Last week I received a United Mobile SIM. Since then, I've been trying to use it on an unlocked Motorola v190. I've verified that a Mobal SIM works on this phone for both incoming and outgoing calls. With the United Mobile SIM, my phone receives calls but it can't make them. When I try, I get a "network busy" message, the call ends, and I don't get a callback. I tried to fix this by calling from both the home screen and the phonebook and by manually changing networks. I also tried calling United Mobile using their easy code for finding how many minutes of calling time I had left. Nothing worked.

At this point I emailed United Mobile Support. I've received a case number, but that's about it. Eventually I called United Mobile from my home phone, and was told to be patient - I'd receive support from whoever handles the email. I've now been waiting for support for four business days and six calendar days.

I'm new to international SIM's, and I don't know what to expect. Is United Mobile unusually slow, or is it par for the course? Are there any vendors with good service? I hope some of you experts can help.

By the way, I'm a new and much less knowledgeable stan.

United Mobile has had a few compatability problems (not all that many but some) with some model phones.

Also you should not really be fooling with UM in the United States, call costs are very expensive....sometimes the networks it is roaming on is a problem...don't really think it is the sim card as you are receiving calls.

Here is what you can try...borrow somebody else's unlocked phone, insert the sim card and see if it works. If so, it is the phone...if not, it may simply be where you're located...try using it by calling for a balance which is free from somewhere else in town...it might well go through.

Again IMHO the fact you are receiving calls is indicative the card is active....

Let us know if trying somebody else's phone or going across town works.

I sometimes get the message "Network Busy" here in VA USA. Eventually, perhaps on another day, the SIM will work. Try again to obtain a balance using the phonebook. That is FREE.

From my experience Motorola phones USUALLY work fine -- I have used several (V-188, V-300 and V-330 most recently). Notice no V-190, however. As noted, I sometimes encounter "network busy". I am not familiar with that phone. It does seem that the phone is already UNLOCKED, otherwise you could not receive calls.

The balance function should work which would indicate you can indeed call out. I think it may be your location in USA. An interesting test would be as MATHA suggests to find someone else with another unlocked phone and compare the two using the same SIM. PERSONALLY, I doubt the cause it the SIM card since you can receive calls.

Be patient with customer support. Again, PERSONALLY, I don't think there is much they can do for you. It SEEMS to be a local (USA) network problem -- ie., network busy. What do expect they can do for you from Switzerland?

I will make a test call myself and report back IF I have problems.

Good luck.

Stan

Balance works fine from here.

Stan

If you have more than one GSM provider in your area and haven't tried this already, you may want to try switching the phone manually to that carrier. Have found sometimes United Mobile doesn't work as well on one carrier as another.

You are not alone, i have this problem for about 2 months, and i hope that UM will solve this problem soon. Problem is not the phone, i work in shop for mobile phones and tryed many brands and models, and always the same.
May be this is issue with some mobile operators.

To my embarrassment, I had a Motorola problem rather than a United Mobile problem. As it turns out, my United Mobile SIM can make outgoing calls using a Motorola Razr but not when using a Motorola v190. People with a similar problem (i.e. always getting a "network busy" signal when making an outgoing call) should try using their United Mobile SIM in a different phone.

I'd like to thank everybody for their helpful advice.

stan II

Stan...

No need whatsoever for embarassment...this is perhaps the best forum I've been on...there is a sense that we're all in this together to help each other...there is absolutely no sniping between people...if somebody can be of help to somebody else you can rest assured every effort will be made to be helpful...if somebody does something in error, it will be corrected in a very pleasant manner.

So thanks for bringing the problem to our attention and yes there are some, not a great number, compatability problems with united mobile sim cards and various phones.

Few months ago UM had a similar trouble in Central Italy, too. I was happy to help their technical service with some test on various network; anyway just one week to solve it. Sometimes it's very important to send them your problems with "busy network" etc. etc. ... pay attention to send them every details, from the handset to the area :construction:

how to contact their technical service? I've same problem in south of Italy too, from yesterday that i've received UM sim card.
Tryed different phone and all network (nokia 6630, 6100, 8310 e motorola e770), nothing to do, only possible to receive calls.
Seems to be active call lock, as show in phone when trying to check network lock.
I've written yesterday to customer support, waiting for answer.

UM uses some non-standard procedures to initiate the callback. I've also experienced failures with two mobile phones (Nokia 8310 & Samsung SGH-E800) - the Samsung did even crash after each call attempt and required battery removal to restart it. In both cases I could solve this by a firmware update.
So try to get your V190 updated and retry it. UM customer care won't be able to help you with this at all.

I'd like to thank inquisitor for his help. He's much nicer than Cardinal de Guevera. Re his suggestion, I don't know how to get my V190 updated. Should I consult Motorola? If so, what do I ask them to do?

Yes, it will have to be from Motorola. I think you may have to SYNCH the update with Phonetools or the equivalent. If you don't have such a setup (PC, cable and software), I think you might just go for another phone.

I am quite surprised you are having issues with a MOTO phone. I have had several MOTO phones and they all work flawlessly with my UM card. V300, V330 and V188 all work fine currently. I had a V66 and I believe that also worked. I don't know what the issue could be with the V190.

Good luck.

Stan

I don't know myself why I'm having problems using my V190. I have another phone that does work with United Mobile, so that's what I'll use. Thanks anyway for the suggestion.

I recently have problems with a Nokia phone. No receive of the callback (despite me having dialed from both the menu and the phone). Incoming calls worked though......

me too!
 

Me too, my trust 8890 nokia, I get the call back but now nobody can hear me, there is no real connection

has there been an update or something? I am in Switz now, and the phone just doesn't allow call back, OUT, but inbound works okay.

If there has been an update, why don't they TELL US!

I've just received my new UM sim and I've tried to make calls with no result with my Sonyericsson K608i and also with my Sonyericsson Z1010.

This problem happen with any italian operator (TIM - WIND - VODAFONE)

Unfortunately I haven't other unblocked terminals, I hope I will be able to try tomorrow.

Curiously, just after sending calls, appears a message "Chiamata non consentita" (call not allowed) and only after this message appears "Please Wait"

As AndreA knows, i'm from northwest of italy.

PS: I receive calls with no problem

It seems you have the same problem our common friend Armando has... there's something wrong with UM... I used it in France with no problems, anyway... Did you register on their site?

Yes, I registered my SIM and I can view my sim's traffic in their site.

I tried to call my UM sim with no problem (so the SIM is working correctly), but i can't make calls, also mailbox or customer service.

But your UM Sim, now is working???

Thanks

Ramses

Fortunately, the problem was solved just 1 hour ago, i can make outgoing calls now!! :)

Early this morning I send a report for technical problem (on their site, in customer service section) so I think that was only a problem to include my SIM in their list.

Thanks!!!

Ramses

Ok, good. So I have to tell to our friend Armando to use that section of UM's website to solve the trouble. :rolleyes:

Regarding network problems, I also experienced total failure of voice communication on the Spanish "Movistar" 3G-network. After it worked flawless from Christmas until New Year's Eve, all voice communication (outgoing and incoming calls) failed in 2007, while I was staying at Maspalomas/Gran Canaria. SMS was still working - incoming as well as outgoing messages.

Allthough contacting UM customer support, the problem persists - the only solution was switching to the "Vodafone.es" network.

So when your UM SIM doesn't work, just try another network. If that solves your problem, please report the faulty network here!

I also had problems with UM in Spain some months ago. Sms were not sent no matter what network I was connected to.....

Agree on the strategy of switching carriers manually on phone when United Mobile sim doesn't work right. In Caribbean now. United Mobile worked fine on Digicel/Cingular in Antigua but not on C&W or APUA PCS (despite a c&w welcome sms). Now in Nevis and United Mobile works equally well on either Digicel/Cingular(system identifier says Cingular but think it's now sold to Digicel) or C&W. Both with good audio quality.

In my case switching the carrier did not solve the problem of sms not being sent. Voice was working fine though....

nokia nightmare
 

Keep off those high numbered nokias .. they are a pain.

You will prob have to use "menu based calling" as described in the user guide to call out. Or get a non nokia phone. if u r a nokia fan , go for a 3120. works seamlessly

Watch out too with US based phones, the US networks like to change the software in their phones a little, it messes up the international sim cards. eg the the motorola v190 in the states will have a problem with a UM card, but not in europe.

Gadget Ken ... you look to be a yachty? Hows Um holding up there? Have you had many "invalid code" when adding a top-up into your phone? Was interesting about Antigua, but Digicel is better then C&W all through the Caribbean. (especially if you are using 09) If you go to St Martin, you can still pick up Orange F network on the Dutch side depending on the marina you are in.

Texting to France, and within france is a no no at the moment with UM. New Zealand is iffy .. and infact texting in general is not worth the pain, most wont make it, and you will be overcharged. Best thing is to use a seperate normal sim card and text with that, even when roaming it will cost about the same as a UM card. Keep the UM for Voice

By the way ... in Italy Vodafone is more reliable then the other networks, T-Mobile in Croatia, I think Orange in France, and apparently Movistar in Spain.

We should make a list of what the most reliable networks are throught the world ... save everyone a lot of hit-and-miss best-network hunting. The list would relate not just to UM, but to 09 , Manx, Travel-sim etc ... they all suffer the same problems form the same networks it seems.

By the way .. 09 users will be happy to know that they apparently just cleared up their callback trigger problem they had in US based countries. (USA, Canada, Cable & Wireless etc)

Ok ... sorry I stop now

No yacht...unfortunately beyond my budget. :) But when my Antigua to Nevis flight got cancelled I flew to St. Kitts instead and took the ferry boat over to Nevis...so I did actually get to go on a boat. Like beach vacations so usually wind up either in Hawaii or somewhere in the Caribbean. Find good deals on the internet at travel auctions.
Used a Cingular SIM in Puerto Rico, and United Mobile in Antigua, St. Kitts (briefly while waiting for ferry boat), and Nevis. For a couple of refills, I used the United Mobile web refill system on a Sony Mylo wifi gadget..not the top-up system from the phone. Web refill worked fine. They also now have an auto-refill option on their website, but manual refill is fine right now for my needs.
I agree Digicel tends to be more reliable with United Mobile in the non-US Caribbean(although Cable and Wireless did work OK in Nevis). A quirk on some Digicel systems is the handset says Cingular because AT&T/Cingular sold their non-US Caribbean holdings to Digicel.

Well, by the frequency of your travels sounds like u may as well have a yacht!
Thanks for the info, didnt know um did auto top-up, that will save some hassle.

United Mobile Network Busy
 

I received UM card yesterday I can receive calls but I got the "network busy" error when placing a call.
Today I call UM customer service and the fix it in less than one minute. they said that problem is very common and my card had a parcial lock on the account.

I recently got the United Mobile SIM and am having the same issue with my Motorola Razr phone. It will receive calls but when trying to check the balance or any other kind of outbound call it gives the "network busy" and no call back. I've tried different networks at home in Florida and on trips to Amsterdam and Dusseldorf. Has your Razr continued to work for you or does it depend on where you are calling from? Thanks in advance for any advice.

I would advice you to call UM cs to activate outgoing calls.

Thanks. I also just saw previous post on how UM cs can fix the problem. Have not been able to get thru to them yet but will keep trying.

United Mobile Customer Support
 

United Mobile works on our Motorola v3 and v300. When I try using it on our Motorola v190, I get a "network busy" response and the call dies. I would try United Mobile support but it seems futile since they haven't responded to the phone calls and emails I made last October.

United Mobile customer service replied to my email and manually unlocked my account. It works great now.

My first post:

I have a Motorola V188 and a UM SIM. I got it today and can't get it to work. I'm in the US trying to try the phone out so I am not stranded without a phone in Europe. I can recieve calls but not make them. I can't even call customer service. I tried changing the network, calling from the office tools menu, dialing direct, using +1, 001, etc but nothing seems to be working. I'm hoping it's just that cs has to activate that part of the SIM card. This is very frustrating.