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Droid Razr SIM card problem, not authorized for LTE service

Categories Motorola Verizon
Author by Maddy December 7, 2011
6,271 112

Motorola’s new Droid RAZR just recently got added to their existing range, and so far for those of you that purchased the new handset on US carrier Verizon, the feedback has been good. Just this morning we spoke about how the big red were introducing a new white version this month as well as two new Motorola Xyboard tablets.

Today for a percentage of Droid RAZR owners, there seems to be an apparent problem with the phones SIM card and the fact that it’s not recognising the carrier’s LTE network service. Users of the phone experiencing this very issue, have as droid-life.com stated, been commenting that within the notification bar, a message can be seen that reads, “SIM card authorization error,” and “The SIM Card may not be authorized for LTE service.”

It then follows on with the words, “Please Power down the phone and contact Wireless Provider Customer Service.”

Not that it may feel like any consolation to customers, but Verizon are aware of the issue, although as to the root of the problem, this still remains to be seen. As reported, some customers may have had the advice that a new SIM card is the only answer.

We’ll keen to find out if your RAZR smartphone is affected with either SIM or LTE issues?

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112 thoughts on “Droid Razr SIM card problem, not authorized for LTE service”

  1. Jessica Jones says:

    As a person impacted by this, I already had a sim card replacement and it didn’t solve the problem. So, it’s definitely something external and Verizon Wireless customer service *isn’t* aware of the issue. I spoke to 4 reps, and only 1 of them had heard of it. Motorola seems to be in the same boat, even though after doing some research online, this appears to be a recurring issue between their phones and Verizon Wireless. Since I’m still within the 30 days of purchase of the phone, I’m probably just going to exchange it to a brand that hasn’t been known to have this issue at this point. 🙁 It’s a shame, because the phone is otherwise wonderful. 

    1. Trackzilla says:

      Bloomington IN. It happened on day 1 of getting the phone (three weeks ago),but there was no SIM card message appearing at that time. CS had me fiddle with the settings, disabling & re-enabling various things…and it came back. That lasted until today. This morning I’m greeted with the error message & symptoms described here. This is what we get for being early adopters of the shiny new toy I suppose. Next call: CS again.

    2. John Frykman says:

      Why on earth would you do that if you like the phone?  It will probably be fixed in 24 hours or less.  Sheesh!  It isn’t a BRAND that’s at fault.  It’s a model–only the Razr.  You still have 3G service, so it isn’t the end of the world.

      1. not a guest says:

        It’s been on-going with all RAZRs for well over 24 hours.  more like weeks, if not months.  Verizon JUST RECENTLY started pushing the SIM card error message.  I have had my RAZR for a month and had 4G LTE (DC area the network is strong) for less than a day.  It’s been out since.  This is a RAZR-4G Network issue that Motorola and Verizon are struggling to understand.  they aren’t even close to fixing it.  Yes, it’s a model, but it’s also a brand.

        If you want 4G, then RAZR might not be the one for you right now.  Or the next 24 hours, or the next…

  8. OH! IO! says:

    just happened to me, i also have the problem with when I receive calls it drops signal and the person calling me can not hear me or they say I sound like I am far away from my phone.

  11. Eisman57 says:

    Using my new Droid Razr approximately 8 hours and just received the SIM Card Authorization Error.  Restarted the phone and error is gone.  Love the phone, I hope Verizon can fix it. 

  12. Spike says:

    Im not having the sim issue but since I purchased the phone on 12/01 I have missed several incoming calls with no notification of having a missed call. Also having connection problems to the web while phone shows 4g signal

  13. Ajung2005 says:

    I am affected by this problem with my Razr.  Called VZW and they said it is a known issue but needed more tickets opened.  The rep told me powering my phone down should correct the issue, but all it did was bring up the error message again.  Frustrating!  Brand new phone!

      1. Kmb04k says:

        How quickly? I just got my phone a few hours ago and am having the same problem. This is 4 days AFTER your post. How long does it usually take to fix this?

  15. barney rubble says:

    My razr started doing this yesterday. When I power off and then back on, the “4G LTE” icon is active for about 2-3 min, then the error message returns. Called cust. support yesterday and they didn’t know about the problem, they suggested it was the SIM card. Went to verizon kiosk during lunch today and the guy immediately said it’s a known issue and that they’d have it fixed “tonight”. I’m guess it probably won’t be but we’ll see. Wife has exact same phone but hers has not had the problem. 

  16. Ajung2005 says:

    I’m curious to know the geography of where people are…I’m in Dallas and the rep I spok with told me it seems to be an issue with the “tower”.   hmmm…

  20. guest says:

    Sim error message since yesterday, located in Virginia. Called customer support and they are aware of problem and put in a repair ticket. Only had phone 8 days…if not fixed by the weekend it is going back. This is not a good sign. 4g lost and the 3g comes and goes. What good is a smart phone with no data?!

  21. Peg says:

    Central NY
    Yesterday had no 3g for 2 hours at the same time got this error. 3G came back for 2 hours, then was gone again. Called customer service – problem with data in the area, they are working in. 3G restored by the morning (non when I went to be at 10:30pm). Still could not shake the SIM card error after multiple restarts and removing/installing the SIM card. Went to the Verizon store over lunch – got a new SIM card. It tried activating for an HOUR! Retry – no good. I just powered it off, removed/installed SIM, booted – will not activate. Calling C.S. again….Very annoyed!

  22. Droid-lover says:

    In Scranton PA and I’ve had this issue once already and it’s happeneding again today. A few weeks ago this same thing happened. All they could do was replace the sim card, then all was well. Seems I’ll be spending a few minutes at the mall today. Could this be some sort of virus or is it truly a sim card issue…

  26. Jonathan hernandez says:

    this started on Monday for me and they reset my phone and it worked. I thought it was because my new phone had shipped from Amazon, first one had a dead pixel, and that it was thinking it was supposed to be in the new phone. Well it was working fine until I put it in the new phone the next day and within a couple of minutes I get the error again. They reset it again and it worked for a bit, at least an hour, left it charging and when I picked it up again there was the sim card authorization error once more. I call and they decide to send me a new sim card, I chose to ship it instead of heading out to the store last night. It just came in and the dumb asses set me the normal sized sim instead of a micro. I call in again and they say it is a network problem when yesterday they said there was no outage and it was my phone. they said a new sim would not fix it. It does not make sense that this is a network issue if it is just the razr being affected. I got this phone for 1cent from amazon so can’t really replace it for a different phone unless i want to pay the current price. So if this is not fixed soon I am just canceling and going back to virgin mobile.

  27. Droid-lover says:

    Apparently they are aware of the issue with the towers. Just called customer support and was told they are working on the issue by an automated message. Guess it takes a day or two for them to have enough issues so they can start fixing a problem.

  28. Ben says:

    West Lafayette, IN 

    Same issue since about 10am Eastern. Have 3G  but no 4G LTE. I just got off the phone with customer support. Expecting a call back soon. Looks to be an issue with the Northeast Region according to customer support rep. However, I’m in the Midwest. 

    2. Ian Marlowe says:

      West Lafayette here too.  I can second this problem.  I’ve had it since 1:40 today.  A reboot worked, but it came back a couple hours later.  I have no data service.

  33. barney rubble says:

    Just started on my wife’s razr as well. Both located in DC area. Very very annoying. If not resolved soon I think we ought to all see a reduced bill…after all, we’re all paying for 4g service we aren’t getting.

  39. Cew11375 says:

    happened about 1:30 pm Wednesday in NE Ohio.  When I got the message I still had 3G.  After powering down and turning it back on, I had no data at all.  Tried a couple tricks that worked for others on various sites but nothing worked

  40. Guest says:

    MY phone started this about noon today in the Chicago suburbs. No data service at all, in my case, not just LTE failure. Tech support said they’re working on it. Meantime, no data service and there’s nothing they can do.

  41. Kstewart788 says:

    I have no connection at all on my 4g (droid razr) just called customer service and they said it is now a NATIONWIDE outage and should be fixed “soon”…I told them I wanted a percentage of my bill removed. We should not be paying for services they are not providing..and they did credit me!

  44. John Frykman says:

    It’s a network issue–not a tower issue.   The towers have been just fine for 4G since the Razr was introduced a few weeks back.  If it were a tower issue, it would be restricted to a single tower, not all of them.  Stop trying to be technicians.  Verizon’s technicians will fix it in due course and quickly.  It isn’t the end of the world.  Use your home or office computer.  You still have email and phone service, you know.

  46. Mike Atlas says:

    I also have the outage, in Madison WI.  You can force the phone to 3G only and should be able to get data service that way.  From the home screen, hit the menu button, then Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks > Network Mode.  It should say CDMA/LTE.  Select CDMA only, then wait a few minutes and the phone should connect over 3G. 

  47. Troy Whistman says:

    Happened to me in Dallas; I have a screenshot of the message.  I happened to be eating lunch next door to a Verizon store, so I walked over there.  My RAZR is only two days old.  They replaced the SIM card before they learned of the outage, but it didn’t help, of course.  Phone won’t shift down to 3G, either.  When I try to make phone calls, now, it tells me that it will transfer me to a Verizon operator so I can make a collect or credit card call.  No connectivity!

  48. guest says:

    Happened to mine in Little Rock beginning last night. Still working in 3G, but it’s a brand new phone and the message won’t go away so that’s annoying.

  49. Ajung2005 says:

    Frustrating.  VZW just called me back to tell me “known issue, no ETA on reslution and it’s an issue with the tower not recognizing”.  I’m not a techno person, so I have no idea if they are telling me truth.  Thanks for providing geography…so it’s not just me in Dallas.  🙂

  51. Rob Roark says:

    I think it’s a phone issue as mine started around 12:30 pm in Vancouver Washington and my wife’s phone is not having the same issue.  Not sure if this has anything to do with it but my verizon data icon never switches to saying using wifi when connected to wifi, but my wifes does? and her phone is not having the sim error?

      1. Joey O says:

        yeah, can’t remove the battery of a razr 🙁   I’m trying to do a reboot on my razr and see if that fixes it.  It’s been working since release in 11/11/11 and just two nights ago flipped out.  Seeing as I’mm not really using 4G at the moment (for streaming, motocast, netflix, etc.) it’s not an issue but Ii’m anal about the icon with the big red circle with an X in it.  As I typed this it rebooted and…shows blue 4G for now… So I’m happy.  Guest… is your battery dead?  I had issues powering my Razr on when it ran out of battery and I plugged it in.  Took about 10 minutes of the battery icon to finally boot up.  Only happened the once.  

  62. Larry says:

    Chicago, IL: Just got this error today. No data connectivity at all for hours, then comes and goes. Definately a VZW network issue and not a phone issue. Called VZW, tech “Nathanael” acted like this was the first time he had heard about it. VZW is sending a new SIM card expected to be here Friday…doubt it will fix anything but who knows.

  68. Jerry says:

    I had the issue yesterday and still do.  I replaced the SIM card yesterday and it seemed to be fine for a couple hours then right back to the same old crap.  No data service.  as of 9 am today still nothing.  Droid Razr

  69. Ron Roark1 says:

    My phone still has the error in Vancouver Washignton but my wife’s phone doesn’t and her phone still shows she is connected to 4G. Powered down my phone and will see if the error comes back.

  73. Ar says:

    It seems to be LTE issues, however it does seem to have cleared up as far as no more sim card error message, I still do not see 4g service as of yet.

  76. Chibi_isa says:

    I just got a new SIM card because of this message and after 4G came back on it worked great. But now the message is back again :/ totally killin me.

  78. Christie says:

    Just bought the razr today and got home the battery was dead…I’ve been trying to charge it but it will not power back on …any suggestions?  It doesn’t have any lights at all showing that it is charging or anything.

    1. jess says:

      I had the exact same problem with two of these phones! My first one after six days from new and my second one after seven days. There wasn’t a fix so they sent me athird and the issue with hasn’t returned for two months.

  80. Tempo123 says:

    I am in Raleigh NC and  just got that error message…phone worked fine for a month.  Did what someone had suggested – hard reboot by pressing power and volume down key.  Phone rebooted and 4G LTE is back on.

  81. Brutality1100 says:

    I woke up this morning with the error I turned my phone off, took the sim card out and put it back in. Now it works fine and the error appears to be gone.

  82. Nathan James Scheuerlein says:

    I had the same issue last night.. I was on a custom ROM RAZRX… I went back to Stock and the problem went away…  I will wait for update to be applied to hopefully fix the issue and move forward with a new rom that incorperates the fix…  of course thats what I hope…

    Oceanside, CA

  85. Patrick says:

    It got me tonight at 9:20 pm. 12/21/12. 
    Called C-service ( Very nice lady ) at 12:15am  and they said to do the following:1)   Turn phone off2)   Take out SIM card.3)   Wait 1 minute put card back in.4)    Re start phoneI did all this and at first no 4G, just 3G.  C-service ( Same nice lady)  called back to check and suddenly 4G working again. 

    If it goes out again I will be back… til then good luck to all of us.

  86. Rockwoman says:

    You don’t need a new sim card; this happens to me ALL the time.
    If removing the sim card doesn’t work…try
    1) go to settings – wireless networks – mobile networks.
    2) change from CDMA/LTE to CDMA only
    3) power down the phone
    4) turn the phone back on and follow steps 1 & 2 again, this time switch it back to CDMA/LTE
    5) cycle the phone off and back on…and Viola!
    Its a horrible pain in my arse; I hope. Verizon finds a fix soon.
    I guess its the price we pay for the thinnest technology!

    2. Recker's Tech OLP says:

      Why do that it goes to 3G when this Error occurred’s you do Not have to turn the phone off or changes any settings  just hit the back arrow on the phone. 

    5. korea123 says:

      ive had my htc thunderbolt for about a couple months was working fine till about a couple days ago it would say “a sim card is needed to operate this phone” which is already in the phone i tried pulling it out and putting it back in but still no good and i even went to the verizion store to get a new sim card but still no luck… and i tried using you instructions but… i dont even have the option of clicking the mobile network button..am i just screwed now?

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