Perhaps someone (XYZ?) can help me here. I feel embarrassed to ask this august body, as I'm probably doing something obviously stupid, as usual.
I ordered two United Mobile SIMs for our upcoming Paris trip, and installed them in a couple of Motorola V190s I got on eBay. I went through the activation ritual, but can't get the phones to call out.
The phones work, in that they light up, etc., but when I hit "Send", I get a screen that says, "Message Not Allowed". I wait to be disconnected, and to get the ring back, but that never happens. It just sits there until it goes dark. I thought it was just that I was inputting the wrong international code, and I tried all possible combinations; +, 00, 01, 011, etc.
I tried calling one Motorola phone from the other, I tried my home and U.S. cell numbers, and a few overseas friends. No go.
Then I tried calling the new phones from my own Verizon cell phone, using the prefix 011, that Verizon requires for international calls, and both of the new ones rang, so the phones must be functional.
I have sent an email to United Mobile, but have not had any feedback.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Another United Mobile SIM question.
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Go to www.prepaidgsm.net on the forum international cards and post the problem.
There have been compatabilithy problems with some phones with all of the callback international sims....
You may have to call using menu based calling...go to the menus till you come to the UM menu, find callback and dial using that menu...remember to include the "+" symbol...namely if dialing 1 212 555 1212 dial +12125551212...the fact the phone rins when you call it seems to indicate the phone works and the sim works....there is a code they gave on prepaidgsm.net that sends the message to trigger the call (my new um sim does work with my quad band motorola phone although again I don't remember the model number so it should work...remember to add the + to the number you are calling.....
xyz123,

Just a note to thank you for your thoughtful response to my question.
I did contact Prepaidgsm, registered, and asked my question of them. The folks on their Forum were more than kind to a newbie, and led me by the hand down the path that you had outlined. Between their advice, and many to and fros with UM Customer Service, I was able to get the phone working - sort of. I still have to go through a complicated rigmarole to enter my numbers into the SIM memory, use the *137*xxxx# workaround you mentioned, etc.
I guess a lesson to be learned here is that some cheaper/earlier models of Motorola phones simply do not play well with UM SIMS. I now wish I had spent a bit more and picked up a couple of Razr phones, like yours ,on eBay.
Maybe for the next trip.