Verizon's open door policy all hype, no change?

[huntm856]

Sprint is the only carrier that locks their phones and all you need is the MSL to unlock them. There is nothing else besides programming MMS, TXT, MW, etc for specific carrier.

Thanks. Up until recently Sprint has been my only wireless carrier -- over a decade -- so I did not know this. I assumed MSLs were broadly used among CDMA operators for their branded equipment in the same way SIM locks are among GSM operators for their branded equipment.

But then, if as a matter of policy you're simply not going to activate compatible equipment because that doesn't have your logo and/or firmware on it, I don't suppose firmware locks are really necessary.

Non-VZW, CDMA, dual-band, e911 have ALWAYS worked but it is due to their greed that they made it impossible to activate. Now VZW will charge you a premium for something they could have allowed since day one.

*Are* they charging a premium? Have they said anything about plan pricing for non-branded equipment?

I remember reading something about VZW having BYOE pricing plans that were different from (read: more expensive than) their sub-locked plans back when there was all the hullabaloo around the original 'any device any app' announcements (what was that, like a year ago now?), but I haven't seen any pricing.

Do you know anything about this?

I was taking this particular announcement as meaning that compatible, non-VZW devices could be activated on VZW on the same plans available to users of branded equipment, but it really doesn't say anything at all about what plans you'll be offered with a non-VZW-branded equipment, now that I think about it.

[inventor00]

How do you find the MSL on a Sprint phone before you try to get it on Verizon's network? Sorry newby here.

I just called today and the PPC-6800 was not yet on the list to convert over to Verizon....is there any phone on the list???

[FL1134]

Thanks. Up until recently Sprint has been my only wireless carrier -- over a decade -- so I did not know this. I assumed MSLs were broadly used among CDMA operators for their branded equipment in the same way SIM locks are among GSM operators for their branded equipment.

But then, if as a matter of policy you're simply not going to activate compatible equipment because that doesn't have your logo and/or firmware on it, I don't suppose firmware locks are really necessary.

CDMA controls what phones are on the network at activation so there really isn't a need to lock the phone. You used to be able to activate phones non-branded phones but carriers stopped doing it because they can't lock you in a contract if you bring your own phone.

SPCS used to have the bleeding edge hardware which is why they most likely started using MSL.

*Are* they charging a premium? Have they said anything about plan pricing for non-branded equipment?

I remember reading something about VZW having BYOE pricing plans that were different from (read: more expensive than) their sub-locked plans back when there was all the hullabaloo around the original 'any device any app' announcements (what was that, like a year ago now?), but I haven't seen any pricing.

Do you know anything about this?

I was taking this particular announcement as meaning that compatible, non-VZW devices could be activated on VZW on the same plans available to users of branded equipment, but it really doesn't say anything at all about what plans you'll be offered with a non-VZW-branded equipment, now that I think about it.

AFAIK it was explained as:

1 .Regular customer
2. "open access customer" - no CS, no service/warranty, higher priced plan for no reason
3. month-2-month - VZW branded hardware only, ridiculously expensive handsets

[FL1134]

How do you find the MSL on a Sprint phone before you try to get it on Verizon's network? Sorry newby here.

I just called today and the PPC-6800 was not yet on the list to convert over to Verizon....is there any phone on the list???

Might want to try the SPCS subforum. Last I checked, getting them to give you the MSL is not easy.

[Domain]

Might want to try the SPCS subforum. Last I checked, getting them to give you the MSL is not easy.

You'd have to call CS and make up a reason why you need it -- say your phone number went all zeros, or something. Some situation where they'd get you to reprogram your phone right over the (landline) phone to CS.

[tomz17]

Not sure if this has been posted, but here is a peak at one of the forms they are currently using to certify hardware.

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=24855

[huntm856]

Not sure if this has been posted, but here is a peak at one of the forms they are currently using to certify hardware.

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=24855

From that thread:

"If you follow the prep list the only difference in your phone and a true vzw one will be the housing/carrier badge and all they will have to do is hook up the phone do a ota provisioning test, e-911 test, and data authentication (this is optional) as open network will only provide voice and sms and will not provide data, mms, or mobile web/tv support."

No data support on non-VZW phones? Does he mean no data service, or just that they won't offer tech support for data use?

[tomz17]

From that thread:

"If you follow the prep list the only difference in your phone and a true vzw one will be the housing/carrier badge and all they will have to do is hook up the phone do a ota provisioning test, e-911 test, and data authentication (this is optional) as open network will only provide voice and sms and will not provide data, mms, or mobile web/tv support."

No data support on non-VZW phones? Does he mean no data service, or just that they won't offer tech support for data use?

They will not offer tech support... as long as you have the correct DMU key on the device, data will work.

[huntm856]

Thanks. That would make sense.

[huntm856]

Might want to try the SPCS subforum. Last I checked, getting them to give you the MSL is not easy.

They are still *trained* to resist giving up MSLs, but if you are out of contract (and persistent) they will give it up, as they lost a lawsuit on this last year:

http://www.cellphonedigest.net/news/..._to_unlock.php

http://www.electronista.com/articles...unlock.phones/

I was able to get an MSL on an old out-of-contract phone I had lying around without much hassle.

[FL1134]

Not sure if this has been posted, but here is a peak at one of the forms they are currently using to certify hardware.

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=24855

I don't think this is for "open access" activation, but from a lawsuit.

Device Settlement Checklist
handsetlocksettlement@verizonwireless.com
"Make/Model is not on our Handset Lock Settlement Approved Device List"

Any FCC approved, compatible phone can be activated. Data is most definitely available for a premium.

[NiteFire]

I remember reading a long time ago that verizon was gonna open there network so you could use any approved phone on the network... Did they ever do that?
I have a couple phones from other CDMA provides I'd like to use, did verizon ever open it to that?

[greateststud1]

Oh yeah, it's open. If you send them your phone for around a month so they can "test" it. It's not open in the idea that any CDMA phone with the correct frequencies will just work automatically on it though. And it never will be. Because then they will never have a contract to hold over the customer's head.

[UrbanBounca]

I remember reading a long time ago that verizon was gonna open there network so you could use any approved phone on the network... Did they ever do that?
I have a couple phones from other CDMA provides I'd like to use, did verizon ever open it to that?

It's been said that you can load a VZW PRL into the handset you wish to use, use *228 for activation, and they've been pretty successful activating many other carriers phones.

I've never used this method myself, but I'm sure someone else can chime in.

[kbman]

Voice and text service can often be as simple as loading a VZW PRL and programming OTA but data services and authentication are much more complicated than that and require significantly more modifications to work on VZW's network.