Using Overseas Phones (US / China / Korea / Europe Models) in New Zealand: What You Must Know
Phones from Europe, Korea, China, or the US behave differently in NZ.
Some work with minor issues. Some break your patience. Some refuse to work the right way.
Here is the version that saves you from wasting time and money.
1. We get buried with overseas-phone problems every day
“SOS Only,” “No Service,” “VoLTE missing,” “SIM not recognised,” “5G unavailable”—
these come from overseas phones more than anything else.
Europe models add their own flavour of trouble: weird region settings, missing VoLTE profiles, and limited Band 28 support.
2. You’ve probably seen one of these situations
• Phone works perfectly in Europe or Asia, but NZ kills the signal
• Data works, calls don’t
• Rural coverage suddenly collapses
• 5G tested overseas, dead in NZ
• VoLTE unavailable because of regional firmware
• Carrier-lock from US/China, regional limitations from Europe
The common reaction: “Nobody told me this before I moved.”
3. Real cases we fix every week
• US AT&T / Verizon: VoLTE locked, Band 28 missing → unstable calling
• China domestic Xiaomi / Huawei: Google service issues + missing bands → inconsistent 4G
• Korea KT / LGU+: Band 28 missing → weak indoor/rural signal
• European Samsung / Xiaomi: VoLTE often disabled on NZ carriers → “Call Failed” or drops
• European iPhone: Better than Android, but some units lack NZ VoLTE profiles → calls bounce
• EU OnePlus: Missing NZ band combos → 5G unavailable
These issues are hardware/firmware design choices, not repair faults.
We diagnose them, but some limitations cannot be bypassed.
4. Technical checklist for US / China / Korea / Europe phones in NZ
• 1. NZ Network Bands
NZ 4G: B1 / B3 / B7 / B28
NZ 5G: n78
Europe models usually support B1 and B3, sometimes B7, but B28 is missing more often than you expect.
No B28 = weak indoor signal + weaker rural coverage.
• 2. VoLTE compatibility
NZ relies on VoLTE after 3G shutdown.
• US → VoLTE locked to home carriers
• China → VoLTE firmware inconsistent
• Korea → generally OK
• Europe → VoLTE disabled for NZ carriers on many models
Result: calls fail even with full bars.
• 3. Carrier lock
US carriers lock devices aggressively.
Europe carriers lock far less, but cheap prepaid bundles may still restrict overseas activation.
• 4. eSIM support
• Europe: Usually good
• Korea: Generally good
• China domestic: Often blocked
• US: Model-dependent, sometimes restricted
• 5. 5G availability
NZ uses n78.
• Europe: Many models support it, but disabled for NZ carriers
• US: Some models lack relevant 5G combos
• China/Korea: Model varies heavily
Often: “5G worked overseas, dead after landing in NZ.”
• 6. Regional restrictions
Europe Android units often ship with country-specific VoLTE lists.
NZ is usually missing from the whitelist.
Calls fail even if the phone technically supports VoLTE hardware.
5. Related articles
📍 Christchurch: 03 343 1078
📍 Auckland (Westgate): 09 392 0039
🌐 www.ezirepair.co.nz