Sprint PCS - Re: Sprint to activate other phones

Author

Re: Sprint to activate other phones

Mark Crispin

2007-10-26, 10:33 pm

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007, Ness Net wrote:
> Sprint: the company will unlock phones for both current and former customers,
> and will begin training its customer service reps on how to connect
> non-Sprint phones to its network.

This is excellent news. As people in the Verizon group already know,
Verizon phones are either unlocked, or the lock code is 000000. It takes
some doing, but Verizon will activate non-Verizon phones as long as it has
E911 capability. It's good to have Sprint on board, and this will be a
net benefit to both Sprint and Verizon customers.

Now, if only we can convince Sprint/Verizon to start using RUIMs... ;-)

-- Mark --

http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
Si vis pacem, para bellum.

NoConsequence

2007-10-26, 10:33 pm

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:21:31 -0700, Mark Crispin
<MRC@CAC.Washington.EDU> wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Oct 2007, Ness Net wrote:
>
>This is excellent news. As people in the Verizon group already know,
>Verizon phones are either unlocked, or the lock code is 000000. It takes
>some doing, but Verizon will activate non-Verizon phones as long as it has
>E911 capability. It's good to have Sprint on board, and this will be a
>net benefit to both Sprint and Verizon customers.
>
>Now, if only we can convince Sprint/Verizon to start using RUIMs... ;-)
>
>-- Mark --
>
>http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
>Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
>Si vis pacem, para bellum.
I'll believe it when it happens. This is nothing but a can of worms,
as those other networks' phone do not have the SPRINT software in
their firmware, meaning nothing but problems.

Jar-Jar Binks

2007-10-27, 4:33 am

This is good news and means that folks that have Verizon phones can now move
to the best network in the USA. Sprint is the BOMB!

Steve Sobol

2007-10-27, 12:33 pm

On 2007-10-27, NoConsequence <none@none.net> wrote:

> I'll believe it when it happens. This is nothing but a can of worms,
> as those other networks' phone do not have the SPRINT software in
> their firmware, meaning nothing but problems.

Which, traditionally, has been the only valid reason for Carrier A not to
support Carrier B's phones. They can't control the content of other carriers'
firmware.

Still, if you're just making voice calls, there shouldn't be a huge
difference. I can see some potential problems with data services, though.

--
Steve Sobol, Victorville, CA PGP:0xE3AE35ED www.SteveSobol.com

SoCal Fire news @the L.A. Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/breakingnews/
Local wildfire coverage, KFMB-TV San Diego: http://cbs8.com/

NoConsequence

2007-10-27, 10:33 pm

On Sat, 27 Oct 2007 17:20:56 +0000 (UTC), Steve Sobol
<sjsobol@JustThe.net> wrote:

>On 2007-10-27, NoConsequence <none@none.net> wrote:
>
>
>Which, traditionally, has been the only valid reason for Carrier A not to
>support Carrier B's phones. They can't control the content of other carriers'
>firmware.
>
>Still, if you're just making voice calls, there shouldn't be a huge
>difference. I can see some potential problems with data services, though.

I see problems with voice calls everyday. I work for a cell company
and we occasionally deal with customers who somehow got their other
company phone activated on our network. As PRLs don't match what they
should, and are stored differently in the phone due to firmware
differences, then their bill comes out major league wrong with, often,
huge charges for roaming - none of which we forgive. They shouldn't
be using that that INCOMPATIBLE phone on our network, after all.

Nobody you want to meet....

2007-10-28, 10:33 pm

Ummmm.. how is that possible, if Sprint and Verizon have CDMA network, and
yet Verizon already had said they wont unlock phone that's not on their
network? are you saying I can buy phone from sprint, and unlock on network?
"Mark Crispin" <MRC@CAC.Washington.EDU> wrote in message
news:alpine.WNT.0.9999.0710261615430.73160@Ningyo-no-Mori.Panda.COM...
> On Fri, 26 Oct 2007, Ness Net wrote:
>
> This is excellent news. As people in the Verizon group already know,
> Verizon phones are either unlocked, or the lock code is 000000. It takes
> some doing, but Verizon will activate non-Verizon phones as long as it has
> E911 capability. It's good to have Sprint on board, and this will be a
> net benefit to both Sprint and Verizon customers.
>
> Now, if only we can convince Sprint/Verizon to start using RUIMs... ;-)
>
> -- Mark --
>
> http://staff.washington.edu/mrc
> Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate.
> Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Mark Crispin

2007-10-29, 4:33 am

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007, Nobody you want to meet.... wrote:
> Ummmm.. how is that possible, if Sprint and Verizon have CDMA network, and
> yet Verizon already had said they wont unlock phone that's not on their
> network? are you saying I can buy phone from sprint, and unlock on network?

Verizon is incapable of unlocking some other carrier's phone.

However, if you can program your other-carrier phone with E911 for
Verizon, Verizon *will* activate it on your network after warning you
about possibly not being able to update PRL, etc. on it.

A couple of years ago, back when analog was still important, I temporarily
activated Verizon on the second NAM of my dual-NAM tri-band Telus Mobility
phone so I could use it in an analog-only area of Alaska (and left my
digial-only Verizon phone at home). Fortunately, doing that is no longer
necessary, and both my Verizon and Telus phones are Motorola A840 world
phones with no analog.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.

Gordon Huff

2007-10-29, 12:33 pm

Yes. What do you mean by "unlock on network?"

Nobody you want to meet.... wrote:
> Ummmm.. how is that possible, if Sprint and Verizon have CDMA network, and
> yet Verizon already had said they wont unlock phone that's not on their
> network? are you saying I can buy phone from sprint, and unlock on network?
> "Mark Crispin" <MRC@CAC.Washington.EDU> wrote in message
> news:alpine.WNT.0.9999.0710261615430.73160@Ningyo-no-Mori.Panda.COM...
>
>

NoConsequence

2007-10-29, 10:33 pm

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:09:24 -0600, Todd Allcock
< elecconnec@AmericaOn
Line.com> wrote:

>At 27 Oct 2007 17:38:13 -0500 NoConsequence wrote:
>
>
>
>No, your network is "incompatible" with other networks. There's no
>reason PRLs should be stored differently on different phones. There's a
>reason industries implement standards. The Feds should've mandated
>interoperability a long time ago. ANY 800/1900 CDMA phone should work on
>Sprint's network, period.
>
>
Do you work in the industry? I DO. I see the results of this EVERY
DAY. I know what HAPPENS.

Dennis Ferguson

2007-10-29, 10:33 pm

On 2007-10-30, NoConsequence <none@none.net> wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:09:24 -0600, Todd Allcock
>< elecconnec@AmericaOn
Line.com> wrote:
>
> Do you work in the industry? I DO. I see the results of this EVERY
> DAY. I know what HAPPENS.

Sure. The part I'm still having trouble with is that I can buy a GSM
phone at a store on the other side of the planet, bring it back on the
airplane and have it working with AT&T or T-Mobile service before I
make it to immigration, so it is certainly not like building phones to
an industry-wide standard is rocket science. Yet you can't make it work
with a phone purchased in the store across the street from your's because
of utterly gratuitous incompatibilities introduced by your company, or
their's, or god knows who.

It's too bad the CDMA companies have chosen to screw up their phones
like this, but I don't think I should have to pay for it by having to
bin a perfectly good phone just because I want to change to another
CDMA carrier. Since your company and the other guys have proven
so obviously incapable of doing the right thing on your own I, like
Todd, kind of wish the FCC had mandated interoperability a long time
ago. That they are finally pushing in this direction now may be
inconvenient for you, but it is exceedingly convenient for me so
I hope someone where you work will be busy fixing this.

Dennis Ferguson

Todd Allcock

2007-10-29, 10:33 pm

At 29 Oct 2007 19:22:54 -0500 NoConsequence wrote:

> Do you work in the industry? I DO.

I did. For a bit over a decade. I'm out now.

> I see the results of this EVERY
> DAY. I know what HAPPENS.

So do I. I'm not disagreeing that it does happen- I'm saying it SHOULDN'T.
That's a big difference.

There is NO reason that Alltel, Verizon and Sprint phones shouldn't be
interoperable on each other's networks without a hitch.

Steve Sobol

2007-10-29, 10:33 pm

On 2007-10-30, NoConsequence <none@none.net> wrote:

> Do you work in the industry? I DO. I see the results of this EVERY
> DAY. I know what HAPPENS.

PRLs are PRLs. Yes, you obviously don't want a Verizon PRL on a phone running
on Sprint's network. That doesn't mean the phone shouldn't run just fine on
Sprint.

--
Steve Sobol, Victorville, CA PGP:0xE3AE35ED www.SteveSobol.com

SoCal Fire news @the L.A. Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/breakingnews/
Local wildfire coverage, KFMB-TV San Diego: http://cbs8.com/

Steve Sobol

2007-10-29, 10:33 pm

On 2007-10-30, Todd Allcock < elecconnec@AmericaOn
Line.com> wrote:

> There is NO reason that Alltel, Verizon and Sprint phones shouldn't be
> interoperable on each other's networks without a hitch.

I still remember the Alltel Nokia 6185 that I moved to Verizon. After
whining at Verizon for a little while, they let me use it on their network,
which I did with no problems.

--
Steve Sobol, Victorville, CA PGP:0xE3AE35ED www.SteveSobol.com

SoCal Fire news @the L.A. Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/breakingnews/
Local wildfire coverage, KFMB-TV San Diego: http://cbs8.com/

Peter Pan

2007-10-30, 4:33 am

Nobody you want to meet.... wrote:
> Ummmm.. how is that possible, if Sprint and Verizon have CDMA
> network, and yet Verizon already had said they wont unlock phone
> that's not on their network? are you saying I can buy phone from
> sprint, and unlock on network?

Are you an idiot or just plain stupid? versizon phones are *NOT* locked,
while sprint phones are...

How could have verizon have EVER said that, since they aren'/t
locked!??!???!

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