Dual SIM Blackberry in the pipeline?
 

Just curious if there's anything in the pipeline for a dual sim blackberry that also has WiFi and 3G.

Thanks.

I'm about 99.999% sure there isn't since China is really the only place that uses dual-SIM phones.

Nokia has about 6 Dual SIM phones. That's why I was asking. Pretty common in Europe.

It's great having non tech savvy executives that fly around the world and they see toys that are not available here but are so cool they want it here and when they find out it's not, they throw temper tantrums and look at you like it's your fault.

Happen to anyone else? :smile:

I had an exec ask me once to call up Yahoo to redesign his personal page as he didn't like the look of it. I showed him how he can add or remove stuff but he didn't like the actual layout and wanted it changed.

Samsung has several too, but they are all designed for China. RIM doesn't really have the market for a dual-SIM phone.

Most BlackBerry users want one number, worldwide, and they'll pay for it. I know I do.

I believe there is a market for Dual SIM cellphones and blackberry's. Especially for companies that have offices around the world. Just imagine not having to pay roaming charges when you are in your office in Spain or London. Just get a local chip and voila.

I can tell you that if RIM had Dual SIM capabilities in say the Pearl, Curve or Bold units, they'd have an order from us for at least 500 units worldwide.

There really is not that much of the market for them, regardless of what you believe. Granted, I like the idea of dual-SIM handsets, and I'll be ordering the new quad-band Samsung dual-SIM slider when it is available, but there is not a large world market for them. China is really the only country in the world that uses them with frequency.

The biggest drawback to a dual-SIM BlackBerry is that BlackBerry service can only be procured on contract in almost every country in the world. Thus, it is very uneconomical to sign up for a contract if you'll only be in the country for a month or two. Further, you may not even be able to sign a contract unless you have residence in that country. Even if you just picked up a PAYG SIM for voice service, your users will still want their e-mail, so you're still stuck with the roaming data charges, and you haven't saved any money.

For me a dual SIM BB is the best solution, since i work between France and US and have 2 SIM cards. My BB service provider is Orange FR which is very expensive, where if i had a dual sim BB, i would have goten a BB service from TMobile which is much cheaper and also could use UMA from Europe through WIFI to call the USA, but keeping my French number for local French calls. Maybe someday!!!

I think that's changing. In Italy BB service become popular when all 3 main carriers (Vodafone Italy, TIM and Wind) started to offer the service on a monthly basis for PAYG cards.

I read Orange in the UK starting to offer the same service. I'd say it will spread around Europe within one year or two.

Not a problem for companies that have a global presence in other countries. Usually, it's the offices in that country that arrange for cellular coverage and not the individual. At least that's how it work's for us.

Actually, would be nice if they could make a multi-gsm SIM. Assign multiple numbers/carriers to one SIM card or have a GSM/3G cellphone capable of multiple carriers and numbers. A good number of our travellers spend about 50%-60% of their time traveling to other offices on 5 continents/17 countries, and about 1000 different cellular carriers. If it wasn't for the roaming charges, there would be no need for multi-sim phones and chips.

The current practice for us now is that travelers have cell phones assigned to them in-country so it's not unusual for a person to carry 2 to 3 cell phones/blackberry's while traveling. Which means carrying extra chargers and handsfree kits and whatnot. Plus sometimes, when a person hands a phone back, they may not return chargers and the other extras. It would be nice to eliminate that.

Any dual-SIM or multi-SIM phone is very unlikely being offered by the US carrier as the customer here are so used to get the subsidized phones. The carriers have all the controls what the handset marker can offer. It will not change unless there is a bigger market for non-subsidized phones...

I'd love a dual sim phone. Not for dual email service, but just to add local mobile service when traveling. But I don't want it enough to pay the $50 to $100 a dual sim adapter costs, I just carry an extra phone now.

I would be quite happy to pay the data roaming charges, and get a local payg number while I'm in a different country. The roaming data rates aren't cheep but they're not bad, but the voice rates are killer. So when I head to the airport tomorrow, I will have two phones with me, one for voice one for data...

huh? i don't know off any Nokia models supporting dual SIM..
Samsung has the D880 and has a new phone supporting dual SIM to be released. but that is about it apart from chinese crap.

Wirelessly posted

I don't think the real benefit for dual sim tech would be related to operating in different countries,but more so for those people out there that have personal and business cellular numbers who don't want to carry around two phones, I.e., business people that work outside the office.

I mean, I can't be absolutely sure of this, but I would think most salesmen, company reps, tech support, etc have to carry a company phone in addition to their personal. It would be quite advantagous for RIM to develop a dual sim BB for these users...

Most salesmen and reps are allowed to use their company phones for personal use, so there is no reason for them to have two phones. I have multiple phones by choice.

i dont see the point of dual sim blackberries, if you really need to use an other simcard, just switch it :)

Dual sim cards are really convenient if you have lots of contacts in either business or social groups. Switching it manually could take time and could even damage your phone.

Actually, I think it would be more of a pain in the butt to have a dual SIM BB. If there actually were a dual sim BB and you were able to switch from one SIM to the other, you would basically be disconnecting the first for the second. This being the case, you wouldn't be able to receive any calls or emails on the "home" BB when connected to local anyway, and vice versa. As a frequent int'l traveler, I really find that I am much better off carrying a second phone. In most countries, you can't get BIS or BES on a prepaid SIM anyway. I carry a travel phone, which is actually one of my old BB's, so I can synch it to my contacts, calendar, etc, and I either leave my US BB in my hotel safe, connected through UMA, or I carry it in my briefcase, set to UMA only. That way, I can have full connectivity at no additional charge when in the presence of a WIFI signal, and I have my travel phone with a local SIM for use "in-country" at cheap rates. Until someone comes up with a dual SIM, dual radio phone, the whole dual SIM idea makes little sense, IMHO.

In some european countries (spain and italy for example) they have taken a different approach to this issue where you have two numbers (business and personal) on the same sim and choose which one is the active one for outgoing calls, but can receive on both numbers all the time.

Motorola is releasing a Dual SIM iDen phone that will be capable of service on Nextel and Southern Linc........