Would Thai Sim Work In My O2 Ireland Blackberry

[Gerry290]

Hi

I have a O2 Bkackberry from Ireland which I do not use no more.

I was wondering, if I put a Thai SIM card in it, would it work as a Thai mobile phone.

Right now I got a cheap mobile, but now I need to get a Thai Mobile Phone Service That Will:

1. Give me Voicemail

2. Internet Access.

3. Ability to send and receive email.

4. would I be pushing my luck if I was to ask could I get configure the SIM card/Phone to receive and send emails from my irish domain email which is .ie (for example: [email protected]) so I can keep in touch with clients in Ireland when I am out of the office.

I work remotely from Thailand to Ireland, but sometimes it gets a pain in the butt sitting in office all night, so be nice to have email in a mobile phone so I can keep in touch with ireland customers etc...

Any Ideas?

Apologies, I am not very technical, and can just about use the crap mobile I have, so if you keep answers as in Thai Mobile Phones with Email Guide for Dummies sort of idea LOL!!!

Thanks

Gerry

[Guest Reimar]

Hi

I have a O2 Bkackberry from Ireland which I do not use no more.

I was wondering, if I put a Thai SIM card in it, would it work as a Thai mobile phone.

Right now I got a cheap mobile, but now I need to get a Thai Mobile Phone Service That Will:

1. Give me Voicemail

2. Internet Access.

3. Ability to send and receive email.

4. would I be pushing my luck if I was to ask could I get configure the SIM card/Phone to receive and send emails from my irish domain email which is .ie (for example: [email protected]) so I can keep in touch with clients in Ireland when I am out of the office.

I work remotely from Thailand to Ireland, but sometimes it gets a pain in the butt sitting in office all night, so be nice to have email in a mobile phone so I can keep in touch with ireland customers etc...

Any Ideas?

Apologies, I am not very technical, and can just about use the crap mobile I have, so if you keep answers as in Thai Mobile Phones with Email Guide for Dummies sort of idea LOL!!!

Thanks

Gerry

It will works with GSM 900 and GSM 1800 without any problem!

[Gerry290]

Hi

I have a O2 Bkackberry from Ireland which I do not use no more.

I was wondering, if I put a Thai SIM card in it, would it work as a Thai mobile phone.

Right now I got a cheap mobile, but now I need to get a Thai Mobile Phone Service That Will:

1. Give me Voicemail

2. Internet Access.

3. Ability to send and receive email.

4. would I be pushing my luck if I was to ask could I get configure the SIM card/Phone to receive and send emails from my irish domain email which is .ie (for example: [email protected]) so I can keep in touch with clients in Ireland when I am out of the office.

I work remotely from Thailand to Ireland, but sometimes it gets a pain in the butt sitting in office all night, so be nice to have email in a mobile phone so I can keep in touch with ireland customers etc...

Any Ideas?

Apologies, I am not very technical, and can just about use the crap mobile I have, so if you keep answers as in Thai Mobile Phones with Email Guide for Dummies sort of idea LOL!!!

Thanks

Gerry

It will works with GSM 900 and GSM 1800 without any problem!

Thanks Reimar.....so what is GSM 900 and GSM 1800 ?

Is that Thai SIM Card?

Where or What company is best to buy this from?

Any other info would be great too!

Thanks

G

[appleman_thai]

somtimes the dealers in ireland will put a "lock" on the phone to ensure that only their SIM card will work on the phone.

Best bet is to just try it. Ask some Thai person if u can try to use their SIM. If you can then you are sorted.

If you have any hassles then one of the tops floors in MBK is the best place to get it sorted...

I always had a spare SIM for when people from Ireland came to visit me...... most of the time they could use it OK but sometimes the SIM was blocked.

[Gerry290]

somtimes the dealers in ireland will put a "lock" on the phone to ensure that only their SIM card will work on the phone.

Best bet is to just try it. Ask some Thai person if u can try to use their SIM. If you can then you are sorted.

If you have any hassles then one of the tops floors in MBK is the best place to get it sorted...

I always had a spare SIM for when people from Ireland came to visit me...... most of the time they could use it OK but sometimes the SIM was blocked.

yes. I was wondering about that, as I bought it direct from an O2 Shop in Dublin, over 2 years ago. The background screen displays it as O2.

What if I just went to Tucom in Pattaya where I live, and bought something like a Nokia E70... that has push email according to Nokia site, and I wonder could I get the .ie ireland emails to send/receive on it, through a Thai Mobile provider?

Any other options?

Thanks Again

G

[Guest Reimar]

TukCom should be ok! There is on floor with mainly Mobile Phones. There should be also someone who can "unlock" the O2 if it's locked.

By the way GSM 900 and GSM 1800 are the digital phone systems mainly used in Thailand and both have Sim Cards. GSM 900 is may a little mor expensive but has a much better Service! GSM 900 is used by AIS while GSM 1800 is used by DTac and CAT! Hutch is using CDMA without Sim Card.

[Gerry290]

TukCom should be ok! There is on floor with mainly Mobile Phones. There should be also someone who can "unlock" the O2 if it's locked.

By the way GSM 900 and GSM 1800 are the digital phone systems mainly used in Thailand and both have Sim Cards. GSM 900 is may a little mor expensive but has a much better Service! GSM 900 is used by AIS while GSM 1800 is used by DTac and CAT! Hutch is using CDMA without Sim Card.

Ok, so I can find someone up stairs in Tucom who could unlock my irish blackberry and sell me the thai SIM card?

I could get voicemail, internet, email, on there. sounds good.

If I cannot find all the Kit for the irish blackberry as I got to dig it out.

The other option would be to buy the GSM 900 Sim and a new phone which can send/receive email?

It just I am worried about being sold something down there that did does not do what I am told it will do, and then not get a refund....would not be first time it happened.

Thanks

G

[Gerry290]

Well I maganged to dig out the Irish BlackBerry... the Irish SIM is working fine...and down load emails from my irish email .ie domain using AIS GSM..probably cost a fortune.

So I am going to take it down tomorrow and see can I buy a THAI SIM for GSM 900 that will give me voice mail, and email and web browsering on this blackberry.

Do I need to bring passport, and workpermit to buy this THAI GSM 900 service?

Thanks

Gerry

[lomatopo]

Maybe do a search here. I recall several detailed Blackberry threads in the past year or so.

[Gerry290]

yes. I had a look before I posted but the threads, did not give me the info or were a bit technical for my untechie brain.

Anyway the update is...

I put my thai 1-2 call as you go SIM card into Irish Blackberry, and it says

INVALID SIM CARD

so it looks like a trip down to Tucom to buy a new SIM with GSM 900 or 1800 will be in order.

[monty]

Your last post indicates that your blackberry is locked to your Irish simcard.

No other simcard will work, one2call, gsm advance, Dtac, whatever...

You will have to find a shop which is able to unlock your blackberry, and then you'll be able to use it with any sim, including one2call!

[Gerry290]

Thanks Monty... then its off to the mobile phone floor in Tucom this afternoon! to find an unlocker

[lomatopo]

Again in some of the past threads on "Blackberries in Thailand" I think there were issues in that the Blackberry could not be unlocked. Further there were details on the types of services available here. Maybe best to re-read those to make sure you're going down the right path.

With 1-2-Call pre-paid services Voicemail is a free option but you need to register for it. it's also a bit kludgy re: diverts (busy, no answer, no service, phone off). Calls to voicemail, *99, used to be free, but am not sure if they still are?

A new smartphone, with GPRS/EDGE/WiFi connectivity, might be a better option?

[PeaceBlondie]

Sorry if this is off topic, but it's Irish and 1-2-Call, just not Blackberry or Strawberry.....

In only five more weeks I'll be spending 9 days in County Clare, and I can take my Thai 98-function Sony-Ericson with the Thai SIM card with GSM 900. It doesn't have email or blackberries but I think there's a microwave and a hair dryer in there somewhere. In the past when I turn my mobile phone on in some farang country, I get weird messages that ask me to dial a local number. I don't want to spend six euros per minute for my kid in Ennis to call me in Shannon....

[Gerry290]

Again in some of the past threads on "Blackberries in Thailand" I think there were issues in that the Blackberry could not be unlocked. Further there were details on the types of services available here. Maybe best to re-read those to make sure you're going down the right path.

With 1-2-Call pre-paid services Voicemail is a free option but you need to register for it. it's also a bit kludgy re: diverts (busy, no answer, no service, phone off). Calls to voicemail, *99, used to be free, but am not sure if they still are?

A new smartphone, with GPRS/EDGE/WiFi connectivity, might be a better option?

hi Thanks: I ll recheck those posts.

I dropped it down to a mobile phone shop in Tucom, and they said they can unlock it, (1000 bhat charge) and that the GSM 900 SIM is 300 bhat, and then I have to call the call centre to set it up. I ll try this option first, as its probably the cheapest.

if that does not work, I ll look into Smartphone.

I ll am picking blackberry up tomorrow, so I ll keep you all updated, just for reference.

Thanks

Gerry

[monty]

AIS supports pushmail, but not on the one2call prepaid cards AFAIK...

I'm not exactly sure about the capabilities of the blackberry, but if you can get the gprs to work, and the blackberry can access regular SMTP and POP servers, then the e-mails should work as well.

You'll just have to manually do a "send and receive" every so often to see anything came in, as opposed to the push mail where you receive the mail on your blackberry the second your mail servers get them...

[Gerry290]

AIS supports pushmail, but not on the one2call prepaid cards AFAIK...

I'm not exactly sure about the capabilities of the blackberry, but if you can get the gprs to work, and the blackberry can access regular SMTP and POP servers, then the e-mails should work as well.

You'll just have to manually do a "send and receive" every so often to see anything came in, as opposed to the push mail where you receive the mail on your blackberry the second your mail servers get them...

Yes. I will try it, and no probs doing the send and receive manually, if it saves me 10 - 20,000 bhat on getting a new phone.

If it is too much hassel, I will stump up the cash for a Smart phone,

Re Smart phone I saw the Vodafone V1240 for 17,900.00 Baht in Pattaya. would this be a good option?

[monty]

Gerry, which model exactly is it?

http://www.my-blackberryfromo2.com/BlackBerry_range.asp

[Gerry290]

Gerry, which model exactly is it?

http://www.my-blackberryfromo2.com/BlackBerry_range.asp

http://www.my-blackberryfromo2.com/BlackBerry_7100x.asp

I think is the 7100 (i just left it at mobile shop over night, so 7100 looks most familar), I bought it Feb 2005, so it would be an older model now.

I down loaded emails last night on my O2 Ireland SIM....(1st time I switched it on in almost year, got regular other irish mobile number just in case), costs a forutne on SIM for email use, when roaming when I used it for 1st few months in Thailand, before I got office set up properly. when I did use it I would swich to AIS Network which , as far as I can remember was the network O2 recommened then when roaming in Thailand.

Use it for 1 month when doing a Krav Maga Instructors Martial Couse in Israel in 2005 to keep in touch with business, and the bill btwn emails and call, was over 1200 euro for the month, for the roaming charges there.

as far as I can remember thailand was not much better rate wise, when I was visting here a few times in 2005 before I moved full time in Dec 2005.

I was looking at www.edgethailand.com and they seem to got godo smart phone options and know their info on the topic, if my o2 BlackBerry_7100x cannot be unlocked. I ll find out tomorrow morning.

[monty]

Looks good if they can get it unlocked.

It's got a gprs radio inside and an e-mail client to access existing e-mail accounts.

Which is what you need i think...

You'll find the internet through GPRS very cheap over here, on pre-paid (one2call) cards the most expensive package is 900 Baht (+7%vat) for 400 hours/month.

Which is 13 hours per day, or pretty much all the hours you're awake!

I'm just not sure how long the battery lasts when connected non-stop

I use an O2 XDAIIs with a post paid gprs package. I'd love to get an Edge capable model, but the newer ones all seem to go to the much smaller screens, which I absolutely don't like!

I also use a Sierra Wireless aircard 775 in my laptop when on the road, got one of those net-sim cards with 40 hours free/month in it. Doesn't cost me a dime since I only use a couple of hours/week!

[Gerry290]

Looks good if they can get it unlocked.

It's got a gprs radio inside and an e-mail client to access existing e-mail accounts.

Which is what you need i think...

You'll find the internet through GPRS very cheap over here, on pre-paid (one2call) cards the most expensive package is 900 Baht (+7%vat) for 400 hours/month.

Which is 13 hours per day, or pretty much all the hours you're awake!

I'm just not sure how long the battery lasts when connected non-stop

I use an O2 XDAIIs with a post paid gprs package. I'd love to get an Edge capable model, but the newer ones all seem to go to the much smaller screens, which I absolutely don't like!

I also use a Sierra Wireless aircard 775 in my laptop when on the road, got one of those net-sim cards with 40 hours free/month in it. Doesn't cost me a dime since I only use a couple of hours/week!

Now thats great info Thanks!

Lets hope the lads down in Tucom can get it unlocked!

[monty]

Hi Gerry,

did you manage to get the Blackberry unlocked?