LG 800G & 500G ‘appear’ on Tracfone and Net10's activate phones page

[annepani]

Net 10
LG 500G @ $29.99
LG 900G @ $39.99
Which do you choose ?

I own them both and hands down it would be the lg900.

[mahesh_ad]

Dear K-L-M,
I have a question regarding the use of my LG500G equipment. You seem to be the person who can advise me.

This set was acquired by a friend at the USA, and brought to Kathmandu. I wanted to use it here in Kathmandu and use the services of a local provider. I tried using it, and the set says, "activation required". The friend is travelling, and would only be available in another 5 days, and I do not know if the set has already been activated. I find there is a SIM inside the set, and I have a feeling that the set has been activated. The Services Guide talks of activation, in which it says "see actual card in your package for your serial number". On the Menu, in the field which says Serial Number, there is a number, and I guess it is a number entered by my friend after activation, or as per the "actual card in the package" (no actual card in my package. only sim card inside the set).

Now the question. Earlier when a friend had brought a cell phone for me from the USA, I had to get it "unlocked", and this was done for me by a Service techinician at cell repair shop. Now, for this particular set, is this 'activation' different from the earlier 'unlocking'? Is my presumption correct that an activation would be required for any subscriber at the USA or elsewhere, and the unlocking would only be required when the set is being required to be used with some provider other than for which the set has been sold? so, this Unlocking would be to kind of un-lock from the original provider.

I would appreciate if you could advise me how do I proceed? How do I ascertain if it needs activation? How do I unlock it, so that I can start using it with the local provider?

Thank you

Mahesh_ad

A 'hush order' as it was put, on information required from the manufacturers by the FCC is common.

All a manufacturer has to do is supply a letter of confidentiality citing that the supplied information might harm their business if it were released.

In regarding a freedom of information request...Well...There are ways of getting around that....

See section 522 (b)(4):

http://www.tricare.mil/tma/privacy/F...Exemptions.pdf

Now, if you really want to know how it works, down to he component level, one can consult a reverse engineering firm.

That's what I do...The reverse engineering part. We deal with the manufacturers that don't wanna give up their secrets all the time!

K-L-M - Eternal tech support
"I spend more time tech-supporting Tracfones than actually using them!"

[Tracfancier]

Trac goes to extreme measures to keep their phones from being easily "un-locked".