Australian Mobile Phone in China

[hozozco]

Hi

My wife and I are planning to be in China for about five weeks, January 2007 - February 2007. I have an Australian-bought Nokia 7110. Can anyone tell me if I can use this phone in China with a suitable SIM card.

Many thanks

:-)

[imron]

You shouldn't have any problems so long as your phone isn't "locked" to the phone network you use in Oz.

[Shadowdh]

Make sure you have set up global roaming and that your credit limit (if there is one) is suitably high... I was using a UK mobile for the first week I have been here... it was fine but I now cant connect to the network and not sure why... I am thinking its a credit limit related issue as I have made and received quite a few hours of calls in the last few days...

[roddy]

The OP will be getting a local SIM card though (i'm assuming), so roaming and home credit won't be an issue.

[some guy]

I had no problem. Like imron said, just make sure you have international roaming (thats what testra called it at least) so that you can use the phone overseas.

[imron]

I think international roaming is maybe something different from locking/unlocking.

International roaming is when you can use your Australian(or any other country's) SIM on a foreign network.

Locking/unlocking is when they lock your phone to your specific SIM card so you can't just change SIM cards to change networks (say because you get a cheaper deal on a different network) and keep the same phone (this essentially prevents you from getting a SIM card in a different country).

Both methods provide a way to use your existing phone in a foreign country.

If you're planning on buying a Chinese SIM and having a Chinese number for your phone, you will need to make sure your phone is not locked to the network.

If you're planning on keeping your existing phone number but just want to be able to use it while you are in China, then you will need to make sure you have International/Global Roaming enabled.

Anyway, not all networks lock SIMs to phones, but if you're going for the Chinese SIM then you might want to make sure before you go. If your Australian phone has no problem when swapping SIM cards (try swapping it briefly with a friend in Australia), then you will have no problem using the phone with a Chinese SIM.

To summarise, if you plan to be buying and using a local SIM card, you need to make sure the phone is unlocked. If you plan on using your current SIM, then you need to make sure that international/global roaming is enabled.

[Shadowdh]

Ahhh of course I was thinking of the taking the whole thing with you thing... sim and all... whoops...

[adrianlondon]

I've just checked how much it costs on Vodafone UK to roam to China.

Almost £2/minute to make calls and over £1/minute to receive calls.

It wouldn't take long to reach some undeterminted credit limit there, Shadowdh! I plan on cancelling my contract before I leave London and sticking a local sim card in my (unlocked) phone as soon as I arrive.

Also, I'll divert all calls to voicemail on my original UK sim and then use www.vodafone.net to remotely pick up any voicemails - for free.

[Shadowdh]

I am with O2 on a international serive thingy and its a bit cheaper (thought I have discovered not by much) however I didnt plan on using it quite so much as I did... unfortunately I had a rather severe family emergency that required much phone contact and thus the high bill... (at least I am pretty sure its high as they wont let me see it on the net at the minute... oh and they have suspended my service I have just found out due to high use...) I do have a local sim now and its quite a bit cheaper... even to call the UK or text...

[hozozco]

Thanks for all the replies...

I should probably clarify a little. Our Nokia 7110 is on a pre-paid Vodaphone contract here in Australia. We do not have global roaming. We were planning to buy a SIM card in China, probably through someone like: http://www.cellularabroad.com/chinappsc.html (I haven't researched for the best deal yet).

I was more asking whether an Australian Nokia 7110 used the same sort of frequencies as they do in China or whether the Chinese Nokia's were completely different. I think I can read from the replies that it should be OK.

Many Thanks

:-)

[sean2006]

As I know so far,the Vodaphone service is working in Shanghai and Shenzhen.I used to have a Vodaphone SIM in Ireland and I brought it back to China/I could make phone calls and send out masages in Shenzhen.

[imron]

I would avoid buying a SIM card over the net. A prepaid Chinese SIM card at any China Mobile shop in China (and these are everywhere) will only cost you about US$7-10, and the rates will be about the same as what they list on that company's website.

P.S. If you're going to be making international calls, I recommend Skype's SkypeOut service. It works out at about 1.6 jiao (16 fen) a minute to most developed countries. Many internet cafes have headsets with microphones, so you shouldn't have too much trouble even if you don't have your own computer.

[artichoke]

Hi

I've taken two different Nokia mobile phones, purchased in Australia over to China with me. Neither were 'locked' (I can use any carrier's sim in Australia). I bought a sim card (China mobile) for 35kuai. Then paid for the 50/100RMB recharge cards. Too easy. To call back home using china mobile sim, had to use an IP card, but I could sms overseas no probs.

:-)

[ranjanarose]

I am having the same problem can anyone give right solution ?