Redbox - International FAQ's

SIM Card Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use the SIM Card?
Dial the number you want to call including the country code (e.g. +44xxxxxxxxxx). You will see a notification on your screen that the ‘Call is not allowed’ and on some phones, an instruction to ‘Press the red key’ (the hang up key) afterwards – do so immediately, then you will see a message ‘Sending a request’. Wait for a call-back, which should take about 2-10 seconds (otherwise the call has failed e.g. number incorrect). Answer the call-back and you will hear a voice prompt and ring tone connecting you to the number which you dialled.
How do I know how much credit I have left after each call is made?
You will receive a text message directly to your mobile shortly after each call is completed with the total amount of monetary credit used and the available monetary credit remaining on your SIM Card.
How will I know when my SIM Card account has been recharged using my debit or credit card?
You will receive notification both via a text message directly to your mobile and an email to your supplied email address stating that your debit or credit card has been charged by the amount agreed prior to the conclusion of the contract.
Can I receive a breakdown of calls made under my SIM Card account?
Yes. You can contact us at the Support Centre (see the website About Us page) quoting your name, address, telephone number, mobile number, email address and reference number. For this service, there is a charge of £5.00 per request which we will charge to your credit/debit card. An invoice can be sent to you either via post or email.
Can I unsubscribe from the pre-pay service or the automatic recharge service
when my credit reaches the minimum threshold of £5?
Yes. Contact us at the Support Centre (see the website About Us page) quoting your name, address, contact telephone number, SIM Card mobile telephone number, place and date of purchase of the SIM pack with your security answer.
From when do call charges apply?
Call charges begin as soon as the call made from your SIM Card is answered. No charges are incurred before the call-back is answered or while waiting for call-back.
What are your connection fees and charging interval?
All calls incur a minimum call connection of half a minute (30 seconds) and all calls will be charged in six (6) second increments.
How much does it cost me to receive a voicemail?
Voicemail retrieval will be charged at the standard call rate of the country from which you are making the call. The exact cost of calls can be found on the ‘Check Price’ page on our website.
How much does it cost to receive and to send a SMS?
Pricing information on SMS can be found at on the ‘Check Price’ page of our website.
What mobile number will I get with my SIM Card?
The SIM Card number originates from the Isle of Man (I.O.M). You will be sent a +44 UK mobile phone number. Most operators classify the I.O.M as a UK number; however it is best to check with your provider before dialling.
Can I keep my existing UK mobile number?
No. International number portability is not possible. However, you may be able to divert calls from your UK mobile to your SIM Card. This will enable you to retain your number and avoid all mobile roaming charges. You should check the exact cost of diversion with your mobile operator.
Will it be expensive for others to call me on my SIM Card?
No. Calls made to you will be charged at in country network operator standard rates to UK mobiles. Please check with your network operator for the exact cost of these calls.
Can I dial 0800, 0900 or 070 numbers from my SIM Card?
You can dial 0800 from your SIM Card and there will be a charge for dialling this number. You will not be able to make any call to 0900 or 070 from your SIM Card.
Can I make data connections using my SIM Card?
No. Unfortunately this is not possible at present, although it may be made available in the future.
Does the SIM Card work in every mobile phone?
Yes, the SIM Card works with all current GSM handsets which are SIM lock-free.
Why is my mobile phone still not working although I have inserted the SIM card
correctly?
Your phone may need to be unlocked before using your SIM Card. It is possible to unlock a phone. Please check this with your mobile phone supplier – it is your right to get your phone unlocked if you wish. For our latest phone compatibility, please see Table 1. (Phones not listed on this table have not been tested yet).
Can I move my contacts on to my new SIM Card?
Yes. Please proceed as described in the manual of your mobile handset.
I have forgotten my new SIM Card mobile number.
Please dial 133 from your SIM Card and a text message will be sent to you with full details of the telephone number. This is a free service.
Why is my mobile not automatically connected to an available GSM network?
By default, your handset should automatically connect to the GSM network with the strongest signal. However, you may need to select a network manually in an area of poor coverage, or if automatic selection fails. If you are unable to receive call-back by initiating a call, you may need to manually select another network in your area. For instructions on how to manually select another network please consult your phone instruction manual.
If I don’t use my SIM Card for some time, will I lose my prepaid credit and SIM
card?
Your remaining prepaid credit is valid for a period of 12 months and will be carried forward to the following year once you have paid your annual renewal fee.
Are there any monthly or annual fees which I will need to pay?
There are no minimum or monthly charges but there is an annual renewal fee of £10.
Upon payment of this annual £10 charge all remaining credit on your SIM card will be carried forward to the following year.
How can I check my credit balance?
You can dial 187 from your phone to find out your credit balance.
What is the charge to call 154 (Customer helpline) from the SIM Card?
Cost of calls to 154 from the SIM Card will be charged at the standard rate to call a UK landline from your location.

Mobile Phone Compatibility:
Our application works slightly differently amongst the wide variety of phones on the market today. As a result, we have created a “List” divided into five categories (A~E), showing the range of our network system’s compatibility with the various Mobile phones that are currently being used around the world. The “A & B” List phones are the most compatible with our network, with the "E"

List phones being the least compatible.
Over the next few months, we will increase the compatibility of our service with as broad a range of mobile phones as possible. Therefore, before you purchase and/or install the SIM Card, we urge you first to check the compatibility with your mobile phone. Additionally, if you intend to purchase a Mobile phone specifically for the SIM Card – please select a mobile phone with the highest compatibility level.
For a list of specific mobile phones per the categories below, please see the Appendix below.

Category A: (Optimal)
This category of mobile phones provides full integration with our network - where any manual or directory dialled calls will be placed automatically - without the need for there to be the “call-back” used to connect to our network. All calls placed by you will be recorded in the Mobile phone’s call register as out-going calls. This full integration will be offered with our own mobile phone (release date TBA) and no doubt in due course by other Mobile phone manufacturers.

Category B: (preferred)
This category of Mobile phones is the same as with the A-Category above, with the exception that the mobile phone will NOT automatically answer the connection to the network once the dialling information is sent. Instead our network will call you back in order to connect you both to the network and to the party you are calling.

Category C: (acceptable)
This has the same degree of out-going call automation as Category A & B, except the out-going call information is not stored in your Mobile phone’s Call Register. This applies to the majority of mobile phones in the marketplace.

Category D: (not recommended)
This is a very specialised category, where the automated out-going call facilities are not available but, instead, there is an application that appears on the phone menu as “SIM Services”, which, when activated, lets you manually dial a number or any phone number that is stored on the SIM card itself (not from the phone memory) by using a directory look-up function.

Category E: (not recommended)
Essentially this has no automated integration but any number can be dialled using the manual command string (which can also be stored in the directory in this format). The following numbers should be dialled: *125*1*{telephone number} #
As with all telephone numbers in the system, the telephone number in this string, must be input using the following format: First the country code followed by the national area code and then followed by the required telephone number.
You do not need to use the international access codes (such as “00” or ”011” or the “+” sign) and, conversely, you cannot dial a number without the country code at the front. To give an example, to call 08700123456, even from the UK, simply: 44 8700123456
All short codes, such as “121” for Voicemail, work within this dialling format and do not require any additional country codes etc., you dial them exactly as listed.
However, please note that, anyone calling you on your SIM Card number would need to call you by first dialling the international code of the country concerned, and then your number.

Table 1: Mobile Phones Compatibility - last updated 4th August 2006

Category A	Category B	Category C	Category D	Category E
Optimal	Preferred	Acceptable	Recommended	Not Recommended
Normal Dialling	Normal Dialling	Normal Dialling	Normal Dialling via a SIM setting	Manual string entry dialling only
Directory Dialling	Directory Dialling	Directory Dialling	Directory Dialling only from the SIM
Records put into Call Register	Records put into Call Register
No call-back required
TBA	Motorola	Sony Ericsson	Nokia	Motorola
	V80	S700i	6310i	MPx200
	V180	T290	6111	SLVR
	V220	T610	7370	PEBL
	V360	T630		Sony Ericsson
	V400	T68i		P800
	V560	W800i		P910
	V620	Z500i		P910i
	V635	Siemens		Nokia
	RAZR V3	S45		3310
	ROKR	C55		6020
	C113	A65		6030
	Samsung	C65		7110
	D100	M65		7270
	D500	S65		8800
	D600	SF65		5140i
	E330	SK65		8210e
	E350	SL65		All Windows Based Phones
	E600	Nokia		All Palm Based Phones
	E630	2600
	E720	3100
	E730	6100
	E800	6220
	Sony Ericsson	6230
	K300i	6230i
	K500i	6233
	K750i	6234
	Panasonic	6310
	GD55	6600
		6820
		7610
		6610i
		6820a
		7250i
		9500
		LG
		8150
If your phone is not listed above, it may still work. For further information, please email support@freeroamsim.com

Countries eligible to receive free incoming calls
Anguilla	Iceland	Pakistan
Aruba	Finland	Poland
Australia	France	Portugal
Austria	Germany	Romania
Azerbaijan	Gibraltar	Saudi Arabia
Bahrain	Greece	Slovakia
Belgium	Hungary	Slovenia Republic
Bosnia/Herzegovina	Ireland	South Africa
Brazil	Israel	Spain
Bulgaria	Italy	Sweden
Burundi	Latvia	Switzerland
Colombia	Lithuania	Tanzania
Croatia Republic	Luxembourg	Turkey
Cyprus	Macau	Uganda
Czech Republic	Netherlands	United Arab Emirates
Denmark	Nigeria	United Kingdom
Egypt	Norway	Yugoslavia/Serbia
Estonia	Oman