a TDMA cingular phone - what the hell?

so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up

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› See More: a TDMA cingular phone - what the hell?

In some areas, Cingular did have TDMA at some point. But they no longer
support that phone now. Looks like you're out of luck.

"Black Curtains" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
> use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
> description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
> the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
> cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
> powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
> btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
> even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
> network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up

> so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
> use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
> description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
> the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
> cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
> powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
> btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
> even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
> network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up

The question is..........
Where are you located??????????
In California, cingular only has 1900 GSM coverage.
You can't use a TDMA phone in any way, shape, or form, with them.
You have to go to ATT to activate it.

In the eastern states(minus north and south Carolina),
cingular has TDMA, plus GSM coverage.
TDMA coverage is good and strong, but a new user
can't activate a TDMA phone under new (month to month)service.
They are trying to force people over to GSM.
You still can activate it under prepaid service.
You can pretty much activate any phone under prepaid service
in the eastern states.
Existing customers that already have a TDMA phone can activate
it on their existing plan.

"Black Curtains" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
> use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
> description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
> the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
> cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
> powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
> btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
> even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
> network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up

Cingular still operates a TDMA network, but is phasing it out. They are
clearing bandwidth for more GSM service. They will not activate new accounts
with TDMA. AT&T may still be activating TDMA accounts, if you can get your
phone unlocked then it may work on AT&T (as well as on Tracfone).

On Thu, 04 Mar 2004 21:27:37 -0800, Black Curtains <[email protected]>
wrote:

>so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
>use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
>description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
>the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
>cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
>powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
>btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
>even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
>network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up

The Motorola V60 comes in three different variations for CDMA, TDMA
and GSM. They're all model V60. Only the V60 model made for the
service you are using will work on your system. Cingular runs both
GSM and TDMA in many of their areas.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply

On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 13:09:32 GMT, "N9WOS"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
>> use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
>> description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
>> the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
>> cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
>> powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
>> btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
>> even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
>> network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up
>
>The question is..........
>Where are you located??????????
>In California, cingular only has 1900 GSM coverage.
>You can't use a TDMA phone in any way, shape, or form, with them.
>You have to go to ATT to activate it.
>
>

well i know people who use at&t wireless and have tdma phones, if i
give it to them will at&t change their number onto it even if it is a
cingular phone?

> well i know people who use at&t wireless and have tdma phones, if i
> give it to them will at&t change their number onto it even if it is a
> cingular phone?

Here is a question.
Can you tell if it is staying on the ATT system there?
(ie) Call 611 and see what carrier's automated message you get.

If you get ATT, then all you have to do is let them activate it,
and then have them request a customer assistance person
to push a new IRDB onto the phone.

And now you have an ATT phone! :-)

If it isn't staying on ATT.
(ie) you get some other odd carrier that provides service there.
They may have to go into a store and have them upload a new IRDB
via a cable connection.

You shouldn't have to worry about a SOC(system operator code) lock.
Because there is no cingular TDMA system that it could find in California.
So a SOC lock would have no affect on it.

Or you could activate it on ATT free to go prepaid, which is TDMA.
And have a new IRDB put on it.

Cingular has been TDMA in michigan for years. Only recently have they been
converting anything, and I'd bet that a TDMA phone would probably work
better in this area than their GSM toys.

-Jeff


"Black Curtains" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
> use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
> description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
> the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
> cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
> powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
> btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
> even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
> network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up

"Black Curtains" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> so i won this off ebay, a motorola v60i (t) cause it said it was for
> use on cingular. i made a post about it a week or so ago cause the
> description said (c) which would indicate a cdma phone, but alas it is
> the (t) model... what this cant be a cingular phone you say? yeah
> cingular sai that too, but theres the keypad logo (cingular) and
> powering it on brings you a nice big cingular boot screen...so wtf?
> btw cingular told me they wont activate it for me (switch my # to it)
> even though it's their phone...but...they said it cant exist on their
> network cause they use GSM...im lost, someone tell me whats up

If you currently have Cingular TDMA service, changing your number to the
V60t should require only a phone call to C/S. Most of Cingular had TDMA
before there was any GSM in the USA. Any market that currently uses GSM 850
was TDMA and still has it! If you have a current GSM rate plan, you can't
use the V60. If you are in the CA or Carolina markets, sell it on ebay...

Mark


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On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 20:07:31 GMT, "N9WOS"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> > well i know people who use at&t wireless and have tdma phones, if i
>> give it to them will at&t change their number onto it even if it is a
>> cingular phone?
>
>Here is a question.
>Can you tell if it is staying on the ATT system there?
>(ie) Call 611 and see what carrier's automated message you get.

just for kicks when i got it i tried to make a call and it say " error
sd3 37 welcome to at&t blah blah blah" some male voice

>
>If you get ATT, then all you have to do is let them activate it,
>and then have them request a customer assistance person
>to push a new IRDB onto the phone.

i called at&t's c/s and they said they could, until i mentioned it was
a cingular phone from the east coast, the lady sai "oh then it might
have to be unlocked" and gave me a number to a cellular place that
unlocks phones for a $20 or so charge....called them and the guy said
yeah, until i told him it was a tdma phone...he said that you cant
unlock tdma phones... so ive heard everything now...

>
>And now you have an ATT phone! :-)
>
>If it isn't staying on ATT.
>(ie) you get some other odd carrier that provides service there.
>They may have to go into a store and have them upload a new IRDB
>via a cable connection.
>
>You shouldn't have to worry about a SOC(system operator code) lock.
>Because there is no cingular TDMA system that it could find in California.
>So a SOC lock would have no affect on it.

>
>Or you could activate it on ATT free to go prepaid, which is TDMA.
>And have a new IRDB put on it.
>

what is IRDB? im stupid when it comes to this lol

>In some areas, Cingular did have TDMA at some point. But they no longer
>support that phone now.

They havenot disassembled their TDMA network. If he is in a TDMA market and it
is a TDMA phone, they should activate it for him.

He hasn't told us where he is!

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

Yes, Cingular does have a TDMA network but since they are moving to GSM,
they no longer support TDMA phones (except for customers who already had
them, and except for limited markets). If he had a problem activating the
TDMA phone in his market, he's better off getting a GSM phone and selling
the TDMA on eBay (where he initially bought it). It'll be a lot less
trouble.


"John S." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >In some areas, Cingular did have TDMA at some point. But they no longer
> >support that phone now.
>
> They havenot disassembled their TDMA network. If he is in a TDMA market
and it
> is a TDMA phone, they should activate it for him.
>
> He hasn't told us where he is!
>
> --
> John S.
> e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

> what is IRDB? im stupid when it comes to this lol
>

It is an "Internal roaming data base"
It tells the phone which systems to go to,
when it can't find a native cingular system.

It is basically the same thing as a PRL for a CDMA phone.
The IRDB is currently telling your phone to go to the ATT system.
When you are on that system, if you request, the att system
can push another IRDB(ATT IRDB) into your phone.
That way, the phone will roam onto the systems
that ATT wants you to roam on.

You can't manual request a IRDB download from keypad commands,
like you can load a new PRL.
You have to call in and request it.
The system will normally upload the most current one automatically,
with out the user even knowing.
But you would have to wait until they decided to push
the next IRDB, for the phone to get updated.
(Which can be a long time.)

There is two types of locks on TDMA and CDMA phones.
The subsidy lock.
That is a 6 digit number that only the carrier knows.
You can not reprogram the number, or system on the
phone unless you know that 6 digit number.
(ie) The phone can not be reprogrammed at all!
That is normally used on CDMA phones.

And there is the SOC(system operator code) lock.
You can still program the telephone number and system details,
but the phone will always go to the carrier it has been SOC locked to,
if it can find it.
If it can't, then it follows what has been programmed into it.
(ie) If you had both ATT and cingular in your area, and
you programmed it with the ATT system ID, and ATT IRDB,
it would still go to the Cingular system if it can find it.

People sell cable/software pack that allow you
to remove the SOC lock on most TDMA phones.

>Yes, Cingular does have a TDMA network but since they are moving to GSM,
>they no longer support TDMA phones (except for customers who already had
>them

Newsgroups are great places for information gathering. Alternatly they are also
great places for people who know nothing about a subject to make statements
that they know nothing about.

Cingular, in all markets where they have had and still have TDMA, sells and
supports and turns on new accounts on their TDMA network. Nothing has changed
along these lines.

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

John S. wrote:

>>Yes, Cingular does have a TDMA network but since they are moving to GSM,
>>they no longer support TDMA phones (except for customers who already had
>>them
>
>
> Newsgroups are great places for information gathering. Alternatly they are also
> great places for people who know nothing about a subject to make statements
> that they know nothing about.
>
> Cingular, in all markets where they have had and still have TDMA, sells and
> supports and turns on new accounts on their TDMA network. Nothing has changed
> along these lines.


Yes, John, you're right, Cingular will still activate a TDMA phone in
any market that has TDMA service. However, one must consider that the
Cingular TDMA coverage is shrinking with each passing day. Frankly, I
expect AMPS to outlive TDMA. Since wireless carriers are only required
to provide AMPS service until the sunset date, I'm guessing Cingular
will abandon TDMA sooner than AMPS. Expecting long-term access to a
Cingular TDMA network may be an exercise in futility.

--
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