[audriskhong]

so erm, if anyone by chance would know.. im using a bb plan from australia via vodafone. i'd be travelling to egypt and israel, would there be a problem? thanks

[whsbuss]

Originally Posted by atisvt99

I'm calling ATT in a little bit for my subsidy unlock code... I should be able to test this a little later today or perhaps tomorrow.

This is SUCH a pain... I have to launch outlook to get my e-mails... nothing on the old (err... brand spanking new) blackberry! Grrrr...

Let us know if this works. It may be the only way to get data abroad until AT&T addresses the problem.

[atisvt99]

I unlocked my bold this evening. I won't be able to acquire a local SIM with data service until tomorrow at the earliest. Seems Kuwait is celebrating their Christmas-equivalent over here right now... most places are pretty dead when it comes to business.

ALSO... I called the ATT International Data Help Desk and talked to a couple of very helpful people. The first young woman did all of the basic trouble shooting for a problem of my nature (I knew none of it would work, and assured her several times the 'switch to 2G option' she was having me look for was not there, but stayed friendly and played the game none the less...) and just before she transferred me to the International Data Engineers Team, she gave me the unlock codes for each of the Bold devices I have with me. Now I'm unlocked - super...

Next I spoke with a young man who was a little more my speed (read: nerdy) and while we didn't really make any progress, he did tell me that the problem is a real one, and that people at ATT are just starting to grasp it (he confirmed that "the blogs and forums are all true... international 3G data is broken for the most part")... he also told me that the problem was indeed a hardware issue in that the 'lock' for 3G only service when it is available has been programed into the ROM for ATT BOLD devices. I asked him if an update in the future could fix it and he said he really wasn't sure at this point how they were going to fix it. In any case, we did a couple of reboots, and verified a few things on my device and account... he created a ticket for me, said it would be escalated again for advanced testing, and that I would receive a call back in 72 hours (either on my BOLD or on a local cell number I gave him...)

I don't think we're going to have any ground breaking luck here, but it's nice to know that some ATT super-nerds are looking into the issue... I'll be sure to post what I find out about the local data enabled SIM working on my device as well as whatever I hear back from ATT in a few days.

[whsbuss]

Thanks Justin.

PLEASE post whatever updates you get. Hard to believe AT&T thought all 3G networks would support data.... Rogers knew differently

[AllanRosen]

Originally Posted by atisvt99

I don't think we're going to have any ground breaking luck here, but it's nice to know that some ATT super-nerds are looking into the issue... I'll be sure to post what I find out about the local data enabled SIM working on my device as well as whatever I hear back from ATT in a few days.

Very good post. Did I just spend $400 for a paperweight when I travel internationally? I can't believe those ATT clowns.....

[jnelson2000]

Hey gang,

I was in contact today with RIM's Product Manager with AT&T and will be talking with AT&T's Senior Director of BlackBerry tomorrow about this issue.

I will post back after our conference call.

[jnelson2000]

Guys, I had a call with my contact tonight. Here is the deal. If you (or someone you know) is having data issues with the Bold overseas, PM me the person's name and phone number. If it is a business acct, please specify that along with the other info.

I will then forward your information along with any other details to senior management at AT&T. He has assured me that each issue will be looked at by a team of people.

Make sure that you are using an AT&T SIM and not a pre-paid SIM from another carrier.

[khair]

I have the same problem in Victoria (Australia). We are 3 people of the same company, one with pearl and vodafone (roaming from Greece), another one with pearl and optus (roaming from wind greece) and my self with bold and optus (roaming from wind greece). The other two are ok, I am just unlucky.

the same problem had with 8707h with the same SIM card.

[ryanfthomas]

Originally Posted by atisvt99

Add another Kuwait visitor to the list! I'm posting this from my hotel in Kuwait right now... I'm glad I didn't have to start a new thread! ;)

When I'm in 3G (about 50%) of the time I really don't have much service at all. E-mails will not go through... but even phone and SMS transmissions are spotty at best. As soon as my phone flips to EDGE (not sure what causes the flip) e-mails will send and come in, and calls will go out without any issue. I'm on an ATT BOLD and the carrier that picks up over here when I land is KT WATANIYA. When I was here a few weeks ago on my Pearl (EDGE only of course) there were no issues at all. This def. appears to be a 3G-Therefore BOLD-ATT-Local Carrier issue... Thoughts anyone, or perhaps someone with some middle eastern success stories?

Also... does anyone know of a OS package (from some other market/country) that actually has an option to turn off the 3G service of the phone? How in the WORLD does ATT not include this option after all the trouble they had with their iPhone 3G launch just a few months back??? Just plain nuts to me...

Thanks for any input or suggestions!

Coming ot you live from Kuwait,

You'll need to change your phone to use Zain while roaming in Kuwait. Zain is the only BB service provider in Kuwait.

[AllanRosen]

Originally Posted by jnelson2000

Guys, I had a call with my contact tonight. Here is the deal. If you (or someone you know) is having data issues with the Bold overseas, PM me the person's name and phone number. If it is a business acct, please specify that along with the other info.

I will then forward your information along with any other details to senior management at AT&T. He has assured me that each issue will be looked at by a team of people.

JNelson-- seems to me you've got a number of people to contact just through this thread alone. It also seems to me that AT&T has decided to deal with this issue by not dealing with this issue. By dealing with each complaint "individually", that means no problem can be addressed until you travel overseas and experience the problem. If AT&T really wanted to address this problem, they would do so before we travel internationally and experience the problem.

Is ATT saying that this is not a widespread problem?

[jnelson2000]

What AT&T is doing is providing me with a direct contact to upper level engineers and management to look at if the complaints can be validated. All I know is that AT&T (as other carriers do) send devices overseas for testing during the validation process and all passed.

I am optimistic that these issues will be addressed. What i am not so sure about is that AT&T will allow the branding to turn on manual network selection (2G, 3G, 2G and 3G) to avoid a problem in the first place.

Sure, it is ideal in an ideal enviornment to have the device select the best network. But all networks are created equal and I am guessing Kuwait is one of them. Every other carrier will allow this selection. That is why my company has had to buy 5 Rogers Bolds to give to employees when traveling overseas.

Justin, I received conformation that AT&T is looking at your issues.

[atisvt99]

Originally Posted by ryanfthomas

You'll need to change your phone to use Zain while roaming in Kuwait. Zain is the only BB service provider in Kuwait.

Hey Ryan... That's not really accurate. I've been out here in Kuwait 3 times in the last month or so, and this was my first trip with the BOLD. The first two times I was out here, I had a Pearl (EDGE only of course) that worked flawlessly. To my (limited) knowledge, WATANIYA is the only provider out here that AT&T has partnered with making the ZAIN option only viable if I wanted to swap SIM cards... We are looking to get this issue resolved on the AT&T end so that a SIM swap is not necessary. Now, if you mean ZAIN 3G service was the only type that works, I wouldn't have any way to test that. I'll look around and see if I can find a data enabled ZAIN SIM card... but that would only be a temp fix in the grand scheme of things.

Originally Posted by AllanRosen

JNelson-- seems to me you've got a number of people to contact just through this thread alone. It also seems to me that AT&T has decided to deal with this issue by not dealing with this issue. By dealing with each complaint "individually", that means no problem can be addressed until you travel overseas and experience the problem. If AT&T really wanted to address this problem, they would do so before we travel internationally and experience the problem.

Is ATT saying that this is not a widespread problem?

Allan, I don't think that AT&T is 'fully aware' of how wide spread the problem is. Every time I talk to a technician, they are very receptive to the problem I'm enlightening them on. They don't all know as much about the BOLD as some of us do (ie: every single technician has asked me to switch the device to 2G only mode... ;), but they are certainly listening and absorbing the information that I'm telling them. I think it will get resolved... just not so sure as to when.

Originally Posted by jnelson2000

... All I know is that AT&T (as other carriers do) send devices overseas for testing during the validation process and all passed.

... That is why my company has had to buy 5 Rogers Bolds to give to employees when traveling overseas.

Justin, I received confirmation that AT&T is looking at your issues.

jnelson (shall I call you J? heh...)

Again, thanks VERY much for your efforts here. I'm not sure who you know, but you're right... I was contacted by someone in the 'AT&T Roaming Operations Department' today. They have been in contact with the local provider here for several hours running traces on my phone and tracking my (limited) data throughput. I'm waiting on a call back here in about an hour or so. I was wondering where this phone call originated from - your efforts or mine... I'm going to assume they were from your upper level contacts. Who are you talking to anyways? ;)

Again, thanks...

I'll keep everyone updated on news, progress, and the like... We've only got another day or two to make any progress though, I fly home either tomorrow or the next day. But hey, I just found out today I have to come back out here for 2 days next week... Yay.

[whsbuss]

Justin,

AT&T should have hired you to test their overseas data roaming!

[atisvt99]

Yea! I'll even take an 'after the fact kick-back'... and I'll be sure to give jnelson his share too! ;)

[AllanRosen]

Justin--- it is disconcerting to hear that every technician you speak with is asking you to switch the Bold to 2G mode only. If they don't know that AT&T eliminated that option, then they cannot be very involved in the process. If we know more about such basic facts than they do, how can they possibly be aware of or resolve the problem?

[wcberry]

Originally Posted by atisvt99

Every time I talk to a technician, they are very receptive to the problem I'm enlightening them on. They don't all know as much about the BOLD as some of us do (ie: every single technician has asked me to switch the device to 2G only mode... ;), but they are certainly listening and absorbing the information that I'm telling them.

I have called twice while here in Kuwait and I get the same advice, "Switch to EDGE mode"... Yeah right, if I could do that I would not need to call you....

[Globetrotterdoug]

I'm in Buenos Aires, Argentina now with two Bolds--one AT&T and the other Rogers. The Rogers one works fine on all 3 networks on both 2G and 3G. The AT&T one with the same SIM works fine on the two networks that are 2G only but does not work on the 3G network (Movistar) in 3G mode. So, I think we can safely say that this is indeed a AT&T 3G lock problem.

[atisvt99]

Ahem...

"At the end of the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca), Muslims throughout the world celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). In 2008, Eid al-Adha will begin on approximately December 8th, and will last for three days."

...

For this reason, AT&T Roaming Operations Support has not been able to reach any of the WATANIYA engineers over here in Kuwait. As a matter of fact, their weekends (or holiday as it is referred to) starts on Friday and ends on Saturday. (Meaning, our Saturday and Sunday are equivalent to their Friday and Saturday - YES! they start back to work on Sunday when they should be watching NFL Football!!!) With the celebration of Eid this past Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday... the Kuwaiti government has actually decided to shut down for the entire week! :-D My contact with AT&T said she expects to reach a warm body on or about Sunday the 14th. I'll keep everyone updated on what she hears back.

Also, I have left another Bold over here in country. One of my co-workers will be monitoring it, and communicating back with AT&T as well - until I can return for more guinea pigging.

Hopping on the wonderful 14 hour flight home soon...

Justin - OUT

[caggie01]

In Europe now; Edinburgh, Scotland. Running 3G most of time, no issue at all, receiving and sending emails, internet access, phone calls, etc. Traveling to London tonight, Netherlands Tuesday night, will update on 3G performance in those locations as well.

[atisvt99]

Turns out I'm not going back this week... I sure hope I'm not going back next week! I'll keep everyone posted on what I hear. Anyone else in that area, been having issues, talked to ATT, and being tracked?

Thanks!