Lost cellular service while abroad

You need to have data roaming enabled to use data but it sounds like you do have it enabled if data sort of works. Your issue may just be the carrier you are connecting to, Bell. See if you have the option of selecting a different carrier. 

@sandblaster Thanks for the reply. Yep.  Roaming is enabled.  Tried to select a different carrier and there seems to be no options to do so.  2 phones are connected to Rogers and one other phone is connect to Bell.   Mine is connected to Bell with full bars but nothing is working. 

Bell is not AT&T's roaming partner. Bell will limit the amount of mobile data you can use in Canada. Go into settings and switch your network provider to Rogers

Go into settings and switch your network provider to Rogers

If you don’t have that option, call ATT. There is something in your account that must be turned on to give you the ability to select a carrier.

Hello Smgraham, let's get you pointed in the right direction to receive support in Canada.

To best serve you while out of the country; please call +1.314.925.6925 (free from device) or chat https://www.att.com/contactus/index/wireless.html?tab=1

Thank you for reaching out to AT&T Community Forums!

Carlton, AT&T Community Specialist 

I don't know why this happens, but the solution for everyone who has had the exact same problem is to go to an AT&T store and have the SIM card replaced

Hello @longashley.

When your phone powers back on and if you're still unable to make calls then you will want to follow the recommendation provided by @formerlyknownas and replacing the SIM card at your nearest AT&T Store.

Afterwards, if your device is having trouble connecting to the AT&T network we encourage you to reset your network settings to establish connectivity. You can do this by going to Settings>Network>Network settings>Reset. This will help refresh your devices signal to connect to a tower near you. In addition, here are a few more troubleshooting steps to get you connected. 

Check out our tutorial on Device Support > Learn how to use > Connectivity > Signal & Cellular Data to view cellular network signal, turn cellular data connection, international roaming, and mobile data connection on or off.
 

Data roaming is off by default. Enabling Data roaming will allow the device to attach to foreign wireless network signals when available. Turn Data roaming off if you have returned home. This setting does not apply to voice access, which requires additional provisioning for usage on international networks. 

If you are still not able to connect after following the steps above, then lets also try some troubleshooting. Just sign in select your devices Make and model to have it personalized to your device and follow the prompts. We're here if you have any questions. Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums. 
 
Devin, AT&T Community Specialist 

Here's another setting to check that solved it for me and my friend after traveling abroad.

Go to General > VPN & Device Management and see if you have a profile there from the country that you were traveling in. Deleting that should fix it.

I have the same problem with iPhone 14. It’s not the sim. ATT doesn’t do a great job of re-registering devices upon return. I fly internationally 3-4x per year and have the same problem every time I return. My most recent trip took 12 hours to re-register, the longest I’ve experienced so far. Shortest is around 30 minutes. Best solution, be patient.

@douirc 

It's ridiculous.  At&t has an antiquated and ridiculous system. It should not be this difficult

Have you gone in and manually turned on Data roaming? It is usually off by default.

Which country in Africa are you in?

If data roaming is on and you still cannot adequately access internet without your phone perpetually saying " loading "... Then it is because you are using a network that does not have adequate data access.

If you can make calls and your text messaging is working, then international roaming is indeed working.

Not every country in Africa has LTE service. Zimbabwe for example has talk and text, and really does not have data services.   

International day pass does not facilitate usage in another country. All it does is limit how much you pay for roaming services to $10 per day when you are in a day pass country.

Yes I’ve gone manually to check and I turned on data roaming I’m in Nigeria to be precise there’s adequate data access Airtel is a well known network if not the fastest in Nigeria. Here’s the message I got from AT&T

Hi, it's AT&T. Great news! You have our best international package, International Day Pass, on this line. This means you can use your phone like you do at home with unlimited talk/text and the data included in your AT&T plan for just $10/day. Pay only for the days used abroad with a max of 10 daily fees per line per bill. Additional lines used the same day are only $5/day. For details, go to att.com/IDPTravelTips (ENG). Para detalles, visita att.com/viajar (ESP). Enjoy your trip and safe travels!

Hi, it's AT&T. Your wireless plan comes with Video Management turned on. That means you'll stream video in standard definition, which is ideal for smartphones. Turn it off or on any time at att.com/myatt. Some content bundled with video may be slower to load. More details at att.com/VideoFeature

Hi, it's AT&T again. We've got you covered! International Day Pass has been added to this line, so you can use your phone like you do at home in over 210 countries. Go to att.com/IDPTravelTips (free view) for tips on using your phone while traveling abroad. Don't want IDP? Text NO to 221 to remove and return to standard international rates. Enjoy your trip and safe travels!

Don’t forget that Max is already included with your wireless plan at no additional cost.

Download the Max app, connect your provider as AT&T, enter your AT&T User ID and password and start streaming today! http://max.attwrls.com/kmkRC1m

Next Bill Cycle: 01/26/24
Data [MB]: 7,013.83 of Unlimited
International Messaging Overage: 175
For detailed usage go to att.com/myATTUsage

Current Balance: $337.78
Due Date: 01/16/24
Last Payment Rcvd: 12/14/23 On: $337.78
See att.com/WirelessBilling

That’s all the message from AT&T but I still can’t browse everything works fine but no data connection LTE can’t just come up 

once I connect to any WiFi around here changes from Airtel to AT&T WiFi 

Unfortunately this is out of AT&T's control. You're using a network in Nigeria, Not AT&T.

You can try manually selecting a different roaming network and see if you get better service.  MTN is suppose to have best coverage.  

Hello @TimNath,

We understand how important is to be connected and let's get the help you need. 

• Try resetting your network settings.
• If you're using iOS, tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
  On Android, go to Settings > System > Advanced > Reset options > Reset network settings.
• Switch on and turn off the Airplane mode.
• Make sure your device software is up to date.

Hope this helps! Feel free to revert for any further questions. 

Thanks for visiting AT&T Community Forums.
GaryN, Community Forums Specialist.

I selected a different network manually and clicked and Mtn it went to no service at all I couldn’t text or even call anymore it’s been on no service, AT&T in Nigeria doesn’t support Mtn I keeps showing no service everywhere here no matter where I go. Airtel seems to work but won’t allow a data connection 

Day pass doesn't prevent connection, all it does is limit the amount you pay when you do connect.   If your phone is truly not able to connect to local Towers you will not be paying $10 per day plus tax.

You can try connecting to a local service provider by selecting one in settings.  Try resetting your network settings. 

Ultimately the problem may be that your phone is not capable of using local service because of some Hardware or software incompatibility.

On the same phone, same plan, same location, 3 months back it had worked without issues.

Hello vin24, let's get your International Day Pass working!

Try rebooting your phone (Press and hold the Power/Lock button, then select Restart.) As the ACE @formerlyknownas mentioned, try resetting network settings to refresh your connection to the network.

Settings icon > scroll to and select General management > select Reset > Reset network settings > Reset settings > select Reset to confirm.     

If that does not work, go into cellular settings and see if you can select a carrier. If neither works, you may need to add the international pay per use feature to your line. Not having that feature can cause no service.

Make sure your device has the most recent software updates to ensure you have the latest features. 

1. Go to Device Support.
2. Select or change the selected device brand and model.
3. Scroll to More Device Help.
4. Select Software updates if you see it. It only displays if there’s an available update for your device.
5. Repeat the steps to check for software updates for a different device.

Let us know if this helps, and thank you for reaching out to the AT&T Community Forums.

Jeff, AT&T Community Specialist

@vin24

Perhaps my earlier post was not clear. International day pass does not do anything other than limit how much you pay for using a foreign carrier.

That's the only thing it does. 

International day pass cannot make a phone connect if it does not have compatible Hardware

Whether or not you can connect and use service on that carrier is entirely between your phone and that service provider.

ATT says that you can Connect to the internet. This isn’t true fir me with my iPhone 11 in Germany, Guadeloupe and Mexico. It’s only good for phone and text and people being able to reach you. Frustrating. I’m in France for a month and will get a French phone.

I don't know why this happens, but the solution for everyone who has had the exact same problem is to go to an AT&T store and have the SIM card replaced

Hello @longashley.

When your phone powers back on and if you're still unable to make calls then you will want to follow the recommendation provided by @formerlyknownas and replacing the SIM card at your nearest AT&T Store.

Afterwards, if your device is having trouble connecting to the AT&T network we encourage you to reset your network settings to establish connectivity. You can do this by going to Settings>Network>Network settings>Reset. This will help refresh your devices signal to connect to a tower near you. In addition, here are a few more troubleshooting steps to get you connected. 

Check out our tutorial on Device Support > Learn how to use > Connectivity > Signal & Cellular Data to view cellular network signal, turn cellular data connection, international roaming, and mobile data connection on or off.
 

Data roaming is off by default. Enabling Data roaming will allow the device to attach to foreign wireless network signals when available. Turn Data roaming off if you have returned home. This setting does not apply to voice access, which requires additional provisioning for usage on international networks. 

If you are still not able to connect after following the steps above, then lets also try some troubleshooting. Just sign in select your devices Make and model to have it personalized to your device and follow the prompts. We're here if you have any questions. Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums. 
 
Devin, AT&T Community Specialist 

Here's another setting to check that solved it for me and my friend after traveling abroad.

Go to General > VPN & Device Management and see if you have a profile there from the country that you were traveling in. Deleting that should fix it.

I have the same problem with iPhone 14. It’s not the sim. ATT doesn’t do a great job of re-registering devices upon return. I fly internationally 3-4x per year and have the same problem every time I return. My most recent trip took 12 hours to re-register, the longest I’ve experienced so far. Shortest is around 30 minutes. Best solution, be patient.

@douirc 

It's ridiculous.  At&t has an antiquated and ridiculous system. It should not be this difficult

Is this a phone that you purchased from AT&T or a private individual?

How long have you owned the phone?

Are you on a plan that someone else has control of?

It could be that the phone was listed as lost or stolen.

It sounds like the phone is blacklist (reported lost or stolen)

---

@Samuelvass wrote:
Thanks for replyig, I got this Iphone for xmas last year, I activated a plan and had it working til now. Suddenly I try to call and the message pops out. The weird thing is why was it reported stolen if I have it in my possesion all the time, what should I do to activate it again??, thanks for your help

Did someone give it to you for Christmas last year? Previous owner owner probably reported it lost or stolen. But take iPhone to AT&T Corperate Store and find out what's going on.

Hello @Samuelvass!

I am so sorry to hear your phone has suddenly stopped working! I would love to help you out!

So I can look into this for you, I will be sending a private message to your Forum Inbox. This way we can get to the bottom of this and get your phone working again!

Thanks so much for reaching out!

Michelle, AT&T Community Specialist

If it says that in the top notification bar, it's been blacklisted as lost or stolen. 

Where did you get the phone? 

Let's get to the bottom of your network experience @Jakks

We wanted to take a moment to clarify the error message, FAQs about the meaning, and how to resolve the error online. 

Error - We're sorry, but this device is blocked from network use. Please contact your wireless service provider.

Meaning - The device has been suspended due to being reported lost or stolen or is being blocked to prevents fraudsters from activating and using a stolen device.

Things To Know:

• The original owner of the device can request to remove the block from the. If you are not the or the original owner of the device, AT&T is unable to process the request to unblock the device. We recommend contacting the seller/ original owner.
• Request to remove the device from being blocked can only be initiated with the carrier that blocked the device.
• Removing from the blocked list may take up to 30 minutes for the device to be unblocked on the AT&T Network and up to 24 hours for other carriers.
• If also restoring service from suspend, if the customer plans to use the blocked device, the device must be removed from the blocked list first.
• If the suspended AT&T PREPAID device is also blocked, the person whose name is on the bill needs to contact us to remove the block.
• Only the carrier that originally added the stolen device can authorize its removal from the shared Blacklist database for network blocking. 

Note: If you purchase a device from a 3rd party, you risk purchasing a stolen device.

If you are the account holder, you can log into your account to restore wireless service. 

1. Go to Account & services > My wireless.
2. Scroll and select the device you want to un-suspend.
3. If prompted, select See device options.
4. Next to the suspended device, select Reactivate.
5. Follow the prompts to reactivate service on your device.

Alert: If you purchase a device from eBay, you risk purchasing a stolen device. AT&T is unable to unlock stolen devices. 

We hope you find this information useful. If you still need additional assistance, feel free to reach back out to us and we can meet in a DM to work on a resolution. Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums.

Alasani, AT&T Community Specialist