BlackBerry 7520 Telus Mike

[SeaMonkey76]

Please, pardon my ignorance as I have searched, but cannot find the answers and I'm sure it's a really simple one.

I have inherited an old BlackBerry 7520. I was told it is locked to Telus and a "Mike" phone. I am a Telus subscriber and have switched many a phone on my plan. This is the first time I have ever come in contact with a Mike phone and the presence of a Sim card on the Telus network is new to me.

1. Is the Sim just for the Mike service (Will it work as a normal PCS without the Mike features)
2. Can I activate this phone by simply going into my account telling it (my account) that I want to now use this phone?

Thanks
Bill

[Justen]

The BlackBerry 7520i for Mike uses a completely different network (iDEN) than other Telus devices (CDMA or HSPA). It requires an activated SIM card to utilize any voice or data services. Telus Client Care should be able to do a device swap for you if you provide them with the BlackBerry PIN (or IMEI) and the SIM ID.

I've always had a Mike North America plan, so someone else will have to comment as to whether a Mike device can be activated using a non-Mike rate plan (which I presume you currently have). That being said, the Mike plans, especially for North America, can be quite competitive. I'm sure someone in Client Care should be able to answer that fairly quickly, though (and maybe even courteously if you catch them on a good day).

Keep in mind that Mike is great for push data (like BlackBerry email), but it's a slower 2G technology, not 3G like EV-DO or HSPA.

[Que_Ball]

You must change plans to get Mike service. So you would loose any grandfathered plans or features you may have now.