Using a Verizon iphone 5 in Taiwan

Question

Level 1

4 points

Using a Verizon iphone 5 in Taiwan

So I'm just back from Taiwan and have some experience using a Verizon iPhone 5.

The Verizon iPhone 5 is GSM unlocked. This means that if you have a nanoSIM card from a local provider (I had a prepaid card from Chung Wah) you can follow this procedure:

Turn off the phone, pop out the drawer using Apple's special tool, remove out Verizon's special card (retain for future use!), drop in your nanoSIM, reinstall the drawer, turn on the phone. This will probably even work in the US with a GSM provider like T-Mobile but I don't have actual experience.

To return to Verizon, reverse the procedure.

BTW, I tried to use my phone as a Verizon phone in Taiwan hoping that they would have some reciprocal arrangement with a local CDMA provider but, alas, no go. I guess there aren't any CDMA providers in Taiwan. This is unfortunate. I like to text my family upon landing just to tell them I've arrived. I can't on Verizon; have to go into the terminal where there's free wifi before I can email and I can't text internationally at all because my Taiwan prepaid plan doesn't seem to support it. Before, when I was with AT&T, texting worked even though I turned data roaming off.

One other downside at least for countries with no CDMA provider: if folks back in the old USofA want to reach you, they're going to have to call you on your local number, not your Verizon number. It'll be an international call for them. There was one time when I was still with AT&T that I was standing at the International Flower Expo in Taipei and the person who was house sitting for me happened to call. A very weird experience but seamless. Now with Verizon, that won't work.

iPhone 5, iOS 6.0.2

Posted on Jan 16, 2013 6:17 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 20, 2013 4:23 AM in response to LinFamily

One short question. Do they have nano SIM for iPhone 5 at the Taipei airport? I'm heading there in 10 days for a business trip.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

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Answer 2

LinFamily Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 20, 2013 5:49 AM in response to Scooterelli

They do indeed. I recommend the airport stores as they specialize in the issues that travelers may have. There are much larger stores in Taipei, for example, but there (a) staff may not have (as much) English, (b) most of the folks there will be dealing with issues relevant to local folks (bills, minutes, etc.), (c) they may not be convenient to your hotel. At Sung Shan, the better store is on the "departures" floor, up one level from the "arrivals" floor.

One issue is arrival time. Not sure when you're arriving. If you fly China Air or Eva, you arrive really early in the morning - before even the store upstairs opens. If you fly United, you arrive later in the day because of the layover in Japan and the later departure time. I don't know if the store will be open, since I've never arrived at that time.

Have a great trip.

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Answer 3

Jun 20, 2013 6:25 AM in response to LinFamily

I'll arrive 6.45pm flying from Kuala Lumpur so the store should be open I guess.

Thank you

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Answer 4

LinFamily Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 20, 2013 11:04 AM in response to Scooterelli

I would presume so. I believe that I have been to the store while I was hanging around in the lobby waiting for an 11PM flight to the US.

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Answer 5

pvonk

Level 6

13,851 points

Jun 20, 2013 11:13 AM in response to LinFamily

Actually, you can use Verizon outside the USA using GSM, it's just that you have to contact Verizon before you leave so they can provision the GMS. But this means roaming and high charges from Verizon, so hearing your story was quite a surprise to me.

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Answer 6

LinFamily Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 5, 2013 12:37 PM in response to LinFamily

So, on the final leg of a two-legged trip to Shanghai and Taiwan. I provisioned (just my own) Verizon iPhone 5 before I left but when we got to Shanghai all three of our phones worked fine. I didn't figure out how to call the US and I'm sure the calls will be expensive; I'll leave those issues for when I get back. But all three worked fine as local phones.

Ended up in both Shanghai (and around) and in Taiwan using an unlocked quad-band GSM phone that I bought sometime back and a prepaid SIM for local calls. I started this conversation talking about the nanoSIM that I bought the last time I was in Taiwan. Ended up trading it in for a regular SIM and using two phones. While it's not the perfect solution, I'm not sure given the state of technology that there is a perfect solution. This seems the best least perfect solution.

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