"Roaming" is when you use your mobile phone outside of your operator's local coverage area or home calling area or in another country. For example, if you take your UK mobile abroad, you will roam onto an overseas operator's network. Traditional "Roaming" calls are very expensive to make and receive, even for just a few calls while you are away.
Yes, your number works like any other mobile telephone number. Your number is a UK number - therefore, make sure you tell people outside the U.K. that they will be dialing an international number. Give them the full number, including the country code (+44). The charges will be the same as for any UK mobile number.
Your mobile phone must be unlocked for the SIM card to work. An easy way to test this is to insert a SIM card from a different network into your phone. For example, if you have a T-Mobile SIM card, try inserting a friend's SIM Card from a different network (e.g. a Vodaphone SIM card). If your phone operates normally, it is unlocked. However, if you receive a strange message on your screen, your phone is locked and you will need to visit your mobile operator and request an "unlock code".
Most mobile phone shops can usually unlock your phone in a matter of minutes, and typically charge a nominal fee for this service.
We do sell mobile phones, with an expanding variety added on a regular basis. All our phones are sold un-locked and have been tested to work with our Global SIM Card. See our Bluefire store for more details.
You can purchase additional top-up credit by going to the Top Up Options section on this website and filling out the required information or by dialing *100*# on your mobile phone fitted with the Bluefire SIM card and speak to someone from our Customer Service Department. Both options require a valid credit card.
Yes! The Bluefire service offers full Voicemail functionality. For detailed information on how to use this service, please refer to the User Guide that came with your Bluefire SIM card or from this website, click on the Quick Start Guide button.
GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. This technology was originally developed as a pan-European standard for digital mobile telephony, but it has quickly become the world's most widely used mobile system. In Europe, Asia, and Australia, GSM operates on the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies. In North and South America, GSM occupies the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequencies. The Global SIM Card works with all these frequencies.
SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. A SIM card is just a small circuit board that must be inserted into the back of your GSM based mobile phone. This small card contains all your subscriber details and directory data, and acts like the brain of your mobile phone.
To insert your new SIM card in your mobile phone, just follow these simple instructions:
locate the plastic SIM card in your shipment;
break out the small chip (the SIM card) from this plastic card;
open the back of your phone, remove the battery and identify the SIM card holder slot;
if present, remove the existing SIM card in the phone;
place the new global SIM chip in this slot, with the gold contact side facing down;
replace the battery and the cover then power-on your mobile phone;
For more detail on how to insert your SIM card, please refer to the Network Guide (instruction manual) that came with your mobile phone.
Your mobile phone may not be receiving a signal from the local GSM network. When this happens, you will need to manually search for a mobile GSM network operator. All mobile phones are different, so you will need to reference the User Guide (instruction manual) that came with your mobile phone.
When you are traveling
in the US or Canada, you first must activate the US profile to obtain
the +1 number. To do this, you must follow the below instructions prior
to using your Bluefire SIM card:
Dial the following toll free number of the
country you are in (using a landline or payphone), and follow the
prompts of our self-service menu
United States & Canada - 1-888-513-8804
United Kingdom - 0800-376-2370
Australia - 1800-795-252
Speak with a Customer service representative by
calling the toll free number of the country you are in
Turn your phone on and when prompted for the
PIN, enter 2 followed by your 4 digits PIN and press OK.
When the phone registers with an available network it is ready for
use.
To use the Global
profile, enter “2” followed by the PIN. Instructions are also printed
on the SIM card, the User Guide and on our website. If you forget to
enter the correct prefix and only enter the PIN, the service that was
last used will be automatically loaded. Therefore, if you are in the
US, turn the phone off and turn it on again but forget to enter the PIN
prefix, the US & Canada service will be loaded. However, if you last
used the Service in the UK, and try to use the service in the US without
entering the PIN prefix, the Global profile will be loaded and you will
be charged a more expensive rate.
