Can I initialize a SIM card when abroad?
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I will be travelling from France to Germany / Poland / Austria later this month and I will have a French new SIM card shipped to me when I will be abroad.
Is it possible to initialize such a card on a foreign (roaming) network without the card having been in a phone in the country it was issued from? (if it matters, the card will be from the Frech provider Free Mobile).
Notes:
- the card has roaming enabled
- I can "activate" the card remotely on the company web site. "Activate" means "flip a switch which will make it allowed to get into the network at all"
- it will not be opened in France (I need the package to be intact - not because I am a bandit of some sort but because, long story, this is what I need)
france cellphones mobile-operators roaming gsm-mobile
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
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up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I will be travelling from France to Germany / Poland / Austria later this month and I will have a French new SIM card shipped to me when I will be abroad.
Is it possible to initialize such a card on a foreign (roaming) network without the card having been in a phone in the country it was issued from? (if it matters, the card will be from the Frech provider Free Mobile).
Notes:
- the card has roaming enabled
- I can "activate" the card remotely on the company web site. "Activate" means "flip a switch which will make it allowed to get into the network at all"
- it will not be opened in France (I need the package to be intact - not because I am a bandit of some sort but because, long story, this is what I need)
france cellphones mobile-operators roaming gsm-mobile
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
Worst case scenario you activate it when landing in France.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 6 '17 at 9:35
@JonathanReez: yes of course. I wanted to use it when travelling, though.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 9:55
I have done the same thing (not in Europe) and it worked. Why don't you ask Free Mobile themselves? +33 1 78 56 95 60
– Newton
Dec 6 '17 at 13:20
@Newton: the support of Free Mobile is dreadful. I will get somebody who will explain me what roaming is. When i ask again, that I will not be charged more for the roaming. And if I ask a third time they will provide me a list of phones which are compatible with a nano SIM.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 15:41
It depends on the carrier. Some will only activate on native service. On the other hand, I personally have activated UK (GiffGaff) and US (T-Mobile) SIMs while in Canada. So... maybe.
– Jim MacKenzie
Dec 6 '17 at 16:42
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I will be travelling from France to Germany / Poland / Austria later this month and I will have a French new SIM card shipped to me when I will be abroad.
Is it possible to initialize such a card on a foreign (roaming) network without the card having been in a phone in the country it was issued from? (if it matters, the card will be from the Frech provider Free Mobile).
Notes:
- the card has roaming enabled
- I can "activate" the card remotely on the company web site. "Activate" means "flip a switch which will make it allowed to get into the network at all"
- it will not be opened in France (I need the package to be intact - not because I am a bandit of some sort but because, long story, this is what I need)
france cellphones mobile-operators roaming gsm-mobile
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
I will be travelling from France to Germany / Poland / Austria later this month and I will have a French new SIM card shipped to me when I will be abroad.
Is it possible to initialize such a card on a foreign (roaming) network without the card having been in a phone in the country it was issued from? (if it matters, the card will be from the Frech provider Free Mobile).
Notes:
- the card has roaming enabled
- I can "activate" the card remotely on the company web site. "Activate" means "flip a switch which will make it allowed to get into the network at all"
- it will not be opened in France (I need the package to be intact - not because I am a bandit of some sort but because, long story, this is what I need)
france cellphones mobile-operators roaming gsm-mobile
france cellphones mobile-operators roaming gsm-mobile
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
asked Dec 6 '17 at 9:32
WoJ
1,1941717
1,1941717
Worst case scenario you activate it when landing in France.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 6 '17 at 9:35
@JonathanReez: yes of course. I wanted to use it when travelling, though.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 9:55
I have done the same thing (not in Europe) and it worked. Why don't you ask Free Mobile themselves? +33 1 78 56 95 60
– Newton
Dec 6 '17 at 13:20
@Newton: the support of Free Mobile is dreadful. I will get somebody who will explain me what roaming is. When i ask again, that I will not be charged more for the roaming. And if I ask a third time they will provide me a list of phones which are compatible with a nano SIM.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 15:41
It depends on the carrier. Some will only activate on native service. On the other hand, I personally have activated UK (GiffGaff) and US (T-Mobile) SIMs while in Canada. So... maybe.
– Jim MacKenzie
Dec 6 '17 at 16:42
add a comment |Â
Worst case scenario you activate it when landing in France.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 6 '17 at 9:35
@JonathanReez: yes of course. I wanted to use it when travelling, though.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 9:55
I have done the same thing (not in Europe) and it worked. Why don't you ask Free Mobile themselves? +33 1 78 56 95 60
– Newton
Dec 6 '17 at 13:20
@Newton: the support of Free Mobile is dreadful. I will get somebody who will explain me what roaming is. When i ask again, that I will not be charged more for the roaming. And if I ask a third time they will provide me a list of phones which are compatible with a nano SIM.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 15:41
It depends on the carrier. Some will only activate on native service. On the other hand, I personally have activated UK (GiffGaff) and US (T-Mobile) SIMs while in Canada. So... maybe.
– Jim MacKenzie
Dec 6 '17 at 16:42
Worst case scenario you activate it when landing in France.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 6 '17 at 9:35
Worst case scenario you activate it when landing in France.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 6 '17 at 9:35
@JonathanReez: yes of course. I wanted to use it when travelling, though.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 9:55
@JonathanReez: yes of course. I wanted to use it when travelling, though.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 9:55
I have done the same thing (not in Europe) and it worked. Why don't you ask Free Mobile themselves? +33 1 78 56 95 60
– Newton
Dec 6 '17 at 13:20
I have done the same thing (not in Europe) and it worked. Why don't you ask Free Mobile themselves? +33 1 78 56 95 60
– Newton
Dec 6 '17 at 13:20
@Newton: the support of Free Mobile is dreadful. I will get somebody who will explain me what roaming is. When i ask again, that I will not be charged more for the roaming. And if I ask a third time they will provide me a list of phones which are compatible with a nano SIM.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 15:41
@Newton: the support of Free Mobile is dreadful. I will get somebody who will explain me what roaming is. When i ask again, that I will not be charged more for the roaming. And if I ask a third time they will provide me a list of phones which are compatible with a nano SIM.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 15:41
It depends on the carrier. Some will only activate on native service. On the other hand, I personally have activated UK (GiffGaff) and US (T-Mobile) SIMs while in Canada. So... maybe.
– Jim MacKenzie
Dec 6 '17 at 16:42
It depends on the carrier. Some will only activate on native service. On the other hand, I personally have activated UK (GiffGaff) and US (T-Mobile) SIMs while in Canada. So... maybe.
– Jim MacKenzie
Dec 6 '17 at 16:42
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
I went through some contacts and I got an answer form an engineer who oversees the roaming (at another provider's). Her answer is
yes, the card needs to be active on the local (national) network at least once so that it is registered with the HLR (Home Location Register). It then can roam.
I will take it as an authoritative answer.
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
I went through some contacts and I got an answer form an engineer who oversees the roaming (at another provider's). Her answer is
yes, the card needs to be active on the local (national) network at least once so that it is registered with the HLR (Home Location Register). It then can roam.
I will take it as an authoritative answer.
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
I went through some contacts and I got an answer form an engineer who oversees the roaming (at another provider's). Her answer is
yes, the card needs to be active on the local (national) network at least once so that it is registered with the HLR (Home Location Register). It then can roam.
I will take it as an authoritative answer.
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
I went through some contacts and I got an answer form an engineer who oversees the roaming (at another provider's). Her answer is
yes, the card needs to be active on the local (national) network at least once so that it is registered with the HLR (Home Location Register). It then can roam.
I will take it as an authoritative answer.
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
I went through some contacts and I got an answer form an engineer who oversees the roaming (at another provider's). Her answer is
yes, the card needs to be active on the local (national) network at least once so that it is registered with the HLR (Home Location Register). It then can roam.
I will take it as an authoritative answer.
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
answered Dec 6 '17 at 15:46
WoJ
1,1941717
1,1941717
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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Worst case scenario you activate it when landing in France.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 6 '17 at 9:35
@JonathanReez: yes of course. I wanted to use it when travelling, though.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 9:55
I have done the same thing (not in Europe) and it worked. Why don't you ask Free Mobile themselves? +33 1 78 56 95 60
– Newton
Dec 6 '17 at 13:20
@Newton: the support of Free Mobile is dreadful. I will get somebody who will explain me what roaming is. When i ask again, that I will not be charged more for the roaming. And if I ask a third time they will provide me a list of phones which are compatible with a nano SIM.
– WoJ
Dec 6 '17 at 15:41
It depends on the carrier. Some will only activate on native service. On the other hand, I personally have activated UK (GiffGaff) and US (T-Mobile) SIMs while in Canada. So... maybe.
– Jim MacKenzie
Dec 6 '17 at 16:42