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International travel with Razr Maxx
- Thread starter sdfsmc
- Start date
I spoke with a Verizon agent last week about the update. She said that you can not remove the SIM card inside the Razr, and replace it with a local lower cost European SIM. If I want use my phone I must use Verizon's expensive plan. My other concern is that the ICS update does not go through before I need to leave.
Thank you both for your advice.
Thank you both for your advice.
Thank you nyquill1.
Have you compared Viber to Skype? I have been using Skype for about 4 years.
I had traveled to europe thrice in 2011, each time taking my droid 2 along for the ride. I used skype through wifi to make calls to family/friends. Also facebook was a big plus to send and receive messages. Though people could not reliably make calls to me(because i had to be connected to wifi). Theres wifi everywhere in Europe, though I did find that half the time it was a service that i had to lease by the hour. Though it was a common name with these wifi hotspots, comparable to Optimum wifi. Which is good if you buy an hour pass and change locations half way through your session(just find another hotspot with the name of the provider). Countries I visited, Germany, France, Italy, and Hungary.
My question!!: Anyways, since April I've had the Droid RAZR MAXX and I love it (of course). Now that ICS is rumored to come out within the next few days (or even tomorrow, fingers crossed:biggrin
I am excited for the GSM capability being expanded to the Verizon phones. Now, I am leaving for Europe tomorrow evening once again and I was really hoping to just drop a pre-paid card into my phone for the 3 weeks I'll be there. Once ICS actually does come out for the RAZR MAXX, will I have to get it unlocked(providing me with the code) by either Verizon or another service? And once doing so, can I then just pop in a pre-paid SIM? Then put the original Verizon SIM back in when my flight lands back in the USA?
-What pre-paid service provider can I use across Europe?? some more info: driving around Europe, sight seeing mainly for two weeks, and a week in Hungary for sure.
leaving tomorrow!! a quick reply and answer is much appreciated!!!
My question!!: Anyways, since April I've had the Droid RAZR MAXX and I love it (of course). Now that ICS is rumored to come out within the next few days (or even tomorrow, fingers crossed:biggrin
I am excited for the GSM capability being expanded to the Verizon phones. Now, I am leaving for Europe tomorrow evening once again and I was really hoping to just drop a pre-paid card into my phone for the 3 weeks I'll be there. Once ICS actually does come out for the RAZR MAXX, will I have to get it unlocked(providing me with the code) by either Verizon or another service? And once doing so, can I then just pop in a pre-paid SIM? Then put the original Verizon SIM back in when my flight lands back in the USA?-What pre-paid service provider can I use across Europe?? some more info: driving around Europe, sight seeing mainly for two weeks, and a week in Hungary for sure.
leaving tomorrow!! a quick reply and answer is much appreciated!!!
SergeantDroid
New Member
The Razr's are already unlocked. It is my understanding that once the ICS update adds Global, one can use a prepaid SIM.Anyone else?
So, if VZ releases ICS w global ability, all we need to do is buy an additional Sim card? Do we buy it in USA, mail order, or a street store in Europe? Which is safest, cheapest way to go? Also, if SIM purchased in Country A, can it be used in Country B or C? Thanks for any feedback.
Thank you for your replies, and advice.
According to the Verizon International support person I spoke with, after the update, Razr Maxx will support global GSM, using Verizon's expensive rate structure. I asked her if I could remove the SIM card and replace it with a local prepaid European SIM. She said that would deactivate the original Verizon SIM, and that they do not support it with the Razr.
I also asked if I could change SIMs on my son's iPhone. She said that iPhone can be unlocked and used with a prepaid SIM by calling Verizon, but the Razr can not.
Based on her response, I will call Verizon again and talk to a different agent for clarification.
Brawn80 should call Verizon support today to try and get the latest information.
Thanks!
According to the Verizon International support person I spoke with, after the update, Razr Maxx will support global GSM, using Verizon's expensive rate structure. I asked her if I could remove the SIM card and replace it with a local prepaid European SIM. She said that would deactivate the original Verizon SIM, and that they do not support it with the Razr.
I also asked if I could change SIMs on my son's iPhone. She said that iPhone can be unlocked and used with a prepaid SIM by calling Verizon, but the Razr can not.
Based on her response, I will call Verizon again and talk to a different agent for clarification.
Brawn80 should call Verizon support today to try and get the latest information.
Thanks!
INTL feature RAZR ICS is here-but w $$Intl plan!
From: Motorola Droid RAZR, RAZR MAXX getting ICS update today: will make them first Verizon LTE phones with global roaming
Other good news around the ICS update for the Droid RAZR duo is that the update to the latest Android will make them Verizon’s first 4G LTE handsets that are also global.
This means that basically you can use voice and data in more than 220 countries across the globe, but for that you’d still need to pay for an international plan.
From: Motorola Droid RAZR, RAZR MAXX getting ICS update today: will make them first Verizon LTE phones with global roaming
Other good news around the ICS update for the Droid RAZR duo is that the update to the latest Android will make them Verizon’s first 4G LTE handsets that are also global.
This means that basically you can use voice and data in more than 220 countries across the globe, but for that you’d still need to pay for an international plan.
SergeantDroid said:
Yes, this is also what I would like to know. Verizon's international plans are outrageously expensive and I would never want to give them that much money. But if you can just add a foreign prepaid sim, then that is very affordable. I understand that once your sim card is removed from your phone, verizon renders it useless after 24 hours. No biggie. I will just get a free sim card from verizon before I leave the country and as soon as I get back to US, put in new verizon sim and re-activate my phone. The big question is, will a foreign prepaid sim work once the razr is global?
Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums
So I did as SDFSMC advised and I called customer support. Other then spending a fair amount of time listening to VZW ads and helpful tips while I was being transferred to different departments, I got the information that I was looking for. Customer service did confirm that ICS is coming out today :biggrin: , and that GSM capability will be available once the software is installed. Though at the moment, international SIMs will not work in the RAZR, even with ICS. The woman told me that that capability will be made available in a future update. For now though.. It'll be hunting for wifi or accepting VZW's roaming charges.
Overall, I got the answer to my question. Though it wasn't quite the one I was looking for, at least its some information.
Overall, I got the answer to my question. Though it wasn't quite the one I was looking for, at least its some information.
Last edited:
Update #2.
I just finished a long talk with two friendly Verizon agents who gave me slightly different information.
According to the International Expert, Razr Maxx will be updated to support global roaming but since it is a 4G LTE SIM it does not work with the 3G GSM network in Europe. I can use the phone by paying a $5 fee and then the lower international rate of .99 cents / minute voice and .50 cents for texts, and $25 per 100 Meg of data. In the last week I have used about 875 Meg of data, which would have cost me over $200 at this rate.
I think that I will switch Razr Maxx into Airplane mode, and only use it with a free WiFi connection. For my phone, I will borrow a friends international GSM phone and purchase a European prepaid SIM for $29.
Thank you again for your help.
dancedroid
I just finished a long talk with two friendly Verizon agents who gave me slightly different information.
According to the International Expert, Razr Maxx will be updated to support global roaming but since it is a 4G LTE SIM it does not work with the 3G GSM network in Europe. I can use the phone by paying a $5 fee and then the lower international rate of .99 cents / minute voice and .50 cents for texts, and $25 per 100 Meg of data. In the last week I have used about 875 Meg of data, which would have cost me over $200 at this rate.
I think that I will switch Razr Maxx into Airplane mode, and only use it with a free WiFi connection. For my phone, I will borrow a friends international GSM phone and purchase a European prepaid SIM for $29.
Thank you again for your help.
dancedroid
You know what I'm wondering? If instead of asking verizon, we should be asking motorola... because, of course, Verizon does not want us to go the more affordable route and would like to make as much money as possible from our use overseas. I am thinking that the phone is going to be gsm capable so a prepaid gsm sim should work. Motorola might give us the correct answer in this because they would rather we get the most out of our phone.
Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums
Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums