Call from Bangkok

[Surzen]

In Bangkok, on a monthly Business contract, excluded riaming as I have a Thai eSim inlh for Thailand - however cannot call anybody, tried does not work even if call ljne has been left on EE eSim..,

Cannot understand why…using iPhone 14plus

Thanx Enrico

[James_B]

Hi @Surzen,

Welcome to the EE Community. 🙂

Are you having problems making calls on your local SIM or EE SIM?

If EE, did you activate roaming on your account before you travelled?

James

[Surzen]

Dear James thankyou for your reply, no roaming has been excluded from the EE eSim as it is included on the data only Thai eSim; I thought that including roaming would incur extrs charges which I do not want - as I have the Thai data eSim for this reason.

I have left the main Ee number as phone nimber as the Thai eSim is for data only what shall I do?

thanx

[Christopher_G]

Hi @Surzen 

Is it just data roaming that is turned off on the EE SIM? If roaming is turned off completely, the SIM won't work for calls.

Chris

[bristolian]

Your initial post mentioned "In Bangkok", by this I presume you are currently in Thailand and wanting to use your EE SIM.

Using your phone abroad is called roaming, and to connect to local Thai networks you need to have roaming enabled on your SIM. This is an account-setting that cannot be changed on your phone, and needs to have been setup before leaving the UK. Without this, you won't connect to foreign networks - and consequently will be unable to make or receive calls (voice roaming - no phone menu for this), send or receive text messages (no phone menu for this) or use mobile data (enabling this is what I suspect you've done)

[Surzen]

Dear Christopher G. sorry but do not understand, how do I separate data toaming from call roaming? I do not have this choice on the iPhone; I simply tutned off data roaming ( only choice) for the EE sim, however setting this sim for call; then I have data roaming on for the data thai sim which has no nimber and works fine. The question for me stands and is: why cannot receive or make call on the EE sim? Is becsuse data roaming is off on this sim?

thanx Enrico

[Surzen]

Dear bristolian  thanx for your reply, so basically cannot receive/make calls even if the line chosen in settings for calls is the EE sim? 
thanx

enrico

[Leanne_T]

Hi @Surzen 

You would need roaming activated on your EE account to use your phone outside of the UK, turning data roaming off would only impact accessing any data services when not connected to WiFi. 

Did you text ROAMING to 150 before travelling abroad? 

Leanne.

[bristolian]

There are 2 levels of setting required.

1: Your SIM needs permission to connect to foreign network - this is called roaming, and is setup at account level, normally by texting ROAMING to 150 from the UK. If you don't do this, your phone won't connect to foreign networks and any activity that needs a mobile network connection will fail. Voice calls, text messages, mobile data, the lot. You can't call without coverage!

2: Providing roaming is activated on your SIM, and you are connected to a foreign network, your phone will automatically allow voice-calls (voice roaming) & text messages (text roaming). There is a menu option to allow/disable mobile data - this is the data roaming option many users get confused with.

Toggling the data roaming option on, without enabling roaming in the first place, is therefore completely futile. Just as it is to be troubleshooting voice call issues by toggling the data roaming setting - voice calls do not use mobile data.

Did you text ROAMING to 150 before travelling abroad?

[Surzen]

Dear bristoluan thanx again fir your further reply, which unfortunately for me is getting more complex…

I activated roaming while in UK, and added an extra however only for Europe; I was told by EE that does not exist any addon including Thailand; furthermore had planned to use a Thai data card anyway (cheaper and reliable).

Never thought for a minute that could not receive calls on my number, I guess wrong thinking even if a bit harsh and completely unclear on a business account.

I guess will be without my number until back in UK, and will rely on thai sim to use whatsup to communicate.

A question comjng to mind is, this mean my EE sim is ok for calls within Europe but not outside correct?

regards

enrico