Skinny Roaming won’t work. Help please

Forums › New Zealand Mobile and Wireless › Skinny Roaming won’t work. Help please

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#3362541 10-Apr-2025 10:23

I'm currently experiencing exactly the same issue (in Brisbane), on both 2D Business and Prepay (on an Oppo purchased as part of the business plan).

After a couple of calls to 2D business support they've raised a ticket. The (very helpful and good) support person I last got said something to the effect of 'yea, i've seen quite a few issues like this over the past couple of weeks'

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#3362547 10-Apr-2025 10:50

Will be many issues roaming with the 3G shutdown in AU it is going to take a number of years for it to be sorted out globally

Eva888

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#3366069 20-Apr-2025 23:03

Am so sick of mucking around with the phones. Bought a second skinny roaming pack for both phones. Forced them both on to Telstra because they were again going straight to Yes Optus which didn’t work. Made a call from one Skinny to the other while in the house, wifi on, worked.

Went into the city, called the other Skinny phone…silence. So basically have paid for two roaming packs that don’t work and another two that worked some of the time before this lot. Seems to me it’s dependent on where in the city you are but Pitt Street to a phone in North Sydney central should have easy coverage. Texting seemed to work.

I think Skinny needs to refund people whose roaming doesn’t do its job. Utter waste of time and infuriatingly not fit for purpose.

I have an older phone with a Vodafone One Sim which I will take away next time. But it means I have a different number which won’t work for 2FA which is inevitable when away. Example I couldn’t sign into my Qantas App without it sending a verification code to the phone. Wise did the same one time.

The only smart thing I did this time was generate some one time pass codes which I printed out for Gmail in case I got locked out again for presuming to go on holiday out of the country.

Jase2985

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#3366074 21-Apr-2025 03:00

why not buy a local sim?

Does you phone support dual sim? esim?

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#3366075 21-Apr-2025 04:54

Eva888:

Am so sick of mucking around with the phones. Bought a second skinny roaming pack for both phones. Forced them both on to Telstra because they were again going straight to Yes Optus which didn’t work. Made a call from one Skinny to the other while in the house, wifi on, worked.

Went into the city, called the other Skinny phone…silence. So basically have paid for two roaming packs that don’t work and another two that worked some of the time before this lot. Seems to me it’s dependent on where in the city you are but Pitt Street to a phone in North Sydney central should have easy coverage. Texting seemed to work.

I think Skinny needs to refund people whose roaming doesn’t do its job. Utter waste of time and infuriatingly not fit for purpose.

I have an older phone with a Vodafone One Sim which I will take away next time. But it means I have a different number which won’t work for 2FA which is inevitable when away. Example I couldn’t sign into my Qantas App without it sending a verification code to the phone. Wise did the same one time.

The only smart thing I did this time was generate some one time pass codes which I printed out for Gmail in case I got locked out again for presuming to go on holiday out of the country.

same problem roaming with Skinny this April in North America. wouldn't work. can't send texts. can make calls, can hear other party but they can't hear me. spent an hour with Skinny to get a refund after some stern words.

openmedia

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#3366090 21-Apr-2025 08:27

Batman:

same problem roaming with Skinny this April in North America. wouldn't work. can't send texts. can make calls, can hear other party but they can't hear me. spent an hour with Skinny to get a refund after some stern words.

Issues in the US are usually because your phone doesn't have the 4G or 5G bands required. I've had the same problem.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

openmedia

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#3366091 21-Apr-2025 08:28

Eva888:

Am so sick of mucking around with the phones. Bought a second skinny roaming pack for both phones. Forced them both on to Telstra because they were again going straight to Yes Optus which didn’t work. Made a call from one Skinny to the other while in the house, wifi on, worked.

Went into the city, called the other Skinny phone…silence. So basically have paid for two roaming packs that don’t work and another two that worked some of the time before this lot. Seems to me it’s dependent on where in the city you are but Pitt Street to a phone in North Sydney central should have easy coverage. Texting seemed to work.

I think Skinny needs to refund people whose roaming doesn’t do its job. Utter waste of time and infuriatingly not fit for purpose.

I have an older phone with a Vodafone One Sim which I will take away next time. But it means I have a different number which won’t work for 2FA which is inevitable when away. Example I couldn’t sign into my Qantas App without it sending a verification code to the phone. Wise did the same one time.

The only smart thing I did this time was generate some one time pass codes which I printed out for Gmail in case I got locked out again for presuming to go on holiday out of the country.

In OZ I've managed to get VOLTE roaming on Telstra and Optus. I'm surprised you could make calls on Wifi as Skinny don't support Wifi calling outside of NZ.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

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Eva888

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#3366110 21-Apr-2025 10:07

Jase2985:

why not buy a local sim?

Does you phone support dual sim? esim?

Phone not dual sim capable. Has eSIM capability.

Local Sim gives me a different phone number and not prepared to change all my 2Fa on apps for a couple weeks and then back again. Enough time wasted.

eSIM gives me data which I can manage without as do my searching on Wifi before leaving the house and there’s enough in a roaming pack for the few hours out. (Haven’t tried data yet but will give it a go when out today so can grizzle about that also)

It’s calls that I really need to work.

Question. Is Two Degrees easier to roam with? Unsure if I can get coverage with it where we live in Welly because One NZ was patchy.

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#3366117 21-Apr-2025 10:55

openmedia:

Issues in the US are usually because your phone doesn't have the 4G or 5G bands required. I've had the same problem.

i have full signal on 5G, i can hear the other party perfectly, and my other esim worked 100%. i also checked all the bands on my phone and it has all the bands required,

richms

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#3366139 21-Apr-2025 12:15

Eva888:

Phone not dual sim capable. Has eSIM capability.

Local Sim gives me a different phone number and not prepared to change all my 2Fa on apps for a couple weeks and then back again. Enough time wasted.

eSIM gives me data which I can manage without as do my searching on Wifi before leaving the house and there’s enough in a roaming pack for the few hours out. (Haven’t tried data yet but will give it a go when out today so can grizzle about that also)

It’s calls that I really need to work.

Question. Is Two Degrees easier to roam with? Unsure if I can get coverage with it where we live in Welly because One NZ was patchy.

Perhaps look at using proper 2 factor with those services instead of a SMS based one which has these problems of being reliant on access to a third party service wherever you may be?

You need to work out if these problems you are having are with your device or with skinny before you bother trying other telcos for roaming, its now at the stage where I only suggest people roam with an iPhone because of the mess that is volte and things like this happening and the "support" from telcos being effectively as useless as asking chatgpt.

Richard rich.ms

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#3366142 21-Apr-2025 12:37

The issue occurs with iPhones as well. I had the same issue when I was over there.

richms

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#3366143 21-Apr-2025 12:40

Behodar:

The issue occurs with iPhones as well. I had the same issue when I was over there.

At least then you know its not your hardware not working or having the right profiles on it like with a majority of androids that just fail to work, and you have a legitimate problem with the telco and that any attempt to blame the phone can be ignored.

Richard rich.ms

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#3366584 22-Apr-2025 18:51

Same issue for me with Samsung S8+. Data and SMS works fine just no voice. Says calling but nothing happens.

Tried re booting and manual selection of operator without success .

Network info at top right of the screen shows 4G+ with an R assocated with the signal strength meter.

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Asteros

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#3366598 22-Apr-2025 20:23

Maybe move to Spark - their roaming works fine in Australia. Skinny would have the same reception as Spark in Wellington. Otherwise 2 Degrees or One NZ roam well to Australia in my experience.

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#3366602 22-Apr-2025 20:53

Asteros:

Maybe move to Spark - their roaming works fine in Australia. Skinny would have the same reception as Spark in Wellington. Otherwise 2 Degrees or One NZ roam well to Australia in my experience.

I know the title is about Skinny how ever I am on Spark.

I have been told that Spark and Telstra 4G networks are not compatible.

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