nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

RE: nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

mike_actinius — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 22:20:51 GMT

Hi Michael,

Here are some clarifications for you and anyone else that may encounter the Ooredoo SIMs:

The nRF9160 only supports 1.8v SIMs by default, please see infocenter.nordicsemi.com/index.jsp

There is no level shifting on the Icarus IoT Board (or the nRF9160DK as a matter of fact).

We have investigated the Ooredoo SIMs before, and unfortunately the verdict was that 1.8V is not supported, despite what the spec sheet says. This is the only SIM that we have seen with such behavior.

-- Mike

RE: nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

helsing — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:26:00 GMT

Hi Michael, thank you for the update. I am digging into this again and will get back to you next week.

RE: nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

Vertical Mind e.U. — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 15:27:14 GMT

From Ooreedo KATAR we got the following specs:

No idea why even the GEMALTO is running it on 3.0V , instead of 1.8V (which should be possible)

BR Michael

RE: nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

Vertical Mind e.U. — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 10:28:02 GMT

Hi Helsing!

Sorry for the delay - I finally managed to do some meassurments...
Seems, that the Ooredoo SIM is 3.0V.

The Ooredoo SIM is working with a GEMALTO modem, but not in the nrf9160 (Icarus-Board).

VccSIM_1NCE_Gemalto_ok:

VccSIM_Ooredoo_Gemalto_ok:

VccSIM_1NCE_nrf9160(Icarus)_ok:

VccSIM_Ooredoo_nrf9160(Icarus)_FAIL:

Any idea, why 3.0V SIMs are not working?

BR
Michael

RE: nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

helsing — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 13:54:19 GMT

Thank you for checking that the SIM works.

[quote user="hahe"]Could it be that the Ooredoo SIM only supports 3.0V[/quote]

In other words, have you confirmed that the Ooredoo SIM supports 1.8V?

RE: nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

Vertical Mind e.U. — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 05:18:04 GMT

Hi Helsing!

To avoid mixing up issues I focused my evaluation on the nrf9160DK board:

Application Firmware: nrf9160dk_serial_lte_modem_2023-03-02_8f26142b.hex

nRfConnect Desktop v4.1.2, LTE Link Monitor v2.0.4

1NCE-SIM (working):

AT+CFUN?
+CFUN: 0
OK
AT%XSIM?
%XSIM: 0
OK
AT+CFUN=1
OK
AT%XSIM?
%XSIM: 1
OK
AT+CIMI
901405107480522
OK

Vodaphone SIM (working):

AT+CFUN?
+CFUN: 0
OK
AT%XSIM?
%XSIM: 0
OK
AT+CFUN=1
OK
AT%XSIM?
%XSIM: 1
OK
AT+CIMI
427021602798041
OK

Ooredoo SIM (communication error):

AT+CFUN?
+CFUN: 0
OK
AT%XSIM?
%XSIM: 0
OK
AT+CFUN=1
OK
AT%XSIM?
%XSIM: 0,9
OK

I double-checked also the Ooredoo SIM on a GEMALTO Modem (other board of mine)
SIM communication is working...

->MODEM: ATI1
MODEM->: Cinterion
MODEM->: ELS61-E R2
MODEM->: REVISION 02.000
MODEM->: A-REVISION 01.000.01
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CMEE=2
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CPIN?
MODEM->: +CPIN: READY
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CREG=2
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CEREG=2
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CGREG=2
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT^SIND=nitz,1
MODEM->: ^SIND: nitz,1,"",+00
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CGSN
MODEM->: 354033090036826
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CCID
MODEM->: +CCID: 8997401002261429716
MODEM->: OK
->MODEM: AT+CIMI
MODEM->: 427015000254877
MODEM->: OK

What else can I try?

BR
Michael

RE: nrf9160 - SIM communication problem - Ooredoo SIM

helsing — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 11:35:35 GMT

Hi Michael,

I am thinking that the SIM voltage could be one potential issue. What is the supported voltage range of the Ooredoo SIM? What is the supported voltage range of your other boards? Could it be that the Ooredoo SIM only supports 3.0V and fails with provided 1.8V?

Another thought is that the Ooredoo SIM is damaged. Do you have any more Ooredoo SIMs available?

How do you select between eSIM and external SIM on the Actinus Icarus board? I noticed that there is a warning in the Actinius board documentaion: "Warning: Only change the SIM Select pin before enabling the modem. E.g. before writing the `"AT+CFUN=1"` AT command." I was not able to find the schematics for the board so I do not know exactly why there is a warning and what could happen if this is violated. However, one could imagine that the SIM could potentially receive some kind of damage from such violation.

Which application and which nRF Connect SDK version are you running?