Can you get 2 numbers on one handset?

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Geektastic

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#41984 27-Sep-2009 16:03

Hi All

When I lived in the UK about 5 years ago, my Orange handset (a Nokia) had 2 mobile numbers assigned to one SIM card, enabling me to have one personal and one private with different ringtones.

Do any of the networks offer that here in NZ?

gadgetmannz

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#258881 28-Sep-2009 09:28

There might be some phones out there that support dual sims. That would be two sim cards though.

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Geektastic

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#258884 28-Sep-2009 09:34

Yes, I have seen a few. That seems a very clunky way around it when it has been technically possible for a long time to do it on one Sim.

I think I recall that being available on Orange in the UK at least as early as about 1996!

NealR

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#258917 28-Sep-2009 10:36

Two numbers on one SIM card is not a service TelecomNZ (XT Network) currently provides to customers.

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gadgetmannz

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#258973 28-Sep-2009 13:15

It sure beats carrying round a business phone and a personal phone.

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heavenlywild

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#258976 28-Sep-2009 13:19

I think the potential is huge when a manfacuturer can come up with a good and user-friendly workable solution.

tonyhughes

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#258979 28-Sep-2009 13:26

heavenly_wild: I think the potential is huge when a manfacuturer can come up with a good and user-friendly workable solution.

Plenty of dual sim handsets around.

Mostly cheap chinese things, because the major manufacturers depend a lot of carrier deals. What carrier wants to subsidise a handset that enables the customer to use a competitors SIM to be able to choose the best calling deal for any given situation.

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#258995 28-Sep-2009 14:10

heavenly_wild: I think the potential is huge when a manfacuturer can come up with a good and user-friendly workable solution.

Well, it should not be too hard. Orange conquered it over 10 years ago - and I expect VF UK do it as well! This is from Orange's website:

"if you're a pay monthly customer Line 2 gives you two separate lines on your phone so you can separate call types.

As well as separate numbers you'll get separate bills and it's far less expensive than having two phones. You can also manage both accounts online through the Orange website.

a reduced monthly charge for Line 2

a separate Answer Phone for Line 2

useful for tax purposes or submitting expense claims

choose the same monthly Service Plan as your first line or one that costs less per month for Line 2

Just choose the same monthly Service Plan or one that costs less per month for your second line.

You’ll get £4.89 off any Service Plan you have on your second line. For example, if you choose 30 Any network anytime minutes on Line 2 it will only cost you £9.79 instead of £14.68 per month.

Your Service Plan on Line 1 must be of greater value than that of your Line 2. You cannot connect an Orange Value Promise tariff to Line 2."

So a call to Orange from NZ ought to tell the networks how to do it..........

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dman

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#259052 28-Sep-2009 17:08

tonyhughes:
heavenly_wild: I think the potential is huge when a manfacuturer can come up with a good and user-friendly workable solution.

Plenty of dual sim handsets around.

Mostly cheap chinese things, because the major manufacturers depend a lot of carrier deals. What carrier wants to subsidise a handset that enables the customer to use a competitors SIM to be able to choose the best calling deal for any given situation.

yes, one of my friends recently bought from trademe a phone in which she has a 2degrees and a VF sim card

I had a tiny tiny play around with it and watched her use it extensively, seems to be a decent phone

especially when you consider the price ($170)

dunno what brand it is, something completely random from china I'm sure that didn't seem to even display it's brand anywhere

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sbiddle

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#259064 28-Sep-2009 17:59

Orange and One2One pioneered it in the UK because the feature was created as part of the 1800MHz GSM spec (and was adopted by 1900Mhz as well).

Back in the late 90's it did not exist as part of the 900 GSM spec so 900 carriers in the UK such as Vodafone and BT Cellnet were unable to offer it. Later on it was added to the GSM 900 spec also.

Presumably now most GSM and UMTS networks could support the product but very few use it.

Geektastic

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#259066 28-Sep-2009 18:07

Seems like a very easy way for them to charge twice...! Should be popular with them and would be very useful I think. I certainly found it useful when I had it.

It's interesting to note that I had a friend here with an LG iPhone-clone on XT and he has 3G signal - yet my VF iPhone in the same place does not get 3G!! Grrrr!