Frequently Asked Questions

1、What is the Global Data Card?

The Global Data Card is a traffic access card launched by South China Telecommunications (HK) Limited for business travelers worldwide.
The Global Data Card product includes two forms, one is the physical SIM card, the card is in the form of a three-in-one card (standard card, Micro card, Nano card); the second is the eSIM form.

2、Does the global card have voice and SMS functions?

No. There is no voice or SMS function.

3、What regions are covered by the product?

As of April 2022, the global data card coverage (including affiliated islands and overseas possessions) reaches 187 directions, and the coverage will continue to increase. International companies will dynamically adjust according to the global operator cooperation. The coverage directions and the operator information for each direction can be found on the Global Card website, or you can ask customer service or your sales representative for the latest coverage.

4、Can the product access applications such as Google Maps?

The Global Data Card can access Google, Facebook and other applications around the world.

5、What types of terminals are available for the product?

The Global Data Card is available for terminals that support the OTA standard, including: most mobile phones (very few very old phones are not supported), Apple Cellular-enabled iPADs, some MiFi devices (testing is required, most MiFi is not supported. (The tested model is Huawei Mobile MiFi, model E5885 and E5577Bs-937).

6、What is the expiry date of the product?

If the card is purchased from the APP and website, it needs to be activated within 180 days from the date of purchase, otherwise the package within the card will expire.
For cards purchased by channel customers from SCT, if the card is purchased in the first half of the year, the card package is valid for activation before December 31 of the same year; if the card is purchased in the second half of the year, the card package is valid for activation before June 30 of the following year.
Once the card package is activated, it can be used for the full duration of the package. For example, if a user purchases a card and a 15-day European package on the website on 1 January 2019, the package needs to be activated for use on or before 29 June. Assuming that the user activates the use on 28 June, the package can be used until 12 July (15 24-hour periods).

7、How can I connect to the network after arriving at my destination?

When you arrive at your destination, insert the SIM card into the phone and wait for a few minutes, the phone will automatically select the network. Normally there is no need for customers to set up the network manually, but in some cases if you have not been on the network for a long time, you will need to select the network manually.

8、Do I need to activate the Internet manually?

The default mode of the Global Data Card is automatic, i.e. the card will be activated automatically once inserted into the handset upon arrival at the destination. However, as the Global Data Card has multi-region packages, a manual activation mode is available for customers who have purchased a multi-region package (for example, a Hong Kong customer who has purchased a global multi-region package and wishes to use it outside of Hong Kong, but in the automatic mode, the package will be activated when the customer inserts the card into the handset in Hong Kong). After the user selects the manual activation mode, the user will be required to manually activate the package by logging into the app or website to access the internet once they arrive in the region. By default, the Global Card does not need to be activated manually, as long as the customer arrives in the applicable direction and turns on the Internet function (turns on the data switch and roaming switch) the Internet will be activated automatically.

9、How is the number of days after activation calculated?

The definition of 1 day for the Global Card is that 24 hours after activation is counted as 1 day. For example, if a user arrives in Hong Kong at 07:38 on 1 January 2019 and starts to access the Internet, their Hong Kong 1-Day package is activated and the user can access the Internet in Hong Kong until 07:37 on 2 January 2019.

10、Will the internet speed be limited every day after activation?

There are two types of Global Card products, one is a limited speed unlimited usage product; the other is a full speed limited usage product. For the former, there is a certain amount of high-speed traffic per day. After the high-speed traffic (e.g. 500MB per day) is used up, the speed will be limited by the Fair Usage Policy and the network speed will be restricted to 768kbps (384kbps for each upstream and downstream); the high-speed traffic will be reset every 24 hours and users can resume high-speed internet access after the reset.

11、What about travelling from one country to another within 24 hours of activation?

If a customer travels from one country to another within 24 hours of activation of the Global Card package, the package will automatically continue to be used if the country is covered by the package; if the country is not covered by the package, the Internet access will not be available.

12、If I need to configure APN manually, how do I set it up?

【iPhone】
(1) Open [Settings] > [Cellular Mobile Network]
(2) Open [Cellular Mobile Data Options]
(3) Turn on [Cellular Mobile Data Network] : Please refer to the list of network operators in the product service specification and enter [APN].
(4) Turn on [Data Roaming]

【Android】
(1) Open [Settings] > [Mobile Network]]
(2) Open [Access Point Name (APN)] > [New APN] : Please refer to the list of network operators in the product service specification and enter [APN].
(3) Turn on [Data Roaming] > click [Save].
(The display name and steps will be slightly different due to different handsets and system versions)

13、On WeChat only: Customers can only use WeChat and cannot use other applications or access the internet

1） Please check whether the mobile phone APN settings are filled with a proxy server? If there is a proxy server, please remove the server (there should not be a proxy server normally)
2） Is there any VPN software on the phone, if there is, it will also affect the internet access
3） whether the phone has set each application to access the Internet (such as some applications set only WIFI network to access the Internet)

14、on the dual card mobile phone problem: customers insert the card only shows 2G signal

Please check whether the customer has inserted the card into the 3/4G Internet slot. Customers must insert the card into the 3/4G card slot, or switch the 3/4G internet function to the card slot where the global card is inserted.


15、What happens if I go to a direction that is not supported by the global card?
If the user goes to a direction that is temporarily not covered by the Global Data Card, the internet access will not be available.

16、Does it support mobile phone hotspots?

The Global Card supports sharing your mobile phone as a hotspot for other mobile phones to use. However, in hotspot mode, each user's internet speed will be lower than the case of no sharing, and the daily high-speed traffic will be consumed faster.

17、About the No-SIM issue

As the Global SIM card is a three-in-one card, if you pulled the SIM card off the cardboard with too much force or improperly, the SIM card may be damaged. If the phone prompts that there is no SIM card after inserting the card, please do the following.
1） Reinsert the card and reboot the phone to try
2） Change the phone and test it to see if the problem still exists
3） If the SIM is still not recognized, the SIM card should be damaged, please contact customer service.

18、No-Service problem of mobile phone

No service on the mobile phone means that there is no service after the SIM card is inserted to the phone (not no SIM card.No SIM card means that the mobile phone does not physically detect the SIM card, no service means that there is a SIM card but the mobile phone is not connected to the network), please follow the steps below. :

1） Ask the user to manually select the network again, check which operator options appear on the network selection screen and select the appropriate operator.
2） If the phone never appears with the appropriate operator, please confirm the coverage of the user's location or switch to another phone to test.
3） If the user is still prompted with no service after changing location or phone, please contact customer service.

19、The problem that the mobile phone cannot select the network

The mobile phone cannot select the network, which means that the user's mobile phone has searched for the network signal, but the network name is prompted (disabled), or the network registration fails after selection. In this case, after the mobile phone fails to attach to the network for the first time for some reason, the mobile phone starts the memory mode and marks the network as disabled. It is recommended to try several times, even if the mobile phone prompts a disabled network, as long as a network operator is applicable to the global card, you can manually select to attach the network.

20、Unable to activate

As long as the location information is reported after the card is inserted, the package can be activated. If the package cannot be activated, the phone should not report the location information. Possible reasons.：
1） The phone has not reported any location information, such as a damaged SIM card, no service on the phone, etc. will result in the package not being activated
2） The phone comes with an international internet service (e.g. Huawei's Skypass, Xiaomi's Global Internet, VIVO's iRoaming)
3） The user has set up manual activation on the website
4） The user is working through the SIM card and has set the SIM card working mode to manual mode
For such problems, troubleshooting guidelines.：

1） Is the phone on the correct network?
2） Whether the mobile phone has its own international internet service enabled
3） Please visit the website to check the activation mode of the package, or ask customer service.
4） Check whether the working mode of the user's SIM card tool is automatic (see SIM card tool usage for details)

21、No internet access

Unable to access the internet means that the user cannot access the internet after the package has been activated. Possible causes and responses are as follows.：
1） Data roaming switch and data access switch are not opened (check user configuration screenshot)
2） Incorrect APN settings (check the user's APN and correct it manually if it is incorrect)
3） Dual SIM card users have inserted the card in a slot where data is not turned on (change the card slot or move the data function to the slot where the global card is inserted)
4） If all the above problems have been eliminated, please contact customer service

22、Slow Internet access

Slow Internet access is a subjective feeling, so if the user does not have a specific description, it is more difficult to analyse and define. It is recommended that users provide a detailed description, such as speed test results (some Android phones will show the real-time network speed of the phone, or speed test through speed test software), screenshots of slow mobile applications (such as spinning in circles when WeChat sends a message, or slow loading of web pages), etc. Possible causes of slow network speed and responses include：
1） The user's location has only 2/3G network coverage and no 4G signal coverage (check if the coverage operator table only supports 3G, or ask the user's phone if it can search for 4G network)
2） The user's mobile phone is not turned on the 4G switch (ask the user to provide a screenshot to see if the 4G Internet switch is turned on)
3） The user's usage for the day has exceeded the speed limit threshold, resulting in a speed limit, please consult customer service to check the current data usage.
4） The user's location signal is weak (can be displayed by mobile phone signal) or the user's location is particularly crowded (such as underground stations, high-speed railway stations, stadiums, pedestrian streets and other places where people gather)

23、Questions about traffic flow

At present, customers need to contact customer service to inquire about the traffic flow, and do not support self-help enquiries through online methods。

24、Use of SIM card tool

The SIM card tool is a means of user failure analysis and troubleshooting. For very few mobile phones that do not switch the SIM card (only when the mobile phone receives V-IMSI, but does not automatically switch to V-IMSI, but remains in H-IMSI), or after the platform performs network resource cutover, activated users can switch to V-IMSI through the SIM card tool when they need to update the V-IMSI in the mobile phone. However, as these situations are less likely to occur, there are few times when the SIM tool will be useful. As the SIM card tool will bring additional side effects, it is recommended to use this tool after consulting customer service.

25、eSIM cannot share hotspot

Due to the problems of different mobile phone terminal versions, if you encounter that eSIM can be used normally but cannot share hotspot, please try to recover according to the following guidelines：
1） Whether the phone is on contract or locked
2） Whether VPN has been turned off
3） Whether data roaming has been turned on
4） Whether the eSIM is set as the primary number
5） Whether the phone is updated to the latest iOS version (iOS 13.6)
6） Please use a physical card to access the internet, turn on the hotspot sharing function (make sure the hotspot is available), then do not turn off the hotspot, then switch the phone to eSIM to access the internet. Please try several times and switch the phone on and off.
7） If all the above problems have been eliminated, please contact customer service

Hong Kong Real Name System

1. Do all Global Data Card users need to complete real name registration to use it?

With effect from 1 March 2022, all Global Data Card users are required to complete real name registration before using data services in Hong Kong. Customers can complete the real name registration on our website at https://simreg.npn.com.hk

2. What types of identification documents are accepted for Real Name Verification?

a. Passport (excluding HKSAR passport and British National (Overseas) passport)
b. Hong Kong Identity Card
c. Hong Kong and Macau Entry Permit
d. Macau Identity Card
Note: If you have a Hong Kong ID card, you must use your Hong Kong ID card for registration.

3. What information is required for real name registration?

a. Chinese name (if applicable) and English name
b. Date of birth (user must be 16 years old or above)
c. Identity document number (If the applicant does not hold a HKID card, he/she must make the following declaration (i) he/she does not hold a HKID card and (ii) he/she does not use any other identity document for registration)
d. Copy of identity document

4. How do I upload my identity document for real name registration?

Customers can complete the real name registration on the website https://simreg.npn.com.hk You can take a picture of your original ID document with a camera-enabled tablet or smartphone or upload an image of the ID document to the website. Note that black and white images cannot be uploaded.

5. How many Global Data Cards can be registered per user?

You can register no more than 10 cards per user.

6. How do I know if my registration has been successfully completed?

Once the registration has been successfully completed, a notification will be sent to the user by SMS or email.
You will also be notified by SMS or email if your registration is unsuccessful.
If you do not receive any confirmation of successful registration, you can contact our customer service directly for further enquiries.