1. #1
    D - Z
    Guest
    Does anyone know for sure if phones sold by US Cellular are locked or
    unlocked?

    I've asked their CS and was told they don't lock any of their phones,
    but at
    the same time, other people selling a US Cellular phone have said it
    is
    locked.

    I'm planning on buying a US Cellular version of the KX414, since
    Verizon
    removed the games and changed some other functionality! I've got even
    more
    incentive after seeing this article. You'd think the cheap B******s
    could
    leave the pong game on anyways, but no, we gotta squeeze every last
    cent out
    of our customers! It's not even the lack of the games that gets me
    mad, but
    the fact that they changed the functionality of the shortcut key to
    use two
    worthless shortcuts(browser and brew) rather than the two very useful
    shortcuts(silence and lock) that the phone was meant to have.

    http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=16241

    I haven't seen a US Cellular forum, so I figured this would be the
    best place since I want to use the phone on VZWs network, at least
    until we see what happens with Qwest and Sprint around here.

    Thanks,

    D



    See More: US Cellular phones




  2. #2
    Dr. WireMORE
    Guest

    Re: US Cellular phones

    Having recently attempted to activated two USCellular phones on Verizon, I
    can say that they are "locked". But the word locked is up for debate. As I
    understand it, these phones come from the factory with one-time programming
    code setup in the phone. Once activated, a 2nd set of programming codes
    (created uniquely based on a USCellular algorithm and the phones esn) are
    set-up for the phone.

    So while the phone isn't per-se locked, you will "not" be able to program
    the phone. This is not the "security lock", but the programming lock. In
    both cases, I couldn't get thru the subsidy codes... some people call this
    locked. I "convinced" USCellular to give me the programming codes, and they
    gave me "three" different numbers, none of which worked. On the latest
    attempt to activate a USCellular phone, they just declined to provide me
    with the code. With or without the code, I was unable to program them. But
    I did try.

    Dr. Wire More
    Wireless Consultant, and Midwest Master Agent

    "D - Z" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > Does anyone know for sure if phones sold by US Cellular are locked or
    > unlocked?
    >
    > I've asked their CS and was told they don't lock any of their phones,
    > but at
    > the same time, other people selling a US Cellular phone have said it
    > is
    > locked.
    >
    > I'm planning on buying a US Cellular version of the KX414, since
    > Verizon
    > removed the games and changed some other functionality! I've got even
    > more
    > incentive after seeing this article. You'd think the cheap B******s
    > could
    > leave the pong game on anyways, but no, we gotta squeeze every last
    > cent out
    > of our customers! It's not even the lack of the games that gets me
    > mad, but
    > the fact that they changed the functionality of the shortcut key to
    > use two
    > worthless shortcuts(browser and brew) rather than the two very useful
    > shortcuts(silence and lock) that the phone was meant to have.
    >
    > http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=16241
    >
    > I haven't seen a US Cellular forum, so I figured this would be the
    > best place since I want to use the phone on VZWs network, at least
    > until we see what happens with Qwest and Sprint around here.
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    > D






  3. #3
    Greg
    Guest

    Re: US Cellular phones

    For a US Cellular forum check www.howardforums.com scroll down to
    providers...
    Greg

    > I haven't seen a US Cellular forum, so I figured this would be the
    > best place since I want to use the phone on VZWs network, at least
    > until we see what happens with Qwest and Sprint around here.
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    > D






  4. #4
    Steven J Sobol
    Guest

    Re: US Cellular phones

    Dr. WireMORE <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Having recently attempted to activated two USCellular phones on Verizon, I
    > can say that they are "locked". But the word locked is up for debate.


    I thought the phrase (as it applies to cell phones) was pretty well-defined:

    a) locked against casual use by the use of a lock or security code, or

    b) subsidy-locked so that you can't get into programming mode to make changes
    without the MSL number, generally so that you can't use the phone on another
    carrier.

    Of course you are discussing b).


    > So while the phone isn't per-se locked, you will "not" be able to program
    > the phone. This is not the "security lock", but the programming lock. In
    > both cases, I couldn't get thru the subsidy codes... some people call this
    > locked.


    A lot of people call it locked.

    > I "convinced" USCellular to give me the programming codes, and they
    > gave me "three" different numbers, none of which worked. On the latest
    > attempt to activate a USCellular phone, they just declined to provide me
    > with the code. With or without the code, I was unable to program them. But
    > I did try.


    I don't see how this can be legal, since you've already bought the phone.
    I've never pushed the issue with any of the carriers I've dealt with, however.

    --
    JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services
    22674 Motnocab Road * Apple Valley, CA 92307-1950
    Steve Sobol, Proprietor
    888.480.4NET (4638) * 248.724.4NET * [email protected]



  5. #5
    Group Special Mobile
    Guest

    Re: US Cellular phones

    On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 19:26:47 -0600, Steven J Sobol
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    >I don't see how this can be legal, since you've already bought the phone.
    >I've never pushed the issue with any of the carriers I've dealt with, however.


    Well, since you've never done it why do you think you know the answer?
    It's something that carriers commonly do. Whether it's legal or
    illegal is an excercise left to those who want to test it in the
    courts.

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    To send an email reply send to
    GSMthemobilestandard ( yahoo.com



  6. #6
    Steven J Sobol
    Guest

    Re: US Cellular phones

    Group Special Mobile <look@signature_to.reply> wrote:

    > On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 19:26:47 -0600, Steven J Sobol
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>I don't see how this can be legal, since you've already bought the phone.
    >>I've never pushed the issue with any of the carriers I've dealt with, however.

    >
    > Well, since you've never done it why do you think you know the answer?


    How does "I don't see how this can be legal" equal "I am absolutely sure
    this isn't legal"? If I was sure, I'd have said so.

    The only carriers I have used that lock their phones are Northcoast and
    Sprint. Northcoast uses 1900 MHz CDMA, so using it where I was (at the time)
    was not an option on any other carrier except Sprint. Verizon and Alltel are
    both 800 MHz in that area, and Sprint won't activate a non-Sprint phone.

    Sprint locks their phones and I still use Sprint, but in the event I wanted
    to buy a Sprint phone and activate it, say, on my Verizon account, I am
    pretty confident that I could social-engineer the master subsidy lock code
    from someone.

    But since most Sprint phones aren't available from Verizon and Verizon
    therefore could not flash the phones with their specific firmware, I'd be
    wary about activating a Sprint phone on Verizon's network anyhow. I'd just
    pretty much expect that there would be some little glitches. I've moved an
    Alltel phone to Verizon before, but it was a phone for which Verizon had
    firmware because some of their indirect agents sold it.

    --
    JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services
    22674 Motnocab Road * Apple Valley, CA 92307-1950
    Steve Sobol, Proprietor
    888.480.4NET (4638) * 248.724.4NET * [email protected]



  7. #7
    CharlesH
    Guest

    Re: US Cellular phones

    Isn't it the case that VZW only insists that

    1) They carry that model (so they can support the software on it).

    2) It is not subsidy locked.

    Whereas others, such as SPCS, insist that the actual phone have been
    bought through them.




  8. #8
    Steven J Sobol
    Guest

    Re: US Cellular phones

    CharlesH <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Isn't it the case that VZW only insists that
    >
    > 1) They carry that model (so they can support the software on it).
    >
    > 2) It is not subsidy locked.
    >
    > Whereas others, such as SPCS, insist that the actual phone have been
    > bought through them.


    Yes. Sprint is the biggest carrier I know of that has this policy, although
    I imagine AT&T probably does too. Alltel and Verizon do not, AFAIK.

    --
    JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services
    22674 Motnocab Road * Apple Valley, CA 92307-1950
    Steve Sobol, Proprietor
    888.480.4NET (4638) * 248.724.4NET * [email protected]



  9. #9
    isufoot
    isufoot is offline
    Junior Member

    Posts
    10 - liked 1 times

    Re: US Cellular phones

    Locked.



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