(ME)ID Required
SIM Cards...?
With all the MEID stuff coming into play, it seems like a REALLY GOOD TIME for US CDMA providers to get some sort of removable chip like the SIM cards on GSM phones. The only thing that lures me to GSM is the ability to change phones easily and transfer my settings without having to call customer service every time.
Something tells me that those of us enjoying CDMA won't get anything equivalent to SIM cards, though... *sigh*
Something tells me that those of us enjoying CDMA won't get anything equivalent to SIM cards, though... *sigh*
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Well, the technology certainly exists. It's called R-UIM. They have it in China, and some places in Latin America. And they're having to make special provisions for R-UIM with this whole MEID process.
But of course using R-UIM is up to the carriers, and so far no North American carriers seem to want it. ☹️
But of course using R-UIM is up to the carriers, and so far no North American carriers seem to want it. ☹️
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Interesting... I'd heard of R-UIM, but didn't realize it did the same thing as SIM cards (as far as transferring phonebook, voicemail info, etc.)...
Can an R-UIM phone be imported to the US and be used on a carrier here like Verizon that allows non-Verizon labelled phones on their network?
Can an R-UIM phone be imported to the US and be used on a carrier here like Verizon that allows non-Verizon labelled phones on their network?
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Good question. I doubt it, but that's just a guess.
I don't think it would be worth it. The selection of R-UIM phones isn't that great. And by the time you got everything programmed and working, the net convenience would be a wash, most likely.
I don't think it would be worth it. The selection of R-UIM phones isn't that great. And by the time you got everything programmed and working, the net convenience would be a wash, most likely.
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This is a great example of poor planning. Reminds me of when IPv6 was first developed, most people didn't quite understand why it was developed and still has not been widely implemented.
In the IT industry they realized that IPv4 was not going to remain a long-term solution for the licensing of IP addresses and quickly worked to develop it's successor years before IPv4 will reach this same crisis...
This article is a perfect example of not planning ahead, I understand as a programmer there are some situations that cannot be forecasted, ie... Y2K... It's good to hear the industry is working together to avoid Panic!
I'm not criticizing technologies, just expressing why this article is extremely interesting on more levels than just ...
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In the IT industry they realized that IPv4 was not going to remain a long-term solution for the licensing of IP addresses and quickly worked to develop it's successor years before IPv4 will reach this same crisis...
This article is a perfect example of not planning ahead, I understand as a programmer there are some situations that cannot be forecasted, ie... Y2K... It's good to hear the industry is working together to avoid Panic!
I'm not criticizing technologies, just expressing why this article is extremely interesting on more levels than just ...
(continues)
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the only problem with R-UIM/SIM is the fact that the actuall phone would still need to have a MEID or ESN or IMEI attached to it for tracking purposes... Stolen equipment would be impossible to trace without this "tracking" number
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Hey this is the time to implement R-UIM/SIM, while they are fixing all of this! The 56-bit IMEI (or whatever you want to call it for CDMA) will be really nice and bring CDMA into line with other world standards. It may also bring some universality to the table as well. I can buy any GSM phone I want for my GSM service, but when I've had Sprint or Verizon I'm pretty much stuck with their lineup of phones.
For example, Nextel didn't originally support SIM cards in their phones, even though the iDEN standard supported it. They phased it in with new phones and all their new phones have it. I'm sure they still have a handful of legacy non-SIM phones on the network still, but they still work and will be replaced eventually. These cell phones n...
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For example, Nextel didn't originally support SIM cards in their phones, even though the iDEN standard supported it. They phased it in with new phones and all their new phones have it. I'm sure they still have a handful of legacy non-SIM phones on the network still, but they still work and will be replaced eventually. These cell phones n...
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You know you can change your ESN over Verizon's website and do the over the air programming? It's pretty nifty, but it's not as nifty as sim cards (Though I hate the idea of having another part of the phone that'd break. We should be able to change the ESN through an IVR and have the phone book transfered over the air. Phone book storage over the air should be a free!)
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Please understand that with a SIM card you have a greater chance of theft. If you take Sprint for example, you steal one of their phones, Sprint flaggs the ESN and the phone is rendered practically useless for the intelligence of a theif.
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Please understand that with a SIM card you have a greater chance of theft. If you take Sprint for example, you steal one of their phones, Sprint flaggs the ESN and the phone is rendered practically useless for the intelligence of a theif.
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as i was reading through this thread this is the exact thought that kept entering my mind...sure anyone who wants to accept this risk can go ahead and keep their gsm phone...but anyone who's smart enuf to not take this risk would be well-advised to go with cdma...basically i'm trying to say that IMHO, ESNs are the biggest selling point that cdma has...even if it does mean they have to cripple phone features, such as memory card / bluetooth capabilities...
Please understand that with a SIM card you have a greater chance of theft. If you take Sprint for example, you steal one of their phones, Sprint flaggs the ESN and the phone is rendered practically useless for the intelligence of a theif.
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as i was reading through this thread this is the exact thought that kept entering my mind...sure anyone who wants to accept this risk can go ahead and keep their gsm phone...but anyone who's smart enuf to not take this risk would be well-advised to go with cdma...basically i'm trying to say that IMHO, ESNs are the biggest selling point that cdma has...even if it does mean they have to cripple phone features, such as memory card / bluetooth capabilities...
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Actually, GSM phones are tracked with IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier). You can report the IMEI as lost or stolen, and the phone will not be able to function.
The SIM authenticates the user to the network. The network does, however, also authenticate the IMEI of the phone (which is not tracked by user, but whether or not the phone is flagged).
The SIM authenticates the user to the network. The network does, however, also authenticate the IMEI of the phone (which is not tracked by user, but whether or not the phone is flagged).
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Haven't seen it mentioned yet... Nextel. Case of ESNs and SIMs. But then I believe Nextel is more SIM dependent than anything, which would still require a complete switch for T/CDMA carriers.
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This forum is closed.
