i got my new RIIING card and have had some great time using it:

just some quick comments:

Countries

in the UK: no problem whatsoever, works on all 4 networks
in Greece: no problem whatsoever
in Bulgaria: works with M-tel, not with Globul, with Vivatel it registers but cant accept calls... Calls have to be initiated through the calling menu, otherwise it wont ring back

Phone tests *using what handsets i have for sale in the shop*


LG u8110: 100% functionality, sometimes the ring menu does not work

Nokia N70: 100% functionality
Nokia 8800: 100% functionality
Nokia 8910i :100% functionality but once reset itself when i tried the sim based calling menu

Sony Ericsson K750i: 100% functionality
Sony Ericsson w800i: 100% functionality
Sony Ericsson v600i: 100% functionality

Motrola V620: Only sim based calling menu works
Motorola V3: 100% functionality
Motorola V3i: had to resort to sim based calling menu, otherwise i got no ring back
Motrola V3X: Many problmes unless i set the Search for network to manual, it just keeps switching networks

NEC 343i : NO


<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>In Bulgaria i got a german text saying : welcome to bulgaria, you can use GPRS (!!!!!!!) in the mtel network just as you do in Liechtenstein, also call voicemail on 69721 as you do back home :bye2: </span>
very weird and confusing thing ?


Anyways what is quite interesting is that i have had some success in using 3g services (video calling) while in the UK... by forcing the motorola v3x to UMTS only mode i am able to choose only between the 5 UMTS networks with the following results

T-mobile: works but does not permit any video calls
O2: Does not register
Three: Does not register
Vodafone: Does not Register
Orange: WORKS and allows you to receive incoming 3g calls, the phone clearly indicating its in 3 mode.... I had some limited success receiveing video calls from the three network as there was no image... When i initiated a video call from the orange network i got ringing with the RIIING card, answered and lo and behold i got video, but it was really jerky


Obviously since the RIIING card does not support normal calling , video calls cannot be initiated from it :ranting2:

:thumbup:

About the welcome texts - you'll get a few of these in German, and most of the messages appear to me to assume it's a normal Mobilkom SIM, eg voicemail on 6xxx0 or something like that. I didn't try it, but I've just put the xxx in case we all have a different one

Riiing did work on Vodafone in Japan, last year. 3G is the only roaming game in Japan.

but thats not the point, registering on a 3g network is not the same as actually using the 3g capabilities... i.e picking up video calls :bye2:

in Italy you can use only Tim in 3G with Riiing... and they don't allow 3g features.

Also I tried in Switzerland too but there Riiing/UM can't use any 3G network :(

Also a interesting thing about 3G and international cards... I can receive videocalls with Hop on Wind 3G (Italy) and on3G Mobistar (Belgium). :)

Thanks for feedback on phone models that use Riiing. I am using a Riiing card on a Siemens A65 triband now, but am thinking of purchasing a Motorola V3 quadband. This confirms the Riiing card will work on the plain V3 model I am thinking of getting. Reason for the extra band is that I will also buy a Cingular USA MVNO (probably Beyond Wireless GSM) SIM card for it and need the extra 850 Mhz band for full US coverage. Will be glad to be using a flip phone rather than a candy bar. Might try using a dual-sim adapter that menu switches without cutting the sim card any further (e.g. Duo-Sim).

When in Jamaica in late January, got a welcome text message in English from both Digicel Jamaica and Cable & Wireless bMobile trying to entice me to use their systems. Didn't always get the callback from Riiing on my phone when I dialed (think this may have had to do with overloaded networks in Montego Bay because of a music festival in town for part of my stay; sometimes got "network busy" warnings on the screen). Still the combination of using Riiing when it worked, and Iridium when it didn't, saved a lot of money over using the hotel phone. .

glad to help you. Duo-sims do NOT work on the v3, at least i have not experienced any product that allows 100% functionality ! alas they only work with old 8bit 02 sim cards.. And besides they dont dit in the v3, so you have to carry the phone with no back cover and the dual sim glued to battery :ranting2:

Just ordered an unlocked V3 in basic black from a dealer in New York last night. Thanks for feedback on duosim; won't waste my money. Sounds like a really tight fit in the battery compartment! Instead will just manually swap the Riiing and Beyond Wireless sim chips for the occassional trip outside the USA. Telestial sent me a credit card sized sim card holder with the Riiing chip I ordered last year that I can use to store the unused SIM.

thats your best bet IMO mate, just swap them around.. or buy a cheap second phone like the nokia 6100 ?

I have just tested my Riiing SIM with a Motorola a835 in Austria. The SIM registers in A1-Network straight with 3G but I couldn't receive a videocall. The videocall went to the voicemailbox of Riiing. And I got a message to call 077 to pick up my voicemail.


Greetings from Austria

BK