Received a replacement Sim Card - Cannot call or Send messages

[Xander]

Hi there,

Recently, I had to order a replacement SIM card (Pay & Go), to fit in my new Smartphone (Nokia 7.2).
My previous smartphone (Xiaomi Redmi S3) used a micro SIM, and the Nokia 7.2 only accepts Nano SIM cards (the norm nowadays I guess).

Since I currently live abroad, I had asked Customer Service if they could deactivate the old SIM and activate the new replacement SIM for me, since I could not go to an O2 shop in the UK. 

Once I received the replacement card, I set it up on my old phone to check if everything worked. I quickly found out that Data worked smoothly and I could receive messages from O2 confirming that I had topped up the new SIM.

However, that's where it ends. I could not send messages, call or receive calls.

I called Customer Services, and I can only guess that it's a situation that is not common, since we could not find a solution.

I was told to check that my smartphone was not locked to the country or a specific network provider. Which I am sure is not, especially the older smartphone which I used with the old O2 SIM card for 4 years without any issues.

I decided to check if the SIM card would work with an old LG GB102 (mobile phone) I kept, and to my surprise it did.

Once it worked, I placed the SIM card back into the Xiaomi and it worked too, and then I went on to place in the Nokia 7.2...and it worked there too. I could call and receive calls.

The odd part... is that it did not last long. After a while I would find myself in the same situation, not being able to place a call, receive a call, send a message. DATA still works though.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Cleoriff]

@XanderI will ask one of our account advisors to help. @O2Georgina are you able to assist here?

[MI5]

@Xander 

Where did you purchase the Nokia from as it sounds like it could be barred?

In the UK we can use this website to check https://www.imei.info/ but may not work for phones abroad. Worth checking though.

[Xander]

Thank you @Cleoriff.

[O2Georgina]

@Cleoriff  Thanks for the tag, @Xander  I will send you a private message so we can look in to your query

[Xander]

@MI5, Thank you for the quick response.

I bought the Nokia in the Netherlands, however, it's been unlocked.

The funny thing is that the Nokia still allows me to use Data (and I made sure that Wifi was off).

I always buy them unlocked since I tend to travel quite a bit, the last smartphone I bought in the UK was back in 2011 (HTC EVO 3D).

I will check the website you linked, and I will let you know if it works here or not.

LG (bought in Portugal): 

• Old O2 SIM worked fine in the past.
• Replacement works fine too.

Xiaomi (bought in Malaysia):

• Old O2 SIM worked fine for the 4 years I used the phone.
• Replacement has the issues I mentioned above .

Nokia (bought in The Netherlands):

• Old O2 SIM did not fit.
• Replacement has the issues I mentioned in the previous message.

Thank you 

[MI5]

@Xander 

Barring of handsets can be country specific, so a phone may work in one country, but not in another.

It is common for handsets barred in the UK to be sold abroad as they will work OK outside of UK for example.

If no account issues show up from the checks that @O2Georgina is doing for you, it would be worth trying the phone in another country to see if it works elsewhere.

Data only working is usually a sure sign of a bared handset.

Hope all works out for you......

[Xander]

@MI5, thank you for the clarification. 

I have just tried to call another phone from my Nokia with the O2 SIM, and it works again.

I fear that it will work sometimes and not always as it should.

I will keep everyone posted in the next few days.

Thank you all   

[MI5]

It's certainly looking like a phone issue of some sort @Xander 

Be good to know once you firgure it out 

[Xander]

@MI5, If that was the case, I would expect it not to affect the Xiaomi, which had no issues in the past.

However, I cannot completely remove that as a possibility.