[Arnold68]

Was browsing through the forums and could not find an answer for this situation. I have the 9530 on Bell Mobility and I travel to Asia at least twice a year. I went to the Bell retail store and was told that there was nothing extra required for me to use the phone in Asia. They said to just install the SIM card that I would get in Asia and I would be able to use my 9530. Can anyone on Bell confirm this?

I don't have any requirement to unlock the phone for North American use as I happy enough with my plan on Bell Mobility.

Thanks for your help,
Arnold

[stewsan]

I would find a buddy that has a sim card from T-mo or at&t and put it in your phone to see if it works. It's possible Bell gave you an unlocked BB......

[Arnold68]

I tried with my Rogers SIM as I am in Canada and the phone would not pickup a Rogers signal after selecting SIM in the configuration. It just said SOS where the signal strength is.

I spoke to my brother in law and he said it possibly might work in Asia because he believed that Asia might use different frequencies then North America on the GSM network and maybe Bell opens up certain frequencies? Is this believable?

[david9962000]

But pre-paid services don't have data!

[fxstsb]

Originally Posted by Arnold68

I tried with my Rogers SIM as I am in Canada and the phone would not pickup a Rogers signal after selecting SIM in the configuration. It just said SOS where the signal strength is.

I spoke to my brother in law and he said it possibly might work in Asia because he believed that Asia might use different frequencies then North America on the GSM network and maybe Bell opens up certain frequencies? Is this believable?

I believe that is correct. They use 1800. The world phone is CDMA and GSM. We tried my sim and it would not work so I deducted it used the GSM1800 and CDMA1900. Any comments? I also agree with doing the T Mo test. Specs show the Storm as a Quad band. That also indicates it is capable of Europe. Vodafone sells them.

[big samm]

Wirelessly posted

I think the storm is locked for gsm carriers in north america but unlocked for the rest of the world

[2 Samuel 22]

Originally Posted by Arnold68

Was browsing through the forums and could not find an answer for this situation. I have the 9530 on Bell Mobility and I travel to Asia at least twice a year. I went to the Bell retail store and was told that there was nothing extra required for me to use the phone in Asia. They said to just install the SIM card that I would get in Asia and I would be able to use my 9530. Can anyone on Bell confirm this?

I don't have any requirement to unlock the phone for North American use as I happy enough with my plan on Bell Mobility.

Thanks for your help,
Arnold

So long as you have an International Voice/Data plan from Bell you should be set in Japan, just be aware of the rates.

ETA: VZW has coverage in Japan.

[XelhaBB]

Arnold68,

I travel to Asia and the Middle East rather often. Why would you want to take your Storm abroad and risk losing or damaging it?

I have a cheap throw down phone I use that allows me to make calls and send international SMS when I am abroad. I had a few experiences with seizures that have compelled me to hide or send my memory cards home ahead of me prior to going through customs. Japan is cool, but China, some of the smaller Asian countries, and the Middle East customs agents are famous for just appropriating "contraband", which mysteriously tends to be expensive electronic items. They have never given my indigenous cellular phones a second look.

However, if you have the temerity to bring the Storm along with you, post your findings. I am curious to see how it goes for you.

[Arnold68]

XelhaBB,

I was hoping to be able to still use the BIS service and be able to pickup emails instantly while travelling. A friend of mine in HK/China with a Blackberry is looking into the ability for me to do this however so far he hasn't had much success to tell me if it will be possible. I will go at the end of March and let you know what happens.

Arnold

[iamajim]

All good questions, to be sure. My lovely wife had a Tmob/Curve and traveled home to Indonesia with it and experienced no troubles. She was able to access her emails and BB chat which was wonderful for staying in touch. I think she used a local SIM card although we had it unlocked before she left by Tmob. She tired of their service (not good in SoCal) and came over to Vz with me when they had their BOGO. Now we both have Storms. I think XelhaBB makes a good point about your phone being declared "contraband" or some other ruse. Better safe than sorry.

[sadosdemetrios]

anyone know where to get free unlock codes for the storm?

other than the carrier cause i only had the phone for a month and they wont do it for me