[pbenetar]

Just swapped my notably suck worthy Instinct for a BB Tour last week and am traveling to Manila from the USA next month. I need to get myself a sim card/service for while I am there.

I'd never heard of a sim card though my son showed me how to physically remove/exchange the card. Anyone have any good links with either general info for using a sim card in Asia (PI specifically) or ANY suggestions?

I see plenty advertised on a google search but I'm sure there are no better sources than here to give this bb/tech neophyte a few good practical leads on how to proceed. tia.

[ridesno159]

Your Tour needs to be unlocked by Sprint or a third party. Then you will be able to purchase a Sim Card from a provider in asia and slip it in. After that you'll have a working BB.

This should help direct you to more info on this subject.

http://forums.crackberry.com/f157/

[kyrumo]

All Sprint Tours built after the first month come unlocked.

[pbenetar]

Sprint is my provider...after arriving "in country", does one just locate a wireless provider store (for a short stay e.g. 5-6 days) and buy a limited sim card, or is it convenient enough to obtain/install such a card before departing the USA?

thanks again, pb

[tunkatuna]

I frequently travel outside the states. It is best to buy a SIM locally.
Buying them online can be quite expensive and is for people who do not know how to do it.
Usually airport kiosk's sell them or at many convenience stores. All you have to do is ask when you get there.
If you e-mail me I will send you a little 2 page explanation of international travel and GSM.
I had enough people ask me so I put it together.

[tunkatuna]

Actually let me try this.

GSM Explained
Almost all parts of the world operate on GSM technology, except USA and Canada. Originally GSM operated at a frequency of 900 MHz, which is being continuously upgraded and now works on 1,800 MHz service. With a GSM phone, you can access service in 212 different countries. Some of the mobile phones available in the United States and Canada operate on GSM, but most of them are of a different frequency band. The GSM service available in North America is of a totally different frequency of 1,900 MHz and sometimes 850 MHz, which is different from the standard of 1,800 MHz. Not all countries in the world use the standard 900/1,800 MHz GSM. The exceptions being, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and some Central/South American countries, with some limited coverage of the standard GSM networks
Quad-band - A quad-band phone allows you to roam almost anywhere globally. It covers the 850 Mhz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency ranges. Many countries in South America only have 850 MHz GSM service while both 1900 MHZ and 850 MHz GSM services are supported in the USA. 99% of all countries use the GSM standard. WE believe eventually GSM will be the only cell phone standard in the world..
What is a SIM card?
The SIM (Subscriber Information Module) card - a.k.a. "smart card" - holds all of a subscriber's personal information and phone settings. In essence, it is the subscriber's authorization to use the network. It also holds the phone number, personal security key and other data necessary for the handset to function. The card can be switched from phone to phone, making the new phone receive all calls to the subscriber's number.
The SIM card is exclusive to GSM phones. CDMA phones operated on networks like Verizon and Sprint do not have SIM cards.
It is cheaper to buy a SIM card locally instead of getting one online. Most airports or convenience stores sell starter packs. Simply ask when you get there where to get one.
The SIM will act as a pre-paid phone so you will need to buy minutes at the time you get the SIM.
Each operator has it’s own method of activating the SIM which can be done from the phone by entering a series of numbers. Instructions will come with the starter pack. Same goes for the extre minutes you will add.
Many countries (unlike the U.S.) permits incoming calls to not cost you minutes which means many times even if you are out of minutes you can still receive calls.
What does unlocked mean?
Most cell phones that you would purchase are locked, meaning that you must use the provider's service for receiving phones calls. Phones that are unlocked, means you can simply purchase the cell phone and purchase the SIM card elsewhere.
If you have a locked phone and you are currently a subscriber to that service they may provide the unlock code which makes unlocking easy.
There are commercial companies that can unlock phones for a fee. Just do a Google search on “Cell phone unlocking” to find one.
Frequencies for other countries
Wireless service providers Worldwide

Chargers
Make sure that your phone comes with a charger that will take 110 and 220 volts.
Most appliances come with duel voltage chargers but if not you will be needing a converter to charge it.

World electric chart
WORLD ELECTRIC GUIDE

Where to buy
There are many places to buy new and used GSM phones.
Ebay, Amazon.com are good for used and new phones
Unlocked Cell Phones | GSM Phones | Unlocked Phones | Satellite Phones | Unlocked Cell Phones is good for new only

When ordering make sure the phone has the following.
1. Unlocked
2. Quad band
3. GSM networks

[ounoulikeit]

Good info Tunkatuna..... Thanks

[FF22]

Great info.

"The SIM card is exclusive to GSM phones. CDMA phones operated on networks like Verizon and Sprint do not have SIM cards."

You might want to modify/clarify that as some BB's sold by Verizon/Sprint do accept Sim cards (which I'm sure you know) - they are "World phones"

[tunkatuna]

Good catch. I mostly put this together for people traveling with non smart phones so they could just get a phone to make calls.
Thanks

[pbenetar]

Great explanation and I appreciate all the helpful info!

The Tour (9630) then I take it is a "World" phone and I merely need to buy a local sim card and then switch over to GSM under Manage Connections-->Mobile Technology-->Network Technology (to GMS).

Someone else had mentioned to me I needed to "switch off" CDMA as I leave NA...is this switching to the GMS mode or is the 9630 simply not a CDMA phone to begin with?

[FF22]

The Tour is a world phone. It can do both cdma (natively) and gsm. With Verizon, you have to call to get the phone UNlocked to use a "foreign" sim card. I've read that newer Sprint Tours may be unlocked but older stock may not be. So call Sprint to find out about yours.

When I went to Europe this summer with my 8830 (another world phone) I don't recall if I did anything or it just started picking up "their" signals and showed carrier at the top of the screen. Maybe I did switch it to global under Manage Connections.

Just remember if you swap sim cards you wind up with a NEW phone number for over-there, wherever that might be. If you use Sprint's -the charges probably will be quite a bit higher but you keep your phone number.

And there's one sim card I read about, that is a bit more complex - you call what I guess is a lead-in number, it calls back and then you dial the phone you really want to call. It is cheap but maybe not worth the effort.

[pbenetar]

I spoke to Sprint International this am who confirmed the phone comes Unlocked (9630) but forgot to ask them if I had to turn off CDMA (one board member said I would/could be hit with roaming charges if I did not turn CDMA "off").

[Buckshot1]

I spoke to Sprint International this am who confirmed the phone comes Unlocked (9630) but forgot to ask them if I had to turn off CDMA (one board member said I would/could be hit with roaming charges if I did not turn CDMA "off").

You won't need to turn it off. Once you insert the SIM card from your provider of choice, it will find their network and connect to it.

[pbenetar]

You guys have all been very helpful. Thanks a ton.

pb

[tcreaper]

I too am about to travel, to Kazakhstan in the near future and being the boy scout that I am I decided to purchase an online SIM card from OneSimCard.com just in case I cant find one over there. I contacted Verizon and was sent an unlock code, went thru the steps, popped in the international SIM set my network to GSM 2G & 3G and lost everything. I got the SOS only signal indicator. If I switch it to Global and automatic I connect to Verizon with my ORIGINAL number using the NEW SIM, so weird. It seems to me as if the phone isn't really unlocked. Or am I doing something wrong. Any help is greatly appreciated and btw OMG that was very informational and helpful. Glad to see helpful considerate people like you still exist tunkatuna!

[Fuzzballz]

well, er, you switched to GSM *before* you went overseas?

Your Tour should have an option that uses either CDMA or GSM depending on what's available. It should automatically switch to the appropriate one when that's enabled.

[tcreaper]

havent gone overseas yet, I was hoping to "test" the new international SIM before I went

[Fuzzballz]

test it on what network? Verizon is CDMA only AFAIK.

[tcreaper]

I was attempting to use the new International SIM on any GSM network I can get where I currently am. My ultimate goal was to call the Estonia number I was provided to see if my phone rang. It did not. When I placed a call with the "international" sim installed it still showed my verizon number. I am either doing something wrong or my phone isnt really unlocked. I will be contacting VZW global support to find out wtf lol oh and although I think I may be slightly intelligent, you can see from my post counter I am a total n00b so wtf does AFAIK mean lol

[AUBIN6892]

how do you find out on your bb tour if its unlocked or not?

[tcreaper]

Just a re-cap to what I am doing maybe someone can see the error in these steps.

To unlock the phone I,
turn all connections off
options>advanced options>sim card
type MEPD then MEP2
(the first time I did this I got a popup to enter the unlock code in
all subsequent tries I get nothing but it does say security disabled)
I then did a Full Power Off
Pulled Battery
Pulled VZW SIM
Installed OneSimCard international SIM
replaced battery
powered phone on
After what seemed like hours it finally came back on.
I made sure data service is off(dont want any extra charges)
Set the phone for GSM 2G and 3G and I get zero signal it simply says SOS instead of a signal indicator. I tried to make a call and receive a call in this configuration. I could not make the call and when my wife tried to call my "estonia" number it says I was out of service range or had the phone off.
I then switched it to Global network mode.
I immediately got full signal and when I looked to see with what network it said Verizon Network (even tho I had the Estonia SIM in)
I made a call to my wife and it said the call was coming from my Verizon #, she then called my VZW number and I got the call (still have the estonia sim in at this point)
This leads me to believe that even with the Estonia SIM installed the phone itself still thinks I am only able to use VZW so its not allowing me to switch over to the Estonia SIM. That seem about right to you guys? I am terribly sorry to keep re-hashing this I am sure you guys get bored looking at the same problems day after day but I really havent found anything in the forums this far that emulates my problem so here I am. Thanks in advance for any help comes my way.

[tcreaper]

how do you find out on your bb tour if its unlocked or not?

That is a great question! The only answer I have so far is, if you can plug a different SIM in to your phone and make a call it is unlocked. But I am not so sure now. Good luck getting the answer and please SHARE if you do lol

[Fuzzballz]

I was attempting to use the new International SIM on any GSM network I can get where I currently am.

Clearly you couldn't get any GSM network that would accept your phone/card.

[tcreaper]

Yes, but the actual question is why? Among other questions like why is my phone retaining VZW info when I have the Estonia SIM in?

Nice new end quote btw

[vndlewis]

It got the SOS because there was nothing to connect to - no Estonia network. It works with global off because Verizon doesn't require a Sim card.

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