International travel with Razr Maxx

[Bilgediver]

Testing in USA, Verizon Droid Razr Maxx, Android ICS

1) Tru micro SIM arrived (Tru - the global mobile network).
2) Tested SIM in an unlocked GSM phone as a full sized SIM, worked Ok, connected to T-Mobile and I was able to call out and receive calls.
3) Put micro SIM into Verizon Droid Razr Maxx and switched it on.
4) Message "The SIM card is from an unknown source"
5) No cellular or data connection.

I would be interested to hear if other non-US micro SIMs do the same in this phone when located in the USA. Anybody?
I will take the SIM on my next out of the USA trip and see if it works in the Droid, but it could be next year before that happens.

Currently discussing with Tru help desk.

H

I found sometimes you had to tweak the apn settings in order to get data to work. It could be that we actually have to unlock our phones, though.

Sent from My Droid RAZR MAXX with Tapatalk.

 

[heantune]

Testing in USA, Verizon Droid Razr Maxx, Android ICS

1) Tru micro SIM arrived (Tru - the global mobile network).
2) Tested SIM in an unlocked GSM phone as a full sized SIM, worked Ok, connected to T-Mobile and I was able to call out and receive calls.
3) Put micro SIM into Verizon Droid Razr Maxx and switched it on.
4) Message "The SIM card is from an unknown source"
5) No cellular or data connection.

I would be interested to hear if other non-US micro SIMs do the same in this phone when located in the USA. Anybody?
I will take the SIM on my next out of the USA trip and see if it works in the Droid, but it could be next year before that happens.

Currently discussing with Tru help desk.

H

Based on some additional research on xda developers site, the "The SIM card is from an unknown source" message is to be expected and can be ignored. However, it appears to be the case that although the Verizon Razr Maxx is unlocked for international use, there is an additional lock in there that prevents it from connecting to any US GSM provider. In conclusion myTru SIM should work in Europe even if it doesn't work here in USA - I will just have to wait until I get over there to be sure.

H

 

[TisMyDroid]

Thanks for that update heantune. It is amazing that they are able to prevent it from using on a Us GSM but not on a foreign GSM.

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

 

[Bilgediver]

So the i don't need to unlock my Droid razr maxx?

Sent from My Droid RAZR MAXX with Tapatalk.

 

[N1NJA]

No u don't I just went through the same thing in Afghanistan mine is a lil weird tho. I had to get the mtn sim then buy 1000 afg's (30$) then set my apn manually witch is (internet.mtn.af) no username or pass needed then send a text to 668 saying "m" u might have to do the same for where ur going but Idk about that for sure

 

[shizumie]

Ok guy's. So on Oct 14th i am going to Uganda, I will first fly to Rome and then to Entebe in Uganda. My questions are thus. I know if i make any change to my VZW acount i lose my unlimited data, which i cannot afford to do. I really wouldn't mind swapping to the vzw international plan, even though the rates are high, i will only use it for emergencies, and a daily txt to my wife. But to keep my unlimited it seems easier to just get a sim once i get there. So 1 can i get a sim in rome that will work in rome and uganda, or should i wait till i get to uganda to get a sim. 2 will doing vzw notice that i have bypassed them and used a foreign sim and take away my unlimited data? 3 will this even work in my vzw Razr maxx, i am seeing mixed reviewed of working and non. Would i be better off to just purchase another phone off contract and use it? the trip is only 3 weeks but i would much rather use my maxx if at all possible.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[tjwuthen]

Hi everyone, new to posting in the forums but have read them a lot in the past. I'm in London right now and am about to throw the Razr out of my hotel window. I have Verizon and a global plan, but can't seem to get it to connect. I've changed to the GSM settings, the switched it to not allowing data just to check if it could connect. No matter what I do - nothing. I've seen suggestions on doing APN networks, but not sure if I need to do a verizon one while overseas or like a vodaphone - i tried doing Vodaphone, but it won't save. I just want the phone to work as I pay for it. When my company was on ATT, this never happened and probably why I'm so frustrated right now.

Thanks in advance.

 

[beefchopper]

Hi everyone, new to posting in the forums but have read them a lot in the past. I'm in London right now and am about to throw the Razr out of my hotel window. I have Verizon and a global plan, but can't seem to get it to connect. I've changed to the GSM settings, the switched it to not allowing data just to check if it could connect. No matter what I do - nothing. I've seen suggestions on doing APN networks, but not sure if I need to do a verizon one while overseas or like a vodaphone - i tried doing Vodaphone, but it won't save. I just want the phone to work as I pay for it. When my company was on ATT, this never happened and probably why I'm so frustrated right now.

Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but here are some instructions from the Verizon website. I had a friend who had a similar problem and he had to call Verizon in the US to have them make some sort of a change in their computer to make it work for him (he did not have a Razr, just another Verizon global phone).

From the VZW website:

Effective June 22, 2012, select 4G smartphones can roam on both CDMA and GSM networks at 2G/3G speeds. (There is no roaming on 4G service outside the U.S. at this time).

• The 4G device must have updated global software and establish a data session on the Verizon Wireless network prior to leaving the U.S.
• Before you travel, contact Verizon Wireless by dialing *611 from your wireless device or (800)922-0204 from any phone to enable international roaming.
  
  If you have previously added global features you can add/change global features via the Change Features and My Device screens in My Verizon.
  
  Business customers can add/change global features via My Business.

 

[Bilgediver]

If you are unlocked, swapping out sim. Cards shouldn't affect your unlimited plan.

Sent from My Droid RAZR MAXX with Tapatalk.

 

[joaohipolito]

razr xt912

Hi expert,
I'm using motorola razr XT912 in Portugal, but I can connect Internet by Portugal 3G, the phone is Verizon version, can u tel me why and how to slove it?

thanks.
Joao

 

[GTIMKV]

There are 2 ways to use Razr in a foreign country.

1. Use your VZW SIM card. You will need to get an international data plan ($25 for 100M) and pay something like $1.99 per min.

2. Get a local SIM card. The Razr is already unlocked after ICS update, so you just need to pop the card in and start making calls. Note that you will need microSIM, or have someome cut the regular SIM. Also you probably need to setup APN to connect to local 3G. There will be a message of "the SIM card is from a foreign source" when you reboot the phone, just ignore it.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[GTIMKV]

So 1 can i get a sim in rome that will work in rome and uganda, or should i wait till i get to uganda to get a sim. 2 will doing vzw notice that i have bypassed them and used a foreign sim and take away my unlimited data? 3 will this even work in my vzw Razr maxx, i am seeing mixed reviewed of working and non. Would i be better off to just purchase another phone off contract and use it? the trip is only 3 weeks but i would much rather use my maxx if at all possible.

Thanks in advance!!

1. Not sure you better Google yourself. The simple way is just getting a local SIM in uganda.
2. When you power off your phone and switch the SIM card, Verizon has no way of knowing what happens to your phone without the VZW SIM. To Verizon your phone is simply powered off, until the day your put VZW SIM back in. Thus it wont affect your plan.
3. Oh it'll work. You may need to update APN setting in order to use local 3G. Just Google or ask the place that sells the SIM. The setting is under Mobile Networks, GSM/UMTS settings, Access Point Names.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[ty20404]

Just stumbled across this, as well as a few other threads regarding international use with my Razr Maxx. I'm in Taiwan for a month and wanted to get something to use unlimited data here. Went down to the local Vibo store here, got a pre-paid SIM with unlimited data and the equivalent of 80 minutes talk time back to the US, all for about $30USD. Popped the SIM card in, went into the network settings and switched over to GSM, then added the APN that the representative told me to add and I've got data! I've also got an "H" logo where 4G used to be so I'm assuming this is the GSM form of 4G, what they call over here 3.5G???? Who knows, it all works great!

On a side note, before the ICS update one of my co-workers from spain and I swapped SIM cards in the US (I believe his was an ATT prepaid card in his iPhone 4S) just to see what happened and neither phone did anything, granted we didn't change any settings at all... Swapped back and they worked just fine on both phones, however, when my dad went into Verizon a few weeks later to switch the family over to Verizon's new plan (not too happy about not having unlimited data :angry: anymore) they were having issues with my phone. I'm guessing it was because either I had A) placed my 4G SIM into an unlocked iPhone 4S, or B) placed a domestic GSM SIM into my Razr Maxx... When I would log into myVerizon, where it would show the phone type, nothing would come up? They couldn't change the plan over because some information with my SIM and phone wouldn't allow it. Eventually they did something like deactivate that SIM, reactivate another, then reactivate my old SIM to get it to work again... Honestly this either had to do with two of the things listed above (4G SIM in iPhone 4S, GSM SIM in Razr Maxx) or the fact that it was before the ICS update..............

In all, I'm not sure that is at all relevant now and suppose I can update when I return to the states how my Razr Maxx and 4G SIM do when I turn the phone on. Aside from that I'm stoked to be using my Razr Maxx while I'm in Taiwan! Never even imagined that was possible.

 

[Teener]

I just returned from 24 days in Italy, traveling with my Droid Razr Maxx.
When I got to Italy, I found you can only buy a SIM card at a cellular store, so I went to a Vodafone store and bought one of their SIM cards - you will need your passport, and it takes a while to get all the paperwork filled out. The store employee adjusted the phone settings, including the APN, and in about 2 hours, I had service. Then I just bought more time as I needed it. A side note, though - to buy more phone time you can only go to certain stores, in Italy it's mostly just Tabacchi (tobacco shops) and large grocery stores, and they close in the early evening. I found myself with no phone time and no open shops at about 20:30 (8:30pm). I had to ask some nice Italian man if he could call a taxi for me. Also it costs 4 Euros a day to use the 3G (they don't have 4G in Italy), not counting data usage, so use it judiciously. When I received calls from the US, they were free to me, so I could get calls from home, even if I had no more time on my card. For me to call home was about 60 cents a minute.
I tried to use Skype, but I think the foreign SIM wasn't recognized and it asked me to register as a new user. I tried a few things to get it to work, but never could. I'm not ruling out user error, but it just didn't work for me.
Initially I had thought I would buy a cheap phone when I got to Italy, and use my Wi-Fi tablet, but I am so glad I had the Razr Maxx with me - Wi-Fi in Italy is unreliable, and I used so many apps and features, this phone was a great thing to have.
When I returned home two nights ago, I replaced my Verizon SIM card, powered up and the phone works just fine.

 

[beefchopper]

I just returned from 24 days in Italy, traveling with my Droid Razr Maxx.
When I got to Italy, I found you can only buy a SIM card at a cellular store, so I went to a Vodafone store and bought one of their SIM cards - you will need your passport, and it takes a while to get all the paperwork filled out. The store employee adjusted the phone settings, including the APN, and in about 2 hours, I had service. Then I just bought more time as I needed it. A side note, though - to buy more phone time you can only go to certain stores, in Italy it's mostly just Tabacchi (tobacco shops) and large grocery stores, and they close in the early evening. I found myself with no phone time and no open shops at about 20:30 (8:30pm). I had to ask some nice Italian man if he could call a taxi for me. Also it costs 4 Euros a day to use the 3G (they don't have 4G in Italy), not counting data usage, so use it judiciously. When I received calls from the US, they were free to me, so I could get calls from home, even if I had no more time on my card. For me to call home was about 60 cents a minute.
I tried to use Skype, but I think the foreign SIM wasn't recognized and it asked me to register as a new user. I tried a few things to get it to work, but never could. I'm not ruling out user error, but it just didn't work for me.
Initially I had thought I would buy a cheap phone when I got to Italy, and use my Wi-Fi tablet, but I am so glad I had the Razr Maxx with me - Wi-Fi in Italy is unreliable, and I used so many apps and features, this phone was a great thing to have.
When I returned home two nights ago, I replaced my Verizon SIM card, powered up and the phone works just fine.

Thanks very much for that very informative post. I too spent a significant amount of time in Italy this year but before I heard anything about the possibility of using a Verizon 4G phone and swapping the sim card. I am a Verizon customer and would much prefer to use my regular phone when travelling so I will certainly get a new Verizon phone that can do that before my next trip. What I had done instead was to buy a cheap T-Mobile phone, unlock it, and buy an Italian sim card. It did work for voice and data and I was able to use Skype on that phone as well when in Italy. I purchased a WIND sim card rather than one from Vodaphone. They had one plan I found very attractive for someone who travels to that country repeatedly. The plan is a pay as you go with no monthly fee so the balance is carried forward without depleting it when I'm gone. They charge you a nominal fee per voice call and I was able to their data plan (3G only in Italy) for 9 euros per month for 1GB of data. That's plenty for my usage over there on 3G. The nice feature is you can turn the data on and off by sending a text. When I arrive I turn it on and get charged the 9 euros then can use it for up to a month before facing another data charge. When I am about to leave I send them a text and they turn off the data and do not charge me anything while I'm gone.