Europe & Rogers...Issues?
- Thread starter sweetuu
- Start date
drevrandfan
New member
Basically, the phone should take care of itself when you step off the plane. It will search for available networks, look for your preferred network (Rogers) which it won't find, look for partner carriers, and then look for available carriers (assuming your phone network setting is set on Automatic). You'll get a little welcome text message from Rogers welcoming you to your destination.
That said, once in a while you will pick up a network that is GSM, GPRS or edge. In that case, just switch your network setting to MANUAL and it will scan for available networks. It will then list them and you can try each one and see if any give you full EDGE.
Then you're in business! Keep an eye on your data usage of course, roaming data costs money; I didn't find it unreasonable but I also didn't download programs and such while I was overseas.
What you might want to do, if time isn't of the essense for emails and such is just manually retrieve your emails, get weather updates, newsfeeds and so on just a few times a day. Just set the data services to off, and then turn them on to retrieve emails and get data updates, do your replies, and shut it off afterwards. You'll still have voice and sms capabilities during this time. If roaming data charges aren't an issue, don't bother with that suggestion of course.
Edit/Add: you didn't really mention if the trip was for business or pleasure and/or who is footing the bill; but you can also look at prepaid sim cards while you're over there to meet your voice/sms needs and just swap in your Rogers sim card for when you need to do data (assuming you don't need live data 24/7). That does require the phone to be unlocked however. But it might be worth the expense to unlock it using 3rd party unlockers (Rogers won't do it for you even if you're a longtime customer, generally although I have heard stories of $300 fees) and save on voice by using a local prepaid sim.
That said, once in a while you will pick up a network that is GSM, GPRS or edge. In that case, just switch your network setting to MANUAL and it will scan for available networks. It will then list them and you can try each one and see if any give you full EDGE.
Then you're in business! Keep an eye on your data usage of course, roaming data costs money; I didn't find it unreasonable but I also didn't download programs and such while I was overseas.
What you might want to do, if time isn't of the essense for emails and such is just manually retrieve your emails, get weather updates, newsfeeds and so on just a few times a day. Just set the data services to off, and then turn them on to retrieve emails and get data updates, do your replies, and shut it off afterwards. You'll still have voice and sms capabilities during this time. If roaming data charges aren't an issue, don't bother with that suggestion of course.
Edit/Add: you didn't really mention if the trip was for business or pleasure and/or who is footing the bill; but you can also look at prepaid sim cards while you're over there to meet your voice/sms needs and just swap in your Rogers sim card for when you need to do data (assuming you don't need live data 24/7). That does require the phone to be unlocked however. But it might be worth the expense to unlock it using 3rd party unlockers (Rogers won't do it for you even if you're a longtime customer, generally although I have heard stories of $300 fees) and save on voice by using a local prepaid sim.
Buy an unlocked BlackBerry. Leave the Rogers BlackBerry home. Google search wireless carrier for where you plan on visiting. Find one that offers pre-paid voice and data. You might be able to buy it online before you get there. Have it set up and ready to go. Just don't use it while in Canada.
luv_2_homeschool
New member
Thanks for the clarification. Mine "seemed" to be from Rogers (Welcome to Frankfurt, call xxx number for problems, blah blah) but could very well have been from a local carrier, I didn't look too closely. All of my US roaming text messages seemed to be from Rogers too (in hindsight, it was amazing how they knew where I was) but it makes sense now that it'd be the local carrier.
~via BB (wap.rabroad.com)~
I do tons of traveling to Europe for business and unlocking my phone was the best thing I have ever done. I went on one trip with out an unlocked BB and was hit with $800 bill ouch world roaming blows. As of right now I have 6 different SIM cards for 6 countries and its so much cheaper.
I do tons of traveling to Europe for business and unlocking my phone was the best thing I have ever done. I went on one trip with out an unlocked BB and was hit with $800 bill ouch world roaming blows. As of right now I have 6 different SIM cards for 6 countries and its so much cheaper.
C-is-for-cookie
New member
I got mine unlocked here http://www. gsmphonesource .com/ (take out the spaces)... It was an AT&T phone that I now use with Rogers. I got my code in about two days... followed the unlock directions that they sent you and it was REALLLY EASY. I just don't know why Rogers unlock is so costly compared to everyone else...
