Receiving sms when abroad

[davelondon]

I'm currently travelling in Laos, and previously I was in Kashmir. In both places, my Three SIM is unable to connect to the local network, so I cannot receive SMS to my UK number.

Receiving SMS to my UK number is critical for signing in to services using two factor authentication. I'm having to cut my holiday short and leave Laos early because I need to urgently sign in to an online service.

Is there any way to receive SMS to a UK number via the internet? e.g. without having local network coverage?

[TazDevil12]

There isn't a list of where you can't receive SMS as if you have network connectivity then SMS will work. ETL in Lao should have had connection for you unless it was an area where they don't have coverage

[davelondon]

I might have found a solution... It looks like I can port my number to this service and receive incoming SMS while I'm anywhere in the world:

https://www.voiplinetelecom.co.uk/virtual-mobile-numbers

[NFH]

Three could partially solve this problem by removing its deliberate block of wifi calling being used from non-UK IP addresses, because it's possible to receive SMS over wifi calling. Wifi calling is naturally agnostic to the location of the device, but Three deliberately blocks wifi calling from being used from IP addresses that it perceives as being outside the UK, including some IP addresses that are physically inside the UK.

Three, please remove this unnecessary geo-blocking.

[sc1999]

How about a vpn connecting to a UK server?

[NFH]

Very good idea, but it won't work. My UK place of work uses an IP address that Three perceives incorrectly as being outside the UK. I've tried using a VPN with a UK IP address to connect to wifi calling, but it doesn't work. Wifi calling doesn't go through any VPN that you have activated, at least on iPhones, so Three's wifi calling server still perceives incorrectly that I am outside the UK and wifi calling doesn't work.

Three just needs to remove this pointless geo-blocking.

[sc1999]

Where I use two factor authentication there is always an option to send by another method, usually email.

[davelondon]

You're very lucky because I regularly come across services that only use SMS as a 2-factor method.

[davelondon]

Also, is there a list of countries where I can't receive SMS to my Three SIM? The Three roaming page only specifies "Sorry, mobile internet currently won’t work in this destination" won't work in Laos:

https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Roaming_and_international/Mobile_roaming?content_aid=1214306368900

It would be great to have a comprehensive list of which countries I won't be able to receive SMS in, so I can avoid these countries.