So, I gave my parents my riiing card for their italy trip. to date, they are not able to get any calls OUT. I can reach them fine, but they have tried normal dialing, and MENU BASED dialing as I always have, and it just doesn't work.

The phone SAYS, message sent, but nothing comes back to them.

Is there some system that needs to be used in Italy?

They have tried dialing with the phone, +001xxx.xxx.xxxx, or +1xxx.xxx.xxxx
or menu based dialing, +001.xxx.xxx.xxxx, or +1xxx.xxx.xxxx

thoughts?

+001 shouldn't be valid but +1 is OK. When I was in Italy in July I used "+1" format to reach a CBW DID in the USA from UM - no problems at all.

I dare to suppose that the SIM is out of credit. However, it was told on the forum that an unofficial feature of UM is that incoming calls (even free ones) don't work when the credit drops below 1 euro but in order to make a one-minute call from Italy to the USA, 1 euro credit is enough.... :unsure:

It might be a phone compatibility issue..what phone are you using?

Well, there is definitly credit on the phone, I topped it off with 30EU before they left.
This is a nokia 8890, I have used it in europe before, UK, China, HK, etc. Seemed to work fine, BUT I personally used it with a DID to CBW or Enlinea, THEY are using it as a simple dial, and call back. I know, I know, how much more difficult is the double call back, but they are less price sensitive than I. I have to make small strides in getting them this far.

Just no call back using the UM callback. Dialing direct, they DID get a WIND message? It said, the number they were calling, or THEIR number was invalid?

Since you have used the phone before with a UM sim and you got the callback (regardless of where you called), I would have to think they may not be dialing it correctly. Have them call the topup or check credit number, to see if they get the callback. If they do, then the problem is probably on their end. Are these numbers stored in the phone with the + sign or they are entering the numbers manually?

The other thing they can try (I don't remember if you mentioned it) is to change the roaming network...when I was in Italy a couple of weeks ago, um worked fine and almost flawlessly with cbw but sporadically during my trip somewhere I had to change the roaming network (don't remember where but perhaps in France SFR gave me a problem but Orange didn't)...have them switch to WIND or TIM, I used both while in Italy and the callbacks came through.

Simply your handset is NOT compatible with the callback system of a UM simcard. This is the classic error when a cellphone can't use the UM sim tool kit... you have 2 solutions:

1. use another handset
2. try to call through the Sim Menu' (call US from Italy/Um use +1 or 001)

AndreA, read again tivoboy's first post :) :

(quote)
but they have tried normal dialing, and MENU BASED dialing as I always have, and it just doesn't work.
(/quote)

It seems that dialing via UM menu didn't work either...

tivoboy also mentioned that he has used the same phone with the same UM sim before without any problems. Unless the sim was updated that caused it not to work in that phone any longer (very unlikely...) So, it's either human error or simply a network problem.

sorry i lost that line :D

I had a similar problem, the software seems to be 'crazy' with UM. Well, the only thing to do for the parents of our tivoboy is to try to use another handset. So he can understand if has a callback problem or less.

...again I don't remember if this were done or tried...

It's a nokia phone, right.

On the menu go to phone settings and find the network selection key...change automatic to manual...you will find several different networks listed...chose WIND or choose TIM....that might be a simple solution to the problem.

I'll have them try a differant operator. I had used the phone in the US before leaving, just to have them check it out. They were able to dial fine, and got the call back in seconds. So, one, I think they can try the differant dialing solutions, and two, I don't think the phone SIM card got an update that killed it. Unless, it got an update in Europe

The 8890 is 900 & 1900. Might that have anything to do with it? Certainly 900 is very common in IT, no?

Probably not...when roaming the phone seeks out a carrier it can register on and it will seek out and find a carrier that is operating on 900 where the person is. I think in most areas of Italy there is at least one carrier using 900.....

minimum 2, often 3 :D

Tim and Vodafone have a complete 900Mhz coverage and Wind has 900Mhz almost everywhere (but only E-GSM in 12 biggest cities).

Tivoboy if you can't solve this issue in Italy we have a lot of SonyEricsson or Siemens (really good with UM) under 50?

Isn't E-GSM 900 MHz but just a bit extended off the original 900 MHz band? I thought that almost all 900 MHz phones made in the last 10 years covered the E-GSM band.

I don't think so. I remember long discussions about that on newsgroup and forums with a lot of handsets without EGSM capability :unsure: