Cell phones and SIM cards...

[brinkjm]

Hi All,

I have a question about cellular phones and SIM cards. I have heard that with newer phones, you can pull one SIM card and put it into another phone, retaining the same phone number and wireless provider. True? Catch? Easy?

Here is my story: I work where camera phones are a no-no. I also work where my personal cell phone (mit camera) doesn't get any reception inside the building. However, my managers are issued Nokia cell phones (w/o cameras, of course) and they get wonderful reception anywhere in the facility. Of primary concern is if my wife needs to get in touch with me while I am at work. If I am away from my desk, the cell is the only option and...well, that ain't working. 9 times out of 10, she tells me that when she phones, she gets voice mail right away.

So, can I take the SIM card out of my Verizon Wireless Motorola and slap it into one of these Nokia phones, thereby retaining my Verizon camera phone for personal use, but being able to use the camera-free and "works-in-the-building" Nokia during the week?

I await with eager anticipation!

TIA!

Jim

[PAGoldsby]

This will work only if the company Nokia phones are the same technology (CDMA, TDMA, GSM, GPRS, etc) as your Verizon service. Chances are, though, that the reason that the Nokia phones work is that they're on a different provider with a more robust signal in your area. A cheaper option may be to get a bottom-of-the-line prepaid phone that's on the same provider as your company Nokias, and forward your Verizon phone to that number when you're at work.

[jdmetzger]

Every Verizon phone I've ever seen does not use a SIM card. SIM cards are something used with GSM phones only (unless other providers are going to this type of technology). GSM is only offered in th US through AT&T (Cingular) and T-Mobile. Probably a few of the smaller non-national providers, as well.

Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. MOST CDMA phones do NOT have SIM cards, although they are starting to get a similar feature. Theirs are called R-UIM cards, and just beginning to become available in the US. They are currently not interchangeable with SIM cards.

One other thing; some cell phones are "locked" to a specific provider. If the phone is not "unlocked", your AT&T SIM card (for example) would not work in a T-Mobile phone. There are ways to get them "unlocked". I think if you get a phone from T-Mobile, you just have to call in to the customer service center to get it unlocked, after you have had it for 90 (possibly 180) days.

Yes, I'm a geek.

[PAGoldsby]

I didn't know that Verizon was sin SIM. In that case, the prepaid phone with call forwarding from Verizon sounds like the way to go. Either that or switch providers.

[BradfordBenn]

It depends. In theory it should work. I used to have a Verizon phone with a SIM card that was US only, when I went to London I just popped in the SIM into a loaner phone. Never hurts to ask your provider...

The other option is to just do a forward on the phone.

[GlobalRider]

So, can I take the SIM card out of my Verizon Wireless Motorola and slap it into one of these Nokia phones, thereby retaining my Verizon camera phone for personal use, but being able to use the camera-free and "works-in-the-building" Nokia during the week?

Provided the phones are un-locked.

Cell phones usually come with a "contract", that is why you get them for free or for next to nothing. For that reason, they come locked or coded to only work with the provider providing the phone.

My un-locked cell phone takes all three of my SIM cards without problems.

[username]

during the day, forward your phone number to your boss' awesome cell phone. youll solve several problems at once this way:

1. your wife will only call with real emergencies, since she'll be disturbing your boss.
2. if you have lots of emergencies, your boss will help you solve the problem somehow so he gets fewer calls.

:D

[Bigrider]

I just had my AT&T (Cingular) phone (Nokia) replace due to a small accident in the driveway. To get the new phone up and running required taking the SIM card from the old phone and placing it in the new phone. On start up, I found that non of my saved numbers had been saved. When I read the instructions I found you have to manually copy the numbers from the phone memory to the SIM card using the "Copy" command (at least on my phone). It would be nice if the phone automatically stored numbers on the SIM card, but I guess reading the instructions would also of helped.

Dave H
San Antonio, TX

[PAGoldsby]

I just had my AT&T (Cingular) phone (Nokia) replace due to a small accident in the driveway. To get the new phone up and running required taking the SIM card from the old phone and placing it in the new phone. On start up, I found that non of my saved numbers had been saved. When I read the instructions I found you have to manually copy the numbers from the phone memory to the SIM card using the "Copy" command (at least on my phone). It would be nice if the phone automatically stored numbers on the SIM card, but I guess reading the instructions would also of helped.

Dave H
San Antonio, TXIt's worse than that, even.

When you store contact information in your phone's memory, you generally can have the contact's name, multiple phone numbers, street addresses, email addresses, notes, URLs, etc. On the SIM card, you get name and one phone number for each contact. That's it. Thank goodness for IR transfer, or I would have had to manually put in 200+ contacts from my dying (wouldn't sync, dead keyboard) Treo 650 to my HP iPaq 6945. I guess there's something like a SIM 2.0 technology that allows extended contact information, but I don't know how many US-spec phones use it.

The US is so far behind the rest of the world on mobile phones, it ain't even funny.

[GlobalRider]

On start up, I found that none of my saved numbers had been saved. When I read the instructions I found you have to manually copy the numbers from the phone memory to the SIM card using the "Copy" command (at least on my phone).

With 3 different SIM cards in my possession so that most calls are always "local" (Rogers: Canada & USA, 02 LOOP: Germany and nearby countries, and TIM: Italy and nearby countries) its a good thing phone numbers are stored on the card itself because the dialed numbers need to be different depending on where you are. So if you travel and use numerous SIM cards, you probably already know that.

[GlobalRider]

The US is so far behind the rest of the world on mobile phones, it ain't even funny.

Understatement of the century!

Although US companies wouldn't call this "being behind", in Europe, a €10 top-up will keep my phone and number activated for a full year. Over here you have to top-up your account every month or once a year for something over $100.