vB Easy Archive - Roaming with Slider

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Roaming with Slider
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Posted by: Supermerc

Has anyone successfuly roamed anywhere with their slider on verizon's network. I think this would be the major reason I woud wait to get the verizon version. Any input?
Thanks

Posted by: RNS

Quote:

Originally posted by Supermerc
Has anyone successfuly roamed anywhere with their slider on verizon's network. I think this would be the major reason I woud wait to get the verizon version. Any input?
Thanks

Please explain. What makes Verizon roaming superior? If that's what you're suggesting.

Posted by: ozien

Currently, Virgin Mobile has no off-network roaming whatsoever - If you leave a Sprint area, you have no service at all. Apparently, the VM phones are locked to home service area only, and cannot be made to roam. So, if you unlock your VM SLider and use it on Verizon's network, are you still locked to home area only? Don't think anyone has answered this definitively one way or the other...

Posted by: RNS

Quote:

Originally posted by ozien
Currently, Virgin Mobile has no off-network roaming whatsoever - If you leave a Sprint area, you have no service at all. Apparently, the VM phones are locked to home service area only, and cannot be made to roam. So, if you unlock your VM SLider and use it on Verizon's network, are you still locked to home area only? Don't think anyone has answered this definitively one way or the other...

I've never heard of a policy like that before. I've been roaming since the 80's.

Posted by: ideefixe

Quote:

Originally posted by RNS
I've never heard of a policy like that before. I've been roaming since the 80's.

me neither... home-only would defeat the purpose of having PRL's the first place.

Posted by: braindead5400

you'd be limited to digital roaming anyway if you could, the slider has no amps

Posted by: ozien

Quote:

Originally posted by RNS
I've never heard of a policy like that before. I've been roaming since the 80's.

Yup, but that's what I'm told. If you check on VM's website about Roaming, it says there is no Roaming. You leave a Sprint area and you're SOL.

But, I guess my post was a bit misleading. You're locked in to the home network (Sprint), but not really 'home area' as in where your area code is. You can go anywhere on Sprint's network just fine, whether in the area code region for your number or not. You just can't leave Sprint service areas and get any access.

Posted by: droos

Yup. What he says is true. I have a VM Slider that my local (not Sprint) provider programmed for their network. I found out this weekend i can not roam outside their service area. In fact, roaming features do not even show up in the network settings menu of the phone. My provider says he can fix that. I have to take my phone to him. We'll see.

Posted by: pgens

Quote:

I'm not sure this is true... the phone is using a Verizon PRL and therefore is going to use whatever Verizon tells it to.

This weekend I drove out to an area that is outside of my home SID (DC to Richmond to beyond) and the phone was showing coverage. I didn't make a call during that time but it was showing digital coverage and plenty of signal the whole trip.

Posted by: cgroftmc

I think tha the question is can you use a VM Slider on the Verizon Extended Network? From what I have gathered the VM firmware only allows home systems from the PRL to be used. This would mean that as long as you are on a native Verizon system (not extended area or roam) the phone will work fine. Since the extended area is not a "Home" system the phone will not work. Can anybody verify this??

Craig

Posted by: VMvirginmobile

Wirelessly posted (SublimeFan: SE47/1.0.00 UP.Browser/4.1.26l UP.Link/5.0.2.9)

Will it roam to dial 911?

Posted by: havanahjoe

I would guess that the question here is if the phone will "roam" (or just pick up a tower) to any 800 Mhz signal, be it Verizon's or any other providers.

For example I am considering getting a VM Slider and trying to set it up with my service provider, but depending on where I am, they use 1900 and 800 networks, so I'm thinking that I probably won't be able to get service outside a 1900 service area, but maybe if all the information is in the PRL it should be able to work.

I don't know, and I won't know unless I try it. The other thing I'm wondering about is that I've seen some people say that a VM slider set up on verizon will only work for making and receiving calls. Is this true? Text messaging doesn't work??

Posted by: pgens

Quote:

Originally posted by havanahjoe
The other thing I'm wondering about is that I've seen some people say that a VM slider set up on verizon will only work for making and receiving calls. Is this true? Text messaging doesn't work??

I think those that said only making and receiving calls would work didn't set it up correctly. I don't use text messaging, but my voice mail notifications work fine and that was one of the things people were claiming didn't work.

Personally I don't think the Sprint-only stuff is true. I saw one post of someone speculating on that because Virgin Mobile service only used Sprint towers and everyone else took that to mean operation on Verizon would be Sprint-only. The phone is capable of 800 mHz according to phonescoop... I guess we won't know for sure until someone tests a known extended-network call and sees how it was billed.

Posted by: pgens

As an update to those who say this phone only works off Sprint roaming-partnered towers while activated on a Verizon account, I now have proof this is incorrent.

I am in the Washington DC/Baltimore area. If you go here you will see some notes on Verizon PRL updates, one of which notes the removal of Sprint as a roaming partner in some areas, one of which is mine. My phone is working fine on Verizon, so the "Sprint-only" theory, at least with the method I used to activate my Slider on Verizon, isn't true. I'm using the latest PRL (non-ERI 50142) so these non-Sprint changes are on the phone.