Sprint To Unlock Its Phones, Allow Non-Sprint Phones
switch carriers...use their phones
I would think common sense would prevail here. Why would someone so unhappy with Sprint want to take their phone to say Verizon or Alltel. Again common sense dictates that to get the most out of your carrier you NEED to use a phone that has been tested by their engineers. It's not about greed but about making sure a network doesn't have phones keeping it from being the best it can be. I've read a lot about EVDO and the like and can assure you that as a former Sprint employee your carrier can only ensure you have proper service if your phone has been tested on it's network. It's not just about voice anymore but data as well and carriers like Sprint and Verizon will go to whatever lengths to protect those networks.
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Common sense for us, but not for those who are misinformed. So many people just recently have been complaining that they cant transfer their phones to different networks. To someone who doesnt understand how wireless devices work with different networks, it seems like a great idea. To most consumers, the ability to unlock these devices onto different networks means freedom. To those of us who know better, we know it's just the opposite. While a limited amount of phones will work, most of them wont. So why unlock all of them?
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Im not too familiar with the cdma part of things but I hear this bull from ATT(Cingular) all the time about how an unlocked phone will only work for voice and not data. Well I have had at least 20 unlocked phones, at least 5 of them that never even made it state side that worked 100 percent without a flaw, voice and data. So Im sick of hearing that certain features wont work. You stated you were a former sprint employee so maybe thats why you still believe that.
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I've had to troubleshoot Altell & Sprint phones added to the Verizon Wireless network and I haven't been able to get data to work on one yet. It hasn't been for lack of effort on my part, it just hasn't. And those are just phones that are the same model, just made for a different carrier, like the Razr. I can't support a phone I have no information for. If you're having trouble with dropped calls, and it looks fine in the switch, you're SOL. I can't lead you through checking settings in the phone and I can't submit a trouble ticket either. In other words, if it's not one of our phones, you're on your own. Not because I'm being difficult, its just because there's nothing I can do to help you.
GSM is different, granted, so swapping there ...
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GSM is different, granted, so swapping there ...
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You're NOT familiar with the CDMA side. GSM phones usually can be updated with a flash with the correct networks settings. They are available on the Nokia website for Nokia phones. That's why its easier to get your phone to work on any GSM network. CDMA is a TOTALLY different monster.
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No one is saying that the features won't work, they are saying there is no guarantee that it will work. The real problem with unlocking the phones is that the average cell phone user is going to have problems with there phone and then bring it in to me and be pissed when I can't do anything for them. It's the same thing as buying a TV from Wal-Mart and then taking it to Best Buy and expecting them to do something for you. Why should they you didn't buy it from them?
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Hmmmmm... have you ever accessed data while the little (R) indicator was on the infobar of your phone? This would indicate that you are roaming on another carriers network.. and your data worked just dandy. Practicly the whole entire CDMA hacking communitity of the previous couple years was all about taking sexy sprint phones and making them work on VZW.. "protecting our network" is a load of crap.. "protecting our profits" is what it's all about, you just have to talk to someone beyond the level of store sales rep/in-store psuedo-tech.
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Using data while roaming isn't quite that easy. It depends on agreements between carriers, technology, the device, the tower.
Take voicemail indicators, for Verizon they typically don't make it to the phone while you're roaming, but once you're back on the network, they show up. Voice works fine, sms is fine, just no message waiting indicator. It doesn't mean your voicemail's not there, it is, just that your phone doesn't know to turn on the icon. That's a different scenario to a Sprint phone on the Verizon network not receiving the voicemail indicator. In that case it's because sms isn't working at all. Same 'problem' but completely different reasons/solutions.
Also consider the Alltel phone on Verizon I had the 'pleasure' of troubl...
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Take voicemail indicators, for Verizon they typically don't make it to the phone while you're roaming, but once you're back on the network, they show up. Voice works fine, sms is fine, just no message waiting indicator. It doesn't mean your voicemail's not there, it is, just that your phone doesn't know to turn on the icon. That's a different scenario to a Sprint phone on the Verizon network not receiving the voicemail indicator. In that case it's because sms isn't working at all. Same 'problem' but completely different reasons/solutions.
Also consider the Alltel phone on Verizon I had the 'pleasure' of troubl...
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This forum is closed.
