The tape reel notification is trigger by a special format SMS to the handset in question. This is operator dependant on how this is configured (if at all). The common alternate is a simple text via SMS. At present I beleive you will find that the N900 doesn't support this extended capability along with a few other features. It would be nice to see this implimented but in the meantime simply call your operator customer services to ask them how to configure this for your account.