Stupid question I'm sure but I switched my PRL to us cellular and use there nid/sid for home tower what's the difference between doing that and unlocking a phone. Could I do the same on my hero and give it to my brother who goes through them and let him use it??
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celthunder said:
Stupid question I'm sure but I switched my PRL to us cellular and use there nid/sid for home tower what's the difference between doing that and unlocking a phone. Could I do the same on my hero and give it to my brother who goes through them and let him use it??
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Unlocking is a GSM term. With GSM phones, there is no PRL; the list is built into the SIM card. You just switch SIM cards and that switches service/numbers. To unlock a phone is to remove the restriction it has to one carrier; if you put a T-Mobile SIM into a locked AT&T phone, it will ask you for the unlock/subsidy code to be able to use it on other networks (it asks you only once, permanently).
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Im going camping next weekend and i get 3/4 bars there.. But it isnt on E or G or anything.. Just emergency calls. Is there anyway i can get around that? Because obviously i am in reach of a tower for signal. It just wont let me use it unless its 911. I dont need internet data or anything like that, just be able to call. Changeable?
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Wow nobody even telling me i cant?
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Ehh try rebooting your phone or reselect your network.
If you're getting a signal, but you can't do anything but emergency calls, it means that specific network's tower is refusing to let you connect because T-Mobile doesn't have any roaming agreements with them.
And there is no way to get around that...
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geoffcorey said:
If you're getting a signal, but you can't do anything but emergency calls, it means that specific network's tower is refusing to let you connect because T-Mobile doesn't have any roaming agreements with them.
And there is no way to get around that...
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Thats kind of what i was thinking.. the ONLY carrier around there is at&t. So i guess at&t doesnt allow other companies to roam.. gay as hell.. and iv always been curious about the unlocking thing does it mean that i would be able to use at&t's signal on my phone with tmobile sim .. or do i need to put a at&t sim card in my phone. Bc i kno the vibrant is at&t capable... sorry if dumb question
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FATEOWNZYOU said:
Thats kind of what i was thinking.. the ONLY carrier around there is at&t. So i guess at&t doesnt allow other companies to roam.. gay as hell.. and iv always been curious about the unlocking thing does it mean that i would be able to use at&t's signal on my phone with tmobile sim .. or do i need to put a at&t sim card in my phone. Bc i kno the vibrant is at&t capable... sorry if dumb question
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Unlocking means sim unlocking, or the ability to use any company's sim, provided your phone can connect to their network.
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The thing is, if T-Mobile has ABSOLUTELY no signal in an area, they have roaming agreements there, even if it's AT&T.
There must be a T-Mobile tower somewhere near there, so it won't let you connect to the AT&T tower with anything else except emergency calls.
If you really need to be able to call someone, go to Wal-Mart or something and buy the cheapest AT&T prepaid phone, get some prepaid time, unlock your Vibrant, and pop the AT&T SIM in your card. You will get data too, since it'll just use some money off your account for data, and you will get 3G since the Vibrant is AT&T 3G capable.
Longcat14 said:
The thing is, if T-Mobile has ABSOLUTELY no signal in an area, they have roaming agreements there, even if it's AT&T.
There must be a T-Mobile tower somewhere near there, so it won't let you connect to the AT&T tower with anything else except emergency calls.
If you really need to be able to call someone, go to Wal-Mart or something and buy the cheapest AT&T prepaid phone, get some prepaid time, unlock your Vibrant, and pop the AT&T SIM in your card. You will get data too, since it'll just use some money off your account for data, and you will get 3G since the Vibrant is AT&T 3G capable.
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Thats kind of what i figured i would have to do... Thanks
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Wondering if this will work on T-mobile and if so how easy it is to unlock. Thanks!
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Yes, if you unlock the sim then you can use it but it will only be 2G/EDGE speeds, NOT 3G.
Depending on how you acquired the phone there a couple ways to unlock it, either by calling AT&T (if you have someone who has been a longstanding customer do it) or you can buy an unlock code online.
chukis13 said:
Wondering if this will work on T-mobile and if so how easy it is to unlock. Thanks!
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Well that sucks...
ATT and t-mobile use different frequencies for their 3G/4G networks, so it will only use the frequencies they share in the 2G/EDGE range. I think that is a physical restriction and not something that can be fixed with a radio flash.
Is it possible to use this phone on 3g networks? I want to buy it, but in my country there is not 4g network, only 3g...
dependent on the type of 3g network, yes
That' s great news , but what dependencies are relevant for it to work on 3g? Frequency of the network, or something else?
It has to be CDMA.
But could it also work on GSM? I have done a search on this, and found this pictures where you can select GSM http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1512138 .
Then I found this article:http://www.htcthunderbolt4g.com/htc-thunderbolt-general-discussion/htc-thunderbolt-unlock-to-work-with-gsm/ .
So, can I insert some radio, or change rom, or software, to make it somehow work on GSM network?
For the USA..... Since its a Verizon phone you would have to call Verizon and have them unlock it.... It cost money..... I would call Ur provider in the country u r in and ask them if it will work..... Just a fyi....... The thunderbolt is already out classed(IMO).... Get a newer phone like the razr or nexus.........
Hope it helps
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OK, thanks for replay. I'm asking because I have opportunity to buy it for 10$ !!!
The phone is only 10?? I would get it anyways have a small media play.... Hope u get it
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Andrija231 said:
But could it also work on GSM? I have done a search on this, and found this pictures where you can select GSM http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1512138 .
Then I found this article:http://www.htcthunderbolt4g.com/htc-thunderbolt-general-discussion/htc-thunderbolt-unlock-to-work-with-gsm/ .
So, can I insert some radio, or change rom, or software, to make it somehow work on GSM network?
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no, gsm is for lte not 3g
So I've been reading on these forums that some roms don't have gsm working. Can someone explain what gsm is and what it does? Sorry for noob question.
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gsm = signal
without it there is no calls or texts
Or in other words, no calls or texting.
Ok thanks guys.
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jvx333 said:
So I've been reading on these forums that some roms don't have gsm working. Can someone explain what gsm is and what it does? Sorry for noob question.
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"Global System for Mobile Communications"
This technology uses a small SIM card to contain the mobile phone details such as your phone number & etc. This allows one to swap the SIM card into another phone and have it simply work. The SIM card can also store a limited number of phone numbers. The technology is used everywhere in the world, but only on AT&T and T-Mobile in America.
stevedebi said:
"Global System for Mobile Communications"
This technology uses a small SIM card to contain the mobile phone details such as your phone number & etc. This allows one to swap the SIM card into another phone and have it simply work. The SIM card can also store a limited number of phone numbers. The technology is used everywhere in the world, but only on AT&T and T-Mobile in America.
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Not sure to understand since I'm not in those carrier and I can swap my SIM card into any other phone and it will still work. I'm in Canada and this works for any carrier for all I know. The SIM also contains phone numbers and can hold a bunch of SMS.
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johnride said:
Not sure to understand since I'm not in those carrier and I can swap my SIM card into any other phone and it will still work. I'm in Canada and this works for any carrier for all I know. The SIM also contains phone numbers and can hold a bunch of SMS.
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Because you are in Canada or bought an unlocked phone.
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johnride said:
Not sure to understand since I'm not in those carrier and I can swap my SIM card into any other phone and it will still work. I'm in Canada and this works for any carrier for all I know. The SIM also contains phone numbers and can hold a bunch of SMS.
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I forgot about the SMS storage. Your SIM card can be put into any other GSM phone. It could not be put into a Verizon phone, for example.
Is there a way to flash an ATT prl so I can roam off their tower?
Thanks
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No, there is not. To use an AT&T tower, first someone would need to find a way to unlock the SIM for domestic use (which hasn't been done so far) and then you would also need to have a valid AT&T SIM card.