China (China Mobile) SIM Instructions

China SIM Card Instructions

www.cellularabroad.com
+1 310 862-7100

Please be sure to read these
instructions prior to departing for China.

If you experience any technical difficulties with your phone or SIM card and you do not contact Cellular Abroad for technical support by phone or by email during your trip, we cannot offer any refund or compensation.

Dialing information
Your phone needs to be an unlocked dual-band, tri-band or quad-band GSM phone capable of functioning on the 900 MHz GSM band in order to accept the SIM card.

Your China Cell to US: 001 – area code – phone number
US to China Cell: 011 – 86 – 11-digit phone number
Your China Cell to China: area code - phone number
China to Your China Cell Number: area code - phone number

IP dialing
IP dialing uses Internet telephony to make phone calls at a fraction of the cost of using regular phone systems. There are two access numbers for IP dialing.

To make an international call to the U.S., dial 17901 (or 17951) + 001 + area code + phone number
Sometimes when dialing 17901 the IP phone line is busy. If so, please attempt using 17951 instead or re-attempt again or later or dial direct without using the IP number (more expensive)

Important: Toll free US 800 numbers based in the can not be called from overseas cell phones. If you are able to connect, you will be charged for an international outgoing call.

Please Note: There is no support for service when roaming outside of China

Register your SIM card for automatic recharging via credit card. To set up this service, you will need to call 1-866-574-2050 FROM A LANDLINE before your departure. This is a toll-free number in the US that rings through to China. 24/7 hours customer service. In China the number is 400-820-0293.

If you do not sign up for the automatic recharge option, you will need to have at least $32 of credit to use IP dialing.

Rental Setup

Make sure the phone is charged and the menu settings are in English.

For SIM Card Only Purchases
Snap out the SIM chip from the SIM card and insert the chip into your GSM phone's SIM card slot. (The SIM card slot is located under the phone's battery. If unsure of how to properly install the SIM chip, consult your phone's user guide.)

Turn on your phone and enter the 4 digit PIN code if requested and press OK/Send. (The default PIN number is 1234.)
Disable the PIN-check feature. Consult your phone manual for how to do this. (Try consulting the index under "security", "lock", "SIM", or "PIN.")

Sign up for the voicemail service at the time of setting up your automatic recharge. The same customer service representative can help you with this.

PIN and PUK codes
The PIN (Personal Identification Number) code prevents unauthorized access to the SIM card in your phone. If you enter the PIN code incorrectly 3 times in a row, the SIM card will be blocked. To un-block the SIM card, you will need to enter the PUK (Personal Unlock Key) code. Please consult your manual for how to disable the PIN-check feature.

Activating Your Service
Your first call in the China will activate your service.

Setting up Voicemail
To setup voice mail, you will need to call customer support to add voice mail to the number for a $5 one-time setup charge. To do this, call 1-866-574-2050 before your departure.
To setup voicemail so that people can leave a message when your phone is busy,

Call **61*13800210166# then hang up.

To setup voicemail so that people can leave a message when your phone is powered off,

Call **62*13800210166# then hang up.

To access the voicemail system and listen to your messages,

Call 13800210166 and press 1

Note: You'll want to inform those calling you that they have to press the # key to confirm when finishing and then press 1 to send your message to your voice mailbox.

Changing Menu to English

Call 1-380-021-0166 from your China cell phone.
Select 2 (wait 1 second), 3 (wait one second), then 2 from your phone's keypad
The Chinese prompts will change to English

Checking Your Credit
Check call credit by dialing 400-820-0293 in China. Be sure to have your phone # handy. If you've used up all your credits, you will only be able to call this number from a payphone.

Purchasing More Talk Time

before

Outside of Shanghai, this will be your ONLY way of adding more credit to your prepaid account

In Shanghai, recharge cards are readily available in denominations of RMB 50, 100, 300 and 500 yuan at convenience stores, news stands and post offices

Recharging Your SIM Card
Here's how to add credit once you've obtained a recharge card (Outside of Shanghai, you will not be able to use recharge cards to add talk time to your prepaid account):

Gently scratch the covered area of the recharge card, exposing the 18 digit recharge code.
Dial 1-318-001-3800 with your cell phone.
Select 2 for English.
Then select 1 for the recharge option.
You are prompted to enter your recharge code. After you enter your 18 digit code, the system will announce your latest balance and expiry date

Troubleshooting
If you are unable to make or receive calls switch networks on your phone. Consult your phone’s manual. The steps will be like these:

Menu > Settings/Setup > Network > Available Network/Change Network > Search
Select a different network carrier than the one currently shown.

If you are receiving no reception bars, emergency calls only, SOS, or no service check your phones band setting: Consult your phone’s manual. The steps will be like these:

Menu > Settings/Setup > Network > Network Setup >Band
Make sure you select 900/1800

Customer Service
For network or service issues:

Call customer service within China 400-820-0293

For hardware issues

Please contact Cellular Abroad at +310-862-7100 (24/7 English speaking reps) or via email at support@cellularabroad.com

Rates
Rates are based on per-minute charges.

Domestic
Placing and Receiving Local Calls	0.80 yuan/minute (app. $0.09)
Placing and Receiving Long-Distance Calls*	1.5 yuan/minute (app. $0.17)
Calls to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan*	2.80 yuan/minute (app. $0.33)
Placing International Calls (USA, Canada, etc.)*	8.80 yuan/minute (app. $1.06)
Placing International Calls (USA, Canada , etc.) using 17901 IP code**	2.4 yuan/min. ($0.47) from Shanghai 2.65 yuan/min. ($0.52) from any other area
Receiving International Calls	1.5 yuan/minute (app. $0.17)

*China Mobile also offers a 40% discount concession for all domestic long distance calls and certain international long distance calls made between midnight and 7:00 a.m. Please call customer info at 13800138000 for more information.

** Dialing 17901 (or 17951) then destination # will save you over 70% cost on international calls.

SMS Rates
You can send and receive SMS text message from your international cell phone. However, Cellular Abroad cannot be responsible nor guarantee that you will always be able to send and receive SMS messages in all counties and in all circumstances. Important: the price for Domestic SMS is $0.02/piece, while the price for International SMS is $0.17/piece.

Service Life
The validity of your SIM Card is extended each time you recharge your card. After your last top-up, you have up to 4 months to add more credit. Please note that after 3 months of inactivity, you lose any credit on the account. You then have 1 month to re-apply credit to the account before the SIM card is de-commissioned. Once this takes place, you will not be able to re-instate the service back with your SIM card.

To inquire about the possibility of extending your SIM card’s service life while outside the SIM card’s country of origin, contact the telecom provider's customer service, Cellular Abroad does not provide support for this feature.

You will find a copy of these instructions on our website at http://www.cellularabroad.com/chinaSIMop.php

Cellular Abroad is not responsible for typos, misinformation, change of service or menu prompts, lack of coverage or other possibilities that result in a lack of service or otherwise resulting in not being able to make or receive calls. We try to supply the most accurate information possible. Carrier rates, service plans and related information can change without notice. If you find any discrepancies between these instructions and your actual experience with the phone service or if you have useful additional information, we would appreciate any clarifications, suggestions or corrections. Please send your comments to comments@cellularabroad.com.