Roaming on Orange/T-mobile

[Guest deadonthestairs]

Hi there,

Firstly, can I thank everyone who's contributed to this site. It's a fantastic resource and has helped me immensely since getting my San Fran a few months ago. Also, sorry if I'm going over things that have been done to death, but I've searched the forums and struggling to find an answer.

Basically, my gf's just bought a white San Fran, and upgraded it to JJ RLS9. It's only got her old 2G Orange sim in at the minute, but earlier we were up in the moors and it lost the Orange signal. I noticed the little R in the network strength icon and assumed that to mean it had picked up another network's signal and was roaming on that(?).

Going into the network select menu there was a list of available networks but no Orange. The phone still displayed the network as being Orange on the lock screen though. We assumed it had automatically selected T-mobile, is that likely? If the phone had picked up T-mobile, would it be classed as roaming and be charged accordingly or classed as roaming and be part of her inclusive minutes (under the Orange/T-mobile merger)? If it had picked up Vodafone or O2, am I right in thinking that any usage would be charged as such? Surely if it had then the relevant network operator would've been displayed on the lock screen, right?

Also, is the only disadvantage of not having the 3G sim in the lack of 3G data services, or is the 3G mobile network for calls and texts too?

Many thanks in advance!

Adam

[Guest Lew247]

Your problem is

It's only got her old 2G Orange sim in

Tell her to go into the shop and get a new sim and it will fix the problem

or ideally use another network with better data plans

[Guest Kurdt Kobain]

Firstly AFAIK there's no such thing as a "2G sim". Your gf's sim should be 3g compatible just like everybody else's. Unless her sim is VERY old of course.

When you're picking up a 3G signal your phone will, usually (depending on which ROM), display this as "H" (HSDPA) as opposed to "G" (GPRS / 2G).

For an Orange customer to begin using the T-Mobile signal, or vice versa, you need to text the word YES free of charge to 2121. Officially there's a form to fill out on the Orange website to accept the t&c's first but you can effectively skip this step as all it tells you to do in the end is to text the word YES to 2121 as mentioned!

There's no additional or hidden charges for roaming on the other network other than your standard rate. However for the time being use of the other network is currently restricted to 2G only.

Depending on which ROM a user has installed dictates how the other network's name appears on the lock screen. Most commonly your gf should see the name "OrangeT-Mobile" being displayed when roaming on T-Mobile. I am a T-Mobile customer and when roaming I usually see the network name displayed "T-MobileOrange". However a few ROMS will just display the original name ie "T-Mobile" or "Orange" when roaming.

There's a handy shortcut widget you can download from the Market called something like "2G to 3G" which you can stick on the home screen and will take you straight to the network settings menu thus avoiding the need to navigate via menu > settings etc.

When you do a network search it is normal for your phone to display every network available in your area, ie O2, Vodafone and 3Three, but these will be locked. She will only be able to use Orange or T-Mobile.

Oh yeah and remember to tick the "allow data when roaming option". Again she won't be charged any extra for this. Just remember to turn this option off again if traveling abroad!

Finally she only needs 3G for data. 2G is fine for calls and texts.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Kurdt Kobain

[Guest cmberry20]

Unless her sim is VERY old of course

My Vodafone SIM is 16 years old!!! - works with 3G+ fine!!! :huh:

[Guest deadonthestairs]

Your problem is

Tell her to go into the shop and get a new sim and it will fix the problem

or ideally use another network with better data plans

Thanks for your help, she has the Orange sim that came with the phone but it's PAYG and she's on Orange contract. I'm not sure if getting the number swapped over will be possible, though. Unfortunately she's stuck with the contract she signed a while ago, but I'll get her on a Tesco or Giff Gaff sim-only deal as soon as it's done :huh:

Firstly AFAIK there's no such thing as a "2G sim". Your gf's sim should be 3g compatible just like everybody else's. Unless her sim is VERY old of course.

Depending on which ROM a user has installed dictates how the other network's name appears on the lock screen. Most commonly your gf should see the name "OrangeT-Mobile" being displayed when roaming on T-Mobile. I am a T-Mobile customer and when roaming I usually see the network name displayed "T-MobileOrange". However a few ROMS will just display the original name ie "T-Mobile" or "Orange" when roaming.

When you do a network search it is normal for your phone to display every network available in your area, ie O2, Vodafone and 3Three, but these will be locked. She will only be able to use Orange or T-Mobile.

Oh yeah and remember to tick the "allow data when roaming option". Again she won't be charged any extra for this. Just remember to turn this option off again if traveling abroad!

Finally she only needs 3G for data. 2G is fine for calls and texts.

Cheers for the reply. I guess the sim is <1 year old so probably a 3G sim. What was puzzling is that I was sat next to her and I could bring up a list of networks that was Tesco UK (my network) ,Orange UK, T-mobile UK, O2 UK, Vodafone Uk, and 3UK. Whereas hers just brought up T-mobile, O2, Telefonica, and Hutchison 3G. Wasn't sure why though.

I told her about not being able to access the other networks after you posted, and she thinks that she was able to and sent a message whilst connected to one. Would that definitely not be possible?

I think she just wanted clarification that she wasn't being charged when the 'r' was on her indicator. She wasn't sure whether it would be classed as roaming since the two companies merged... We're both newbies when it comes to all this!

Thanks.

[Guest Kurdt Kobain]

Thanks for your help, she has the Orange sim that came with the phone but it's PAYG and she's on Orange contract. I'm not sure if getting the number swapped over will be possible, though. Unfortunately she's stuck with the contract she signed a while ago, but I'll get her on a Tesco or Giff Gaff sim-only deal as soon as it's done :huh:

Cheers for the reply. I guess the sim is <1 year old so probably a 3G sim. What was puzzling is that I was sat next to her and I could bring up a list of networks that was Tesco UK (my network) ,Orange UK, T-mobile UK, O2 UK, Vodafone Uk, and 3UK. Whereas hers just brought up T-mobile, O2, Telefonica, and Hutchison 3G. Wasn't sure why though.

I told her about not being able to access the other networks after you posted, and she thinks that she was able to and sent a message whilst connected to one. Would that definitely not be possible?

I think she just wanted clarification that she wasn't being charged when the 'r' was on her indicator. She wasn't sure whether it would be classed as roaming since the two companies merged... We're both newbies when it comes to all this!

Thanks.

You're both picking up the exact same networks as each other. It's just that different ROMS make the network names display slightly differently. O2 is Telefónica; Telefónica being the name of O2's parent company. Likewise Hutchison 3G Telecom being the full name for 3UK.

I've just upgraded to 2.3 for the first time tonight and my new ROM now displays the name Orange when I'm roaming as opposed to the full blown title of TMobileOrange which my old ROM, and Nokia 5800 before that, used to display.

I'm pretty certain the "r" symbol she is seeing is not connected to roaming. Has she even opted into the roaming scheme yet (ie. texted YES to 2121)? The phone will not roam until she has done that anyway.

There is a paid for app called Roam Control which will force your phone to roam but without that she certainly will not be able to roam onto any of the other networks whilst still in the UK. For example I've just attempted to roam onto Vodafone. After selecting it I get a message saying "registering on Vodafone" which initially makes you believe it's going to happen but it's shortly followed by another message advising that the transfer was not possible. She's probably just mistakenly been fooled by the first message and thought that the phone had roamed when it hadn't.

@ cmberry20: I was pretty sure there was no such thing as a 2G only sim. My only guess being that if one were possible then it would have had to have been some prehistoric kind of sim from a time before I ever knew anything about mobile phones!

[Guest Matthew Ferguson]

Firstly AFAIK there's no such thing as a "2G sim". Your gf's sim should be 3g compatible just like everybody else's. Unless her sim is VERY old of course.

When you're picking up a 3G signal your phone will, usually (depending on which ROM), display this as "H" (HSDPA) as opposed to "G" (GPRS / 2G).

For an Orange customer to begin using the T-Mobile signal, or vice versa, you need to text the word YES free of charge to 2121. Officially there's a form to fill out on the Orange website to accept the t&c's first but you can effectively skip this step as all it tells you to do in the end is to text the word YES to 2121 as mentioned!

There's no additional or hidden charges for roaming on the other network other than your standard rate. However for the time being use of the other network is currently restricted to 2G only.

Depending on which ROM a user has installed dictates how the other network's name appears on the lock screen. Most commonly your gf should see the name "OrangeT-Mobile" being displayed when roaming on T-Mobile. I am a T-Mobile customer and when roaming I usually see the network name displayed "T-MobileOrange". However a few ROMS will just display the original name ie "T-Mobile" or "Orange" when roaming.

There's a handy shortcut widget you can download from the Market called something like "2G to 3G" which you can stick on the home screen and will take you straight to the network settings menu thus avoiding the need to navigate via menu > settings etc.

When you do a network search it is normal for your phone to display every network available in your area, ie O2, Vodafone and 3Three, but these will be locked. She will only be able to use Orange or T-Mobile.

Oh yeah and remember to tick the "allow data when roaming option". Again she won't be charged any extra for this. Just remember to turn this option off again if traveling abroad!

Finally she only needs 3G for data. 2G is fine for calls and texts.

Obviously you know very little about SIM cards and how the operator decides to classify them. If you get an Orange PAYG simcard by itself, or get a Contract SIM card with a 2G contract phone from Orange, they lock the sim to 2G, even if you have an unlimited data plan. The easiest way to tell this is simple - 2G sims from orange made in the past 2 years are Orange - 3G sims are black and have 3G written on them. Please ignore the above poster.

The whole T-Mobile roaming thing - as the above poster said - is an opt-in policy, however, it's 2G only - the policy doesn't allow you to use T-Mobile's 3G network. Your phone can't roam in your own country and charge you for it - it's against your policy. It's likely, as JJ has MANY issues, that the rom is merely mistaken, and you're not actually roaming.

As for the above raised comment of the SIM being old and therefore not being able to get a 3G signal, this once again shows your ignorance. The 3G signal, unless locked in the SIM card, has nothing to do with it, and is based on the radio in the phone.

[Guest Kurdt Kobain]

Obviously you know very little about SIM cards and how the operator decides to classify them. If you get an Orange PAYG simcard by itself, or get a Contract SIM card with a 2G contract phone from Orange, they lock the sim to 2G, even if you have an unlimited data plan. The easiest way to tell this is simple - 2G sims from orange made in the past 2 years are Orange - 3G sims are black and have 3G written on them. Please ignore the above poster.

The whole T-Mobile roaming thing - as the above poster said - is an opt-in policy, however, it's 2G only - the policy doesn't allow you to use T-Mobile's 3G network. Your phone can't roam in your own country and charge you for it - it's against your policy. It's likely, as JJ has MANY issues, that the rom is merely mistaken, and you're not actually roaming.

As for the above raised comment of the SIM being old and therefore not being able to get a 3G signal, this once again shows your ignorance. The 3G signal, unless locked in the SIM card, has nothing to do with it, and is based on the radio in the phone.

It would obviously have helped if you had throughly read what people had said and who actually said what in the first place before you go acting like an idiot and trying to put people down mate.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Kurdt Kobain

[Guest Matthew Ferguson]

It would obviously have helped if you had throughly read what people had said and who actually said what in the first place before you go acting like an idiot and trying to put people down mate.

I think you're the one acting like an idiot. It says quite clearly in your post, and you try and convince the OP of this:

Firstly AFAIK there's no such thing as a "2G sim". Your gf's sim should be 3g compatible just like everybody else's. Unless her sim is VERY old of course.

This is the issue I was raising, the rest was just general knowledge for the OP, so I apologise if you felt I was somehow assuming you didn't know this already.

And just to clarify, I'm not your mate.

[Guest deadonthestairs]

You're both picking up the exact same networks as each other. It's just that different ROMS make the network names display slightly differently. O2 is Telefónica; Telefónica being the name of O2's parent company. Likewise Hutchison 3G Telecom being the full name for 3UK.

I've just upgraded to 2.3 for the first time tonight and my new ROM now displays the name Orange when I'm roaming as opposed to the full blown title of TMobileOrange which my old ROM, and Nokia 5800 before that, used to display.

I'm pretty certain the "r" symbol she is seeing is not connected to roaming. Has she even opted into the roaming scheme yet (ie. texted YES to 2121)? The phone will not roam until she has done that anyway.

There is a paid for app called Roam Control which will force your phone to roam but without that she certainly will not be able to roam onto any of the other networks whilst still in the UK. For example I've just attempted to roam onto Vodafone. After selecting it I get a message saying "registering on Vodafone" which initially makes you believe it's going to happen but it's shortly followed by another message advising that the transfer was not possible. She's probably just mistakenly been fooled by the first message and thought that the phone had roamed when it hadn't.

@ cmberry20: I was pretty sure there was no such thing as a 2G only sim. My only guess being that if one were possible then it would have had to have been some prehistoric kind of sim from a time before I ever knew anything about mobile phones!

Thanks for your advice, very helpful.

She had the text from Orange that enabled her to roam whilst the sim was in her old phone, so I assume that is still the case.

I'll get her to ring Orange and see about swapping her number over to the new sim, and to check she's not been charged for anything as you indicate that's highly unlikely.

Thanks again!

[Guest Kurdt Kobain]

I think you're the one acting like an idiot. It says quite clearly in your post, and you try and convince the OP of this:

Firstly AFAIK there's no such thing as a "2G sim". Your gf's sim should be 3g compatible just like everybody else's. Unless her sim is VERY old of course.

This is the issue I was raising, the rest was just general knowledge for the OP, so I apologise if you felt I was somehow assuming you didn't know this already.

And just to clarify, I'm not your mate.

I didn't try to "convice" the OP of anything. I told him that "as far as I know" (AFAIK) his gf's sim should be compatible with 3G. I didn't insist my statement was gospel. If somebody has greater knowledge than me on the subject then I'm more than happy for them to come along and correct me but was there really any need to do it in such a condescending manner?

Regarding the "sim being old" and not compatible with 3G comment. I think I made it perfectly clear at the time that that was no more than just a speculative guess and I also said I doubted that was the case anyway. Except you felt the need to throw in an unnecessary comment about me showing my "ignorance".

Don't worry I wouldn't want to be mates you in a month of Sundays, mate! It's just an expression. I can call you whatever I like as long as it doesn't break forum rules.

[Guest Gibbo501]

Thanks for your advice, very helpful.

She had the text from Orange that enabled her to roam whilst the sim was in her old phone, so I assume that is still the case.

I'll get her to ring Orange and see about swapping her number over to the new sim, and to check she's not been charged for anything as you indicate that's highly unlikely.

Thanks again!

Aren't texts classed as "2G technology"? I think that's about the limit as far as things go for roaming.

There's a news article here about the merger and what was covered:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/08/or...mobile_roaming/

When I bought my SF my existing SIM was less than 2 years old and the Orange tech guy said it wouldn't work fully with the 3G features of the phone.

However the changeover of my number to the new phone and SIM took less than 40 minutes so it wasn't much of an issue.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Gibbo501