Three network SIMs not working but O2 & Vodaphone SIMS ok-HELP! I'm really confused
Cannot find a solution either searching the forums or via Google so perhaps someone can help by answering this post:
Got an XDA Orbit that works fine when I insert either an O2 sim or a vodaphone sim (so the phone appears not to be locked) but not when I use a 3 (three) sim. When I insert a 3 (three) sim I get the message "Invalid or missing SIM card". I have 2x three sims and both do the same thing. However both the 3 (three) sims work fine in my XDA exec and Sony Ericson K610i so there appears to be no fault with the sim. So if the SIM appears to work and the phone appears to be unlocked what else is there?
I have considered upgrading the ROM but there seem to be a lot of people either turning this phone into a brick or breaking wifi (needed) while updating the ROM on the Orbit. If someone can point me to a rom that works without doing either that might be a solution.
Details of ROM XDA Orbit is running:
ROM version: 1.25.206.2 WWE
ROM date: 10/4/06
Radio version: 02.67.90
Protocol version: 4.1.13.28
ExtROM version: 1.25.206.101
Any thoughts or idea's welcome
PS. I have also tried inserting a little paper between the battery & the SIM as suggested in some of the forum posts which didn't work.
3 is a 3g network only, the Artemis is not a 3g phone.
Older 3 USIMS used to work, but when 3 noticed you were constantly roaming onto O2 (who provide 3 with their backup network, at a cost to 3) they blocked those SIMS. Newer ones simply don't work at all in 2.5g phones.
Upgrading the ROM would make no difference, you would need to change the handset to a different model to use the 3 network, but then frankly I never understand why anyone would want to.
i thought the same thing as the post above...but what made me wonder is why the 3 sim cards are working inthe xda 2s which is not a 3g phone.
maybe its not the 3 sim cards that are at fault here after....as hard as that is to belive
hey guys,
three sim cards will not function at all unless the phone is 3g enabled.
Remi
Even if the phone was 3g, 3 used to block IMEIs of phones not sold by them. Nice. Don't know if they still do that though.
update
arielc - my error, sim does not work in XDA2 (tested again), 3rd phone tested was a Sony K610i -> have updated initial post to remove error.
LargePig - The XDA Exec I have was bought from O2 and does work 100% (so far).
Gajet - I think you are right. Is there any way for the phone to fake to the sim that it is a 3G phone? I realise this is probably grasping at straws but thought I should ask just in case.
Assuming it is impossible to get the 3 SIMs to work any idea on what these are worth? I'm depressed askign this as it is a realy nice phone & I would prefer to keep it.
D1bbl3r said:
Gajet - I think you are right. Is there any way for the phone to fake to the sim that it is a 3G phone? I realise this is probably grasping at straws but thought I should ask just in case.
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No the lack of function occurs when the SIM tries to register on the network I believe, so it instantly knows it can't register on the UMTS (3g) network, and because it hasn't tried it is blocked from registering on the GSM (2.5g) network.
Any 3g enabled phone should work, and there are 3g HTC pocket PC devices such as the Universal etc. but they all tend to be bulkier.
3 has to stop this behaviour because they have no GSM backup of their own and therefore they pay O2 to provide their backup, this means they make little (if any) money on those calls.
Personally I don't think 3 are as cheap compared to the other networks as they used to be, the other networks have had to try and attract customers back. You could get a SIM from the other networks for a fiver at the most. My personal recomendation at the moment is a T-Mobile Flext and Web & Walk Tariff.
As for the value of the 3 USIMS, Have a look on Ebay at what they are going for, they do have a sale value.
Related
Hi, will i be able to use the Three Simcard in the phone? it is a xda orbit. i am picking it up tonight and would like to know. thanks
From what I can remember, the answer is No, 3 monitor the imei's of handsets connecting to their network.
I remember this being discussed a couple of years ago.
It may work for a few weeks/months but you may receive a phonecall requesting your sim to be put in one of their handsets
3 is a 3G network which drops down to 2.5G when 3G is not available. As the Orbit is not a 3G capable phone I think it unlikely that a 3 sim will work in the Orbit.
Hi! I have the same problem con 3 italian sim. Htc p3300 didn't never work!!!
Have I a possibility that it works by some manner?
allenf said:
3 is a 3G network which drops down to 2.5G when 3G is not available. As the Orbit is not a 3G capable phone I think it unlikely that a 3 sim will work in the Orbit.
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Old thread bump.
I have just tried a 3 UK sim in an Orbit - and I was able to make and receive voice calls without changing any settings. But as other posters have said, 3 take a dim view of people using their sims in non-3 branded handsets and may cut off your sim without warning.
My question is, when you are overseas using your local providers roaming options to still use your phone, should you use a radio that works best on the network in the country you are visiting or that works best on your home network?
I have tried 1.46.00.11 and 1.50.08.11 on my New Zealand Vodafone network and neither support incoming calls but other radio functionality works fine (also noted here). So I stick with good old trusty 1.38.00.11.
When I go to Japan next week I want this still to work so I am hesitant to put the "leading" radio in the poll on as I may not be able to receive calls.
I will be using SoftBank in Japan, but I will be receiving calls redirected from Vodafone. I'll take a couple of radio ROMS on my card to flash if need be while I'm over there, but I was curious if anyone knew exactly what the biggest influence is, your location and network, or the calling users location and network?
Hey Julz, off to Japan huh? Fascinating place, make sure you check out Akihabara if you are in Tokyo...
I was in Korea a month or so ago and could get my P3600 to connect to their 3G network (using the 1.38 radio), couldn't make any calls but that turned out to be a Vodafone problem. Seems that VFNZ don't have a roaming agreement for their 3G network...
So I'm guessing you should be ok with the 1.38 radio.
Only other place I've roamed with the P3600 so far has been Fiji, worked perfectly there with the 1.38 radio.
Thanks Ant
Yes, this will be visit number 4 and yes I love Akihabara!! Will see if I can pick up a dirt cheap 8GB MicroSDHC down the alleyways.
NZVF confirms their 3G agreements with a couple of Japanese carriers, so it sounds like I should be ok.
Just thought it was an interesting question to chuck into the mix regarding favourite Radio ROM's to see if people change their radio when travelling
I recently purchased a G2 and was wondering if there is any benifit in activating the new simcard? I live in an area where 3G is everywhere but inside the city limits. I used to work at At&t way back when it was Cingular and I briefly remeber telling people something about upgrading to the 64 or 128 bit simcard (can't remember for sure). I have been using the same simcard for two+ years. If I travel to area's outside the city, I can use 3G speeds.
Your Knowledge is greatly appriciated.
slim
Why not?
You have nothing to loose!
...and I'm nearly certain it doesn't give you any extra benefit; I've had my SIM Since, the T-Mo Wing[?]
& Its still Going Strong!
Just replace it the sim technolgy has been the same for several years but if its real old the new 4g network might suffer a bit but still won't be to bad but it comes with a new one so just update it. Make sure that you back up any contacts you may have saved on it first though
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
I called a T-mo rep about it and he said the sim cards have a expeiry date based on network transitions. He told me to activate the new sim simply because it was able to "recognize" more available bandwidth and that it did not expire from transitioning from umts,hsdpa,and hspa+ quickly where as he said mine would. (I find this bogus because my voicestream SIM card still worked)
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
I personally think that T-Mo are talking BS. I'd be happy to be wrong if someone can provide proof that they're actually correct on this issue.
Actually its probably best. I checked my old sim card with the new sim card and the copper connector on the back is different from the new and old sim cards. Plus after activating the new one, I didn't have hiccups transfering from E to 3G to H whereas before it would randomly drop from H to E. But thats for me.
I'm heading to China in a week and want to use my Note II (AT&T) on the China Mobile network. Does anyone have experience doing that?
I have been to my local AT&T store and they unlocked the phone for a non-AT&T SIM but I'm unsure about the Modem I should use (if a change is needed) and any other considerations.
I have rooted the phone and have CleanROM ACE 4.9 installed. No UV or OC or other tweaks.
I can buy a new pre-loaded SIM in China, as I have done in the past, but never with an Android smartphone.
I appreciate any feedback, guidance, or even horror stories that will help me get the phone ready for the trip.
MB
I've heard that you have to use china unicom to get 3g connection on an ATT phone. Is that true?
All, I thought I'd give an update:
I'm in China and can use my Note II here. I bought a micro-SIM and data connection service, but blew through the first pre-payment in about 18 hours, LOL, so now I just use the calls and messaging and that seems to work fine.
AT&T unlocked the phone for me (Even thought I had done it on my own using the "secret" menu) but I had to use some other tweaks to get it all working.
I'm on China Mobile which doesn't have the 3G, wish I had gotten the China Telecom, which does have 3G. There doesn't appear to be any 4G or LTE type service at all.
If I can remember what I did to get the whole thing working I'll edit the post.
Mike "reporting from Shanghai"
mbamberg said:
All, I thought I'd give an update:
I'm in China and can use my Note II here. I bought a micro-SIM and data connection service, but blew through the first pre-payment in about 18 hours, LOL, so now I just use the calls and messaging and that seems to work fine.
AT&T unlocked the phone for me (Even thought I had done it on my own using the "secret" menu) but I had to use some other tweaks to get it all working.
I'm on China Mobile which doesn't have the 3G, wish I had gotten the China Telecom, which does have 3G. There doesn't appear to be any 4G or LTE type service at all.
If I can remember what I did to get the whole thing working I'll edit the post.
Mike "reporting from Shanghai"
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I'm in China now using my i317, you can't use China Telecom's 3G on the i317, you have to use China unicom. That's the same 3G as AT&T. you can have HSPA+(called 4G by at&t) by using this
I was in Shenzhen for work 3 times last year with an unlocked 4S since they could not supply a nano SIM for my 5. I used a China Mobile SIM card supplied by the vendor I was visiting. I was only able to get EDGE the whole time. I visited Luohu and Guangdong as well and still only EDGE. I am heading back on September 18th and am taking my Note II. I assume my experience will be the same. Maybe I will give give CU a shot this time. Happy and safe travels!
Back from China!
I used China mobile, but next time I would use China Unicom. They have faster data and cheaper too, I think.
jedimyndtryx said:
I was in Shenzhen for work 3 times last year with an unlocked 4S since they could not supply a nano SIM for my 5.
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Can't you just trim the sim card to correct size? I used a punch, and use the outside piece when I need a regular size sim.
Anyway, when I travel, I keep a couple of modems on my sd card and flash them until I get the correct frequencies. Before I leave, I save a screenshot of the APN settings for the companies I anticpate using.
I tried to Google this, here I found found only problems with SIM cards not being recognised, not being able to establish a data connection etc. I seriously doubt anyone will be able to help - it's probably rare. Still, I'd really love someone smarter than me to try and figure it out.
Bought a P8000 in late 2015. With my standard combination, a Croatian BonBon SIM (cheap prepaid MVNO, owned by HT (Croatian Telecom, previously T-Mobile Croatia, part of Deutsche Telekom group) and first a A1 (Telekom Austria), later Klax (another prepaid T-Mobile brand, this one Austrian), I had absolutely no problems with either data or voice connections (4G/3G/2G), one data SIM at a time, as usual. (P8000, when 4G signal isn't strong enough, but exists, has to be set to prefer 3G - easy to solve manually).
When my primary phone went to hell, I tried using the SIM card from Tele2 Croatia, this being a contract (unimportant). This SIM connects ´without fault to the Tele2 4G network, can send and receive SMS, but no way to make or receive a voice call. Tele2 replaced the SIM twice - they insist they never heard of such a problem.
I got a new Huawei Mate 9 for myself, no problems with Tele2 SIM, the Elephone went to my daughter, then living in Austria.
She used it with her 3 Austria (Drei) SIM, again, everything working perfectly.
Now she moved to Spain, two weeks ago, tried an Orange SIM - and again, it's the exact same situation as with Tele2 Croatia. Mobile data perfect, sms OK, no voice calls in or out. Temporarily, she put the Orange SIM in an antique Samsung Galaxy (1? - anyway the first generation). It works great (no LTE of course, but 3G is fast enough).
Nobody I asked could explain why cards connecting to networks that use same frequencies (900/1800 MHz GSM, 2100 MHz UMTS/WCDMA, 800/2100 LTE) generally totally standard European networks should have problems with voice calls only (I tried 4 or 5 other SIMs, Croatian, Austrian and German - no issue. Just these two - but as I said, replacements didn't wotk either - so it seems to be a phone problem.
Just to mention: I did try both SIM slots, disabling SIMs, access points wre automatically set up, but I did check with providers and they were OK, SIMs were registered, activated etc.
One possibility that I just thought of: This P8000 displays an "invalid IMEI" message - and IMEI certainly IS invalid , 0123456789 if I'm not mistaken - but it had that IMEI from day one (I bought it from Amazon Germany, not on a street coner) and if Tele2 Croatia and Orange Spain check this but still allow data connections, and other providers can't be bothered it would be a bit surprising.
Regards and thanks a lot in advance to resident gurus - I know just how to flash a ROM, root a phone - but have absolutely no theoretical knowledge when it comes to mobile communications.
anathem said:
I tried to Google this, here I found found only problems with SIM cards not being recognised, not being able to establish a data connection etc. I seriously doubt anyone will be able to help - it's probably rare. ,....
Regards and thanks a lot in advance to resident gurus - I know just how to flash a ROM, root a phone - but have absolutely no theoretical knowledge when it comes to mobile communications.
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I'm sort of aware that repeating a question is usually unproductive. On the XDA I was unable to find a similar case, regardless of the phone model. I asked different technicians and support staff, asked Elephone about it (no answer). Being a curious person and generally able to solve technical issues, I'll be happy to hear even a "stupid old guy, this can't be true".
I can help you with Windows, Mac OS, Linux on PC or Mac, fix your servers, explain VDSL 2 or how to use 1991 Novell C compiler, but no bloody clue why an Elephone with EU stock ROM cannot use two different SIM cards, regular voice / data cards, nothing special or in any way specific to make voice calls, and still work great with these same cards when it comes to mobile data. Ten other cards work great, Austrian, German, Croatian, Slovak, Spanish.
WTF can this be?