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Can I unlock a Verizon Treo 700p to work on AT&T's network?

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Can I unlock a Verizon Treo 700p to work on AT&T's network?

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Old Dec 29, 2007, 6:37 pm
  #1  
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Can I unlock a Verizon Treo 700p to work on AT&T's network?

Long story short, I was given a Treo 700p for Christmas. The catch is that it was purchased from Verizon and my family plan is with AT&T. Been with AT&T for 10 years and really have had no problem.

I did stop into a local AT&T store and they were no help and I called the AT&T service line and was told to call Verizon to get it unlocked. Then to take the Treo to an AT&T store for activation provided the Treo had a SIM card, which I have not been able to locate.

Is this really possible? Obviously, I have never done this. I really do not want to break my contract and change providers just to use this Treo. I guess is the hassle worth it?

Thank you in advance for your help.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 6:38 pm
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Very easy answer: no. Verizon and AT&T use very different, incompatible technologies (CDMA and GSM respectively).
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 6:39 pm
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Thank you.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 6:41 pm
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similar question with a Sprint twist

My brother gave me a Treo 650 he had with Cingular/AT&T. My cell phone is Sprint. Can I get this one unlocked? Thanks in advance for the answer.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 6:49 pm
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Originally Posted by UA2SYD
Long story short, I was given a Treo 700p for Christmas. The catch is that it was purchased from Verizon and my family plan is with AT&T. Been with AT&T for 10 years and really have had no problem.

I did stop into a local AT&T store and they were no help and I called the AT&T service line and was told to call Verizon to get it unlocked. Then to take the Treo to an AT&T store for activation provided the Treo had a SIM card, which I have not been able to locate.

Is this really possible? Obviously, I have never done this. I really do not want to break my contract and change providers just to use this Treo. I guess is the hassle worth it?

Thank you in advance for your help.
Where would you put the SIM card...there is no tray for it in a 700P? Since Verizon is a CDMA and ATT is quad band your best bet is to find out where it was bought. If the phone had been a Cingular or T-Mobile, you unlock them, as they have SIM card trays. Besides, when you go around unlocking phones, you stand to wipe out your warranty. If it was purchased at a Palm store or on line you could exchange it for one of the ATT Treo's.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 6:51 pm
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Originally Posted by cbalaska
My brother gave me a Treo 650 he had with Cingular/AT&T. My cell phone is Sprint. Can I get this one unlocked? Thanks in advance for the answer.
Same answer...no. For the same reasons.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 6:52 pm
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Originally Posted by cbalaska
My brother gave me a Treo 650 he had with Cingular/AT&T. My cell phone is Sprint. Can I get this one unlocked? Thanks in advance for the answer.
Again, AT&T/Cingular uses GSM, while Sprint uses CDMA. you can't
use phone from one provider with the other..

If you have a quad band GSM phone, you can use it on almost any GSM provider
.. (AT&T and T-Mobile in US) Sprint and Verizon are NOT GSM.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 7:04 pm
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Originally Posted by cpx
Again, AT&T/Cingular uses GSM, while Sprint uses CDMA. you can't
use phone from one provider with the other..

If you have a quad band GSM phone, you can use it on almost any GSM provider
.. (AT&T and T-Mobile in US) Sprint and Verizon are NOT GSM.

ummmmmm --- thanks, I think.
Admittedly totally technologically ignorant.... what's GSM and CDMA?
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 7:09 pm
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Originally Posted by cbalaska
Admittedly totally technologically ignorant.... what's GSM and CDMA?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...hone_standards
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 7:11 pm
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Originally Posted by cbalaska
ummmmmm --- thanks, I think.
Admittedly totally technologically ignorant.... what's GSM and CDMA?
These are different bands that phones operate on. Bascially, only the US uses the CDMA though there are a couple of phones that do both. When in the US they operate in CDMA mode. When out of the US, they have a tray for a SIM card. I believe Japan uses three of the four bands.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 7:12 pm
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Originally Posted by cbalaska
ummmmmm --- thanks, I think.
Admittedly totally technologically ignorant.... what's GSM and CDMA?
Basically, totally different types of cell phone transmission standard protocols. Verizon and Sprint use CDMA, and are among the few in the world that do (yea I know there are others but not many). ATT/Cingular and TMobile US use GSM which is the standard in most of the rest of the world. And it is a hard wired thing with the transmitters on the phone. It cant be changed on a given phone.
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 7:16 pm
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ummmmmmmmmm.......thanks again -- I think. Guess I'll have to go back to grad school to even figure out what I just read! In the meantime, I'll take the "Same answer...no. For the same reasons." answer as gospel and be happy with my simple Sprint Razr phone -- at least I know it will make and receive calls. LOL
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Old Dec 29, 2007, 7:19 pm
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....thanks APW Girl and GadgetFreak -- now it makes more sense.^
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Old Dec 30, 2007, 6:45 pm
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Originally Posted by GadgetFreak
Basically, totally different types of cell phone transmission standard protocols. Verizon and Sprint use CDMA, and are among the few in the world that do (yea I know there are others but not many). ATT/Cingular and TMobile US use GSM which is the standard in most of the rest of the world. And it is a hard wired thing with the transmitters on the phone. It cant be changed on a given phone.
True for current phones, although there's some very interesting work on software-based transceivers which would allow phones to "switch personalities" between the two (or to future technologies.) It's already in use for cell sites, but isn't in phones yet (that I know of.)

There are also a few phones that do have both CDMA and GSM hardware; as far as I know, they're few and expensive.
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Old Dec 31, 2007, 2:05 am
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Why does my Verizon Blackberry 8830 claim to be a "world phone" if it uses CDMA?
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