vB Easy Archive - Phone compatibility with Verizon

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Phone compatibility with Verizon
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Posted by: IslesFan

After responding to a thread about a GSM phone incompatiblity with VZW, I figured I'd make a post(hopefully to become a sticky) regarding phone compatiblity.

1. GSM/TDMA/iDEN Phones are NOT COMPATIBLE with Verizon Wireless. This includes phones from companies(or phones which work on these such companies) such as T-Mobile, Cingular, AT&T Wireless, and Nextel.

2. Unless changed, or you get an exception, whatever phone you wish to use on the Verizon Network must support both CDMA 800 and CDMA 1900. Older Verizon Phones only worked with CDMA800, but I don't believe Verizon will activate them anymore.

3. If you have a CDMA800/1900 phone, you need to know the MSL(Master subsidary lock) code. For phones sold by Verizon, and Alltel for that matter, the MSL code is usually 000000, unless its Verizon Prepay(Search for the Alltell Nokia 3585i Wallyworld special threads for information on the Alltel prepaid and how it is unlocked). If you know the MSL code, you should also try to change it to 000000, such that Verizon's OTA programming can program the phone and push the latest PRL to the phone.

Sprint PCS/US Cellular Phones almost always have a MSL that is dependent on the ESN(Electronic Serial Number) of the phone.

4. If you activate a non Verizon phone on Verizon, certain features, ie web browser, picture/text messaging may or may not work. There is no guarantee if something will or will not work.

5. All handsets must be e911 compliant in order to be activated. This is to satisfy the FCC's requirement of all carriers to have at least 95% of their subscribers using e911 compliant handsets.

Questions/Comments?

Posted by: hatoncat

Phones that cannot have their MSL changed (Sprint, US Cellular, etc) can still be activated on Verizon, though it is much more difficult. You must upload a Verizon PRL file to the phone using phone service software. This will allow the phone to connect to Verizon towers and bypass the need for OTA provisioning (since OTA provisioning cannot be done unless you have a VZW Prepaid or 000000 MSL phone).

This process is, of course, different for every phone, so it will be difficult for people in this forum to help with that process. Try asking if there is a procedure for the phone you are interested about in the forum for that carrier.

Posted by: d-rak

hatoncat, I just switched over to Verizon from Sprint due to reception issues, I was wondering if I could use my old Sammy a460 on the Verizon network. (Not the best phone in the world, but it would beat keeping the 2 nokias I got at the store--just can't get into candybar phones, not for $80 ea. anyway) I think I can, but I don't really know for sure or how it's done. I have a feeling this would involve some hacking, which, if simple I could do, but then again grey legal areas tend to spook me. Any insight, I can't seem to find clear info, it's either crazy "pimp out your (expesive/gaget/toy) phone for every little thing" hacks or shady "how to clone the store phones" (a stupid idea in the first place) crap-ola. If I'm on the wrong thread, where should I be? Sprint samsung phone on Verizon's network, which forum?

Thanks!

Posted by: RobsMob

Would this phone work?

NOKIA 8270

Posted by: IslesFan

Quote:

Originally posted by RobsMob
Would this phone work?

NOKIA 8270

And I quote from my first post:

Quote:

2. Unless changed, or you get an exception, whatever phone you wish to use on the Verizon Network must support both CDMA 800 and CDMA 1900. Older Verizon Phones only worked with CDMA800, but I don't believe Verizon will activate them anymore.

The Nokia 8270 supports CDMA 1900 ONLY, so no it wont work.

Posted by: hatoncat

If it's a foreign ESN, they have no way of knowing if it's 1900 MHz only or 800 MHz only or whatever. They will activate the ESN, but you probably won't be able to use the phone outside of Texas or Florida.

Verizon's network is mostly 800 MHz CDMA, so it would be a bad idea to use that phone specifically.

Posted by: RobsMob

Thanks for the info guys. This place is awesome.

Posted by: brad15

ok, sorry for kicking up this old thread, but Verizon will activate an 800MHz only phone, they will just tell you that it may not work in some places because it dont have PCS capability...

i activated a Startac 7760 onto a prepaid account for a friend the other day.. so i know it works for a fact..

im kinda supprised though, because they're not suppost to activate non-GPS phones now are they??

Posted by: thecynosureone

when will sending work?? i have the SAMSUNG A620

Posted by: Nokia 6188

On a prepay Verizon account, can you do an Online ESN change from a Verizon phone to a CDMA1900/800 phone with a foreign ESN?

Posted by: hatoncat

Quote:

Originally posted by Nokia 6188
On a prepay Verizon account, can you do an Online ESN change from a Verizon phone to a CDMA1900/800 phone with a foreign ESN?

Haven't personally tried, but whenever I've asked the answer has always been no.

Posted by: Nokia 6188

Is this because it's a Prepay account, or is it a limitation of the Online ESN changer?

If it's the latter, would Customer Care be able to do it over the phone or is their system limited as well?

Quote:

Originally posted by hatoncat
Haven't personally tried, but whenever I've asked the answer has always been no.

Posted by: XL-DJK

Anyone help me unlock Rogers Wireless, Bell, Fido, and Telus Vxxx phones? am I able to use bitpim? is the process the same?

Posted by: thecynosureone

It should be the same

Posted by: k0konutz

Okay well I have a Motorola v80 (unlocked), which I believe is a GSM phone, and want to give it to my brother who is on Verizon. I know you said earlier that it won't work, but at the end of the initial post it said something about it being able to work without some of the features. I need a more detailed answer...Can you make calls on Verizon with it?

Posted by: brad15

Quote:

Originally Posted by k0konutz

Okay well I have a Motorola v80 (unlocked), which I believe is a GSM phone, and want to give it to my brother who is on Verizon. I know you said earlier that it won't work, but at the end of the initial post it said something about it being able to work without some of the features. I need a more detailed answer...Can you make calls on Verizon with it?

NO NO NO..

Verizon is CDMA, and the v80 is GSM only..

the v80 will ONLY work with (here in the states), Cingular, T-Mobile, or any other GSM carrier..

GSM and CDMA are two totally different codecs, so in short NO, it will not even be able to see moreless register on a CDMA tower..

Posted by: yangj08

I've asked this question before, but never got a reply, so i'm asking this here. Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but would it be possible to activate a Chinese CDMA phone (a StarTAC 2004) on Verizon Wireless? I've found out that it will roam on Verizon, but I'd like to have a US number when I get back from a trip to China. Would the R-UIM slot be a problem, or would there be some way to get around that (will not turn on without R-UIM card in its current state), possibly by flashing it with the Korean firmware?

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Posted by: hatoncat

If it demands an R-UIM and does not have an alterative fallback ESN, it will not work.

Posted by: Phishhead420

I hate to spring this question on you because I'm sure you guys hate answering these type of questions. The only reason I am doing so is because it's somewhat of an emergency-type situation. (Otherwise I would not be on here at 6:30AM after a long night at the bar

) Anyway... long story short, long night at the bar.. get home last night, drop the girlfriend's phone in the toilet. We leave to go out of town this afternoon... she needs a phone. Only thing I can find layin around is an Alltel Kyocera QCP 5135... I've read through this thread and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I'm an iDen guy.... just wondering if this phone is compatable with Verizon's network and if so, if I can switch the ESN/IMEI online? Thanks in advance guys.

Posted by: hatoncat

If it has been previously activated... probably not. The MSL in the device would have been locked by Alltel upon activation.

If it hasn't been previously activated, it's worth a try. Just log in to your VZW account online, do the ESN swap, then dial *228 when on a Verizon tower (it might have to say Digital Roaming since it probably is seeking out Alltel towers before the *228).

If any of this seems too complicated... it's probably best to stop by a Verizon store and buy a new phone...

Posted by: Phishhead420

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

If it has been previously activated... probably not. The MSL in the device would have been locked by Alltel upon activation.

If it hasn't been previously activated, it's worth a try. Just log in to your VZW account online, do the ESN swap, then dial *228 when on a Verizon tower (it might have to say Digital Roaming since it probably is seeking out Alltel towers before the *228).

If any of this seems too complicated... it's probably best to stop by a Verizon store and buy a new phone...

All made perfect sense.. before I even read the post I tried doing the ESN swap w/ the Kyocera and it didn't go through. So I just swapped her with a v60 I had laying around. I didn't really want to get rid of it because it's used to charge my Nextel batteries and I was thinking of putting INpulse on it. Oh well.

Posted by: fcrb

If someone imported a phone from Korea and programed it, activated it on Verizon, and then they deactivated the phone, I should also have no problems activating the same phone (ESN) on Verizon?

Posted by: wompus23

Does Verizon have any phones which have SIM cards or a Java Jar. I have heard that they may have International phones which do.

Posted by: RyZR

Quote:

Originally Posted by wompus23

Does Verizon have any phones which have SIM cards or a Java Jar. I have heard that they may have International phones which do.

Check out the Motorola A840.

Posted by: jimersen

Does anyone know if you get a Verizon Wireless Puerto Rico phone (Motorola V710) could you activate it here in the U.S. on verizon without any problems?

Posted by: Sonic McTails

Yeah, it shouldn't have any problems. The only possible problem you MIGHT have is when activating, the phone might not be able to find Verizon (it might default to Sprint or another carrier). If that's the case, try *22801 to find Verizon. If that doesn't work, try *22800 and *22802 (and keep going up) until you find Verizon's signal.

Posted by: jimersen

thanx will try it when i get the phone hope it works

Posted by: 95lsteg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonic McTails

Yeah, it shouldn't have any problems. The only possible problem you MIGHT have is when activating, the phone might not be able to find Verizon (it might default to Sprint or another carrier). If that's the case, try *22801 to find Verizon. If that doesn't work, try *22800 and *22802 (and keep going up) until you find Verizon's signal.

If the Phone is from other carrier (and is also unlocked, CDMA, etc )... Is the process the same?

Posted by: Sonic McTails

^- yeah, but AFAIK, only Alltel sells unlocked phones AFAIK, and on that fact, I'm not even sure of.

Posted by: da2005pizimp

i hate to bring a dead thread back to life, but i'm not very cellphone inclined. here is my question, i am currently using verizon, i had a vx4600 cell phone. i ordered a face plate got it in and was in the process of putting it on and to make a long story short it ended up being thrown across the room. it no longer works, tonight i was looking at a friend of mine's cell phone and was wondering if it would work with verizon? he is using sprint pcs and has a sanyo like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/Sanyo-SCP-8100-...Qcmd ZViewItem
will that work? thanks for any help in advance. sorry again about bringing this back to life.

Posted by: cellular-dude

Quote:

Originally Posted by da2005pizimp

i hate to bring a dead thread back to life, but i'm not very cellphone inclined. here is my question, i am currently using verizon, i had a vx4600 cell phone. i ordered a face plate got it in and was in the process of putting it on and to make a long story short it ended up being thrown across the room. it no longer works, tonight i was looking at a friend of mine's cell phone and was wondering if it would work with verizon? he is using sprint pcs and has a sanyo like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/Sanyo-SCP-8100-...Qcmd ZViewItem
will that work? thanks for any help in advance. sorry again about bringing this back to life.

Verizon no longer activates phones that are not in their database, and besides the Sanyos on Sprint can't be unlocked so it wouldn't work anyway.

Posted by: octoberroads

I would love to activate a Sanyo VM-4500 on the Verizon network. Is this possible?

Posted by: MeJiga

I have a v710 from VZW I am planning on selling it to e-bay so is there anything like unlocking or something I shud do that wud give me a better value? I mean if this v710 can work for US cellular too, the chances are i'll get a better price by selling it thn by selling it only for VZW.

in short if I want to sell it or use my v710 from vzw for any other carrier wud i have to do change or do anything or just simply change call the other provider and they'll take care of it.

Posted by: coolcc88

I tried to dial *22800 all the way up to *22808 where it would no longer let me and all I could get was the cricket OTA message. This is a Cricket C343 any way to get it on Verizon? Also, a cool little note, on my VX6000 that I bought off of ebay (reported as stolen on Verizon) when I dial *22802 I get Sprint and *22807 I get Cricket OTA. Pretty interesting.

Posted by: phonesss

Is there a way to use the esn of one of my old Verizon phones and tricking my nokia 3585i into thinking that it has that ESN so I can activate it like I used to on Verizon before they started cracking down?
Thanks,
phonesss

Posted by: Nathan D.

I lost my current Verizon phone... If I buy a new phone on ebay, how do I go about activating the new phone to my current account.

Posted by: fishboy721

any way to get an sph-i500 to work on verizon for voice only?

Posted by: BigPimpinSlimDB

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ry Ry

Check out the Motorola A840.

How can I get this phone?

Posted by: dovv21

Sorry to sound repetitive but I have not gotten a real answer yet after all my searching. I have a samsung a620 that I would love to activate on verizon's network. In short, will it work, and if it will how do I do his. I keep reading conflicting answers in the forums and I just want to know once and for all what the real story is.
Thanks

Posted by: Iamsideways

I too would like to run my sprint Samsung i500 phone on Verizon. The i500 is the only phone I know of in existence that is of its small size / flip phone, and has a stylus for data entry. Can anyone help? Please.

Posted by: Sonic McTails

If you can get it activated (and to do that, you need a friend in a high place), then yes, it will work if you can reprogram it, but it's extremely non-trival, and complex to do it.

Posted by: Chudman

Quote:

Originally Posted by phonesss

Is there a way to use the esn of one of my old Verizon phones and tricking my nokia 3585i into thinking that it has that ESN so I can activate it like I used to on Verizon before they started cracking down?
Thanks,
phonesss

I don't believe so. The ESN is hard coded into the phone.

In the old days when the ESN was in the firmware you could do it, but not anymore.

CM

Posted by: hatoncat

I'm not sure what you mean by "hard coded" but there isn't some tiny optical disk in there that has the ESN on it. In fact, all phones made today can have ESNs changed by (usually impossible to get) software. This is how refurbishing facilities complete the refurb process, by giving the handset a new ESN to clearly declar it as a refurbished unit...

Posted by: Dude_Dave

is it possible for a samsung a800 to be activated on a verizon account?

Posted by: joshlink01

So what you are saying is that Verizon once would activate CDMA phones that were not theirs but they don't do that now?

Posted by: Guest 18

same question. will verizon still activate phones which aren't from ther database?

i'm thinking of getting an LG SV550. it's unlocked, CDMA 800/900/1900HZ. the seller said he can change the ESN for me or something but i don't really unerstand what that means.

***
btw i just checked the verizon site, so um..does this answer my first question?

Can I use an existing phone with Verizon Wireless service?
We can activate your existing phone provided it is compatible with our CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) digital network.
Although a wireless phone may be compatible with our network, we cannot guarantee the equipment's performance nor can we honor the manufacturer's warranty on wireless phones not purchased through Verizon Wireless or its authorized agents.

If you are not sure if your handset is compatible, please call our Verizon Wireless Sales Department at 800-2-JOIN-IN (800-256-4646), or visit one of our Verizon Wireless stores.

If your handset is not compatible with our network, discounts are available on new equipment at the point of sale with a new activation.

Posted by: hatoncat

That text is out of date. Verizon will now only activate Verizon phones in their ESN database. The information in this thread is very old (years), please consider posting a new thread next time.

Posted by: mrtasteyboy

it's gonna be obvious that i'm new to this and have no idea what i'm talking about... but please be patient. i have a quick question, and instead of getting annoyed at me, please just help me find the answer. my service provider is Verizon and i want to get a japanese Vodafone and somehow make it work with Verizon. i have no idea if it's even possible or not, or if i could do it with any Vodafone. but if i could, that would be pretty awesome, and if anyone could just give me a small push in the right direction, it would help me out a lot. thanks

Posted by: hatoncat

No, it won't work.
Yes, it is annoying to keep having to answer this.
No, saying people shouldn't be annoyed doesn't help.

Posted by: mrtasteyboy

all you had to say was that it won't work. don't lose sleep over it

Posted by: hatoncat

And all you had to do was search. You have to see the bigger picture of how a forum works to understand why constantly asking questions that have been answered constantly can cause people to be frustrated.

Posted by: Mike223

My girlfriend has Verizon and she switches out phones all the time. (Note that their all Verizon phones).

After you log into Verizon Wireless.com you can switch from phone to phone by simply filling out forms.

-Mike

Posted by: Stillglade

So, Verizon will only activate CDMA 800/1900 phones that are in their databse. Does that mean if I get an unlocked Nokia 6256i (which would normally come with J2ME, but not when ordered from Verizon) I could have it activated because it is normally a phone you can get from Verizon? (though this one wouldn't have the Verizon UI and would have J2ME)

Posted by: mrtasteyboy

searching takes longer than just responding. especially if the response i get is filled with people *****ing. that just makes it longer on you, because while i still get the answer, you just wasted your own time. i love it

Posted by: skyline2nr

can i get a cdma fone from asia or japan which is unlocked and use it on verizon?

Posted by: baileybaby18

hi i have a treo 600 that i need to unlock..it is thru verizon and i have verizon now and i have heard since it is a cmda that it cant be unlocked is this true and if so can someone let me know how i can do this without damaging my phone

Posted by: IslesFan

Quote:

Originally Posted by baileybaby18

hi i have a treo 600 that i need to unlock..it is thru verizon and i have verizon now and i have heard since it is a cmda that it cant be unlocked is this true and if so can someone let me know how i can do this without damaging my phone

Why do you want to unlock it?

Posted by: baileybaby18

because my mom bought it from a yard sale for me and cause she thought i might like it...i checked it with verizon to see if the esn was clear and they said yes so all i need now is to unlock it

Posted by: baileybaby18

the phone works completely it just needs to be unlocked and i dont know how to unlock a phone

Posted by: IslesFan

Quote:

Originally Posted by baileybaby18

the phone works completely it just needs to be unlocked and i dont know how to unlock a phone

The MSL code should be either 000000, or 123456... if the phone is locked ie a user lock, then you need to hard reset it, which I don't know how to do.

Posted by: baileybaby18

ok thanks but do you know anyone who does know how and how do i use the msl code? do i just enter it into the phone?

Posted by: cellular-dude

Quote:

Originally Posted by baileybaby18

Verizon phones are not locked unless they are prepay.

Posted by: baileybaby18

i dont know,maybe it was a prepay phone...if that is the case how do i fix it?

Posted by: Marvin Willis

I just bought a Palm Treo 650 from a friend, how do i replace my old Verizon phone with this phone

Posted by: jdmsmvp

will telus chocolates work on verizon?

Posted by: Eleven

Hi,

Will a phone with specs like (Nokia N73):

GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, WCDMA

work with Verizon? what is the difference between CDMA and WCDMA?

Thanks in advance!

Posted by: Kopeke

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eleven

Hi,

Will a phone with specs like (Nokia N73):

GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, WCDMA

work with Verizon? what is the difference between CDMA and WCDMA?

Thanks in advance!

no. thats a GSM phone. WCDMA i believe is like cdma roaming for gsm phones..or something..

Posted by: Kopeke

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdmsmvp

will telus chocolates work on verizon?

if the MSL code is 000000 and you can load a PRL, most likely :-D

Posted by: Gordo8631

So I recently switched to sprint from verizon, and hated it. luckily i took my sweet time canceling my verizon so i didnt have to worry about getting a new plan. I bought a motorola q from sprint, and lately my verizon chocolate has been screwing up big time, is there any way that I can use the sprint q on verizon. If so how do I go about doing it??? any help would be appreciated

Posted by: irneet

palm 700vx from telus?

Posted by: texmarvin

possably if

Posted by: C DM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texmarvin

possably if

Posted by: mogenheid

ok, so ive read through this entire forum and heres a new question, wht if a cell phone works with cdma and gsm?

Posted by: C DM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mogenheid

ok, so ive read through this entire forum and heres a new question, wht if a cell phone works with cdma and gsm?

Aside from the phone being a CDMA one (supporting North American frequencies) that also supports e911 it's mainly down to VZW being willing to activate it on their network--so far, for the most part, VZW limits that to actual VZW phones like that and doesn't really accept others (from other carriers or possibly some generic CDMA ones).

Posted by: therm0

Are they allowing foreign ESNs? I have a Telus A950...will they let me activate my phone? I'm looking at Inpulse, specifically. Also, what do you tell the agent when you call in?

Posted by: hatoncat

Quote:

Originally Posted by therm0

Are they allowing foreign ESNs? I have a Telus A950...will they let me activate my phone? I'm looking at Inpulse, specifically. Also, what do you tell the agent when you call in?

Verizon said late last year that they would allow foreign ESNs... but they still haven't enabled it. Nor have they given us an update as to when it will happen.

I will say that the A950 was carried on Verizon, and as such... the ESN blocks may line up to allow you to activate it as if it were a Verizon A950. However... it's probably going to save you more time just to buy a new/used one off of eBay that is pre-programmed for Verizon. Only MetroPCS has a team that will help you with flashing your phone in the U.S.

Posted by: Q-diggity

Has anyone tried activating a Page Plus phone on VZW? I'm sick of my Voyager and looking to pick up a $50 E815 from Page Plus.

Posted by: JaiZero

With all the information in this post I assumed I would be able to activate an Alltel HTC Touch. However I was informed by a tech through an email that I could NOT activate this phone on a verizon wireless plan. Is this true or are they just being difficult?

Thanks

Posted by: C DM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaiZero

With all the information in this post I assumed I would be able to activate an Alltel HTC Touch. However I was informed by a tech through an email that I could NOT activate this phone on a verizon wireless plan. Is this true or are they just being difficult?

Thanks

It's usually not really possible to activate/use non-VZW phones on VZW plans, so it doesn't sound all that false.