Glad it worked out, Postal.

Postal,

Did you have to unlock the phone before putting in the new SIM card, or was it good to go?

We got a Mobal for our last trip to italy, and it was great for emergency use, but I was wondering about the possibility of putting in another card if I should want to use it more than just occasionally.

Apparently the phones they are sending at this time are unlocked...you can find out easily enough by borrowing somebody else's sim card and putting it in the phone. If you don't get a message to the effect the phone is locked to another carrier, even if the phone doesn't register on any network, then it is unlocked. If it is locked you will get a message and this is the first thing a mobile phone checks when it is turned on!

Note that Mobal is currently issuing SIM cards free of charge. If you are visiting only one country and not planning to make a lot of calls, using Mobal may be more economical than a local SIM. And, your phone number is e-mailed to you once your order has been processed.

Just to amend the previous post slightly...it should say if you are not planning to make or receive many calls outside the UK as Mobal charges an arm and a leg to receive calls outside the UK...

Do remember that local sim's and Riiing sim's include free reception of calls in Europe. Have to do the math to see if it makes a difference.

Yes, the phone WAS unlocked. And I was glad to get rid of the U.K. phone number since I was in Germany. The SIM card from the T-Mobile store was a local German number and had free incoming calls.

xyz123 - Thank you for the amendment.

Your many posts have been invaluable in sorting out how to acquire and use cell phones for travel in Europe.

Since my husband and I need phones only for occasionally keeping in touch while out and about and the odd restaurant reservation, the Mobal SIM will be much more economical for the two of us than a French SIM.

On our first trip to London, we rented one phone through our Verizon service at home. Made maybe three short calls. Next time, we had two phones we'd purchased and bought Virgin SIM's. I don't think we used up 15 minutes total between the two of us in 12 days.

The nifty thing about a free SIM, is that you can hit the ground running, then buy a local SIM if you find you'll be using your phone(s) more often.

People here on the forum have been saying that they purchased a Mobal cell phone and replaced the sim card with one purchased in Europe. I'm a bit confused because when I went to the Mobal website it said their cell phones were locked and couldn't be replaced by any other sim card. You had to use their sim card. Is this true or do you think they want you to believe that so that you only purchase/use their sim cards? I need to purchase a cell phone for my upcoming trip to Italy and don't want to pay a lot for calls. The Mobal deals seems sweet for only $49.00 but if I have to pay 1.25/minute for outgoing/incoming calls it will get expensive. But if I can replace it with a cheaper sim card once I get to Italy, it would be worth it....Any info much appreciated...thanks, Pat

Yes the site says the phone is locked but...

oh about 2 or 3 months ago, somebody posted about Mobal. I said to him the problem might be the phones are locked. He said the phone he got was not locked. So I figured, what the hell, my son needed a phone for a trip to Europe and since it was a Nokia I knew I could unlock it anyway so I ordered one and guess what, the phone arrived unlocked. Another clue is this. They basically use O2 sim cards a UK carrier who for years sold phones in the UK that were not locked.

So I can't buarantee you the phone will be unlocked but my guess is that it will be (unless Mobal is spying on this forum and begins to make an effort to lock the phones).

However, since it is a Nokia, you can either download the nokia unlocking calculator which is freely available all over the web or go to the web site www.unlockme.co.uk where there is a forum where you can enter your imei # (the serial number) and the company to which it is locked and they will for free furnish you with the unlocking code.

My best guess is that it will be unlocked and if so, is probably the best deal. I wouldn't use the O2 service either outside the UK.

Thanks xyz123! I was wondering if you know a website where I can find info regarding unlocking my other phone. It's a Motorola V180. I found a forum where someone posted how to unlock it but apparently I need a flash driver. I can't seem to find a downloadable version of the driver. Apparently Motorola phones have no remote unlocking codes....so I would have to send my phone away to have it unlocked. I really don't want to do that. It only costs $25.00 but what if my phone gets lost? Thought I may be able to do it with a little bit more info...anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Pat

Hi W,

Have you tried www.google.com?

Enter "Unlock Motorola"

There is at least one online.

>...I need a flash driver.<

Didn't the site give you a link to download the driver?

Mobal phone is now down to $29 which includes free SIM, adaptor plugs, charger and free shipping. We're going on a med cruise and will visit many countries, so this seems perfect for us - for emergencies only

FLJudi

Hi FLJudi
> Mobal phone is now down to $29...<

What's the link?

I went to the website and it's still $49.

I just received my $49 Nokia 3410 from Mobal, thanks to everyone here who recommended it.

After reading all these posts, I wanted to see if the phone was locked. The Mobal website says the phone is locked. I tried putting in the SIM card from my Cingular phone that I use here in the US. The message displayed on this Mobal phone was "SIM card not valid"

So, I am interpreting this message to mean the phone is locked. Am I correct?

(Thanks again for all the advice from the cell phone experts.)

suntravler: if you got the $49 phone, it is a dual band that will work in many countries, but not in the U.S. If your Cingular SIM card is for the U.S., then that would explain why it won't work. I am trying to decide whether to buy one of the Mobal cell phones (either dual or tri-band) or go the eBay route, so I will be anxious to hear more replies from Fodorites who have experience with using these phones with other SIM cards.

Me, too!
I checked my recently-received Mobal Nokia 3410 - I inserted my local T-Mobile SIM and got this message: Insert SIM, which I assume means the phone arrived "locked" to Mobal's SIM.

Carmen...Thanks for your reply. I am aware of the difference between the bands used in US vs. Europe.

However, if I understood xyz123 correctly, there is a way to tell if the phone is locked or unlocked by inserting another SIM card and seeing what message you get. So I was just doing this little test. I'm not sure what the results mean!

Suntravlr, yes, our phones are locked.
If they were unlocked, and a different sim was installed, then the phone would boot up and show the main screen, ie. 'menu' or 'welcome' or something.

Travelnut, I just ordered the $49 mobal phone. How are you going to unlock your phone? I have read every thread on here but I still am not sure what to do next when I get my phone in the mail. I am going to be in Paris and do most of my Europe traveling in France. I would like to have the phone to contact my apartment rental folks on arrival, then would like to buy a carte at a tabac to use it to call home.

I am sorry to ask the same questions as others but don't get it yet.

www.unlockme.co.uk...there is a forum there. Enter the phone's imei# and the carrier to which it is locked and within an hour you will have the unlocking code.

First I'm going to try an alternate SIM one more time, just in case I put it in upside down or something.

Then I'm going to look at the 'free' service for unlocking (above post). If that leaves me feeling flummoxed, then I will resort to the $4 website for the unlock code (www.mobileliberation.com)

Try this URL for the Mobal site - it shows only $29 for the phone - as of a few minutes ago.

http://www.mobalrental.com/gsm/handsets.asp?source=0702AA02NAMERFOR&p=sim&cc=3410

FLJudi

I brought the phone to a T-Mobile store in Germany and they said, "Oh, it's a T-Mobile SIM, I'm sure ours will work." They inserted the new card, turned it on, and it was fine. Later I was also able to add "time" to the phone with scratch off PINS much like prepaid phone cards, in euro increments starting at something like 15 euros.

As I said, I was VERY pleased with the phone, and when I call my son in Germany on it, it's as clear as a bell!

FLJudi:

WOW.

I wish you hadn't posted this!! (it makes me feel bad.)

I just checked the Mobal website and this is the same exact phone I ordered last Wednesday for $49. It's quite a deal. I just hope the phone really works when I get to Europe.

I just got one too! Even if I can't unlock it easily, it's just too good a deal

Travelnut. Did you try your mobile phone again with another SIM?

I was curious to the results.

Yes, it is 'locked' - the message was "Invalid Sim".

I bought a code from mobileliberation.com but haven't tried entering it yet.

Please keep me posted. My brother gave me a phone to use on my upcoming trip, but I thought it might be a good idea to get the $29 Nokia from Mobal for future use.
Thank you.

OK- flummoxed once again.
I got an unlock code from Mobileliberation.com for the Mobal Nokia 3410.
I took the SIM card out, then powered on the phone.
I entered the code as instructed, #pw+11111111111+1# (fake number).
Supposedly, the second I hit the last # the phone was supposed to respond with a message, either "code error" or "restriction off".
However, NOTHING happened. No response, good or bad, just an open screen.
I keyed in the code one more time (so 2x so far), and again, no response.
So then I put in my T-Mobile SIM, and the screen said "SIM not valid". AARGH.

I am a very literal person - was I to press any other key following the last # ?
Is it possible the T-Mobile SIM is not usable in this phone, but I'll be able to use a France SIM later on?

I'm asking you guys all my questions before I try talking to Mobileliberation. Let me know what you think. Thank you!

Did you enter the p, w correctly...not the p, w on the key board but rather they come up after hitting the * key several times....did you enter all the digits...should get some kind of message...

I hit the # sign, then used * for the pw+ (I was able to see the letters/characters pw+ on the screen as I pushed the *).
Then I pushed each number of the code, ending with the **1# (+1#)

So what I keyed would be:
#*** **** ** 1111111111 **1#
(without the spaces)

The display does not retain all the numbers/characters - as I key each one in, it briefly displays then disappears, so there's no opportunity to check what was keyed. My reading says that the # is the last thing to key or push and a response should immediately follow (so no need to press "Send" or anything like that).

I think I did it!! I got my phone yesterday. Took the big leap today. I entered the code and a message popped up so quickly saying something like phone was not restricted. It was so fast I couldn't really take it all in.

However when I put in my nextel chip it says sim not valid, but isn't it because this phone cannot be used here since it is only those 2 bands. Nextel, mu carrier has no international stuff.

Next question, the battery charger that came with this phone will not work in US because of diferent current??? 240V
or not???

Then, can I put my 02 sim back in and use the phone with that sim as soon as I get to Paris to contact apt. owner, then buy a French SIM for further use.
If I keep the phone turned off until I get there will it still have power for me to make one phone call before I charge the battery. I am sorry if these are completely dumb questions.

I am so thankful and amazed that I got this far with your excellent help.

ttt

Hi, ggnga:

I got the phone last week. I am no techno-expert. Just the opposite. But I did charge the battery. When the phone is delivered the battery has no charge at all. The phone comes with a converter and plug adaptor for both US plugs and European plugs. Look in the box. It should be there.

If you are not familiar with convertors and/or adaptors, maybe you can find someone to help. It's sort of like putting together a puzzle. One adaptor says "for use in the US". The other says "for use in Europe". (Or words to that effect.) The pieces don't slide in easily. Once you find the right configuration, you sort of have to push hard to get them to fit.

After you figure out how to configure the converter, adaptor, and charger, you can charge the battery...even in the US. On the right side of the screen, you will see a dotted line that indicates the phone is charging.

I charged mine last Friday and have left the phone on since then because I WANT to run the battery down. If you run it down a couple of times it will eventually hold the charge better...at least that's what I've been told and what the user directions say.

So I charged it last Friday and have left it on ever since. Today is Thursday and it is just running down.

So, you CAN charge the phone in the US and you will be able to make a phone call as soon as you get to Paris. Although my personal recommendation would be to buy some chocolate croissants first. THEN make your phone call.

Nextel, to the best of my knowledge, is not a GSM carrier so their chip will probably not work in a gsm only phone. If you got the message restriction lifted or something to that effect, the phone is now unlocked.

If you only have a 240 converter, go out and buy a nokia auto adapter in Target and also an AC/auto adapter. This later gizmo plugs into US electrical outlets (also works on 240 but comes with US plugs), insert the auto charger and you can charge the phone. With simply an adapter plug, you won't need a current converter, the same set up will work in Europe. Or if you intend only to use the phone in Europe, take the auto adapter and charge the phone in your car. Or go to www.cellphoneshop.net and you can buy Nokia US chargers for about $3....lots of ways to deal with this since the phone is a nokia.

Travelnut. I am keeping my fingers crossed. How are you doing with the phone?

I've written above a few posts that I tried entering my unlock code, but I got no response - neither a "code error" nor a "SIM unlocked" or whatever. I tried 2x - you can't try but 5 times or so, don't want to keep entering it.

Question - could it be that the phone is unlocked or did unlock w/code, and it's my T-mobile SIM that is the reason it still says "SIM not valid". I bought the dual-band, no US band on it. If no one knows or has experienced this, then I guess I'll try calling Mobileliberation for their ideas...(I'll be offline for a week or so, will have to continue this in May).

ggnga - maybe you can help me.

1. When you entered the unlock code for your Mobal Nokia, did you have a SIM in the phone during that process?

2. after you keyed in the code and pressed #, did you press any other button, ie. 'ok' or 'enter' or 'send' ?
Or did you press # and the response was immediately displayed?

OK, after reading this thread AGAIN, and surfing the net for 2 hours, I am thinking that I won't know if the phone is unlocked until I get a non-US SIM card.

1. This message implies that:
Author: Carmen
Date: 04/17/2005, 10:27 pm
suntravler: if you got the $49 phone, it is a dual band that will work in many countries, but not in the U.S. If your Cingular SIM card is for the U.S., then that would explain why it won't work. I am trying to decide whether to buy one of the Mobal cell phones (either dual or tri-band) or go the eBay route, so I will be anxious to hear more replies from Fodorites who have experience with using these phones with other SIM cards.

2. Those of us who have inserted a US-based SIM are getting "SIM not valid" or similar, not "phone restricted" or such. T-Mobile, Nextel and Cingular were all mentioned above with same results.

3. Those who said their phone arrived unlocked had taken the phone ot Europe and switched to a European SIM, ie. "Postal" in Germany.

So I'll just wait until our Paris visit in September and check it out there.

I respectfully disagree..

When you turn on a mobile gsm phone, the first thing it looks for is a valid sim card. If the sim card is not valid for whatever the reason, it gives a message. If the sim card is valid, it then tries to register on a network agreeable to the sim card. You will see this is so if you insert the O2 sim card that comes with the mobal phone, it will boot up, give you no message and then be unable to register and no US gsm carrier operates on the 2 frequencies of the phone namely 900 and 1800.

Nextel I don't think is gsm. It should recognize either a t mobile or cingular sim card even if it can't register.

It is real odd that you get no response when entering an unlock code; either it will say sim card restriction lifted or you will get an error message. Getting an error message 5 times is bad as it means the phone can no longer be unlocked with a code but it can be unlocked with a cable by a professional unlocker (although this is rarely free)....my guess remains is that somehow you are not properly entering the unlock code (I know you say you are and I have no reason to doubt you) but I've never heard of your situation arising. The unlocking of the phone is an internal matter of the phone, it has nothing to do with the frequency issue or any other external factors.

Interestingly enough, several people reported on this forum that when they bought the tri band 3100 from mobal, it arrived unlocked. Mine most certainly did as I put a t mobile US sim card in it and it's working perfectly.

Does the phone recognize the O2 sim card that came with the phone...try to boot it up. It won't register as none of the US companies with which O2 has roaming arrangements is on the frequencies of the phone.

Also, just for fun, try the free web site and see if you get the same unlocking code.

Hope that helps.

When I inserted the O2 SIM card in the Mobal dual band phone, it booted up and I got a greeting.

Even though I couldn't make any calls in the US, I was able to select ring tones, program phone numbers, set the time, and make other settings (or rather my teenage daughter was able to).

When I put in the t-mobile SIM card, it just said "Invalid SIM card."

I would also like to correct something I wrote earlier. In order to charge the battery I used the convertor/adaptor kit I've always used for travel...NOT the converter/adaptor that came with the phone.

Let me throw out one other possibility that I just thought of while talking to somebody...

It is possible that mobal sold you a used phone perhaps a phone somebody returned after making the 5 attempts allowed to unlock it.

Again, if you enter an unlocking code into the phone, you either get a message the sim restriction has been lifted or you get a code error message. The fact nothing is happening is somewhat suggestive that perhaps somebody had the phone, made the 5 efforts to unlock it with the code the software allows and then returned the phone and mobal sold it to you....

I would return the phone to them and demand a new phone; not somebody else's reject.

Travelnut,

The first time I entered the code I only put in the first one. My code had a code and then one directly under it also. I thought it was a choice of them. Next time I put in both codes #pwblahblah and then the second #pwblahblah. On the first try with only one code no message, the second time it flashed so quickly something about no restrictions. Did you put in both codes? I did not pause just put in the first and second like they were one long code.

The message that came up made me wonder if the phone was locked in the beginning. It did not say it was had been unlocked but something to the effect that it had no restricitions. Others said the phones weren't locked when they first started going out, especially with the O2 SIM.
Also when I put in the O2 SIM mine booted up like suntraveler. That was why I thought it had some battery charge.

My adapters both say 250V not for use in UK, use only on the continent. My plug that it came with I assume is for regular UK use. I also travel a good bit to the UK so that will be helpful.



You take out the SIM to unlock it. I followed http://www.trycktill.com/eng/unlock_swe.asp

I will next get a Nokia US charger online or get one at Target and tackle the charging.

If I have to use my phone just for emergencies or brief contact with apartments, hotels or airlines and for my family to contact me in emergencies with the O2 card, it will be worth it. I guess I will find out for sure if it is unlocked when I get to Paris in May. My real need for the phone will be driving alone in France in Septemeber, so I should have all the kinks worked out by then, I hope.

I started to really consider a need for a phone after our trip last March to a wedding in Rome. We arrived about 10pm and luckily had gotten a car service. At the B&B, the owner was not there, we were to call on his mobal. Luckily the driver used his cell and we were let in soon. We needed to call the wedding party that night for meetings the next day but were unable because the tabac was closed and the phone booth did not take coins. Also there were no phones of any type in the B&B and I was having very bad asthma. I felt uncomfortable not having some kind of phone link to emergency services in the middle of the night. I could just picture my husband running into the street or out in the hall of the building trying to scream for help in English. I watch too much bad TV!
I hope you work it out travelnut.

Thanks so much to all of you. I might be back if I have trouble with the charging. I will definitely report back on the France SIM after I return in May. One last question, where do you recommend I go to buy a French SIM in Paris?

ggnga:

Good luck with the battery charging.

If I managed to do it, anyone can.

Have a wonderful and safe trip.

ggnga:

Sorry for some confusion and misinformation on my part, but I just figured out how I charged the phone because I am re-charging it now.

You don't need to go out and buy anything. This is what I did. The phone comes with 2 adaptor gadgets. As I previously said, it was like a puzzle.

First I connected the CHARGER plug (with the 3 prongs) into the adaptor that has the 2 ROUND prongs.

Then I plugged that adaptor into the other adaptor that has the 2 FLAT prongs (like used in the US).

Then I plugged that into my wall socket. And the phone is charging. After a few seconds, on the right hand side of the screen you will see the dotted line moving...which indicates it is charging.

For some reason I couldn't get the charger plug to connect directly into the adaptor with the flat prongs, although it looks like it should fit.

Anyway, what I described is accomplishing the goal of charging the phone. Good luck.

ggnga:
I received 3 codes - I only tried the 1st one (the primary level) and got the 'no response'. I will try one more time and enter the 1st and 2nd codes as one long string:
#pw+1111111111+1##pw+2222222222+2#
including the ## to end 1st code and start 2nd code.

The O2 SIM does work, so I know I'll have at least the Mobal service.

xyz123: I bought the 3410, so maybe only the more expensive ones were unlocked. Thanks for your followup, as well. I did see one statement on a forum that indicated a USA-network SIM (specifically T-Mobile) would not work in a 900/1800 phone. Well, we'll see what happens!

travelnut, I read on the info somewhere that the phones can have as many as 4 locks so maybe that is why we got more than 1 code. I would put in all three if that is what your code worked out to be, not just 2. I did not put in the ### to end the first just put it in exactly like both codes were one long one. As soon as I finished the second one the message flashed.

I will return to the drawing board with the adapters I have to try and charge the phone. Thanks suntraveler.

Thanks again xyz123 and everyone.

gggna, I'm going to beat this thing into submission!

which way?

#pw+1111111+1#pw+22222222+2#
-or-
#pw+1111111+1##pw+2222222+2#
-or-
#pw+1111111+1pw+22222222+2#

(ie. 1#, 2# or no # between the two codes?)

I'm on vacation next week, so you'll all get a rest from this!

This thread has been most helpful in my cell phone dilemna. Based on all of your suggestions and other research I've done, I've ordered a Mobal phone at $29 - couldn't not at that price! Hopefully it is unlocked, and if not I'll figure our how to do it, or have them unlock it for me in the UK. We're going to Scotland and Poland in June for 3 weeks, and won't be in any one location for very long - touring alot, and I just could not imagine not having a phone with us - especially with a teenager and 2 young adults left at home to look after the house! You've all been most helpful! I'll let you know how I make out!

I got mine yesterday, and I'm very happy with the decision to go this route. All the information here was very helpful.

I just ordered it at $29...thanks for the tip! One thing...you have to have an American Airlines FF # to get that price, so have it handy.

Anne

You do not have to have an AA FF# to get the price. I just ordered two on Thursday -- price $29.00. No #, No problem. Will wait until I get to Europe to see if I can unlock them. Even if I cannot get them to unlock they are a good deal.

We'll be in Scotland for a week, and then on a canal boat for another. I always managed with pay phones and phone cards in France before quite nicely before.

I figure the cell phones will come in handy when one couple is away from the boat, and needs to communicate a change of plan such as acute intoxication or finding neat antique shops. They could also help when there is a holdup at a lock and someone goes up to the lock to find out how long the delay will be, etc. I used to use those little walkie talkies for that purpose, but they are not really legal in Europe - wrong frequency.

Travelnut, the 3rd way, no # in between, just the code and straight into the next code.

I haven't tried to charge it yet, working this weekend.

Good luck and happy travels to all.

Mine charged up with no problems. It should be fine.

Man of us have purchased Mobal cell phones because they are such a good buy now.
We are using our credit cards to purchase them.
Maybe this has been addressed, but I am wondering if Mobal is going to start to get suspicious because the SIM cards are not being used in many cases.
Does anyone have any thoughts about this?

Also, on one of the above posts, it says that they could tell the phone is unlocked because after booting it up, they inserted a SIM card and they were able to change ring tones, etc. Well, the Samsung phone I have has always let me do those things after I charged it. I feel stupid, but I just don't have another SIM card I can put in it to tell if it is locked.

When I turn it on it says, searching for service. It gives the phone number and model of phone.

Thanks

I used the Mobal phone with the Mobal rates for a couple of days before I switched to a new SIM card in Germany. That cost $32.70. So at least they got something from me! I just bought another one, at $29, for my daughter is going back to Germany next month. You just can't beat them for emergencies, even at the higher priced minutes.

To xyz123,
Thank you so much for recommending this great unlocking website. I posted and got my unlock code very quickly! I found your information to be very clear and concise. I even bought a mobal phone based on all I read on this thread for my upcoming trip to Europe. I'm so glad I found this forum. Thanks again!

I forgot to note the website:
www.unlockme.co.uk
It's free and they are very helpful when I had questions.

I just spoke to cingular-of course they won't unlock my LG L1200 phone, but I got a friendly rep who informed me that my sim card is 64K card and I won't find one of those in Italy, so even if I do manage to unlock it, I won't find a sim card to make it work. However when I checked my sim, it says 32K GT? So I am not sure whether to pay the $10 for the unlock code or not. By the way, www.unlockitnow.com will email you an unlock code for only $10.

I think these postings are great! Thank you, everyone for all the great information on cell phones. I want to rent the Mobal but need to decide between the $49.00 new phone or the free previously rented phone. Which is the best choice? I would love your thoughts. Thanks!

Re: "want to rent the Mobal but need to decide between the $49.00 new phone or the free previously rented phone."

You don't rent the Mobal phone; you buy it. The $49 phone is a good bit smaller and is 900 / 1800 mhz, as opposed to the free one which is only 900. I'm not really sure what that means as far as usability; but I'm sure you can get more info from someone else here.

Opps! I meant to say "buy"!

And, thank you for the information!

nonnafelice:

Modal now has "previously rented phone" which you can now get "free". I guess their catch is that they want you to continue using their SIM card.

These free phone (Nokia 5110 model) are only 900MHz so can only be used in Europe, I presume.

Well, I am either hopeless or my phone is "unlockable"... I got a second set of codes to compare to the first set... Had 3 possible codes from Mobileliberation and 2 codes from unlockme - the 2 codes matched the 1st and last codes from Mobileliberation, so I entered those 2 codes as one string, hit the ending #

and NOTHING HAPPENED!! No responses at all.

My T-Mobile SIM is still not valid.

That makes 4 tries so I am stopping now...might go to a store in Paris and 'see' if a local SIM will work, otherwise, forget it, I will just use Mobal's SIM - we aren't planning to use but for emergency or if we need to communicate while separated.

The phone can always be unlocked with a cable for a few quid or whatever in most any big city in Europe (perhaps Germany excluded according to one poster)...

I have a question about the $29 Mobal phone. I bought two of them, and have them all charged next to my suitcase, but obviously cannot activate them in the States.

Anyone know how many minutes they come loaded with? Can't find that in any of the literature.

My thought was to be able to call our friends when we get to Scotland. They will be arriving on another flight, and being able to call them will make sure we can connect. If there are enough minutes for that, I will not bother to top up in England unless we need to make calls for reservations, etc., but wait until we get to France to do the unlocking/new SIM bit.

With Mobal, your phones do not have a credit or balance of minutes. You make calls and they charge you a per-minute rate against your credit card. Their rate table is on their website.

nukesafe,
I don't think they come preloaded with any value. Don't they bill your credit card for the cost of calls?

yes, we cross-posted. they bill the credit card you used to make the purchase.

I could not find out any information on how to unlock my Samsung phone before leaving for Portugal. It was purchased in Australia.
Upon arriving in Portugal, I tried the Vodaphone kiosk in the Lisbon airport and they said they could not do it but told me a store that would.
The man in Braga spoke perfect English and unlocked the phone for $15. I felt it was worth it. I then could purchase any SIM card. He sold both international ones and Portugal only ones. I decided to purchase the Vodaphone one.
Calls incoming were free, outgoing were .39 and on weekends were .20.
That, of course is in Euro.
It worked like a charm.

xyz123. I do have Callback world service, but couldn't seem to change the number with their automated system, and could not get a representative on the phone. So I am going to check now that I am home.
Obviously, I feel I was not doing something correctly.

www.unlockme.co.uk

For the Mobal 3410 I just bought...got the codes for free with very good instructions on how to input them. You need to know your IMEI number which is under the battery, or on the box the phone came in. And you need to know the network the phone is locked to, in my case Cellnet or O2. I put in the first code and got the message Phone is not restricted. Then I put in the second code and got the message Phone restriction off. I found that you have to be rather quick entering the letter and + signs or you lose them off the screen. And you do put in the codes separately. Very easy.

It must be something to do with my phone unit. I have put in codes 4 different ways and never is there any message on the screen - I key in the final # and nothing at all happens. Maybe it is already unlocked but my USA T-Mobile sim isn't recognized. I'm not going to worry about it any more.

I started this thread after a very good experience with my first Mobal phone. BUT, the second one did not work correctly for either sending or receiving calls and I am now disputing a charge of $282.05 that just appeared on my credit card! BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!

Yikes...now I've talked mother-in-law and sister-in-law into getting Mobal cell phones also! I hope that wasn't a bad idea!! Please keep us all posted on your new, not-so-great experience.

Just to keep the outcome of your dispute tied to this very informative thread...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34621497

Its amazing what can be found on the internet. I hope someone still checks this post.

I'm going to Spain next month and want to have a cell available. I know about the GSM frequencies and needing an unlocked GSM phone. I have a triband Motorola phone I got from T-Mobile when I had their service. I would like to unlock the phone to use on my trip. I had read previously that the company will unlock the phone if told you'll be traveling abroad. I'm no longer a customer and wasn't sure if they even do this.

Has anyone ever heard of T-Mobile unlocking their phones? Or anyone else have an idea how to unlock it?

OK, Mobal and I have come to an agreement about the $29 phone my daughter had plenty of problems with, along with the $282 phone bill. They are crediting me for every call 2 minutes or less which means about $120 was removed from the bill. In addition, they credited the phone (which my son in Germany has now - but not using!) $100 for future calls. So I'm pretty pleased by their response and commitment to their customers. The end of the saga!

Postal. So glad you got some resolution to your problem.

It has made a lot of us rethink our cell phone usage.

Topping . . .

Can anyone help with a 2007 update on how to deal with the maze of cell phone confusion? Mobal has cheap nokia on ebay but I can't tell (without buying) if they are locked or not. We thought we'd buy 2 from ebay so we could stay in touch w/ both US friends and also each other in Spain if we want to go different ways occasionally. But maybe we should just buy thru Mobal website? Any techo helpers out there?

Thanks,
Ceili

Most buyers from Mobal received locked phones. Some have posted here about buying or finding codes on the internet to unlock the phones. I tried it but it didn't seem to work.

Ebay does sell unlocked phones from various vendors.

We've discussed this endlessly but here goes once again.

1. Assuming you are in the USA you probably don't need mobal if your US carrier is either T Mobile USA or Cingular....what you have to make sure is the phone you are using has at least one of the European frequencies...you might have to upgrade. If you upgrade now you will get either a tri band with 850/1800/1900 with the 1800 being the key or a quad band with 850/900/1800/1900, better as you have both European frequencies (900 and 1800). In that case, if you're not making many calls, you can activate international roaming and you're all set. Calls are not all that cheap and you pay at least 99¢/minute to make and receive calls but if it's just for a few calls it's certainly very easy.

2. If you don't have a gsm carrier in the USA, say verizon is your carrier, then you indeed need a gsm phone. The mobal deal is easy, rates are a little higher than the international roaming rates on T Mobile and Cingular with the added bonus that while in the UK only you get the free reception of calls. Their cheapest phone is fine. Once again this is only if you're not making a whole lot of calls.

3. If you previously have mobal, you can try to get the phone unlocked. Travelnut, might I propose to you that somebody tried 5 times to unlock your phone and once 5 unsuccessful attempts are made, the phone can no longer be unlocked with a code...it will have to be unlocked with a cable and the offending code wiped from memory...it is done all the time but it is no longer just a simple matter of just entering a code but it's not all that expensive either.

Unfortunately, companies have pressured Nokia to make phones more difficult to unlock and some of the old tricks no longer work; some Nokia phones have resisted attempts to unlock them but it's only a matter of time before it is figured out.

Phones sold on ebay are generally unlocked...what you have to be very careful about are the frequencies; especially with Nokia phones. Take the model 3120, a simple down to earth tri band phone which is more than adequate for use throughout the gsm world. It has no frills but works perfectly well as a basic phone.

The problem is that Nokia makes 2 versions of the Nokia 3120..one for world wide consumption which has 900/1800/1900...it is made for primary use outside North America....they also make what is supposedly called the 3120B for North American use. It has 850/1800/1900. The difficulty doesn't come in so much with international roaming but when you buy an individual sim card.

Most European carriers operate predominately one one of the two (900 or 1800) frequencies but have small areas of coverage with the other. O2 UK for example operates predominately on 900...so if you unlock a USA issued Nokia 3120 (which is really the 3120B) and roam on cingular or T Mobile, no problem, the phone will seek out a carrier on 1800 but it won't be O2; if on the other hand you buy an O2 sim (or put your mobal sim in as mobal is a rebranded version of O2 UK), you will find very scant coverage if any and there is nothing that can be done. I have seen people run into the problem and be told it is because the phone is locked but that is not so in this case.

So if you want to buy a local sim card, then you need an unlocked gsm phone and if you're not into all this technology jazz, buy a quad band phone on ebay..then you will never have a frequency problem and you can put in any local sim card you want and there's lots of information on an excellent web site www.prepaidgsm.net
where people who actually know what they're talking about, unlike so many on this board, can give you advice and suggestions.