[Swlug] Getting SIM card slot operational

[Daniel Morris]

Not sure about the SIM slot on the laptop, but another short-term
workaround might be a hotspot.

The standalone Mi-Fi type devices are portable, or you may have/be able to
borrow an old Android handset for a month. For mains/fixed location there
are dedicated routers, like the Huawei B535 I use. Any of these would need
to be Three native, or unlocked. Fibre rollout will have left 4G routers
redundant, so perhaps worth asking around?

 Daniel

On Sat, 24 Feb 2024, 23:07 Rhys Jones via Swlug, <swlug at mailman.lug.org.uk>
wrote:

> I did do my homework and checked that bit before posting here...
>
> ...I only want it for the next month, while I still have an unlimited data
> SIM on Three. They're switching off their 3G network, yes, but only from
> April onwards, starting in the East Midlands and the Welsh Marches.
> https://www.three.co.uk/support/network-and-coverage/our-plans-to-switch-off-3g/3g-switch-off-map
>
> So I'm extremely certain indeed, barring apocalypse, that their 3G network
> in my neck of the woods will outlast me finishing my contract with them at
> the end of March.
>
> Right, that tangent's done. Anyone with any advice on actually getting the
> thing working?
>
> Hwyl
>
> On Sat, 24 Feb 2024, 21:31 Jonathan Marsden via Swlug, <
> swlug at mailman.lug.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> Rhys,
>>
>> You are correct.  See
>> https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/advice/3g-switch-off
>> .  Basically 3G in the UK is disappearing in 2024 or 2025 depending on
>> which carrier you use.
>>
>> Jonathan
>> --
>>   Jonathan Marsden
>>   Pastor, Deer Park Baptist Church, Tenby
>>   jmarsden at fastmail.fm
>>
>> On Sat, 24 Feb 2024, at 15:36, Rhys Sage via Swlug wrote:
>> > Before getting too hung up on getting the SIM operational, check
>> > whether the frequency used by the mobile phone system is still in use.
>> > I don't know the origin of your computer but if it originated from
>> > somewhere other than the EU market then it might use an incompatible
>> > set of frequencies. For example, the 2nd generation of UK phone is on
>> > wildly different frequencies from the 2nd generation of US phones. Not
>> > only that but in 2013 we were still using 2G and moving into 3G. Now
>> > we're on 4G and moving into 5G. 2G was switched off a few years ago and
>> > 3G is probably in the process of being shut down.
>> >
>> > Rhys Sage
>> > --
>> > Swlug mailing list
>> > Swlug at mailman.lug.org.uk
>> > https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/swlug
>>
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