World Phone?

[JB01]

I know that Verizon have stated they will update the SG III to accept a GSM sim card abroad. Has there been any update to this? Having a global phone is quite important to me, so the update timeframe is something I'm concerned about. Have Verizon been prompt regarding this kind of update in the past?

 

[tekhna]

No, Verizon hasn't been, in the past. But I'm sure devs will figure it out. It may already be SIM-unlocked anyway, and work out of the box. The Rezound did, except that it was unable to send SMS.

 

[dpham00]

verizon is typically very slow in updates. Even the rezound which came out last November still has not officially received the world phone update. You have to access the secret menu to enable gsm on the rezound. I suspect that since the gs3 is available on all carriers, that it would come locked.

 

[douglaswilson]

I was wondering the same thing. I think the Droid Razr and Razr Max are the only phones that are world phone capable right now. Is this phone going to be at some point? I called Verizon but they were not helpful and just said not at this time.

 

[WilburNJ]

I don't think "global phone" means unlocked phone. I think it simply means that VZW will turn on the GSM radio to allow the phone work on GSM networks around the world, but you would need to use one of their expensive international roaming plans. An unlocked phone would mean that you could pop in a local GSM SIM card and buy some prepaid minutes and data. Of course, if you use a local SIM card, you get a local number so your regular phone number wouldn't be useable while you're using that local sim card.

I'm US-based and my T-Mobile blackberry is a world phone, which I can use anywhere in the world with GSM networks. But, I'm pretty certain that I could not pop in a local SIM card to pay local prices.

Until recently, I was an AT&T customer for my personal iPhone, and it's US SIM card would not work in my T-Mo BB, nor vice versa. Also, when I travelled abroad, I would buy an expensive international roaming plan from AT&T so that I could still use my iPhone. I asked a kiosk person in London once if I could buy a prepaid sim card just for data on my iPhone, and he told me that this would only be possible if the iPhone were unlocked, which it wasn't at the time. (Since then, AT&T has unlocked my iPhone and my t-mo sim from my BB works with my old iPhone, although only on 2G, so I was ale to prove that AT&T did unlock my iPhone.)

On my most recent trip to Europe, I tried to see if my Droid 4 would pick up any signal at all, and all I saw was SOS. So, because VZW has not turned on the D4's GSM antenna, at least not yet, neither the CDMA radio nor the LTE radio was able to pick up a signal in the UK. When they update the D4 to ICS and make it a "world phone" like the Razr/Maxx, I would be able to pick up a GSM signal, but that just means I'll be able to roam. I'm pretty sure it will not mean I'll be able to pop in and use a local sim card. If they truly unlocked it, it would literally mean that my D4 can be used on AT&T or T-Mo in the US using a sim card from one of these networks.

My friend has a Razr Maxx that recently got upgraded to ICS and I have an old T-Mo micro sim card (that's no longer active). Maybe I'll test out his Maxx with this t-mo sim and see what happens. It's not an active sim, so maybe it will prove nothing, but if it logs into the t-mo network even without the ability to make a call or send/receive data, maybe it would prove hat I'm wrong and that VZW has in fact unlocked their Razr and Razr Maxx phones. I'll let you know....

 

[WilburNJ]

Oh, by the way, I'm scheduled to receive my S3 on Tuesday (7/10), and I travel a lot, so this global vs unlocked question is of acute interest to me. If it becomes truly unlocked, I would probably pop out my t-mo sim card from my work BB and pop it into my S3 so that I have a proper phone when I'm abroad. There's an issue of the t-mo sim being a regular sim and the S3 using a micro sim, but I'll figure that out when the time comes....

 

[dpham00]

I don't think "global phone" means unlocked phone. I think it simply means that VZW will turn on the GSM radio to allow the phone work on GSM networks around the world, but you would need to use one of their expensive international roaming plans. An unlocked phone would mean that you could pop in a local GSM SIM card and buy some prepaid minutes and data. Of course, if you use a local SIM card, you get a local number so your regular phone number wouldn't be useable while you're using that local sim card.

I'm US-based and my T-Mobile blackberry is a world phone, which I can use anywhere in the world with GSM networks. But, I'm pretty certain that I could not pop in a local SIM card to pay local prices.

Until recently, I was an AT&T customer for my personal iPhone, and it's US SIM card would not work in my T-Mo BB, nor vice versa. Also, when I travelled abroad, I would buy an expensive international roaming plan from AT&T so that I could still use my iPhone. I asked a kiosk person in London once if I could buy a prepaid sim card just for data on my iPhone, and he told me that this would only be possible if the iPhone were unlocked, which it wasn't at the time. (Since then, AT&T has unlocked my iPhone and my t-mo sim from my BB works with my old iPhone, although only on 2G, so I was ale to prove that AT&T did unlock my iPhone.)

On my most recent trip to Europe, I tried to see if my Droid 4 would pick up any signal at all, and all I saw was SOS. So, because VZW has not turned on the D4's GSM antenna, at least not yet, neither the CDMA radio nor the LTE radio was able to pick up a signal in the UK. When they update the D4 to ICS and make it a "world phone" like the Razr/Maxx, I would be able to pick up a GSM signal, but that just means I'll be able to roam. I'm pretty sure it will not mean I'll be able to pop in and use a local sim card. If they truly unlocked it, it would literally mean that my D4 can be used on AT&T or T-Mo in the US using a sim card from one of these networks.

My friend has a Razr Maxx that recently got upgraded to ICS and I have an old T-Mo micro sim card (that's no longer active). Maybe I'll test out his Maxx with this t-mo sim and see what happens. It's not an active sim, so maybe it will prove nothing, but if it logs into the t-mo network even without the ability to make a call or send/receive data, maybe it would prove hat I'm wrong and that VZW has in fact unlocked their Razr and Razr Maxx phones. I'll let you know....

Verizon Global phones, when locked, can be used on any international gsm network with the price rates as stated on Verizon's website. Optionally, Verizon's Global phones, once unlocked, can be used with foreign sims in their country of origin. I have done this with several other Verizon Global phones. I have also done it with the Rezound, which came factory sim unlocked and can be used on ANY gsm network worldwide (incl. att and tmo in the US) for voice (sms and data also work but may require custom rom). Most Verizon global phones can't be used in the US on GSM networks because Verizon blocks it.


Here is the info on sim unlocking. it is for the 4s, but the gs3 should be a similar procedure IF Verizon classifies it at some point as a global phone.
https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/696707?start=0&tstart=0

 

[piratelax91]

Yea Verizon will USUALLY unlock your phone if you were to call them and say you were going overseas or something of the like, the only really big if about this entire discussion is whether or not the GSM radio in the S3 can be unlocked like the reZound or not? (thats got me worried because if thats not the case, we'll be at big red's mercy)
Or you could just root

 

[WilburNJ]

Verizon Global phones, when locked, can be used on any international gsm network with the price rates as stated on Verizon's website. Optionally, Verizon's Global phones, once unlocked, can be used with foreign sims in their country of origin. I have done this with several other Verizon Global phones. I have also done it with the Rezound, which came factory sim unlocked and can be used on ANY gsm network worldwide (incl. att and tmo in the US) for voice (sms and data also work but may require custom rom). Most Verizon global phones can't be used in the US on GSM networks because Verizon blocks it.


Here is the info on sim unlocking. it is for the 4s, but the gs3 should be a similar procedure IF Verizon classifies it at some point as a global phone.
https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/696707?start=0&tstart=0

Dpham00,

Thanks for the info. Well, I hope VZW will unlock my S3 when they also make it a global phone. I'm paying full price on this thing, so there shouldn't be any concerns about VZW having subsidized my purchase and then having me bolt from their service to another provider. In fact, I wish Samsung would sell unlocked, universal phones that I could use on any network I choose, just like Apple does with their iPhone.

Best,

Will

 

[dpham00]

Dpham00,

Thanks for the info. Well, I hope VZW will unlock my S3 when they also make it a global phone. I'm paying full price on this thing, so there shouldn't be any concerns about VZW having subsidized my purchase and then having me bolt from their service to another provider. In fact, I wish Samsung would sell unlocked, universal phones that I could use on any network I choose, just like Apple does with their iPhone.

Best,

Will

Apple sells iphone unlocked for use on any Gsm carrier. However, the unlocked iphones bought directly from Apple won't work on Verizon. And iphones bought directly from Verizon, even at full retail price and unlocked through Verizon, can't be used on att and tmo, but can be used internationally on gsm networks.