Re: [tlug] [OT] Phones in Japan again

[Darren Cook <darren@example.com>]

Scott Robbins wrote:
>> ...the phone in question did turn out to be Docomo, 
>> so she'll get it unlocked before coming home.
> 
> We have been using an unlocked docomo smartphone (sony xperia) with a
> UK SIM, with no problems (*).
> 
> Darren
> 
> *: Well, no problems using it as a phone, and for SMS. We haven't
> worked out internet yet, but that seems to be a problem on the Orange
> (SIM provider) side, not anything to do with hardware.

I've been meaning to follow up on this. We also got a cheap Cubot
android phone [1], with a T-Mobile UK SIM, which has been working fine.
The Cubot phone is surprisingly good too, considering it is much cheaper
than equivalent spec phones.

Then I swapped the t-mobile SIM into the unlocked Docomo phone and still
not a sniff of internet, i.e. no data connectivity at all.

So, as far as I can tell, the problem is not the Orange SIM, but that
the Docomo phone is only unlocked for voice and SMS, and not for data.
OR, I'm missing some configuration of the phone?

(Whenever we go to make a call to another UK number it pops up with
"Interational dial assist", asking if we want to put +81 in front of the
number. We then have to make sure we choose "Call Original" instead of
"Call".)

Darren


[1]: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00K0BDHZY
[2]: £15/month pay as you go for something like 2GB internet, 200
minutes and 400 talk texts. I would give exact numbers but the EE web
site is currently making Sponge Bob look like a calm intellectual. The
URL may or may not be:
http://ee.co.uk/help/add-ons-benefits-and-plans/price-and-plans-and-costs/t-mobile-price-plans/price-plan-brochures

Anyway, the sim is free as long as you go to an EE shop and do the first
£15 there.