Motorola 9500 Sat Phone and Next G Pre-Paid

Submitted: Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:23
ThreadID: 56789 Views:4177 Replies:6 FollowUps:10
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I have a Motorola 9500 Iridium sat phone which I have been using for about 3 years utilising the sim card from my Telstra GSM CONTRACT phone - no problems.

I have purchsed a Next G PRE-PAID which I have had International roaming activated.

When I try to use the sat phone with the PRE-PAID in it I get a ' Invalid Account' message.

I have read all the threads regarding sim cards/pre paid/sat phones - so please no 'check the archives this subject has been done to death' advice - and am still at a loss.

If someone has the same phone (Motorola 9500) and Next G sim (pre paid) I would appreciate any thoughts as to why I cannot connect.

I have been in contact with Telstra via the web and they are unable to answer my questions. Only answers I get are either stock answers c&p off their own website and with no relevance to the actual question I asked or the stock answer 'Telstra does not support pre-paid sim card access to sat system'

I went into the Wagga Telstra shop today. The guy I spoke to knew absolutely nothing about sat phones
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Reply By: Willem - Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:32

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:32
'Telstra does not support pre-paid sim card access to sat system'


Therein lies the answer
AnswerID: 299363

Follow Up By: KiwiAngler - Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:38

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:38
Willem

" Therein lies the answer"

No it doesnt - all it means is that Telstra does not support it - therefore their tech support will be very little, if any at all.

it doesnt mean that it cannot be done - just ask the many, many people on this forum who are using it as I have described using the same equipment as I have described.
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Reply By: Member - Tim - Stratford (VIC) - Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:39

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:39
KiwiAngler,

Sorry - can't help with the pre-paid question - only what Willem says above. Maybe Telstra don't support the pre-paid SIMS in Sat phones?

I just got a 9505a and after Int'nal roaming the SIM cards (both Telstra contract) it worked flawlessly. One was a NextG the other (prior to changing over) was a GSM.


Tim
AnswerID: 299364

Follow Up By: KiwiAngler - Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:52

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 22:52
I guess the easiest question is to simply ask this forum the following question:

Does anyone use a PRE PAID Next G sim card to access the Iridium network?

If the answer is nil/nada/zero/ziltch then I will just have to concede (stubborn bugger that I am) that it can ONLY be done on a Next G CONTRACT sim card and I will have to go out and get a Next G plan
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Reply By: Voxson - Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 23:46

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 23:46
In case this helps anybody.....
I just put the NextG sim into the 9500 sat phone and it couldnt access network.....
But the gsm sim from the sat phone worked in the NextG phone and made a call.... but i rekon it was only working as a standard phone..
Anybody add to that info??? Because i am not sure what that means..
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Follow Up By: Voxson - Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 23:47

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 23:47
Oh..and my sim is Uridium...
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Follow Up By: Voxson - Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 23:53

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 at 23:53
double oh....

It is plan and not prepaid..
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Follow Up By: KiwiAngler - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 00:47

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 00:47
Hey Voxson - how's it going buddy - long time no speak :-))


I think the picture that is emerging is this:

Next G sim - Plan - with International Roaming enabled - yes
Next G sim - prepaid - NO

If you put in your Next G plan and it didnt work I can only guess that you havent enabled it yet for Internatonal roaming - that must be done if it is to work on either Next G or GSM

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Follow Up By: Voxson - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 16:23

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 16:23
Gday,,no speakie.. long timie,,,lol....
Hope all is well..

Is international roaming something you set in the phone menu or with telstra?
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Follow Up By: KiwiAngler - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 22:24

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 22:24
Voxson

Yeah mate through Telstra
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Reply By: Member - Footloose - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 00:31

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 00:31
As per the other posts, you can't use the Telstra pre paid cards in the 9500.
You can use a Telstra SIM from a 3G account if it has roaming enabled.
There are (expensive) Irridium pre paid cards that you can buy . Perhaps that's the confusing bit ?
AnswerID: 299377

Reply By: Member - Mike DID - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 06:22

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 06:22
I wouldn't be surprised if the system is designed for Prepaid to not work.

Based on years working in Telstra Billing, this is how it would work -
Iridium will send the charge for the call to the Telstra Billing system AFTER the call has been completed - if the call cost exceeds the credit available on the Prepaid card, then Iridium won't be able to recover the call cost from Telstra. I assume the Iridium system can't read the remaining credit off the prepaid card when the call starts.
.
AnswerID: 299384

Reply By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 08:43

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 08:43
Looking at the above posts, it seems that GSM & Next G cards work in the 9500 when international roaming is turned on.

Has the prepaid card you are using got international roaming turned on?

Can a prepaid GSM or Next G prepaid have international roaming turned on?
AnswerID: 299394

Follow Up By: KiwiAngler - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 13:11

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 13:11
OP

in response to your post

q1 - agree - must have Int roaming activated
q2 - yes ( I had stated that in my first post)
q3 - I have now found out that you CANNOT use ANY pre-paid sim for sat connection. The reason is as one of the previous posters explained. The billing from Iridium to Telstra occurrs AFTER the call completion. If you had a prepaid and it had run out of credit who/how would Iridium be paid

Looks like I will have to sign up for a Next G contract.
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 18:44

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 18:44
Sorry on question 2.

Shows I should read the post more carefully.
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Follow Up By: KiwiAngler - Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 22:27

Sunday, Apr 20, 2008 at 22:27
hehehe

That's ok mate - I am guilty of a bit of speed reading (slang for missing out stuff :-)) myself.

It comes in handy when I get letters from the kids asking for money :-))))
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