How Tos

How to set up a new mobile phone

If you've bought a new handset and want to use your existing SIM card with it, what do you need to do?

How to set up a new mobile phone
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Getting a new mobile phone handset is always exciting, but actually getting all of the features to work with your existing SIM card can take the shine off. Unless you got your new phone directly from your network, as an upgrade for example, it's unlikely that it's been configured correctly to access your network's WAP network, receive SMS or MMS messages or even download games. But fear not – as long as the phone you've got isn't network locked (you'll be able to tell if it is: it's usually got network branding printed on the case and features the network's logo on the wallpaper) it's a simple exercise to get the settings you need. Join us as we set up a new Nokia N-Gage QD with our old O2 SIM card below...

Your SIM card is the most important part of your mobile phone – it's what enables you to make and receive calls and it's very hard to replace. It also will contain many of your phone numbers. If you can, transfer all of your phone numbers onto your SIM card before changing it over into a new phone. Check your handset's instruction manual if you're not sure how to do this!
Carefully remove the SIM card from your old phone and, making sure that your new phone is fully-charged, insert into your new one, making sure that any clips etc. are done up to stop it becoming loose.
Switch on your new phone and, after a minute or two, it should connect to the network. It is possible to make and receive phone calls at this point but you'll need to configure your phone's messaging and GPRS settings before you can enjoy text messaging, photo messaging or mobile internet yet.
Thankfully this process is largely automated. You can have the necessary settings sent to your phone directly from your network. All you need to do is visit your network's website. These links will take you straight to the page you need, where you'll be able to enter your handset model and telephone number:
  • O2
  • Vodafone
  • Orange
  • T-Mobile
  • Virgin Mobile
  • 3
  • You'll need two lots of settings: one for SMS messaging (texting) and one for GPRS (so you can use WAP and the mobile internet). These settings will be sent to your phone in a text message and, when it arrives, press Options and Save to Settings.
    Once you've saved the settings you can keep or delete the text messages as you want as your new phone's now set up to use all of your network's features! N.B. The steps covered here may vary according to your handset and network but they are, generally speaking, pretty similar across all phones and networks. If you come across any problems, give your network a call or pop into your local network shop, where they'll be happy to help you out getting your new phone set up correctly. Alternatively, check out the Pocket Gamer forums where there's always a helping hand to be found!