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Help Mobile data despair

M

MrCrumbs

Lurker
Hi all,

I bought a Galaxy S3 some time ago in California, but my main use of the phone is abroad. When I insert a SIM card (tried with two different mobile networks, so it's not one specific network), I do have calls and text messages. However - I am not able to connect to the internet (via the mobile network). When I try accessing the settings, and tap on "Mobile networks", I get a message saying "Insert SIM card to access network services". So on the one hand it doesn't recognize the SIM card, and that's why I cannot connect to the internet, but on the other I do have calls and text messages.

I tried with different cellular networks, and I also tried factory resetting the dvevice and formatting etc.

I read a lot about this problem online, but I couldn't find any solution to the problem. So should I simply give up on my phone and get another one? Is there anything I could do?

P.S. going back to the store/lab etc. isn't possible for me because I don't plan on visiting California any time soon...

Thanks!
 
Hello and Welcome to Android Forums, MrCrumbs! :)

Do you happen to know the model number of the S3 you bought? (it should be under the battery inside the phone). It could be that the radio Bands the networks you are trying to use for data aren't compatible with the device.
 
MrCrumbs said:
Hi all,

I bought a Galaxy S3 some time ago in California, but my main use of the phone is abroad. When I insert a SIM card (tried with two different mobile networks, so it's not one specific network), I do have calls and text messages. However - I am not able to connect to the internet (via the mobile network). When I try accessing the settings, and tap on "Mobile networks", I get a message saying "Insert SIM card to access network services". So on the one hand it doesn't recognize the SIM card, and that's why I cannot connect to the internet, but on the other I do have calls and text messages.

I tried with different cellular networks, and I also tried factory resetting the dvevice and formatting etc.

I read a lot about this problem online, but I couldn't find any solution to the problem. So should I simply give up on my phone and get another one? Is there anything I could do?

P.S. going back to the store/lab etc. isn't possible for me because I don't plan on visiting California any time soon...

Thanks!
Click to expand...
When i vacationed. In UK i had the sameproblem andwas toldthat even tho Iwas connectedto an English
ISP i needed vz's permissionto use other ,mobile data. Never checked further so let us kmow what u discovver
 
Thanks lunatic59, I'll reply with the model no. when I get back home in a few hours.
javamann, I will update if something works, that sounds interesting. I may try and call American carriers if that's what it takes.
 
Sorry for the delay, I lost my phone and found it again just now. The model is I9300, so I guess it should work.. but still nothing. I just tried with even another SIM card from a different carrier, and the same problem happens.
What I don't understand is - it does recognize the SIM for calls and texts, but not for data/internet.. this is driving me crazy. Should I just give up?
 
Interesting that you would get an i9300 in California. The i9300 is the international version of the Galaxy S3 and supports the 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz bands for mobile data. This should actually work better abroad and almost all international GSM networks use the 2100 MHz band.

I can think of two reasons (okay, three, but we'll hold that for last.) that you may not be connecting.

First is simply that you don't have the right APN settings for the network you are trying to connect to. Most carriers will post the APN settings for their netwroks and you can check this out under menu>settings>wireless & networks>mobile networks>Access Point Names. If the settings for that particular sim don't match you can easily add them by tapping menu (or the + sign).

It could also be that your phone is carrier locked to a U.S. carrier and you'll need to get an unlocking code for the sim to work. This is less likely because if it were sim locked the phone and SMS services shouldn't work, either. And you'd be prompted for an unlock code if you put an unrecognized sim in the phone.

Saving this for last, and hopefully isn't the case, the phone is damaged. Either the sim slot isn't reading the card properly or the radio is faulty. If data works with U.S. carriers, then this is not likely either.
 
Thanks lunatic59. The problem with solutions 1 is that I have no access to the APN settings - when I tap "mobile networks", I get a message "Insert SIM card to access network services", as though the SIM card isn't inserted. So even if this is the problem - I cannot access the settings to fix it.

Since I am not planning on visiting the States soon to check if it works with US carriers, I don't see any practical solution.. I just thought this might be some known issue.

OK thanks again, and if there's any new suggestion I would of course appreciate it.
 
I found some references to this happening with phones that have somehow "lost" their imei number, but it appears that it lost all connectivity, not just mobile data. Verify that you have a valid imei number by dialing *#06# from the phone pad.

Anyway, one of the fixes is with the sim inserted and the phone on, remove the battery. Wait a few seconds and then remove the sim. Wait a few more seconds, put the sim back in, put the battery back and then boot up the phone. Can't say that it'll work, but it's worth a try.

I also found this Insert SIM card to access network services Fix Not register on network. Again, worth a try.

Another suggestion is to make sure the sim contacts in the phone are clean and making good connections. This does seem to happen to S3's frequently enough to have some blog traffic, although the "solutions" seem to be random.
 
Thanks, I'll try everything you listed today, maybe a miraculous cure is lurking in one of those fixes. I'll update when I'm done, thanks for not giving up :)
 
never-give-up-never-surrender.gif
 
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