[BuyOneGetFour]

I just returned from a brief 4-day trip to Europe.(Germany, UK, Finland)

In each of the three countries, I bought local prepaid GSM prepaid SIM cards. None of them worked. My Verizon Note 2 just kept saying it's not a Verizon SIM card. (duh! I knew that! ) Just to be sure it wasn't a problem with the prepaid SIM card, I borrowed the SIM cards from the hotel concierge. Still didn't work. Just the stupid not Verizon SIM card message. No voice calls and no data.

I used Skype(via Wifi) and called Verizon customer service. Got transferred to someone who supposed was in the global roaming dept. I explained to him what was going on.. He kept insisting that I must have the Verizon LTE SIM card inserted in order to be able to use foreign GSM SIM cards.... What the....?

Good thing I had a spare GSM 900/1800 phone(non-US) with me, so at least I had someone of calling and receiving calls.

P.S. I know it woks if my phone is rooted, but I am not allowed to root my Verizon Note 2 because it's a corporate-liable account.

[mkhalil06]

without root your phone should have been able to make voice calls but data will not work unless you root and enter in the foreign carrier's APN info

[Flexia]

Dont you have to have them sim card unlocked to use different carrier sim card?

[DroidXcon]

Dont you have to have them sim card unlocked to use different carrier sim card?

No just change APN settings and done. Its just that verizon hides the option to add in new APNs . You can't unhide with out rooting your phone

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk

[BuyOneGetFour]

without root your phone should have been able to make voice calls but data will not work unless you root and enter in the foreign carrier's APN info

The shop where I bought the prepaid SIM in Germany also sold the Note 2.(N7100 GSM version, of course) The guy inserted the prepaid SIM into that phone and it worked just fine for both voice and data. He took it out and inserted it into my Verizon Note 2, and only got the error message saying that it wasn't a Verizon SIM card and wasn't supported. He did try to dial the emergency# 112 and it went through.(actually he let it ring twice and hung up, obviously), at least that means the GSM radio inside the Verizon Note 2 was functioning.

[BuyOneGetFour]

Dont you have to have them sim card unlocked to use different carrier sim card?

does this mean I should have called Verizon prior to leaving the US and ask them to sim unlock it?

I'm really confused right now...

[Flexia]

does this mean I should have called Verizon prior to leaving the US and ask them to sim unlock it?

I'm really confused right now...

I remeber way back when in my BB Storm days(which I found the other day and its smaller the the notes screen altogether) I had to call world support and get a pin to unlock the phone to be able to accept any sim card. I dont know if/what rules verizon might have changed.

[YBCold]

I'm very upset to read yet another thread about issues with using the Note 2 over seas. The Ability to this phone over seas is something ever rep at Verizon has told me this phone is capable of and if it is not truly unlocked then I should have take m. Company and all 16 lines over to AT&T.

[dominick_7]

No expert but I believe you have to get permission to get an unlock code from Verizon's global dept to be able to use it overseas. There are also websites you can buy an unlock code I believe, but I think the best place is to keep calling Verizon till you get a rep that has a clue (call during peak hours.. hang up if its an east coast rep.. Idaho, Ohio and Cali are the best) and would be able to help you. The problem is that most of them are clueless. What they want you to do is to use their third party long distance service provider (Vodaphone I think it is?), which I think is pretty expensive, but if they unlock it I THINK you should be able to use it with other sim cards.

[BuyOneGetFour]

I'm very upset to read yet another thread about issues with using the Note 2 over seas. The Ability to this phone over seas is something ever rep at Verizon has told me this phone is capable of and if it is not truly unlocked then I should have take m. Company and all 16 lines over to AT&T.

don't judge so quickly.... or at least judge both VZW and AT&T equally. I was talking about this with a couple of my co-workers who also have the Note 2. They have the AT&T version. Apparently one of them experienced the same thing. The AT&T Note 2 also refused to accept foreign and US GSM SIM cards. However, they were able to resolve it after making a call to AT&T in the US.

[htc evo 4g]

I'm curious as to what this "global" option is all about then...

Thanks,

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

[DroidXcon]

I'm curious as to what this "global" option is all about then...

Thanks,

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

So you can user it globally on verizons global network. If you want to use non vzw global network you need to access the apn editor which verizon hid.

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk

[etbooker]

Have you checked to see if you're global setting is on.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Android Central Forums

[karsdroid]

i called verizon about my husband using his s3 in brazil...... no problem they said.... its $1. 99 a min for calls, $. 50 to send text and $. 05 to receive, $25 for 100mb of data....... unreal. so yeah its a global phone so we can be globally screwed over on verizons service. it will be wifi only for my husband with skype and a free texting app..... we found a tomtom app for brazil that doesn't use data so...... guess we'll see how it goes.

[MaxBuck]

does this mean I should have called Verizon prior to leaving the US and ask them to sim unlock it?

Verizon reps have told me this is exactly what I need to do before going to Europe this summer. My plan is to get SIM cards in Vienna and Prague since I'll be in both cities for about 3 days. I need to root to get data access so I can use navigation in CZ.

[YBCold]

Well I have a sim I brought back with me from Grande Cayman and will be contacting VZ to see if there is a way to unhide the APN setting. If not I'm going to be very sad !

[rkeenan]

i called verizon about my husband using his s3 in brazil...... no problem they said.... its $1. 99 a min for calls, $. 50 to send text and $. 05 to receive, $25 for 100mb of data....... unreal. so yeah its a global phone so we can be globally screwed over on verizons service. it will be wifi only for my husband with skype and a free texting app..... we found a tomtom app for brazil that doesn't use data so...... guess we'll see how it goes.

For prices that expensive, I would look into Google Voice...

[fofjjsr]

i called verizon about my husband using his s3 in brazil...... no problem they said.... its $1. 99 a min for calls, $. 50 to send text and $. 05 to receive, $25 for 100mb of data....... unreal. so yeah its a global phone so we can be globally screwed over on verizons service. it will be wifi only for my husband with skype and a free texting app..... we found a tomtom app for brazil that doesn't use data so...... guess we'll see how it goes.

Call the global team and request the phone to be unlocked to use foreign SIM cards. Of course you are going to be charged big rays if you use their service overseas. If you get it unlocked you can use SIM cards from companies overseas. Which usually is cheaper.

Sent from my Verizon Galaxy Note II

[fofjjsr]

Verizon reps have told me this is exactly what I need to do before going to Europe this summer. My plan is to get SIM cards in Vienna and Prague since I'll be in both cities for about 3 days. I need to root to get data access so I can use navigation in CZ.

This is the best way to do it.

Sent from my Verizon Galaxy Note II

[twindragons187]

According to verizon, it should work.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[fofjjsr]

According to verizon, it should work.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

Big difference between being global ready and global enabled. You still have to ball Verizon's global team.

Sent from my Verizon Galaxy Note II

[mariongiant]

I spoke with a VZW global support rep last week, as I'm planning a trip to Israel soon. He told me that LTE phones are always unlocked, including the Note 2. He said it would take a foreign sim. I asked about the APN, and he insisted that, once the phone recognized a non-VZW sim card, the APN menu would become unlocked so settings could be entered. I don't think this is true. I suspect that not all of the reps understand the intricacies of this phone. I had similar difficulties going overseas with the Blackberry Storm when it first came out.

[fofjjsr]

The only phone that is unlocked is iPhone 5 on Verizon from my understanding. The rest need to be requested through customer service.

Sent from my Verizon Galaxy Note II

[twindragons187]

The only phone that is unlocked is iPhone 5 on Verizon from my understanding. The rest need to be requested through customer service.

Sent from my Verizon Galaxy Note II

Correction, the droid dna is factory unlocked as well

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[arundc]

I spoke with a VZW global support rep last week, as I'm planning a trip to Israel soon. He told me that LTE phones are always unlocked, including the Note 2. He said it would take a foreign sim. I asked about the APN, and he insisted that, once the phone recognized a non-VZW sim card, the APN menu would become unlocked so settings could be entered. I don't think this is true. I suspect that not all of the reps understand the intricacies of this phone. I had similar difficulties going overseas with the Blackberry Storm when it first came out.

The Rep doesn't know what s/he is saying. Not true at all! I took my Note 2 overseas and the APN menu was locked to Verizon. It (voice/data) only worked when I put the Verizon SIM back in. The phone is Global ready, not Global unlocked. I am sorta pi$$ed but what can you do. I am not prepared to root just yet. I had the Storm as well and used it overseas and have similar experiences.