work just fine for you.

thx! was doing some light reading on snapdragon chips vs omap chips used in bb z10 too.. so from the looks of it i shouldnt be affected and since i'll have H+ so its all good