use a uk bb in the usa

[christhecleaner]

Can any body help i want to use my bb storm2 to access emails when i holiday in florida this summer but to do this on my uk vodafone account will cost me a small fortune making and recieving calls is expensive enough without useing roaming for internet and email is there away of getting my mail wihout the high cost Thanks Chris

[dc/dc]

WiFi.

[syedreza]

Hi christhecleaner,

WiFi is the best option but if you don't have access to a WiFi router, then perhaps getting a prepaid card in the US might be another option. I believe that Vodafone bbs are unlocked by default so you shouldn't have to unlock the device. Might be a good idea to call Vodafone and confirm.

[rambo47]

Hi christhecleaner,

WiFi is the best option but if you don't have access to a WiFi router, then perhaps getting a prepaid card in the US might be another option. I believe that Vodafone bbs are unlocked by default so you shouldn't have to unlock the device. Might be a good idea to call Vodafone and confirm.

Unfortunately no US providers offer BB data plans with pre-paid service. Data roaming internationally remains a very expensive proposition. Sometimes it's just cheaper to take a small laptop for email and use a pre-paid SIM for voice/sms only. I have an old IBM ThinkPad for this kind of thing.

[dc/dc]

Hi christhecleaner,

WiFi is the best option but if you don't have access to a WiFi router, then perhaps getting a prepaid card in the US might be another option. I believe that Vodafone bbs are unlocked by default so you shouldn't have to unlock the device. Might be a good idea to call Vodafone and confirm.

Syed, you only live a few hours North of our border, so you should know that no US providers offer prepaid BB data. Also, all Vodafone devices sold in the UK are locked. The only way to get it unlocked is to purchase it SIM-free, at which point Vodafone will provide the unlock code. Please double-check your information before posting. Ma'asalaam.

[ihunter]

i want to use my bb storm2 to access emails when i holiday in florida this summer but to do this on my uk vodafone account will cost me a small fortune

Depends on your definition of a small fortune. ;-)

I've roamed in the US with both T-Mobile UK and Vodafone UK and found the cost more than acceptable, even to the point of allowing my kids to use their BlackBerrys for email, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook etc. The only proviso is that they don't up/download photos or browse the web.

Last visit was for 8 days and admittedly some of the time they were connected via WiFi but the largest bill for my family BlackBerry's data roaming was just over £6. The bill for my work BlackBerry was about £30 but that included some necessary sending/receiving of documents and a small amount of browsing. All are currently on Vodafone UK.

So, if you're sensible, maybe not as bad as you are fearing.

[the-economist]

Depends on your definition of a small fortune. ;-)

I've roamed in the US with both T-Mobile UK and Vodafone UK and found the cost more than acceptable

Vodafone UK recently reviewed the roaming data charges. Recently meaning 2 days ago (15th June). Maybe you should check the new priceplans and confirm that you still agree with your initial statements.

[the-economist]

Also, all Vodafone devices sold in the UK are locked.

Corporate handsets on Vodafone UK are issued unlocked.

[ihunter]

Vodafone UK recently reviewed the roaming data charges. Recently meaning 2 days ago (15th June). Maybe you should check the new priceplans and confirm that you still agree with your initial statements.

I have and I do. From what I can see the old and new tariffs cost the same for up to 5MB of data per day and given that the data usage of each handset was considerably less than this the cost would be the same.

The £6 I quoted in my previous post (for one handset) also includes some text message costs that I'd missed so that is also lower.

So, from my experience, if you're sensible about it using the data side of your BlackBerry to keep in touch when roaming is considerably more cost effective than using voice and text messaging. However, that's based on mine and my family's data usage so other's mileage may vary.

[ihunter]

Corporate handsets on Vodafone UK are issued unlocked.

Some might be, but not all are!

[stevebubble]

Syed, you only live a few hours North of our border, so you should know that no US providers offer prepaid BB data. Also, all Vodafone devices sold in the UK are locked. The only way to get it unlocked is to purchase it SIM-free, at which point Vodafone will provide the unlock code. Please double-check your information before posting. Ma'asalaam.

Vodafone UK BB's (Apart from the Storm) are no longer sold locked, and if you do have a BB locked to Vodafone there is form on the Vodafone UK website that you can fill in and they will unlock it for free no matter how far into your contract you are.

[ihunter]

Vodafone UK BB's (Apart from the Storm) are no longer sold locked, and if you do have a BB locked to Vodafone there is form on the Vodafone UK website that you can fill in and they will unlock it for free no matter how far into your contract you are.

Not strictly true, for business customers it's at the discretion of their account manager.

[stevebubble]

Not strictly true, for business customers it's at the discretion of their account manager.

So THEY DO sell all BB's unlocked unless someone specifically asks for it to not be unlocked.

[ihunter]

Not strictly true, for business customers it's at the discretion of their account manager.

The unlocking of locked handsets!!!