Help From The Pros

[scotty3x3]

Ok guys. I am need of your brains and experience right now. I have 3 phones on my AT&T plan. 1 is a 3GS, 1 is a 3G and the last is a blackberry used by my mother in law. My 3GS is available for an upgrade as well as the blackberry. The 3G is not available to upgrade because AT&T screwed up my account long ago.

In the days of the regular size SIM cards I would just upgrade the two lines and switch the SIM cards and give the new iPhone 4 to my wife. But the new iPhone uses the mini SIM card.

I was at Radio Crap today and the girl (very nice, an apple fanatic and seemed to know what she was talking about) was saying that the SIM is programed to the ESN of the phone so if I put my wifes SIM into my mother in law new iPhone 4, it Willkie work and AT&T may even cancel the number and charge me under policy violations. I don't know how this can be. If someone on my plan doesn't wan to upgrade their phone, anyone on my plan should be able to use it I would think. If anyone has any insight or thoughts or ideas on this I'd love to hear them!

Thanks,
Scott

 

[hcho3]

Ok guys. I am need of your brains and experience right now. I have 3 phones on my AT&T plan. 1 is a 3GS, 1 is a 3G and the last is a blackberry used by my mother in law. My 3GS is available for an upgrade as well as the blackberry. The 3G is not available to upgrade because AT&T screwed up my account long ago.

In the days of the regular size SIM cards I would just upgrade the two lines and switch the SIM cards and give the new iPhone 4 to my wife. But the new iPhone uses the mini SIM card.

I was at Radio Crap today and the girl (very nice, an apple fanatic and seemed to know what she was talking about) was saying that the SIM is programed to the ESN of the phone so if I put my wifes SIM into my mother in law new iPhone 4, it Willkie work and AT&T may even cancel the number and charge me under policy violations. I don't know how this can be. If someone on my plan doesn't wan to upgrade their phone, anyone on my plan should be able to use it I would think. If anyone has any insight or thoughts or ideas on this I'd love to hear them!

Thanks,
Scott

She is right about the size of sim card, but Sim is programmed to the ESN of the phone is not really true. AT&T will not cancel your number... It will never be extreme unless you don't pay your bills.
New sim card that iphone 4 uses is called micro Sim. Your current sims are called mini sim. Micro sim is just smaller than Mini Sim, but it is a same thing. They just cut out few plastic edges. You will not have any issues with swapping phones and upgrading. However, you might need a help from AT&T representative to do this. Ask them nicely and they will help you. Get a smart one and avoid the ones who look like they don't know what they are doing.

 

[scotty3x3]

So basically what you're saying is that what I want to do is ok by AT&T rules and I just need to explain to them that I need the micro sim to be my wifes number and the regular sim to be my mother in laws number? And they have no problem doing this?

 

[hcho3]

So basically what you're saying is that what I want to do is ok by AT&T rules and I just need to explain to them that I need the micro sim to be my wifes number and the regular sim to be my mother in laws number? And they have no problem doing this?

No problem at all. Of course, you have to get a rep who knows what they are doing.

 

[scotty3x3]

Ok. That's about what I thought but she was saying the sim is programed to the esn now and that would have caused major issues! Thanks for the input!

 

[Geckotek]

So basically what you're saying is that what I want to do is ok by AT&T rules and I just need to explain to them that I need the micro sim to be my wifes number and the regular sim to be my mother in laws number? And they have no problem doing this?

Yup...and GSM phones don't have ESNs...they have IMEIs.

See our Upgrade Guide for details on what you are attempting to do.

 

[scotty3x3]

EXCELLENT information in that upgrade guide. Thanks for that!!