SIM and Activation?

These are very beginner questions.... Thanks in advance.

I'm on ATTWS TDMA.

If I switch to GSM, I gather those phones have SIM cards. Leaning toward
v180.

What are SIM cards?

Are SIM cards sold/installed separately or do they come with the phone?

Also, if I buy from the Cingular store, can I activate my new phone
myself later that day or week?

I'd like to control the timing so I can switch over my old phone book
first. Or will they want/insist on activating when I buy? Since I want
to keep my existing number perhaps there is an advantage to the store
activating.

Thanks.

--
Please send email to: nwhiii at yahoo dot com

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In article <[email protected]>, Norm
<[email protected]> wrote:

> These are very beginner questions.... Thanks in advance.
>
> I'm on ATTWS TDMA.
>
> If I switch to GSM, I gather those phones have SIM cards. Leaning toward
> v180.
>
> What are SIM cards?

www.telestial.com/glossary.htm :

Subscriber Identity Module card - a small printed circuit board that
must be inserted in any GSM-based mobile phone when signing on as a
subscriber. It contains subscriber details, security information and
memory for a personal directory of numbers. The card can be a small
plug-in type or sized as a credit-card but has the same functionality.
The SIM card also stores data that identifies the caller to the network
service provider. Back to the top.


> Are SIM cards sold/installed separately or do they come with the phone?

Both; when you get a new account though you always get a new SIM.

> Also, if I buy from the Cingular store, can I activate my new phone
> myself later that day or week?

I think the answer to this depends on the intelligence of the sales
person (BTW It's the SIM that gets activated, not the phone.)

Have fun. There are some nice features with GSM, like controlling call
forwarding.

s