Unable to connect to network

[ronnynob]

Hello

Have two mobiles with TPG. The first one was connected to the Vodophone network when invited to do so, the second mobile we chose to stay with the Optus connection as we wanted to use it for 199 calls.. The Optus option closed on the 1st of August so replaced the sim card with the Mini TPG sim card to connect to the  vodophone system however it shows "For emergency calls only"

Contacted Help section by both email and phone call suggesting I  may need a replacement im card however thy refused saying it must be the phone. Admittally the phoneis are 2g which will have to be replaced at the end of September when Vodophone closes their 2g network however I had hoped to use it until the closing date. TPG advised that it  would not work although I have tried the simecard from a second iendetical phone and the phone connects. Can anyone please explain why the sim card sent will not work on this phone. Not going to ring and spend hours on the phone again so any hints would be usefull.

[skozzy]

My first thought is the age of the phone if its 2G only. My brother had to replace his old phone just recently cause it was 2G only and was with optus (lived in Victoria at the time). His last recharge on that 2G sim refused to work, so he bought a cheap android phone (which also has a dual sim support) and also a sim from woolworths. In that phone the 2G sim worked as well as the new 4G sim. Some time this month the 2G sim either run out of credit or died or 2G was turned off.

Anyhow, his old 2G only non android phone we noticed the sim socket had a slight blue coloured corrosion in the socket, we folded up a small bit of paper to swipe in and out of the socket and some transfered to the paper. Corrosion isn't a good thing and he decided to put the phone in the bin and use the new phone only, as for the 2G sim since it was a pre paid he just binned that too. Also that old phone it would only power up if he had sticky tape to hold the battery in tighter.

So maybe your phone might have a similar problem cause of it's age.

[Ozone]

@ronnynob

Looks like you just answered your question there:

TPG advised that it  would not work although I have tried the simecard [sic] from a second iendetical [sic] phone and the phone connects.

Since the SIM card you received from TPG works on another phone (an 'identical phone' as you said), the SIM card does work.

It's time to replace your 2G mobile phone.

[Luna]

Agree with above unfortunately, @ronnynob. As the Optus 2G network shut down on 1 August, a SIM card using the Optus network will not work on a 2G handset from 1 August 2017. (You might have been lucky and got a few extra days usage after 1 August, as I believe it was actually a shutdown "from" 1 August not "on" August 1).

And similarly a SIM card using the Vodafone network will not work on a 2G handset from 30 September 2017.

[Krystle · Accepted solution]

Hi @ronnynob, 

I thought you would be interested to know that the Vodafone 2G shutdown has been moved to 31 March 2018. So you have an additional few months to use your 2G handset before it won't work with your TPG SIM (on the Vodafone network) anymore.