Suddenly Lost Local Connection in Caribbean

[carlstarus]

I have been in the Caribbean for the last 14 months on assignment. Curacao to be exact. I was always able to receive SMS text messages while here. Now suddenly I can't connect to any of the local networks anymore. This is a major hassle, because now I can't get the verification codes from my bank anymore to log in. I can still see the local networks here, but can't connect to them. Does anyone have an idea what could be wrong? Any suggestion might be helpful.
Cheers,

Carl

[bristolian]

Are you on PAYG or pay-monthly?

If PAYG, when did you last incur any charges or top-up your credit?

[carlstarus]

I am on Pay monthly for over 14 years with the same number.

[XRaySpeX]

@carlstarus  As you are on contract, did you activate roaming on your EE a/c before you left UK by texting ROAMING to 150? Having a roaming billing add-on doesn't of itself activate roaming on your a/c. Having roaming activated on your EE a/c, not just on your device, is crucial to using your contract SIM abroad.

Often just rebooting the phone is the simple remedy. Also try selecting a network manually rather than auto.

Otherwise you need to call CS to get your roaming activated. Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. on Skype over WiFi. It should be free.

[carlstarus]

I have actually turned off the roaming feature when I got here last year in June. The costs were way too high as this is outside the EU. All I needed was the ability to get SMS Text messages so I could log into my Halifax account and pay bills. I didn't even use it to make calls, just receive SMS messages. Today I have tried the SIM card in 2 other phones, thinking it might be the phone itself that is damaged, but I couldn't connect with either one of the other phones I tried. So the problem is not with the phone itself.

[XRaySpeX]

@carlstarus : How did you turn off roaming from your a/c? Usually you don't or can't.

[carlstarus]

I turned off roaming on the device itself (Android). EE >> Mobile data >> Roaming (On or Off Switch)

[carlstarus]

There are 2 mobile carriers here on the island.

• Digicel
• CHIPPIE

Neither one connects. (I can however see both providers in the list of local providers).

[XRaySpeX]

@carlstarus : I wasn't talking about data roaming settings on your device. I'm asking about texting ROAMING to 150 while in UK before travelling, which activates your ability to roam in general on your a/c.

[carlstarus]

Oooh... OK I don't think I did that. I can't remember. But that does not change the fact that I was able to get all SMS Text messages since June of last year, up until 2 days ago. So 2 days ago something changed. All was fine up until 2 days ago.