Using the Fireball Internationally - Verizon HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE

So I've been globetrotting with my Incredible 4G/aka Fireball with CM10.1 (currently the unofficial 20130420 build by mdmower) for about 6 months now and it works great on VZW's global plan, Used it all over Europe and across US / Canada using Verizon's plan. Feel free to ask any questions below if you are curious about my experiences with that. I can't promise a speedy response but will do my best to answer.
The point of this post is actually to see if anyone wants me to try any specific services or networks while I am in Europe later this month. I see a number of posts asking if it will work in -insert country here- or on -insert service provider here- so if you want a guinea pig, here I am.
I was thinking of buying a pre-paid SIM or 3 and basically try different services and setups for kicks and giggles. I am flying into Amsterdam and will end up in Belgium and Germany at different points in my trip and this summer have projects in Asia and Scandinavia.
I'll either grab cards off of Amazon before I go or when I land hit up a kiosk or vending machine.
Not sure if this is of any use to anyone but since I'm already going to satisfy my own curiosity I'd offer my results to the community.
Now everyone stand back.... I'm about to SCIENCE! :laugh:

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i'm heading to italy this summer and wondering what it will take to make this phone work. this is my first 4g phone with a sim card...
my previous verizon phones have always worked around america (mexico, dominican republic, etc). when i went to asia last year (japan, thailand) i only used wifi for email and data - the roaming worked but was outrageous price.

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I'm using this phone in Ukraine with no issues. I have Ukranian GSM service provider and another one for CDMA. No LTE in Ukraine.
The only tip, that this phone doesn't support my GSM provider's Mobile Internet. Never the less, it does support it on other Ukranian GSM providers.
When I was in German, I bought myself German prepaid sim-card and sucsessfully switched to its network

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j13smiley said:
i'm heading to italy this summer and wondering what it will take to make this phone work. this is my first 4g phone with a sim card...
my previous verizon phones have always worked around america (mexico, dominican republic, etc). when i went to asia last year (japan, thailand) i only used wifi for email and data - the roaming worked but was outrageous price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's kind of my thought on the matter too, how easy is it to switch carriers on a device which is normally carrier locked. I see there are some configurations needed for the CM10.1 to work on a different carrier and want to try and see how it works. I will be giving that a whirl and see.
I noticed that last time I was in Belgium I had very spotty coverage with VZW and very slow data while nobody else had any problems getting decent speeds, but in Netherlands I usually had same or better signal than locals and mostly full 3G signal in main train routes and larger downtown areas like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Eindhoven. Germany was about the same but I wasn't paying much attention to my phone while briefly passing through.
VZW lists the radios as:
Network
LTE 700 MHz (band 13)
CDMA 1x/3G 800/1900 MHz
UMTS/HSPA 2100/900
Quad Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900)
With this gamut I would think it can attach to any network for voice and data with the right settings. I also plan on paying closer attention to what kind of signals I am attaching to and speeds, etc.

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After spending a week abroad I found that if you are just visiting using the Global Plan through Verizon is by FAR the best solution.
First, a "Local" SIM card runs about 10 Euro from most providers, T-Mobile (NL) and KPN were the ones I selected. Vodafone is in partnership with VZW for service in Netherlands so I skipped them assuming same coverage. With the 10 Euro you get varying minimal amounts of voice minutes for local calls... assume it's JUST a SIM though, you pay extra for minutes, texts and data.
The Pre-Paid SIMs I had access to do not offer roaming. I was told you need a plan for roaming. When I went into Germany or Belgium I lost service.
Data plans on pre-paid plans for a smartphone are about 25-30 euro for 100mb.
It's only $25 per 100mb chunk through VZW.
Texting plans range from 5 Euro and up. I didn't get one, didn't need it since I use WhatsApp and Viber for that.
Coverage and data speed would the ONLY reason I would go with a pre-paid SIM again. T-Mobile had exceptionally fast data and amazing coverage while I was in the NL. KPN was comparable to Vodafone (thought my VZW global plan).
Switching to other providers was difficult and cumbersome and CM10.1 does NOT handle global roaming very well. Can't just jam a SIM in and it works (See MDMower's Unofficial CM post for settings) Once the settings were made I made a TWRP backup to make switching possible without a PC.
CM 10 and 10.1 did not show a signal bar even when I had signal so it was VERY difficult to ascertain signal strength and relied on just speed and what I perceived of signal strength.
Stock Rooted works great for Global Roaming but did not like SIM cards from other providers.
Recap; If you plan on visiting a country outside of USA and use this phone (or any Global phone really) then it's best to add in a global plan at $25-30 a month and the $25 100mb package. A SIM will cost you about that or more and doesn't allow you to use your same phone number or roam into other countries without added expense.
It's best to stick with Stock Rooted on that plan. IF you plan on using a local SIM for data speeds and you are staying in one major city/area for the duration then it will work alright but make backups of different configurations before you do the switch... Plan on spending an hour or two getting your phone configured and setup with the right settings and my signal bar never worked in CM, even if you have full signal.
From now on I will use only VZW plan on Stock Rooted. It's the best way to have a reliable phone when travelling abroad.