SAMSUNG IMPRESSION UNLOCKED BUT NOW NOT WORKING ABROAD [ Edited ]

[caleroac]

I got my samsung impression unlocked, and am now globtrotting and finally have gone down here in Turkey to do my military service. I went through all the hoops, and even had problems right as I was in the airport leaving. I have been a customer for about a year now and plan to go back in service in Februrary when I come back...the problem is after I now got a TURKCELL sim card, it was working for about a month and suddenly now....it doesnt work. says emergenct calls only and when I try to select a TURKCELL network service it says connection failed...offffff I do not know what to do now, I am so stressed, and noone returns my calls at ATT or emails... Has anyone been in the same pickle? Please let me be more informed, I can not find any info.

Thank you,

Message Edited by caleroac on 09-25-2009 05:04:12 AM

[PDCPDC1957]

First of all, ATT is not going to help you with a Turkcell SIM Card.   If you aren;'t using their service, they could care less.

1. Are you 100% certain your phone was actually unlocked?

2. If yes, are you sure you have a funds balance on your Turkcell card?

3. Does someone else in your outfit have a phone that you could try the Turkcell SIM in, just to see if it's the SIM or the phone?

[stufried · Accepted solution]

Turkey requires a local phone for non-tourist and block the IMEI after a few weeks.   You need to register the specific phone with the local operator.  As a Turkish resident, you can bring in one unlocked mobile phone duty free:

This information is lifted from the Turkish Embassy in the UK's website:

TURKEY'S CUSTOMS REGULATION:

Information on Turkish Customs Regulation is available at the the official website of Turkish Customs Administration on http://www.gumruk.gov.tr You can also call the following telephone numbers: Tel: 0090 312 3117971, Fax: 0090 312 3245979  e-mail: bis@gumruk.gov.tr

MOBILE PHONES NEED TO BE REGISTERED FOR USE WITH SIM CARDS BOUGHT IN TURKEY

Turkish and foreign visitors are entitled to bring one mobile phone into Turkey within one calendar year for use during their stay in Turkey. A personal mobile phone brought in to Turkey in this manner is exempt from tax and duty.

It is necessary to register the mobile phones in order to use them with SIM card bought from a Turkish network operator. (In order to use such a mobile phone with a SIM card bought in Turkey from a Turkish network operator, the mobile phone number assigned to the SIM card needs to be correlated with the IMEI number of the mobile phone. The handset can only be registered with one line. Phones not registered in this way will be blocked and unable to receive or make calls. There is no charge levied for this registration.)

No customs documents are required for the registration of mobile phones.

Mobile phones to be brought into Turkey are to be registered with the Telecommunication Institution or with the mobile phone shops of Turkish Network Operators (Avea, Turkcell or Telsim).

Documents required for the registration of mobile phones are:

• TR Citizenship Number or Passport number
• Passport (Identity details indicated on the passport)
• Copies of all Turkish entry/exit stamps in the passport

No more than one mobile phone per person can be registered in one calendar year.

Websource:  http://www.turkishconsulate.org.uk/en/questio.htm 

Here is some additional information from a different website:

taying longer than 3 weeks in Turkey?Then you should know about a Turkish telecommunication law. Every handset used with a local Turkish cell / mobile SIM card must be registered within 3 weeks. After 21 days the Network Operator de-activates the phone number. On the 23 rd day your phone reports "SIM card registration failed". Your cell / mobile phone can still be used with foreign SIM cards. 5 days before de-activation of the IMEI number, your handset will get a Turkish text / SMS message stating you should register. This text / SMS message looks like this

<IMEI number>......... IMEI nolu cihaz kayit disi listesinde
oldugu icin DAY/MONTH/YEAR da kullanim disi birakilacaktir.
Hattiniz acik kalacaktir. Bilgi icin 4440532

3 week grace periodThe 3 week grace period is usually enough for package tourists. A workaround is to have a 2nd handset or buy a Turkish cell / mobile phone registered in your name. The same applies for PDA’s, iPhone’s, anything with an IMEI. Registering can be done at the bigger branches of your network operator. You’ll need your passport, mobile phone and SIM card and MOST IMPORTANT a copy of the SIM card contract you signed when buying the prepaid number. Your name in your passport will be checked against the name in the contract. Officially the process takes several days to register the handset IMEI with Turkish state Telecom. In any case it is best to register your cell / mobile phone the moment you buy the SIM card. The costs for registration is 5 TL at Turkcell. You can only register 1 foreign cell / mobile phone on your name in 1 year, otherwise TAX must be paid for importing and registering a 2nd cell mobile phone into Turkey. The latter undoubtedly is a paper nightmare you might want to avoid as a tourist.
After mobile phone registrationTurkcell shipped a text / SMS message 6 days after the mobile / cell phone registration form was submitted to Turkish State Telecom. It stated the IMEI of the phone is now registered. From this day moving the SIM card to a different mobile / cell phone results in not finding the Turkcell network. The Turkcell SIM card is linked to the IMEI of the mobile / cell phone.  Mentioning the Turkish State Telecom law to new subscribers.

The official stance of Turkcell to mention the Turkish State Telecom law to register handsets is like this. A Turkcell employee is not obliged to mention the law because of 2 reasons. First Turkcell can't see wether your cell / mobile phone is already registered with Turkish Telecom. Second, Turkcell doesn't know if you stay longer than 21 days. High chance when you buy a prepaid SIMcard you will not be informed. In any case most likely not by Turkcell.

Confronted with "A tourist can't know about the state telecom law", comes with a simple reply. "I'm sorry but this is how Turkcell operates". In retrospect, for those who stay longer than 3 weeks, the Turkish State Telecom law brings extra revenue to Turkcell. In the best case its a Turkish cell / mobile phone or a new Turkcell prepaid simcard sold to a frustrated customer. For those who decide to register the cell / mobile phone and wait for re-activation of the SIM card - it takes several days before your number is activated again. Provided that you have the original contract and the name on the contract is the same as in your passport.

The Turkish embassy / consulate in your country might have information about the state telecom law. The Turkish Embassy in the UK mentions registering your cell / mobile phone.

http://www.nomadic-one.com/travel/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=2

[caleroac]

what the bejessus... what a hassle...

well seems to me better to get it done now then. alright' thanks alot for that info though.

i definetly got it unlocked though with the subsudy unlock code etc... i was able to use my phone for about a month, and just like it says there - the imei number gets blocked! i even asked that women if there is any paperwork needed... well i might as well hand this problem over to my superiors and have it done out of third party cuz i dont have time for all that right at the moment' i dont even think i got my contract with me...is it possible to do it with another persons passport etc?

well att knew id be using a different sim once i got in Turkey and Iraq, so maybe they could email me some kind of official letter to bypass all this.

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE INFO AND HELP at least now Im not running around not knowing what happened (:

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

That is just insane. Talk about Big Brother...

[stufried]

It is completely on the Turkish government.  I have a friend who purchased a factory unlocked phone at the Nokia Store and ran into this problem.