yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
Yes i have the same. why ?

---------- Post added at 11:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:24 PM ----------

Thank you for watch my video. Please help me spread out this video.

Thank you very much.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] gavinfabl:
This has nothing to do with stopping grey imports. It sounds like a deal done with carriers to earn more money from customers on data roaming charges.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BullHorn7:
Holy crap. RIP Samsung may you rot in ****. I'll stick to my 4.1.2 Note 2 till it dies and then get a HTC or LG.

Sent via Mobile
[Galaxy Note 3 General] redpill2016:
That doesn't make sense, they wouldn't risk losing the international traveler segment, they know there are too many other options in the smartphone world. It does make sense that they would do it to undercut gray market importers. Samsung MAKES money on consumers, some of whom travel internationally whereas they LOSE money on gray market importers. They certainly have screwed this up from a communication, and potentially software implementation, standpoint, but I have a hard time believing they would alienate a lucrative customer segment so deliberately.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] markad1:
if this is the way Samsung go I will cancel my note 3, dump my note 2, S4 and note 10.1.

My wallet will not open for anything Samsung again.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
and please help me more to spread my video or my coment around.

Let them know we are not stupid people for they can fool around
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Some European region Note 3s may have a CSC file which restricts Thai or certain other out-of-region SIMs while other European region Note 3s might (for reasons best known to Samsung) have a CSC file containing a different or more permissive MCC list. If:

- each user who has had an out-of-region SIM rejected AND

- each user who has had an out-of-region SIM accepted,

is able to report the precise CSC file in their particular European region Note 3, perhaps we can then work out what differences in the CSC files cause the different outcomes which users are reporting (eg differing MCC lists) and help work out how the region lock in any given CSC file controls access to the SIM. It may also usefully help identify the most user-friendly CSC files and the most problematic CSC files.

Ideally Samsung would drop this unnecessary region lock nonsense and none of this would matter anymore.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] samaliset:
Thanks for the video.

I left you a comment out their which I did question already here. The activation process may be needs to register at Samsung site as new costumer. Have you done it? if not it is worth it may be.

Let us know.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Swanseatom:
My brothers O2 UK Note 3 doesnt have the sticker about region lock on it's box that i have seen posted.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BullHorn7:
Regarding Samsung dropping the bomb on existing users of Note II or Galaxy S3 after updating to 4.3 or 4.4 - this makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. Samsung's goal is supposedly harming the gray market but all that would do is harm the end-users who wasted their money on this junk before it was even a 'crime'.

Imagine alcohol becoming illegal and anybody who used it before the legislation is now a criminal. This is ****ing bull****.

Sent via Mobile
[Galaxy Note 3 General] maidangisme:
Thanks for clip, this explains Everything region still affect after first activation.

-Is Samsung German statement about region lock is b**s*hing european version?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] jeromepearce:
Nailed it. Whenever you can find a 'monetary' reason for something inexplicable, that'll be the one. Damned companies, always trying to make a profit. Anyone would think that was their purpose!

/sarc

---------- Post added at 09:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:08 AM ----------

Because the market segment from sheeple that buy a phone through a painfully expensive contract is massive compared to those who buy unlocked and travel. Basic maths.

I have no data to go on, but I strongly suspect that they get a much greater per-unit profit through the service providers, and a great deal less hassle selling bulk orders (as with most high-volume electronics). Why bother creating a market when your sellers can create a much bigger one for you? Pander to them, and you make more money.

It seems like simple business sense to me. They do not care about you or me. (Having said that, I'm in Oz, so I don't care, and if I was in Europe, I'd root and forget about it.)

[edit: If I was in Europe I'd care a massive amount more that if I travelled a few Kms I have to pay massive roaming charges anyway. I have always found that mad.]
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
It is painful. They can likely do it if the update is voluntary and on an informed basis. I suspect that quite a few local Samsung employees have Samsung phones, take them on holiday abroad and appreciate that its HQ is pushing the boundaries here - for the unlocked phone user.

That said:

- there is presumably a lot of money at stake for so long as Samsung, with over 299,000,000 active smartphones out there and 31+% of the global smartphone market (eg see article - http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...sung-android-flurry-smartphones-tablets-study), can add value by driving extra international roaming fees into the hands of European networks from well-off Samsung European region phone users. The effect of the region lock could be a quite significant roaming revenue boost for home region networks from their existing customers, even if Samsung, from what we can see from the MCC blocked lists seen to date, is in practice not going so far as to block actively SIMs from one or more of the North American networks.

- the US customer base is more accustomed to network SIM locks generally so Samsung may see any reaction to the region lock as more of a local European issue (affecting only a relatively small number of customers who value unlocked phones) more than an international one. In fact Samsung presumably do not see it as a deal-breaking issue at all since they must have already done a major cost/benefit analysis at HQ level to roll out worldwide such a corporate policy. Moreover there could be other revenue benefits to Samsung - in the US market for example, networks selling Samsung phones could find it pays to sell more of them if it helps to drive extra roaming fees to those same US networks. Meanwhile the local networks outside the US might not miss out if they end up getting a higher connection fee from an international customer's home region network than would be the case if the customer was simply free to pick up a local SIM.

I am beginning to fear that the SIM limitation notices stuck on the shipping boxes are very deliberately drafted at the request of Samsung HQ for sound economic reasons, even if under the cover of the individual CSC there are also some compromises to the MCC list for particular countries and networks which show up as exceptions to the general rule. If business enterprises and purchasers of premium Samsung Fs can be expected to live with it or are indifferent, then unlocked Samsung phone customers may expect to become an even rarer constituency in the future.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] senectus:
Bet you the German gov is one of the first to legislate against this bs...
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
The beauty of using a blacklist lock is it can change. I suspect the US was left off the EU blacklist to help ease the transition, make it less shocking at first. It does not mean that it will stay that way. Furthermore, having a blacklist in the system may tempt telecoms to bribe Samsung into expanding the list for their benefit. Win-win.

This collusion between Samsung and their telecom cronies may backfire though. When an executive returns home after a business trip and finds out he has run up $25000 in roaming charges, he will realize that he could have bought a lot of unlocked iphones with that money!

I can imagine the commercials now: the Samsung nerd is standing across from an Apple store (long line for a new release) when he gets a text message ashen faced. A person waiting in the Apple line turns to his friend and says "Roaming charges..."

How many times do you think they'd have to run a commercial like that to get the message across? Samsung = Bad for Business, Samsung = Bad for Travellers. There's a lot at stake here but I think what they are doing is very risky - and totally needlessly so.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] natedogggg:
I wrote to Samsung to display my disgust at their decision, and to let them know that the I cannot bring myself to support a company who so blatantly disregards the rights of their consumers, and treats us with such disrespect.

In true RATDOG style they refuse to take responsibility for what is obviously a decision based on dollars, and instead blame it on the difficulty handling different carrier specs.

What is next Samsung? Are you going to limit our phone use to ‘approved’ carriers only? Limit our phone functionality to be only able to call countries of your choice?

At this moment Samsung, nothing would make me happier than to hear about a huge drop in sales, and an increase in your competitors sales. I wish for people to stand up to this and flood your phones and emails and stores with complaints, and letters of disgust.

More likely though, people will continue to buy, and little by little we lose another bit of freedom until we wake up one day and remember back to the day where you could buy a phone from anywhere in the world and use it in any way you wanted without carriers and manufacturers dictating the rules of use.

“Welcome to Samsung Electronics! We appreciate your interest. Your opinion is very important for us.

Regarding your inquiry, we attach next the information,

Dear Mr.Nathan

We apologize for this inconvenient but in another way we need to notice the following:

In this case we have each model in each region version, the problem isn't by Samsung, the problem is each phone companies have their own specs of comunication we need to customize each phone according the phone companies to get Smartphones functionality

Please, remember that all the feedback you can share with us about our services and products will be appreciated.

If you have further questions or any other comments, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Samsung Electronics

Customer Contact Center

Best Regards,

Name:Ariel Ortega

Designation: Service CCC Agents “
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
The differences in the MCC lists even within a region seem already to be becoming apparent and subtle. Samsung appears to be informing its customers in relatively wealthy regions from the start that no SIM from outside the region is compatible (even though some are) - as a result, those customers may not be able to object easily to Samsung manipulating a customer's MCC block list in the future so long as all SIMs from that region continue not to be blocked. Virtuous circle for Samsung then as each network is strongly incentivised to push Samsung's "innovative" products harder so as the network is more likely to secure access to extra roaming fees.

For adverts, how about:

- Samsung traveller stares at his new metallic, curved screen, Premium Samsung F near the Eiffel Tower in Germany alongside a smart lady with an Apple. Every time he is called or it syncs with the cloud because he takes a photo or sends a MMS a $5 charge rings up. Fast forward through the day and the bill is $500 and the Apple lady's bill is $5. Samsung F = Premium ... Prices.

- Samsung businessman sits in a meeting room in Germany using his shiny Premium Samsung F alongside a smart lady with an Apple. Every time Samsung man calls up a document or email or answers a call $10 appears on the screen. Fast forward through his meetings and calls through the day and his bill is $2000 and the Apple lady's bill is $20. Samsung F = Premium ... Prices
[Galaxy Note 3 General] flygaren:
Arrived in Thailand now, and I can happily report the Thai sim is working flawless. I can call, I can use data.

I will most likely be here for three months or so this time around so I will report back in 14 days to confirm wether it is still working or not.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
Can you tell us the CSC file name for your phone? You could find it by dialling *#1234# into your stock telephone dialler.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
Don't get excited. He unlocked his phone using the Russian site.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] flygaren:
First to recap on what I have done, First I used a swedish sim, then a thai sim didn't work (I was still in Sweden at that time), Used a swedish Sim some more. Then tried Thai sim again, didnt work. Got the code from the russian site, Thai sim seemed to work fine.

Realised that I wanted Root also, so flashed with a rooted Rom I found on this site. I don't know if this will affect the CSC or not.

Arrived in Thailand, tested the Thai sim and all is working fine.

Mine CSC is currently reading, N90050XXBMI14
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
That CSC file name could be broken down (source: http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f200...guage-1621171/) as follows:

* OXX - Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom

* B - [I am not sure what this signifies - though "Blocked" is an unsupportable guess.]

* M - 2013

* I - September

* 14 - version 14

Slight chance that OXXB might be some variation on OXB (=Denmark, Norway, Sweden) given you bought the phone in Sweden, but for current purposes I am going to assume that you changed CSC at time of installing rooted ROM - in which case possibly:

- the CSC might be one which allows Thailand anyway; or

- perhaps the effect of the code is stored within the EFS folder and survived flashing of the rooted ROM.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bp328i:
I should be receiving my US T-Mobile Note III within the next two days or so. I'm doing quite a bit of traveling within a month. Does the Russian site provide unlock codes that will allow me to use different SIM cards?

T-Mobile will unlock the phone for me but it has to active on their network for least 40 days first and I'm leaving prior to that.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] s2kdriver80:
Dumb question - if the file being referenced here listing all of the networks serves as the blacklist, can't root access enable you to edit that file and thus remove all of the entries on the list?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dimcus:
I've been loyal Samsung customer since the first Samsung Galaxy Tab was issued. It was a great experience, but with this regional lock story I should say "Samsung goodbye!" and move to HTC, Sony or LG.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
See http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=45980358&postcount=442.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] s2kdriver80:
Thanks... so it looks like rooting enables you to deal with this problem quite easily!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Kawaisa:
I'd move to HTC or Sony if they actually offered handsets with removable batteries/accepted microSD.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mingkee:
Sony is OK because it takes memory card though I don't know whether the latest models (Z, ZL, Z Ultra, Z1) supports FAT64 (required for 64GB or higher), but HTC is really f'ing itself up!

I really hope LG G Pro had AWS HSPA support because the phone is really amazing for the price.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] DaOldMan:
Nobody cares that the bootloader on LG is totaly locked ? For me this is a showstoper unless I am missing something (yeah there are some third party bootloader unlockers but that's not coming from LG).

Thomas
[Galaxy Note 3 General] kh_abdallah:
Hi,

I bought my Note 3 in UK and activate it normally with one of UK operators. I then travelled to Cairo, Egypt and when try to use a local sim card it didn't work and keep say the you need to enter unlocked key.

What Samsung say about first activate with local EU sim and then lock will gone is not true and it is rubbish to force me to keep using the very expensive roaming service.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
I think that's the point...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] DaOldMan:
Just use the Russian unlock service until now it seems it has 100% success.

Thomas
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Tubgirl:
Doesn't seem safe to give up imei and credit card info to unknowns.

GT-N7100 via Tapatalk 2
[Galaxy Note 3 General] DaOldMan:
Just use PayPal with him. IMEI, well I don't think it's a really big problem.

Thomas
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Chiron43:
Hey guys!

What do you think about creating a separated thread where Note 3 buyers could describe in very clear and accurate words what have been their experience with the activation/unlocking processes ?

This thread would be just for real customers/users reporting and with guidelines.

We would then have a detailed listing of the different situations encountered, because with more than 70 pages it starts to be a bit messy now, don't you think ?

About the guidelines it could be something like this:

---

Hello,

This thread is for collecting real and accurate information from Note 3 customers ONLY and share with the community their own experience of activating/unlocking processes.

Please fill-in the different parts below in clear, short but detailed way.

For analysis purpose by the Senior members / advanced users, it is IMPORTANT that you provide the CSC file name (Customer Sales Code)

You can get it by dialling *#1234# into your stock telephone dialer.

1) CSC file name :

Country of purchase for your Note 3:

Country of origin of the SIM Card used to activate the phone:

Did you have the warning sticker on the packing box about the region lock feature (Yes or No):

What countries where listed on the sticker:

2) Describe how went the activation process:

3) Share your experience about the unlocking process when replacing the SIM Card used to activate the phone with SIM Cards from countries out of the region of purchase:

4) In case your phone has still been locked after doing what Samsung claims to be the regular process to waive the locking feature, share your experience if you have been in contact with any Samsung Service Center or any Samsung representative/customer service/PR/marketing:

5) Additional information you want to share:

---

What do you think of that? Anything to add or to say differently?

I'm not sure if i can open such a thread as i am a new user.

Any mod to comment/approve the idea?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] htc6500uk:
Hi Chiron43 - people always wander off topic and whilst a long thread can be a pain to read through it is often better to have all the info in one place. This thread seems to have pretty comprehensive info.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onweel2:
My crazy idea is. Samsung told all the website spread the news about the problem is solved. By a little statement in the email but not Official Statement. You can see that all website spread this news almost same time and none of them prove it first. I think they do this for let people see about the problem is solved easy. So they would not stop buying the phone.

Then when the time come later Samsung will have official statement that you can not unlock the phone. Then they will say You see the Sticker.but you still open the box. That mean you accept it. Then you refer to Unofficial Statement. Then they would say that is just a misunderstand or that is just mistranslation.

Now it too late for you. Because it more than 7 days. you can not change the phone.

it is just crazy idea. no one have to believe me.

Sometime it feed sad about what we talking here it would can not change anything. All the website seem do not care then move on. Even not try to prove that I'm wrong. I have no connection to any important person.

and what i deeply fear is. This topic shall gone. And it would never come again till 2-3 years from now when many people realise the problem.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Netskyliner:
Just got my SM-9005 this morning from Bouygues telecom in Paris France. All phones they sell are full unlocked with or without contract, with no blue sticker.

Activated with european simcard then tetsted Tunisian one (North Africa sim). All was working.

Can feel lucky I think :)
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tmj12:
Good idea and I support that. It's true as it's quite draining to sift through so many pages to find the required key information.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dxzh:
I assume it is in part up to htc6500uk as OP. Personally, while I would suggest keeping the one thread as it brings things together, it would also seem sensible at the start of the thread:

- to give some guidelines (along the lines helpfully suggested by Chiron43) as to info which it would be welcomed for the reporting member to post with news about a particular out-of-region SIMs acceptance or rejection, and

- to keep a list of posts with links to reported instances of out-of-region SIMs' acceptance or rejection (eg: - xdamember1, [link to post]).

I am not sure limiting the thread only to existing note 3 users is strictly necessary given some like me would still like to buy a Note 3 if this SIM limitation can be resolved (even if perhaps only through custom ROM or private unlock codes, depending on the costs of following this route) and have an interest in speaking up on it and reporting contact with Samsung, particularly given its planned wider roll-out to other models.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bogdan1980:
Your are not lucky at all, you're phone will be region lock at first update, and also bootlock problem(named KNOX)

This are 2 huge problems with Samsung right now.

I wanted to buy an note 3 yesterday but sammy told me that all future update will lock the phone for another regions.

You can't sell an seconds hand Samsung phone with all these problems.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Netskyliner:
No Sammy Update. Root in progress
[Galaxy Note 3 General] bubblesmoney:
extract from another affected customers experience with samsung blocking

"I have third hand experience of this. One of my friends, a British

citizen, bought a Note 3 from the Samsung Store at the launch event in

London last week. He activated the phone with the guy in the store (who

made no mention of this region lock) using his UK Three sim card and

everything was fine. I saw the phone and it looked lovely and worked

perfectly.

Then on Saturday, he travelled to Hong Kong on business, as he often

does, and put his HK sim card in the phone. It wouldn't work and

required a password. He messaged me yesterday to tell me about it and up

to that point was completely unaware that the device was region locked

and isn't the sort of chap to go out of his way to look up news about

Android devices anyway; he just wants a phone that works as a business

device 'out of the box' (his words).

Now the issue is, he is out in HK for a month with a brick in his

suitcase that he can't use and no way for his clients and colleagues in

HK to contact him unless he either buys a local phone and puts his sim

in it, or pays for the extortionate roaming charges from the UK. To say

he is annoyed would be an understatement. He will be returning the

device to the store when he gets back to the country and claim that the

device was sold under false pretences (i'm sure he can work out exactly

what to say).

He had a few Samsung devices, which is why he went for the Note 3,

but now he wants to divest himself of all of them following the news

that this region lock will be rolled out to more than just the Note 3 in

an update.

This has also stopped me from buying one too as I was going to

replace my old SGS2 with it as, like him, I frequently travel abroad for

protracted period on business. I hope Samsung burn for this" see the post on trusted reviews comments posted just now. http://www.trustedreviews.com/opini...c77388820841aee71382873295#comment-1065665190