Dual SIM Card on WM5 device?

[jcoffing]

Does anyone have any experience in using dual SIM cards on single WM5 device? I travel overseas ~5 months out of the year and always have to carry 2 phones with me.

I have T-Mobile (MDA) as my US carrier to grab emails, calls from US customers, etc.. I use another GSM provider based on the country I'm in to communicate with those customers as well as keeping it a 'local call' for them.

European users have all sorts of options/devices/software that can be purchased and installed on one device to use 2 SIM cards; however, the majority are for smartphones or standard GSM cells. There are a variety of idiosyncrasies such as having to turn your cell off for a few seconds, then selecting the SIM on startup -- to cutting your SIMs to fit them on a single independent circuit board...and so on. Their main push for using the dual-SIM technique is cost driven since using other providers outside of thier network area is extremely expensive.

Saving cost is not my objective, I would like the convenience of carrying one cell when I travel. Swtich to the provider during the business hours of the time zone I'm in OR when I need to check emails/messages.

Any feedback/experience/discussion from anyone would be most appreciated. I haven't been able to find any website that addresses this issue, specifically for the T-Mobile MDA and/or WM5 devices in general.

[Edgar_]

I guess I'm confused.

Are you asking if there is a SIM card that supports two lines

or

One cell phone that can take multiple SIMs. Thus providing a single unit with multiple carrier support.
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The first one I have no idea and have not heard of such a thing - the old TDMA and some CDMA phones supported multiples lines on a single phone, I dont think GSM supports that - the security is the ownership, in hand, of the SIM. Each SIM carries a single line. I suppose its possible to modify a card to have two chips on it, but why? How often would you swap the card that having a second safely stored in the tyvek sleeve is obtrusive. I would think such a card mod could cause failures.

On the second item. Absolutely. Carrier provided phones are usually "SIM Locked" to only work with their own SIM cards/ own network. However, you can get your MDA SIM unlocked by TMobile once you've been with them a period of time (or a third party anytime) . This is at a nominal cost and would allow you to carry a second GSM SIM of another carrier. You would have to power off your phone and physically swap the SIM card, but upon reboot an unlocked phone comes up on the second network. You would also have to have a data profile for each carrier saved on the phone so you can retrieve emails from either place.
I belieev you just need to call TMO customer service and request that your phone be unlocks, that you travel internationally and want to carry a single phone.

On a completely separate but related note. The EU Commission is currentl;y investogated eviscerating the roaming charges throughout the EU. They are proposing forcing the operators to charge "reasonable" rates for users roaming on the networks under the EU's control. This may relieve some of your problems as well, since T-Mo wouldnt be able to charge you 2-5x normal call rates to use your service in the EU.

Here's an article on it:EC LAUNCHES BID TO SLASH MOBILE ROAMING CHARGES

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it would present draft
regulation by the middle of the year aimed at cutting mobile phone
roaming charges in Europe by more than half.
http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=11940CF:37F2B2F