cell phone gurus - help

70SWT · 08-02-2005, 11:27 AM

I am trying to get the real deal on cell phone compatibility, if anyone out there knows anything about these issues. I have a Nokia phone, I think it is a BLC-2. I want to use it with my Cingular account since I lost my Motorola flip phone that I used on that account. The guy at the local Cingular store seemed to think the Nokia won't work, which I look at with suspicion since they have a profit motive in selling me a new phone, plus I used a Nokia on this same account before upgrading to the flip. Any place I can believe that can give me an idea if the Nokia can be used on my Cingular account?

RickM · RickM's Garage

I'd call or contact Nokia tech support.

70SWT · 08-02-2005, 11:37 AM

Trying that as we post - can't find a good number on google thus far....

Hugh R · 08-02-2005, 12:28 PM

Do you have one of those SIMS cards? I don't know much about them as my phone doesn't but if you do, they're system specific.

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

If you used it previously on cingulars network all you should have to do is swap the sim card from the old phone to the new one and it should work.

jim72911t · 08-02-2005, 12:49 PM

I just popped open my phone to check the model number, and it is a Nokia BLC-2. I have a Cingular account, and this is the phone they sent me when I signed up.

So yes, the phone should work.

Good luck,
Jim

legion · 08-02-2005, 12:52 PM

I had Cingular a while back. About a year after I first signed up, and shortly after my contract expired, I was sent a letter stating that my phone would no longer work properly on their network (a phone I had bought with my plan). It just also happened to mention a few new phone that I could buy at a discount that would work.

I never bought a new phone. I kept Cingular for another year and never had a problem.

My point is, it may very well work, but they won't help you make it work. Not when they can rope you into a longer contract and make you buy a new phone.

Joeaksa · 08-02-2005, 01:12 PM

You can have cell phones "unlocked" to work on anyone's system.

Have done it many times. Costs around $30 and takes a few minutes but you sometimes have to send the phone in to have it done.

If anyone wants the contact info pls let me know.

Joe A

70SWT · 08-02-2005, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim Walsh
If you used it previously on cingulars network all you should have to do is swap the sim card from the old phone to the new one and it should work.

Unfortunately the old phone is lost...will see if I can get anywhere with this in the am, very frustrating...

operationcougar · operationcougar's Garage

my gf used to work for cingular in customer support, she says you are going to need a phone with SIM card capability, if the one you have is indeed that then you can go to a cingular store and buy a card for about $20, then all you do is put it in and set it up and will work

87coupe · 87coupe's Garage

lol, BLC-2 is the model of your battery not your phone. Unfortunately this is the battery that no less than 10 different Nokia models use, so I can't tell you what phone you have based on that. Cingular's network is GSM 850 / 1900. All GSM phones that I'm aware of use a sim card. If your Nokia was bought from Cingular, all you need to do is go get a new sim card from the Cingular store, and put it in your old phone. If you found your old phone, or if it was just broken, you could just pop the sim out of that one & put it in the old one.

Cheers,

70SWT · 08-04-2005, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by operationcougar
my gf used to work for cingular in customer support, she says you are going to need a phone with SIM card capability, if the one you have is indeed that then you can go to a cingular store and buy a card for about $20, then all you do is put it in and set it up and will work

Please ask her if a phone can be "programmed" to be incompatible with a given SIM card. That is what the guy at the Cingular store told me, he says his SIM card wouldn't function in the phone, although it fit just fine. He said he thought the phone was programmed not to work with their system.

operationcougar · operationcougar's Garage

i did, she said, "hes prolly BSing him, he prolly wanted to get the comison from a sale. if it even had been "programed" then why couldnt it just as well be "re-programed"? and if he likes the phone, just get a sim card anyway, he is going to have to buy one for anyother cingular phone anyway"

so really i guess there is no downside to get a new sim card anyway, if it doesnt work in your phone, and/if you buy a new one you will still need one

70SWT · 08-06-2005, 03:23 PM

I bought a new phone. Problem solved....thanks anyway, Al

Joeaksa · 08-06-2005, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 79widebody
Please ask her if a phone can be "programmed" to be incompatible with a given SIM card. That is what the guy at the Cingular store told me, he says his SIM card wouldn't function in the phone, although it fit just fine. He said he thought the phone was programmed not to work with their system.

Read my post above. You can unlock almost any SIM type cell phone to work with all SIM cards.

JoeA

70SWT · 08-06-2005, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Read my post above. You can unlock almost any SIM type cell phone to work with all SIM cards.

JoeA

I tried to do so - the original carrier for the phone I wanted to unlock, US Cellular, wouldn't unlock it, unless I sent it in for a $100 "refurbishment". The new carrier Cingular couldn't unlock it, or so they said as their final answer...I just plain ran out of time and had to have service ASAP. However, I still have the US Cellular phone and would love to hear specifics of how it can be cheaply unlocked.

Joeaksa · 08-07-2005, 09:12 AM

Al,

I know of a guy in San Diego who will do it for $30 a phone. Its a business, not some guy working out of his house and he has been profiled on the WSJ, NY Times etc.

1 Day service if you overnight it to him. Have used him for years, I buy phones off of Ebay for 20% normal cost from the cell phone companies, unlock them and use them with anyone's SIM chip.

JoeA