The Verizon BlackBerry 8830 has been touted as being a “world phone” with both CDMA and GSM support. I know that Verizon and Vodafone have a some sort of relationship so it would make sense for the BlackBerry 8830 to work on various Vodafone networks around the globe, however, if the 8830 is truly a “world phone” it would need to run on multiple GSM carrier networks.
Does the BlackBerry 8830 come unlocked allowing it to run on any GSM network? If so, could you actually use the 8830 on AT&T or T-Mobile here in the U.S.?
If any of you BlackBerry insiders have a clue, let us know via the comments.
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{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
The CDMA ‘world’ phone will be dual band, not quad band like current GSM BlackBerry devices. The CDMA ‘world’ phone will use the 900MHz and 1800 MHz bands. North American CDMA carriers use 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. Basically this new device will use CDMA in North America and GSM in the rest of the world.
This information was provided to me by our RIM technical rep some time ago. I don’t know what device he was referring to as the 8800 was long from being released when this information was shared. I wouldn’t suspect that it woud change.
Right. Robb, that’s the case with every single “world roaming” Verizon phone, why would you think the BlackBerry would be any different? Not to mention the incompatibility or roaming, in your, er, own area on multiple carriers CDMA, and GSM alike. Not something they would be offering. Look for this to help out the jet-setting types that use Verizon here, and often get the shaft while outside of the US.
Just wishful thinking, I guess.
This website is completely stealing your material – design and content:
http://www.mobileireland.net/2007/04/06/blackberry-8830-pictures/
They only changed the name of the website.
Oops my bad…sorry about that, false alarm.
Anonymous,
Thanks for letting everybody know its a false alarm, as the owner of Mobileireland I’m glad you cleared it up.
The design is a wordpress templete that anybody can use
I’ve linked back to Robb’s website a number of times and Robb has linked back to me so I guess he’s been on my site before and know’s what I do.
Enjoy the weekend
Jim
so it’s not truly a world phone, as it’s not replacing the 8707 model.
I wonder when that will come out, being able to have a GSM/UMTS device is what a true ‘world’ phone is.
It sure IS a world phone -
CDMA in North America, & some parts of Australasia.
GSM in the rest of the world (outside North America)
It will not work on North American GSM frequencies, just on North American CDMA & International GSM…
That’s perfect, as CDMA is far superior in North America.
A world phone would need to work in Korea and Japan, which this one won’t, unless I’m not understanding something… I think UMTS + GSM is the only real option for this…
Sure it’ll work in Korea, just as the old Verizon Motorola a840 does; all that’s needed is the (free) I-DIAL option and the latest PRL by dialing *228 option 2 from the handset.
Korea is almost completely CDMA, and Verizon users have been able to roam there on SK Telecom’s network since early 2002.
As far as Japan goes – their PDC network pretty much isolates them from the rest of the world; though, BlackBerry will work there on 3G.
Just bought the BB 8830 after being told it would work in Japan; it DOES NOT. DOES NOT. DOES NOT. These clowns should be shot. The 8830 carton even says the 8830 automatically shifts from one system to another. BB does not stand for Better Business, who will be contacted about this lie/misrepresentation. Anyone else having this problem? I’ll be checking in after I rent an expensive cell phone for the week.
so what is the conclusion? does the bberry 8830 by verizon work in Japan? I am leaving there for business in 2 days, and need some help! Thank you.
BB 8830 by Verizon will NOT work in Japan, regardless of what the sales rep says. For the record, it was specifically purchased (and reconfirmed with their tech support at the time of purchase) for Japanese and European use. I even rememeber being told at the time (two months ago) that it will work using Japanese 3G network. Most interestingly, I called Verizon global tech support two days ago to verify the settings for Japan, and they happily verified those for me.
Now, the tech support is singing a different tune (”it cannot possibly work in Japan”, basically) – and we have a disconnected user in Japan.
Neil, you have two volunteers for the firing squad – let me know when and where!
Is it folly to assume this thing will work in Africa?
It will work for voice & data in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, & Western Sahara according to Verizon’s International Services webpage here –
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/businessSolutions/global/pricingCoverage.jsp
THE BLACKBERRY 8830 IS UNLOCK FOR OVER SEAS. I HAVE OTHER CARRIER WITH UNLIMTED MIN
CMDA. WIFE TOOK TO CHINA USED (CHINA MOBLIE) CARRIER 11-21-2007. GSM CARD OUT SIDE THE USA IS UNLOCK (TRUE GSM OUT SIDE THE USA) SET PHONE TO GSM OR BOTH. TO USE OVER SEAS. I TRIED MY T-MOBLE 
CARD. IT READ THE PHONE #. BUT IS DISABLED. BUT International GSM WORKS. CALL TO SEE IF THIS CARRIES IS UNLOCK FOR International. PS OTHER GSM CARD WILL BE A LOCAL PHONE NUMBERS.
NOT A WORLD PHONE!!!! AS STATED ABOVE WORLD MEANS WORLD!!! IM IN THE MILITARY SO I HAVE TESTED IT IN A LOT OF COUNTRIES. I WANT A REFUND VERIZON IS BOGUS!!!! IM GOING BACK TO AT&T.
this does NOT work in Jamaica either
Does anyone know if any blackberry works in Japan, and with which service provider (T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint)? thanks.
I desperately need to know which BB devices work in Japan. I travel there 5-6 times per year and desperately need a solution. I leave in about a week and my stay will be 6 weeks in duration. Does anyone have a phone suggestion that is e-mail and voice capable in North America and Japan. Europe would be nice but Japan and North America are a must.
I bought this phone to work in the Bahamas for its GSM capabilities… and it DOESN’T WORK IN GSM…… AT ALL. It would not even pick up a signal. They need to remove the world phone badge. It’s not worthy of the title.
King Shaolin: If you you are talking about BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, then I DITTO you 100% with all my heart. Exactly the same stuation. I only got this phone to be able to use e-mail and internet while in Bahamas as I go there often. It does not work in any mode. For me, the phone is a waste.
Patrick,
I go very often to Japan.
The only phone that works there are the 3G phones.
Nokia N70 is great or HTC Tytn II or Blackberry’s if they are 3G.
Otherwise no chance whatever the reps say.
Hope it helps.
Cosimo
In Honduras, we have cellphone carriers TIGO, CLARO, and HONDUTEL…I have a Verizon BB 8830 which I had the SIM unlock through their World Support department. When I took it to Honduras and tested the network the phone can read the SIM cards from the other carriers, but I am unable to make any calls. The network settings were set for Global and I am not sure or how I can make this phone work. The carrier, TIGO, said that the phone is locked, but if it reads the SIM card how can it be locked? Second question, another carrier CLARO said that I must purchased the BB from them in order for the phone to work. What am I not understanding here? I thought that since its a World Phone and I was able to unlock it that this would work when I’m Honduras.
I bought this phone because I needed a phone that worked all over Latin America for work reasons.
But in Argentina this phone will not work no matter what, there they use the same frequecies that US uses (850/1900) so if you take there be prepared to use it as a paper weight or an alarm clock or maybe use your contacts. But that’s about it. BTW i did get them (Verizon) to unlock the phone, only to discover that I cannot possibly use it there.
And by the way Verizon customer service SUCKS to nth power.
I have very seldom (thanks GOD) encountered so utterly useless and incompetent people.
I was considering buying this phone due to it being a “world phone” and having dual CDMA and GSM capabilities. With plans on using it for business when I am in Costa Rica and Colombia.
But after reading the thread, seems that is not the case and the phone will only work on verizon’s sim card that will charge an exorbinant fee for minutes.
At this point, I am not going to risk buying it just to find out that it wont work.
Has anyone had any experience with this phone in Costa Rica or Colombia??
8830 does not work in ghana, africa with verizon. world phone my ass. lower 8800 blackberry models work with at&t though..prob cause of sim card.
So does it work with T-Mobile or not?
I am a T-Mobile member and I just got a 8830 from a friend. IT says it is from Verizon, but I don’t know if it is compatible with T-Mobile. Any help?
irhad,
Unfortunately you cannot use your BlackBerry 8830 on T-Mobile.
Doesn’t matter what you claim if the carrier doesn’t have roaming partnerships in place. AT&T is the best global provider, period. Check out gsmworld.com so you can see for yourself who has the roaming agreements for given foreign countries.
The best world Blackberry coming to market will be the BB Bold 9000. It WILL work in Japan and South Korea on UMTS 2100 MHz frequency. http://www.blackberry.com/bold
Verizonas a company falls way short on customer service and staff training. Bought BB8830 for trim to New Zealand. Did not work (porting incomplete) got back to the states, fixed porting, left for Costa Rica and got one Text message in two weeks of travel and multiple missed calls messages. Back to the States phone worked fine.
Moved to Cayman Islands, Verizon would not unlock phone regardless of the fact I would buy out the contract. Was told international roaming was included(NOT) So now BB is relegated to a photo album.
Why don’t you buy a pre-paid phone for use when you go to that country? You could possibly clone the IME or what ever that thing is called
The Blackberry 8830 only started working in Japan in October 2008 and that was voice only. The data functions like email and web still do not work. It’s not a technical problem but rather a lack of agreements between Verizon and Japanese telco companies.
I bought a BB 8830 two months ago under the assumption that this was a world phone. The people at Bell Mobility told me that the phone would work globally with the exception of North America. I bought it for the specific purpose of business trips to Colombia. Before my trip, I reconfirmed with Bell’s CSRs that my phone would work in Colombia and they confirmed.
When I got into Colombia, the phone read the SIM card from all three GSM operators in the country, but would not register on to any network.
After calling Bell to report the misinformation they offered an apology and gave me $100 credit! WTF after I paid over $400 for the phone and extended my contract for another 3 years!!
Apparently cellphone companies in Canada can rip people off and not even the consumer protection agencies can help you.
Anybody else with this similar problem?
I have the 8830 world edition phone and the ONLY thing that works for me is the BB Messenger feature. I dont know why. Nothing else works.
John Ditter is correct. I was shocked to turn on my Blackberry (World Edition) this time in Japan and actually had 3 bars of reception (1x) way out here in the countryside (near Hiroshima). I never thought this would happen in Japan. It’s only taken them oh since the invention of the cell phone to get to this meager level of integration. Either way, it’s certainly a huge improvement. I had to dial my own number via Skype just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. And sure enough, it rang to my handset here in Japan.
Well, the Blackberry 88330 , even though it is so called the “world phone” it will not work with GSM carriers in the US such as ATT and TMOBILE because they operate in different frequencies. This blackberry only supports 900 and 1800 frequencies, if Im not mistaken, and ATT and TMOBILE operate using 850 and 1900. So it makes me wonder why is it called “world edition” if it wont even operate with GSM companies in its Home country. Just another reason to hate RIM.
I have an unlocked BB 8830 by Verizon and travel to Japan once a month. I can receive calls on the phone; however, i can not make any. Does any know why? Also, no data capabilities.
Thanks
Japan uses GSM, but it has a special frequency (2100mhz) for its service, which is called UTMS. The 8830 does not support UTMS, so it won’t work in Japan.
The new Blackberry Storm does support UTMS and can roam on all five GSM bands (though it will not allow anything but emergency “SOS” calling on GSM carrier networks in the U.S.). It is, to my knowledge, the only phone currently available that provides true world roaming, as no other device supports UTMS.
I LIKE TO FIND OUT IF WHEN AT A HOUSE WITH OUT A LAND LINE AND NEED TO INSTALL AN ALARM, AND YOU HAVE ONLY COMA RECEPTION, HOW DO YOU GET THE ALARM TO CALL THE TELEPHONE #S YOU PROGRAM IN
TO CALL FOR SELF MONITORING SENSE THERE IS NO SIM CARD IN CDMA NETWORK . IN GSM I KNOW YOU PURCHASE A SIM CARD STICK IT IN THE KEY PAD YOU’R IN BUSINESS IT WILL CALL AUTOMATICALLY UP ON TRIGGERING THE ALARM AND ALSO NO SERVICE CONTRACT NEEDED . SAL
I bught a BB 8830 world edition in spain and it just worked fine, but when i brought it back to the US and tried it with a SIM card from AT&T, it did not work. It kept on bouncing me back to Verizon operator. Am I doing something wrong. I trid to set it it to global and it seems like it was reading the SIM card. Anyone has a clue of what should I do. Thanks.
Have a user in Japan this week using a Verizon 8830. Data doesn’t work, voice works great (city is Furakawa). Looks like we’re finally getting closer to a global device.
Brian
THESE IS FULL OF RUBBISH I WONDER WHY IT CALL WORLD PHONE WHEN IT CAN WORK AROUND THE WORLD..I HOPE THEY JUST FLEETER US ON THESE .THEY SHOULD BE BAND BY THESE..
The phone is CALLED a WORLD phone, because it CAN be used outside of CDMA coverage , would a title (EVERYWHERE EXCEPT UMTS coverage sound like a good phone)
#1 Its the name of a phone.
#2. Your all expecting way to much. THe reality thart everyone needs to realize is , BEll, Verizon, Sprint, Blackberry, basically all providers and manufacturers are OUT TO MAKE MONEY!!!!, and everything is about MARKETING. So the person who says they would call the better business bureau ON WHAT GROUNDS????
The World Phone means it WILL ROAM IN EUROPE, etc on BELL, VERIZON, SPRINT etc. But at the same time IT WILL ONLY WORK IN COVERAGE AREAS THAT THE NORTH AMERICAN CELL PHONE COMPANIES HAVE ROAMING AGREEMENTS . Meaning international carriers agree to provide, Verizon, Bell etc customers service off of their cell towers at a HIGH PRICE.
NOWHERE!!!! did verizon, bell or blackberry say “HEY GUYS USE ANOTHER CARRIERS GSM CARD IN OUR PHONE???
WHY WOULD ANY COMPANY PROMOTE ANOTHER CARRIERS SERVICE!!!!!!!!!
CDMA is primary service in North America, there is CDMA in Jamaica, Bahamas, Korea and many other places. BUT AGAIN ONLY WHERE THERE IS COVERAGE
The fact is for “true” GSM service you need a FULL GSM phone. MEaning Rogers, Fido, T-Mobile , and has to BE QUAD BAND.
There are Dual or Triband GSM PHONES
And no matter what you need UMTS in Japan.
So.
My Third Point
I agree that the various phone companies are out to make money and are dis-incentivized to advertise for other services. Nonetheless, I’ve used the Sprint bb8830 in India on vodaphone and in China on China Mobile without issue. Sprint doesn’t lock these phones to begin with so it was simply a matter of switching the SIM and setting the phone to GSM. If I left the phone on CDMA (Manage Connections -> Mobile Network Options) or both, the Sprint service always attempts to assert itself.
It DOES roam on CDMA or GSM as well but, at $0.20/kb and $2.79/minute, Sprint has no chance of getting my overseas business.
My wife and I purchased two Verizon 8830 in the States, then moved to Shanghai with work. I recently purchased unlock codes for both phones, which did seem to “unlock” them. I inserted our individual SIM cards from China Mobil and am able to make calls – HOWEVER, when I call my wife’s cell phone a recording comes on from China Mobil telling me that the number is not an existing phone number. The same is true when I call her. Ironically, our phones still show our United States verizon phone number under the heading, “My Number” above the dialing window. ANY SUGGESTIONS??
It it isn’t unlocked, you should check with Verizon Wireless…
Thanks, but it is unlocked. I’m using it. However, I still cannot call my wife’s cell phone from my cell phone. I CAN call her from any other phone, and she can call my cell from any other phone. Any suggestions?
Under Manage Connections, Mobile Network Options, make sure you select GSM as the network mode. What you dscribe happens to me when I leave it on Global or CDMA mode.