International outgoing calls barred

[Anonymous]

Ok so I’m in China using a pay and go sim card. I can receive calls, and can send and receive texts. But I cannot dial out, either back to the UK or to Chinese numbers. I know it’s not a problem with the phone as when I insert a Chinese sim card, it works fine, internationally and China to China. When I type in *#331# in the keypad, I get an error message saying that international outgoing calls are barred. I think from online searches that if I type in #331* then a “call barring code” and #, this will deactivate the call barring. However, I’ve tried a few simple codes such as 1234 and 0000 to no avail. During many conversations with O2 live chat, they just say no call barring is activated on my sim card or account. They also deny all knowledge of a call barring code existing. My question therefore, is there a default call barring code for O2 which will cancel this call barring? I’m almost at the giving up point and will just text while I’m here and get a new sim card when I get back to the UK. But if someone has the code or another way to fix this, that would be fantastic. I’ve tried all the standard phone related stuff such as resetting network settings, but it would be unlikely to be any of this, as other sim cards work in this phone. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

This is what I  could find 

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Other-Devices-Nokia-Blackberry/Call-Barring-Pin/td-p/71427

[jonsie · Accepted solution]

There are no international call barring codes on o2 and they have roaming agreements on payandgo in China. Have you tried manually selecting another network? Calls on o2 are expensive there, you would be better stocking to the Chinese sim card. 

Standard Rates

Our Pay & Go customers will be charged at the following rate when calling or texting from this country.

Making a local call to landlines or mobiles will always be the same price as calling home when you're abroad.

Sending a picture message costs 25p and it's always free to receive a text.

When in:       Calling:  

Landlines - per minute	99p
Mobiles - per minute	£1.49
Receiving calls - per minute	99p
Sending texts - per message	49p

Cost per MB of using data:

Data usage

£6

See our standard international calling rates when abroad for all countries.

Find out more about using data abroad.

##002# should cancel any diverts. 

[MI5]

The code it is asking for is your sim pin code.
You need to set your own pin before you can use it in this menu.
You can change the sim pin in your phone settings.

[MI5]

PS the default pin is 0000

[jonsie]

The OP says he has tried 0000.

[MI5]

You have to change from default first.
The default is required to change the pin.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all for the responses; unfortunately I still haven't been able to get it to work.

I've tried asking O2 to activate and deactivate call barring (even though internaional outgoing barring is already activated) and putting the default pin in the hidden menu before, during and after this.

Next time I come, I will get a Chinese Sim. The one I tested in the phone wasn't mine unfortunately.

Unless anyone has any other ideas, I'm just going to head to the 02 shop back in the UK and ask them to transfer the money onto a new SIM. I will use the *#331# to determine if (although unlikely) International Outgoing calls are still barred on the new one and if so I will leave the shop and forget O2 exist as a network. I find it hard to believe I'm the only person who's ever had this problem but it does seem genuinely impossible to solve. I'm almost at the end of this trip anyway; however, out of principle, it's irritating to have been defeated!.

[MI5]

I don't know what else to suggest, sorry.
I've made hundreds of calls from abroad over the years and never had a problem so it must be a sim or account issue.

[jonsie]

All very strange.  In all the years I've travelled overseas I've never had a problem. If it's not sim or account related maybe it's a roaming agreement issue with the local networks.