iPhone might be possible on Sprint

[mjz147]

Hi everyone,
I am currently on a sprint plan, and will be for the next year and a half on contract. I wish i could get the iPhone 3GS, but am on a family plan and a student, so I cannot afford the $70 a month for AT&T. I have been doing some research, and know that Sprint uses CDMA technology which is completely different from AT&T which is GSM, and that you can't use an iPhone on Sprint's CDMA network. However Sprint has recently added some phones with international capabilities, which work on Sprint's CDMA network, and have a slot in the phone for a Sim card, which is capable of working on GSM networks. Sprint does give you an international Sim Card though. I know it is possible to physically insert the Sprint Sim card into an unlocked iPhone, but does anyone have any knowlege as to whether Sprint will bill you at a rate every minute becasue of roaming on other networks. I know that Sprint costumers using their CDMA network can roam for free, but I am thinking that with the Sim card they will charge you for roaming (and using) AT&T or T-Mobile's network. Please I have read many posts on other websites, and people who have no idea what they are talkin about like to think that they do and write "it should work" This website has been extremely helpful for me and for everyone on it, So please help me out with a breif detailed message. Thanks alot!

 

[calvy]

You might as well just quit thinking about this so hard. It's not going to work. Sprint will not allow you to constantly roam on a GSM network, even if they allow this at all in the US.

 

[aristobrat]

No carrier will let you roam permanently on another carriers network, so even if you initially got this to work, it's not a long-term solution.

 

[justiny]

It's the same setup on the Blackberry Storm... Sim card included, but will not work on US GSM frequencies.

 

[jav6454]

No carrier will let you roam permanently on another carriers network, so even if you initially got this to work, it's not a long-term solution.

Pretty much, I agree with this. Except, they aren't going to be happy to see you roam within the US when you said you were going to be abroad.

 

[The Californian]

Those phones from Sprint don't allow Sprint phones to roam on GSM networks within the US, only internationally. Basically it's a phone that has both a CDMA and a GSM radio built in. When you are roaming internationally it records your usage for Sprint. So if you go through all that trouble, and unlock your iPhone ( That is if it's not on 3.1 ) and then put in your Sprint SIM card... You'll still get no service.

 

[aphexacid]

It's the same setup on the Blackberry Storm... Sim card included, but will not work on US GSM frequencies.

Some of you guys on here are just clueless. I had a Storm unlocked for a couple months before i got sick of using edge all the time, euro 3g only.

If there were a world iphone available through a cdma carrier, im sure in time it could be unlocked to be used on GSM carriers.

 

[The Californian]

Some of you guys on here are just clueless. I had a Storm unlocked for a couple months before i got sick of using edge all the time, euro 3g only.

If there were a world iphone available through a cdma carrier, im sure in time it could be unlocked to be used on GSM carriers.

Actually I believe you would be the clueless one. First of all, the iPhone is a "World Phone" on GSM. Secondly, CDMA and GSM are completely different technologies that achieve the same end result. In essence it would be like saying your Bio-Diesel Audi will eventually be unlocked to run on Unleaded Gasoline. Just because both cars move when you push the gas pedal doesn't mean their technologies are interchangeable.

A CDMA phone will never work on GSM and a a GSM phone will never work on CDMA, no matter how much unlocking you do.

 

[justiny]

If there were a world iphone available through a cdma carrier, im sure in time it could be unlocked to be used on GSM carriers.

And you call me "clueless"?

Get your facts straight, and try again.

 

[thelordnyax]

Some of you guys on here are just clueless. I had a Storm unlocked for a couple months before i got sick of using edge all the time, euro 3g only.

If there were a world iphone available through a cdma carrier, im sure in time it could be unlocked to be used on GSM carriers.

yeah....you're the clueless one
they're talking about using an iPhone within the US through Sprint...
NOT using a BB Storm on at&t

the only way you can use sprint phones on GSM in other countries is because Spring has agreements with those phone services to let phones roam on their networks
Spring would not have such an agreement within the US with at&t (because using a Spring phone, you wouldn't need to roam)

 

[nehunte]

Some of you guys on here are just clueless. I had a Storm unlocked for a couple months before i got sick of using edge all the time, euro 3g only.

If there were a world iphone available through a cdma carrier, im sure in time it could be unlocked to be used on GSM carriers.

Yeah, I'm gonna jump in here and call you clueless, too. What a FAIL of a post. That's just embarrassing.

 

[kdarling]

Aphexacid is correct. The four responders after him clearly did not comprehend his post. He was replying directly and only to the claim that:

It's the same setup on the Blackberry Storm... Sim card included, but will not work on US GSM frequencies.

Which is officially correct, but untrue in real life.... because the Storm has been unlocked for both T-Mobile and AT&T.

Aphexacid's other comment about unlocking was about CDMA world phones, which by definition also have a GSM radio like the Storm.

 

[jav6454]

Some of you guys on here are just clueless. I had a Storm unlocked for a couple months before i got sick of using edge all the time, euro 3g only.

If there were a world iphone available through a cdma carrier, im sure in time it could be unlocked to be used on GSM carriers.

Agreed. Verizon had a Verizon SIM card in it. I know because of friend bought one and he told me about the SIM card, to which I said nonesense. It wasn't until he opened the battery compartment and just there I saw the Verizon SIM card.

It is red with the Verizon ad dude in eye glasses with his partners. I was like, hum, you can use this with AT&T as it seems.

 

[mjz147]

I understand. Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[aphexacid]

Jesus, at least some folks on here whats what. Step out of the iphone bubble before you start spreading misinformation.

the combo phones you see on sprint and verizon have cdma and gsm chipsets. the cdma side works with whatever carrier is branded by obviously, and then the gsm side might be locked to a specific overseas carrier. Like my storm was locked to vodafone i believe. i bought it dirt cheap off ebay, paid $20 for an unlock code and boom. it doesnt have at&t 3G frequencies though, so edge got old fast.


To the guy that argued the world phone thing...you can call almost EVERY gsm phone a world phone because with the exception of a couple, 99% of the latest ones work anywhere in the world, at least the gsm bit (maybe not 3G). the iphone happens to be a world 3g phone as well. but thats TOTALLY not what i was talking about. Companies refer to world phones as the cdma/gsm combo phones because they expect you to use the cdma part in america, and then gsm in the rest of the world.

So like i said. if they made a iphone world version (cdma/gsm combo), i'm sure you'd be able to unlock it very easily.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Those phones from Sprint don't allow Sprint phones to roam on GSM networks within the US, only internationally. Basically it's a phone that has both a CDMA and a GSM radio built in. When you are roaming internationally it records your usage for Sprint. So if you go through all that trouble, and unlock your iPhone ( That is if it's not on 3.1 ) and then put in your Sprint SIM card... You'll still get no service.

umm Might want to correct you on that. Those phones can work one US GSM networks but it requires a US GSM card. Some one in one of my classes has a Verizon labeled storm running on T-Mobile.

But he has a T-Mobile contract so that is how he pulled it off.

Sprint system will reject any phone from a US carriers network so still a no go.

 

[The Californian]

Aphexacid is correct. The four responders after him clearly did not comprehend his post. He was replying directly and only to the claim that:



Which is officially correct, but untrue in real life.... because the Storm has been unlocked for both T-Mobile and AT&T.

Aphexacid's other comment about unlocking was about CDMA world phones, which by definition also have a GSM radio like the Storm.

But in the context of what this thread is about, if you were to have a Sprint SIM card it still wouldn't work to bring the iPhone onto Sprint. I think we're arguing different points. You can easily take a "World Phone" ( A phone with both a CDMA and GSM radio ) and unlock it so it works on a GSM carrier in the US. Yet, what the OP was asking is if he could take the Sprint SIM and pop it in an iPhone and it will work. Best case scenario, if you were to do this you would still be roaming on either AT&T or T-Mo all the time which would kind of defeat the purpose.

Those CDMA phones with a GSM radio and SIM card simply allow your CDMA carrier to monitor your usage while it allows you to roam on a GSM carrier. What it doesn't do is magically make the CDMA carrier understand a GSM device.

umm Might want to correct you on that. Those phones can work one US GSM networks but it requires a US GSM card. Some one in one of my classes has a Verizon labeled storm running on T-Mobile.

But he has a T-Mobile contract so that is how he pulled it off.

Sprint system will reject any phone from a US carriers network so still a no go.

I don't need correction. If you take a Sprint labeled "World Phone", unlock it and put an AT&T SIM in there it loses all of its association with Sprint and simply becomes an unlocked phone on AT&T with a useless CDMA radio.

 

[ImSybilized]

Is it possible that iPhone will ever work on Sprint Network?

ok, the question may have been answered, but give me some patience. Will i-phone ever work on the Sprint Domestic network? I love the phone, but hate ATT's pricing plan and service. Yes, some may say I get what I pay for, but they've notoriously been overpriced even for what you get for the money. i-phone clearly has been ATT's bread and butter.

ImSybilized

 

[kdarling]

But in the context of what this thread is about, if you were to have a Sprint SIM card it still wouldn't work to bring the iPhone onto Sprint.

You're of course correct, in the original context.

The problem was that several people took someone's side-topic and tried to fit it into the same context. Easy to do if replying in a hurry. We've all done it.

ok, the question may have been answered, but give me some patience. Will i-phone ever work on the Sprint Domestic network?

The currently sold iPhone models will not work on Sprint.

 

[Nermal]

the combo phones you see on sprint and verizon have cdma and gsm chipsets. the cdma side works with whatever carrier is branded by obviously, and then the gsm side might be locked to a specific overseas carrier.

I think you'll find that they're locked to the domestic carrier. I don't have any experience with Sprint or Verizon but this is what happens in NZ:

You buy a "WorldMode" phone such as a Samsung i325 or BlackBerry 8830 from Telecom NZ. The CDMA side is used when inside NZ, or when roaming in a country with CDMA (such as the US). The GSM side is used when roaming in a country without CDMA (such as Australia).

The GSM side is locked to only accept a Telecom NZ SIM. The lock is to the SIM, not the network, so you can roam on other networks such as AT&T or Optus but need to use the Telecom SIM.

Hopefully the concept is similar in the US, otherwise I'm just opening a can of worms here

 

[aphexacid]

I think you'll find that they're locked to the domestic carrier. I don't have any experience with Sprint or Verizon but this is what happens in NZ:

You buy a "WorldMode" phone such as a Samsung i325 or BlackBerry 8830 from Telecom NZ. The CDMA side is used when inside NZ, or when roaming in a country with CDMA (such as the US). The GSM side is used when roaming in a country without CDMA (such as Australia).

The GSM side is locked to only accept a Telecom NZ SIM. The lock is to the SIM, not the network, so you can roam on other networks such as AT&T or Optus but need to use the Telecom SIM.

Hopefully the concept is similar in the US, otherwise I'm just opening a can of worms here

Yeah, they're all locked to a certain company. Whichever one the USA cdma carrier has an agreement with. I'm almost positive verizon world phones come with vodafone sims. I'm pretty sure my Storm did.

The gsm portion on all of these can be unlocked and used on other gsm carriers other than the originally intended ones of course, just like any other gsm phone. It gets pretty deep though, because for example RIM was nice enough to add quadband gsm and euro 3g, the 8830 world edition is strictly euro frequencies. so it wont work in the US even if unlocked. but at least you'd be able to use it with another euro carrier, say o2, and not have to get a internation plan with sprint.

I re-read the OP, and it looks like i didnt understand exactly what he wanted to know (im still right about everything i said though ). which is could he take the sprint sim out of a world phone and put it in an unlocked iphone. The sprint sim is NOT a sprint sim, its the sim of some european carrier with a sprint logo on it. cdma carriers dont use sim cards what so ever.

 

[Nermal]

Yeah, they're all locked to a certain company. Whichever one the USA cdma carrier has an agreement with. I'm almost positive verizon world phones come with vodafone sims. I'm pretty sure my Storm did.

Oops, sorry, I completely forgot that Verizon and Vodafone are the same company. That explains the Vodafone SIM

It gets pretty deep though, because for example RIM was nice enough to add quadband gsm and euro 3g, the 8830 world edition is strictly euro frequencies. so it wont work in the US even if unlocked.

Of course, it doesn't really need to (for roaming purposes) since it can use the CDMA networks in the US. I believe that WorldMode phones (is that a real name for them, or just something my carrier came up with?) will always default to CDMA if it's available (at least that's what page 4 of this document says).

 

[justiny]

Obviously, I miscommunicated my original post of the BB Storm having a sim card and not working on US GSM frequencies in contrast to the OP's original topic. All apologies.

I understood the thread title as asking if one could remove the Sprint sim card of a CDMA/GSM phone (the same setup as the Storm), throw it into an iPhone and operate that same iPhone on Sprint's network.

Of course, theoretically a BB Storm can operate on AT&T's network, but I understood the thread title to ask if an iPhone can operate on a Sprint or Verizon sim card on US GSM frequencies, which I believe it cannot.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Nermal]

An iPhone with a Sprint/Verizon SIM will most likely not work as I don't believe that Sprint or Verizon would have roaming agreements with AT&T, T-Mobile etc. Basically the networks would show up but they would reject connection, just like how you can't connect to AT&T while using a T-Mobile SIM and vice versa.