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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / Cingular / April 2005Unlocking phones
What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at the local mall while I consider switching and he told me that Cingular will not unlock their phones for you. I can see their point but I won't buy a phone if I have to be locked into them while traveling in other countries for extended periods of time. A day or two is ok but that's it. Is this really their policy or just that of an uninformed rep? Thanks, Bob >What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at the local >mall while I consider switching and he told me that Cingular will not unlock >their phones for you. I can see their point but I won't buy a phone if I >have to be locked into them while traveling in other countries for extended >periods of time. A day or two is ok but that's it. Is this really their >policy or just that of an uninformed rep? Uninformed rep.  SignatureBest regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES: John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular >What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at the local >mall while I consider switching and he told me that Cingular will not unlock >their phones for you. The two phones I've tried foreign SIMs in so far - Motorola V180 and LG 1400 - weren't locked right out of the box. (You didn't hear it from me.) Do you mean "unlocked" right out of the box? > >What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at the local > >mall while I consider switching and he told me that Cingular will not unlock [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > (You didn't hear it from me.) >> >What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at the >local [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> >> (You didn't hear it from me.) >Do you mean "unlocked" right out of the box? The LG and the V180 both accepted T-Mobile SIMs - out of the box. > The two phones I've tried foreign SIMs in so far - Motorola V180 and > LG 1400 - weren't locked right out of the box. > > (You didn't hear it from me.) This is normal, if Cingular sells a phone that has international capabilities, it will be sold unlocked. Only their US only phones are locked. What qualifies as a international phone? 850/1900 is not international but 850/900/1900 MHz or 850/900/1800/1900 MHz are? > > The two phones I've tried foreign SIMs in so far - Motorola V180 and > > LG 1400 - weren't locked right out of the box. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > capabilities, it will be sold unlocked. Only their US only phones are > locked. > What qualifies as a international phone? > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > capabilities, it will be sold unlocked. Only their US only phones are > > locked. 900 Mhz and 1800 MHz are the International frequencies Who uses the 850 Mhz? I see the 900/1800 are international and 1900 is US. > > What qualifies as a international phone? > > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > 900 Mhz and 1800 MHz are the International frequencies >Who uses the 850 Mhz? >I see the 900/1800 are international and 1900 is US. The US uses 850/1900. (In the old days, 850 - which was called 800 - was referred to as cellular, while 1900 was referred to as PCS, leading to Sprint's ads about being 100% "PCS" and not cellular.) >in alt.cellular.cingular: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >was referred to as cellular, while 1900 was referred to as PCS, >leading to Sprint's ads about being 100% "PCS" and not cellular.) I thought PCS was bastardized (proprietary) CDMA not GSM? My brother's got a Ericsson T616 that's 850/1800/1900 and he says it works in Europe and Mexico, but not Japan. Anybody know what countries/regions are what? -- _____________________________________________________ For email response, or CC, please mailto:see.my.sig.4.addr(at)bigfoot.com. Yeah, it's really a real address :) >I thought PCS was bastardized (proprietary) CDMA not GSM? Do you eat with that mouth? :) PCS is just a frequency designation that was made by the FCC several years ago to indicate any mobile operator who used "1900 Mhz" as opposed to cellular operators who used "800 Mhz" cellular. PCS is used with CDMA, GSM and with TDMA IS-136. GSM was *only* on PCS up til two years ago when (then) AT&T Wireless and cingular used it on their cellular operations. >My brother's got a Ericsson T616 that's 850/1800/1900 and he says it works >in Europe and Mexico, but not Japan. Japan uses a proprietary Jphone mobile system which is not compatible with any other mobile system in the world. >Anybody know what countries/regions are what? http://www.kropla.com/mobilephones.htm gives an overview. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > >I thought PCS was bastardized (proprietary) CDMA not GSM? > > Do you eat with that mouth? :) <snip> From the dictionary: bas·tard·ize (bàs¹ter-dìz´) verb, transitive bas·tard·ized, bas·tard·iz·ing, bas·tard·iz·es To lower in quality or character; debase. Chas. My Cingular Nokia 6820 (purchased March 2005) was unlocked right out o the box. I've used in Australia w/ a local SIM card >I thought PCS was bastardized (proprietary) CDMA not GSM? No. PCS refers to the frequencies and the FCC rules to regulate their use, not to the modulation scheme (GSM/CDMA/TDMA/iDEN/AMPS/et cetera). <snip> > > The two phones I've tried foreign SIMs in so far - Motorola V180 and > > LG 1400 - weren't locked right out of the box. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > capabilities, it will be sold unlocked. Only their US only phones are > locked. and Cingular is to be commended for selling unlocked phones. >> > The two phones I've tried foreign SIMs in so far - Motorola V180 and >> > LG 1400 - weren't locked right out of the box. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >and Cingular is to be commended for selling unlocked phones. Well ... T-Mobile will give you the unlock code if a) you're traveling outside the US/Canada area or b) the phone is still in use but the contract is fulfilled. But Cingular does go one stop better. Question is whether they'll provide the lock code on a domestic phone after end-of-contract. >>> > The two phones I've tried foreign SIMs in so far - Motorola V180 and >>> > LG 1400 - weren't locked right out of the box. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >the US/Canada area or b) the phone is still in use but the contract is >fulfilled. I've heard that about them. Very nice. Too bad T-Mobile sucks otherwise! ;) >But Cingular does go one stop better. Question is whether they'll >provide the lock code on a domestic phone after end-of-contract. Very simple, having a lock code in the first place is because of the subsidation on phone $ that a contract gives you. If they keep you X amount of time, it's worth it for them to cut $100's off the price of the phone (or even give it to you free). That's also why there's a cancellation fee before your contract's up. I.E. Treo 650 unlocked = $650, locked w/2yr contract = $449. Of course, these days it's really irrelevant if the phone is Palm OS. You can just find an unlock program off the bin groups and unlock it immediately. -- _____________________________________________________ For email response, or CC, please mailto:see.my.sig.4.addr(at)bigfoot.com. Yeah, it's really a real address :) <snip> >Of course, these days it's really irrelevant if the phone is Palm OS. >You can just find an unlock program off the bin groups and unlock it >immediately. Really? I've been watching, and have not seen a program for unlocking the 650. If you could refer to such a posting, I'd appreciate it. > <snip> > >Of course, these days it's really irrelevant if the phone is Palm OS. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > 650. > If you could refer to such a posting, I'd appreciate it. They're still working on it at: http://shadowmite.com/ Al, how can you check if the phone is unlocked or not? I just bought a v180 (t-mobile) and gmm-software.com seems to be down. Thanks in advance > >What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at the local > >mall while I consider switching and he told me that Cingular will not unlock [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > (You didn't hear it from me.) >Al, how can you check if the phone is unlocked or not? I just bought a >v180 (t-mobile) and gmm-software.com seems to be down. Put in a SIM from another carrier. If the phone accepts it, it's not locked. >>Al, how can you check if the phone is unlocked or not? I just bought a >>v180 (t-mobile) and gmm-software.com seems to be down. > >Put in a SIM from another carrier. If the phone accepts it, it's not >locked. Barring having access to another SIM, is there a way? I've been trying to find out forever. -- _____________________________________________________ For email response, or CC, please mailto:see.my.sig.4.addr(at)bigfoot.com. Yeah, it's really a real address :) >>>Al, how can you check if the phone is unlocked or not? I just bought a >>>v180 (t-mobile) and gmm-software.com seems to be down. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Barring having access to another SIM, is there a way? Most of the time, there isn't. With some phones there are indirect ways. For instance, if you have the valid unlock code for a Nokia phone and try to unlock a phone that is ***ALREADY** unlocked, the phone will tell you. Using appropriate software and data cables for other phones, there probably are ways too. None is as simple as getting a SIM card and turning the phone on. > Using appropriate software and data cables for other phones, there > probably are ways too. > > None is as simple as getting a SIM card and turning the phone on. On my Sony-Ericsson, I press <**< and it tells me on the Screen if it's unlocked or not. That's simple, IMHO :-) >> Using appropriate software and data cables for other phones, there >> probably are ways too. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > That's simple, IMHO :-) BTW- < is Joystick left > On my Sony-Ericsson, I press <**< and it tells me on the Screen if it's > unlocked or not. > > That's simple, IMHO :-) I have a Z500a, when I do that if says "personalized with MNC3" what does this mean? Then, it goes to a screen with 4 choices: Network Network Subset SP Corporate All are unlocked except Network. What does this mean? Monica >> On my Sony-Ericsson, I press <**< and it tells me on the Screen if > it's [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Monica I'm not sure what the MNC3 is, But, That means it's locked. >Al, how can you check if the phone is unlocked or not? I just bought a >v180 (t-mobile) and gmm-software.com seems to be down. The only sure fire way to tell is to insert a SIM not from that carrier/operator. If you don't get the SIM rejected message it's unlocked. If you get a SIM rejected message it means that it's locked. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I travel to the UK almost every summer this year I took my V400 with me when I called CS they gave me a few options but I took what my cousin suggested and had it UNLOCKED and I used a prepaid sim card to unlock it was easy > What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at the local > mall while I consider switching and he told me that Cingular will not unlock [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Thanks, > Bob Fester: can you describe exactly how you got it unlocked using a prepaid card? I checked a couple of sites and the minimum I found for the unlock code was $40. I'd rather avoid this absurd tax. > I travel to the UK almost every summer this year I took my V400 with me when > I called CS they gave me a few options but I took what my cousin suggested > and had it UNLOCKED and I used a prepaid sim card to unlock it was easy >Fester: can you describe exactly how you got it unlocked using a >prepaid card? I checked a couple of sites and the minimum I found for >the unlock code was $40. I'd rather avoid this absurd tax. What makes it a "tax?" SignatureBest regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES: John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular It's just a figure of speech >It's just a figure of speech Fair enough, but not a good one. SignatureBest regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES: John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular >Fester: can you describe exactly how you got it unlocked using a >prepaid card? I checked a couple of sites and the minimum I found for >the unlock code was $40. I'd rather avoid this absurd tax. There are sites that will sell you Motorola unlock codes for a lot less than that. Care to cite a couple? Thanks. Bob K. Wrote: > What's the deal with this and Cingular? I spoke to a rep today at th > local [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Thanks, > Bob bob, what kind of cell phone do you have? if you have nokia i can hel you unlock that phone. go to www.kisland.com click on computer foru and then click on gsm forum. post you imei, provider, model, country. can't do it here bcoz were not allowed to post any code here. im alway there giving a code for nokia. see you there > i >can't do it here bcoz were not allowed to post any code here. im always >there giving a code for nokia. see you there. You seem to be under the impression that this is somehow a "moderated" news group. It is not. Unless you were planning on posting some sort of binary file I don't know that there's any restriction if someone wants to reveal their IMEI to the world at large. It's conceivable that someone could use that IMEI to clone a phone but it's highly unlikely. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
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