Is Cingular still offering the "GAIT" option on GSM Nation Plans?
I know that in the fall of '04 Cingular made it possible in most (if not all) areas of the country for you to have GAIT-access, provided you had a GSM Nation Plan & either the 6340i or t62u phones that work on GAIT.
Anyway, this isn't the fall of '04 anymore, and buddies in two different states have tried doing this and are having tons of trouble with CS. While CS tells them it can be done, it sure doesn't seem to be getting done.
Is it just a matter of getting a rep that is familiar with how to correctly go about doing this or is the company pulling the rug out from under this (as I was told) free option?
I was about to go from straight tdma to gsm provided I could have the GAIT option added on, but wondered what those in the kn...
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Anyway, this isn't the fall of '04 anymore, and buddies in two different states have tried doing this and are having tons of trouble with CS. While CS tells them it can be done, it sure doesn't seem to be getting done.
Is it just a matter of getting a rep that is familiar with how to correctly go about doing this or is the company pulling the rug out from under this (as I was told) free option?
I was about to go from straight tdma to gsm provided I could have the GAIT option added on, but wondered what those in the kn...
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It is easy. To activate a GAIT phone on the Nation GSM plan, you have to put in the ESN, SIM, and IMEI numbers. This will allow you to use the large GAIT network while utlizing the advantages of the cheap Nationwide plan.
If the IMEI is nopt added, it can cause billing problems.
Will
If the IMEI is nopt added, it can cause billing problems.
Will
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Glad to hear it SHOULD be short and sweet. I'll run that reply by my buds and see what they're being told.
I don't yet have my 6340i to try this fun thing myself. Should all corporate CS reps be versed on this, or is it best to call very early in the day, later in the day, or get a priest to sit with you as you make the call no matter the time of day? 😁
One other thing. Since this phone is a three-legged monster (gsm/tdma/amps) what does it display for each mode so you will know under what system you're using it?
Thanks
I don't yet have my 6340i to try this fun thing myself. Should all corporate CS reps be versed on this, or is it best to call very early in the day, later in the day, or get a priest to sit with you as you make the call no matter the time of day? 😁
One other thing. Since this phone is a three-legged monster (gsm/tdma/amps) what does it display for each mode so you will know under what system you're using it?
Thanks
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well 1 problem you will run into is cingular does not sell the gait phones anymore . I assume that your getting the phone from an authorized dealer ? The problem is now that before when we switched gait phones to the gsm plans the esn was automatically pulled out of the system ! meaning that the tdma towers are unable to be used . you get a cheaper plan but you are disabling one side of the phone ! so you might as well get a nice gsm phone instead of a tdma looking phone that has a gsm plan
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THE BOX said:
well 1 problem you will run into is cingular does not sell the gait phones anymore . I assume that your getting the phone from an authorized dealer ? The problem is now that before when we switched gait phones to the gsm plans the esn was automatically pulled out of the system ! meaning that the tdma towers are unable to be used . you get a cheaper plan but you are disabling one side of the phone ! so you might as well get a nice gsm phone instead of a tdma looking phone that has a gsm plan
This information is not true. You can use TDMA towers with a GAIT phone as the TDMA system is not being retired, just compressed. If you have any further questions, please contact me through the link on th...
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ok did you read what i put on here? guess not so let me say it again ! WITHOUT AN ESN A GAIT PHONE WILL NOT PULL FROM A TDMA TOWER ! thats what i put except in a little more detail ! when you put a gait phone on a gsm plan CARE automatically pulls the esn from the account meaning the phone is only using 1 side the gsm side you have to have an active esn to use a tdma tower ! where did you read me saying anything about tdma being retired ?
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THE BOX said:
ok did you read what i put on here? guess not so let me say it again ! WITHOUT AN ESN A GAIT PHONE WILL NOT PULL FROM A TDMA TOWER ! thats what i put except in a little more detail ! when you put a gait phone on a gsm plan CARE automatically pulls the esn from the account meaning the phone is only using 1 side the gsm side you have to have an active esn to use a tdma tower ! where did you read me saying anything about tdma being retired ?
"The problem is now that before when we switched gait phones to the gsm plans the esn was automatically pulled out of the system ! meaning that the tdma towers are unable to be used ."
This is what you said! And this was my response... You can use TDMA to...
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as i emailed your response to you . what i said is this / when you put a gait phone on a gsm plan care automatically pulls the esn from the system ,and when it does that the phone cannot pull from a tdma tower! i never said anything about tdma towers being retired? and i don't appreciate you telling me that I'm giving wrong info out to customers ! in fact you are !, because you told this man that his phone would pull from a tdma tower while having a gsm rate plan , at least with care billing that is not the case . ONE MORE TIME care puls the esn from the system and he cannot use those towers on a gsm plan !
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Well...if you cannot have access to a tdma tower, why in the fall of 04 would Cingular have added the GAIT option to their GSM nation plans? I didn't save the thread, but one guy even posted a picture of his billing screen that showed the option being marked on his plan.
I would figure that Cingular might think that it's cheaper to offer all the goodies to people willing to "put up with" an outdated phone like some would say the 6340i is versus possibly losing those customers to Verizon.
The phone I received in the mail this week via ebay and phonestoreusa.com (inside ebay) has an esn and an imei # on the side of the box. What else do I need in order to make it happen?
Thanks
I would figure that Cingular might think that it's cheaper to offer all the goodies to people willing to "put up with" an outdated phone like some would say the 6340i is versus possibly losing those customers to Verizon.
The phone I received in the mail this week via ebay and phonestoreusa.com (inside ebay) has an esn and an imei # on the side of the box. What else do I need in order to make it happen?
Thanks
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okay, Met hasn't made himself specific enough. Care does not automatically remove the esn. The plans have been altered to allow esn's to be on them, hence why it is actually possible to put a straight TDMA phone on an NGSM plan. Though this option doesn't actually work properly in the longrun as the phone will not have access to the GSM service. So, to reiterate, a GAIT phone will work and have GAIT access, but the ESN will not be removed.
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Hey RX240,
Not trying to get too deep into this, but by following threads since last fall, I thought that at one time it was possible to add a tried and true tdma phone to a gait-styled plan but not anylonger. I'm not in the know on that, just have read where other reps have stated that over time.
But bottom line, if you go from a pure tdma plan (like I have) and switch to a GSM Nation but add the 6340i phone and ask customer service to add on the GAIT access, won't you essentially have a GAIT plan, even though they don't sell those anymore? I understand you can switch the SIM card to another pure GSM phone and everything will work on that phone also? Of course, omitting tdma and amps.
Thanks
Not trying to get too deep into this, but by following threads since last fall, I thought that at one time it was possible to add a tried and true tdma phone to a gait-styled plan but not anylonger. I'm not in the know on that, just have read where other reps have stated that over time.
But bottom line, if you go from a pure tdma plan (like I have) and switch to a GSM Nation but add the 6340i phone and ask customer service to add on the GAIT access, won't you essentially have a GAIT plan, even though they don't sell those anymore? I understand you can switch the SIM card to another pure GSM phone and everything will work on that phone also? Of course, omitting tdma and amps.
Thanks
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It is still possible to add a pure TDMA phone to a GSM plan, we're just not supposed to and it can supposedly cause problems. Just yesterday I saw two TDMA phones sharing on a FTNGSM plan. I didn't touch it...didn't want the drama.
It is true that if you add a GAIT phone, with sim, imei, and esn intact, it will have GAIT access. Hence why the old NGAIT plans aren't particularly cost effective anymore. You can switch out the sim card to a pure gsm phone, but as you said you'll lose the useage of the tdma and amps. As far as the stripping of the esn, at one point that was tested in Florida but was eventually discontinued in favor of just leaving the esn and giving access to gsm plans.
I think I rambled in there somewhere, let me kno...
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It is true that if you add a GAIT phone, with sim, imei, and esn intact, it will have GAIT access. Hence why the old NGAIT plans aren't particularly cost effective anymore. You can switch out the sim card to a pure gsm phone, but as you said you'll lose the useage of the tdma and amps. As far as the stripping of the esn, at one point that was tested in Florida but was eventually discontinued in favor of just leaving the esn and giving access to gsm plans.
I think I rambled in there somewhere, let me kno...
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