Must I?

Crudmother · Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 2

Here's a newbie question.

If I have an existing account w/ a cellphone provider, can I just go buy a
phone and put my card in it from my old phone, or must I buy only from my
provider. I want to avoid signing a new contract.

Any help?

Thank you,

Archived from group: alt>cellular-phone-tech

Wolfgang Barth · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 16

Crudmother schrieb:
>
> If I have an existing account w/ a cellphone provider, can I just go buy a
> phone and put my card in it from my old phone, or must I buy only from my
> provider. I want to avoid signing a new contract.

If your cellphone provider uses GSM
and the GSM-phone is capable of "your" frequencies
(which are 850/1900 in the US and 900/1800 elsewhere)
and if the new bought phone is "open" or "unlocked"
then "yes". Just put the SIM card into the new phone.

But no phone will work without contract.
At least you need a pay-as-you-go "contract".

Dr. Leonard H. McCoy · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

> If I have an existing account w/ a cellphone provider, can I just go buy a
> phone and put my card in it from my old phone, or must I buy only from my
> provider. I want to avoid signing a new contract.

I have T-Mobile service. I bought an older AT&T phone, put my SIM card into
the new phone and I was up and running.

Not all cell phones will work on all providers' services.
ATT/Cingular/T-Mobile phones generally will work together, but Sprint won't
work with NexTel which won't work with ATT or T-Mobile. (I may have some of
the names wrong, but while some will, generally phones won't cross provider
boundaries.)

If you have the model # of a phone you're interested in, call your provider
and ask them; they'll tell you if it will work.

As a starting point, tell us what model phone you have now and whose service
you have (ATT? Sprint? etc). Then we can at least provide you with the basic
criteria so you don't spend lots of time looking at incompatible phones.

Good luck,
--
Dr. Leonard. H. McCoy
"I'm a *doctor*, Jim, not a *magician*!"

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