15 Jul 2011

Orange and T-Mobile M2M SIMs can now benefit from the Everything Everywhere network

Orange and T-Mobile M2M SIMs can now benefit from the Everything Everywhere network

Following the launch of Everything Everywhere in July 2010, Orange and T Mobile have evolved a three phase approach in enabling consumers and business customers to roam between both networks..

Following the launch of Everything Everywhere in July 2010, Orange and T Mobile have evolved a three phase approach in enabling consumers and business customers to roam between both networks – OUK and TIMUK. ‘Backend’ changes have been involved together with an ‘Over the Air’ (OTA) update in the form of a SIM update. The purpose of the OTA is to remove the TMUK or the OUK network, as applicable, from the Forbidden Network List within the SIM. Due to the variation of M2M applications and the fact that many devices are in remote locations, the decision was made not to allow M2M SIMs to roam until Phase II and Phase III, when the process can be managed.

With Phase I completed in January 2011, changes were made on 1st February 2011 to the ‘backend’ systems potentially allowing OUK M2M users who have been supplied M2M SIMs since 1st February to roam onto the TMUK network providing that the SIM was enabled for international roaming. When a new SIM is supplied the Forbidden Network List within the SIM is empty; it gets populated when access to a particular network is denied. All OUK M2M SIMs that have been in service prior to 1st February 2011 and those SIMs that have been supplied since that have international roaming disabled will not be able to roam until they have received the OTA. There were a few exceptions to this where for example the device has been abroad and has had the TMUK network in the Forbidden Network List overwritten or where a manual connection has been made to the TMUK network.

Moving to Phase III from June 2011 Everything Everywhere will be in a position to carry out the OTA’s to the OUK M2M base. This will involve a SIM Update that clears the Forbidden Network List, thus allowing a device to roam onto the TMUK network. Changes have also been made so that devices will be able to roam onto the TMUK network, even though international roaming is barred. The Update conforms to the 3GPP 23.048 standard and is similar to other SIM Updates that a SIM will have received in the past. As with most SIM Updates changes do not become effective until the device is either power cycled or detached and reattached to the network, depending on the GSM device.

With 13,000 2G transmitter sites on the OUK network and 10,000 2G sites on TMUK, there will be an increase in the coverage both inbuilding and geographic. For the majority of applications and in particular those that already support roaming there are no consequences other than an improvement in coverage in the UK. There may be issues that need to be addressed where for an example an application behaves differently if it detects that the SIM is roaming and the roaming decision is based solely on the value of CREG or GCREG and not on the Country Code. Devices using GPRS will be able to connect to their respective APN’s in the same way as they would if they were roaming abroad.

Commenting on the final ‘coming together’ of both networks, Oliver Tucker, Managing Director of Wireless Logic says: “Orange and T Mobile have kept our technical team in the loop at every stage of the phased process. This announcement really puts Everything Everywhere on the M2M map, by providing enhanced UK coverage. The M2M network has changed, and changed for the better. “

If you have technical questions relating to the combined networks of Orange and T Mobile, contact support@wirelesslogic.co.uk or call the Support Team on 0844 8044 111.