[cloisville]

Hi there!

I've searched the Internet for a few hours for an answer to this question, but I haven't come across any solid answers.

I'll be studying in Italy for 1.5 months this summer, and I need an Italian phone number (and therefore, an Italian SIM card) for my study abroad program. I've already called Verizon and they have unlocked my Blackberry Bold.

Some of the Italian cellular carriers provide pre-paid GSM SIM cards, along with pay-as-you-go Blackberry data packages. For example, according to the PrePaidGSM website, the Italian provider "TIM" offers pre-paid cards as well as a Blackberry unlimited data package for 2 euros/week (the data package is activated and deactivated via text message).

Here are my questions:

1) If I purchase the TIM card with the Blackberry weekly package, will I be able to use email, web browsing, and BBM (BBM is most important to me, as it would allow me to contact my family without the need for phone calls)?

2) There are many conflicting reports as to whether I would need to "de-register" or "release" my PIN from Verizon before using the Italian SIM card. Can anyone offer solid evidence on this? If I leave my PIN registered with Verizon, would I still be able to use BBM with the TIM voice and Blackberry data package?

(If it's of any help, I tried to login to the Verizon BIS website and it said that I don't have username or password -- I'm not sure why I don't have any account, since I've been able to use Blackberry services for the past few months with my new Bold.)

Thanks so much!

[CelloBass]

Hi, I'm italian and I live in Italy so maybe I can help you. Where are you going to?

1) I don't have a TIM phone card but I know that with a 2 euros weekly package you can use email, BBM, web browsing and so on.

2) Honestly I don't know. I'd ask the same question.

Anyway, if you want you can add me on BBM so we can talk there.
The PIN is on my sign

[tbrenn]

you will have to set up a BIS account with the TIM carrier, and add your device's pin... Some posters have said de-registering your blackberry from your current BIS account/carrier is not nessicary, but i have seen it cause problems, espically switching carriers / countries, so i would call your current carrier and suspend your account (since you willbe gone for at least one full billing cycle, and then remove the device's PIN from your BIS account...

there is always a slight chance that it will worry without doing that, and just detect the new device / new acount, bit i would recomend taking the precautions if possible.

[cloisville]

Is it difficult to de-register my PIN from Verizon? And would there be any troubles re-connecting to Verizon's BIS after I return from Italy?

Thanks for your help. I've really had a lot of difficulty coming up with a solid answer to this question, and some of the Verizon customer service representatives weren't very helpful either.

[tbrenn]

You can do it yourself from your BIS account, or call verizon to do it for you...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[cloisville]

Well, I can't seem to log onto the BIS Verizon website, but whenever I call Verizon, they keep telling me that a foreign SIM with a Blackberry plan "should" allow me to use Blackberry services.

Is "registering a BIS account" with the Italian carrier the same thing as setting up an email account on the TIM BIS plan? What if I didn't set up email with Blackberry on the TIM plan -- would that still mess things up with Verizon? I don't really care about getting push email or anything like that, just BBM and web browsing.

Thanks!