Transferring a Vodafone sim into a South African phone

[Roella]

I have been in South Africa for 19 months and up until a few weeks ago was successfully making and receiving UK calls on my Vodafone number, including topping-up (I'm on pay as you go). Then the phone died - the screen went blank white, and the local phone shop said that the IC had gone and the phone was too old to fix. I bought a new phone and put the Vodafone sim in, but now I can't make or receive calls. It's a Vodacom phone - Vodacom is the biggest South African mobile provider - and I keep getting messages to say that the number is not RICA registered and the number is not recognised.

Suggestions please! I won't be back in Britain until April and I don't want to be without the phone for that long.

[AnnS]

Hello Roella

I have googled this and found the information below.

http://help.vodacom.co.za/personal/faq/2029/What-restrictions-apply-to-RICA-lock/1154/1165#!

If you do a search, you will be able to find further information.

You may also find that the phone is locked to Vodacom and you will need to get the unlock from them.

[drey_p]

Hi there

I have found the following information on RICA:

The Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA) is a law that makes it compulsory for everyone in South Africa to register their cellphone number. It is one of the government’s key crime prevention initiatives towards making South Africa a better place

From what i can understand this is a requirement for SA number only and doesn't apply to foreign numbers.

I would recommend that you get in touch with the store that sold you the phone to find out if it is locked, and also the process of unlocking the handset.  I would guess that the RICA message will probably go away if the handset is unlocked. 

[Roella]

I took my phone to the main Vodacom shop, but they said the phone wasn't locked. However they advised me to put the sim card in a different device, and when I out it in a Nokia instead of a Vodacom device it worked!

Thanks for all the input.