When carriers don't tell the whole truth

Q: I purchased a used Kyocera 7135 smart phone with a Verizon Wireless logo on it. When I took it to a nearby Verizon store, they told me they couldn't activate it for use because it didn't use CDMA technology. Is that true? I saw a Kyocera KX1v with a Verizon logo for sale on the Internet. Will that work instead?
--Marc

A: To put it to you straight, Marc, what the Verizon rep told you is completely wrong. The Kyocera 7135 is a CDMA phone and does use the CDMA bands (800 and 1900) that Verizon currently uses. It uses the analog roaming (AMPS 800) as well, but it?s definitely a CDMA phone. If you don?t believe me, check out this page from Kyocera's Web site that lists the 7135's specifications.

Granted, the 7135 is an older Verizon phone (our review is from 2003) but rest assured, it is a Verizon phone, and the carrier hasn?t built a completely new network in the last four years. On the other hand, Verizon can refuse to activate the phone for other reasons but the rep should have been clear and not given you false information. As for the KX1v, it too is a CDMA Verizon phone from 2005 but if you?re going to go that route you should make sure Verizon will support the phone before you buy it.

Q: We own two Nokia 6010s that are about two years old. We have Cingular service and don't want to change our service plan since Cingular no longer offers it. My son lost his phone while traveling last week, and though we have a spare phone, we don't have an extra SIM card.

When I called Cingular about getting a new SIM, they told me that the cards compatible with my 6010 had been retired. But "if they could find one," it would cost $25 plus $9.95 shipping. I find it hard to believe that about the SIM cards, as a co-worker just bought a new Cingular phone, and he was able to use the SIM card from his old phone.
--dharman

A: Before I answer your question, I must ask you if you?re a former AT&T Wireless customer. If that?s the case, and you bought your Nokia 6010 before the AT&T/Cingular merger, then that would be a reason why Cingular insists on selling you a new SIM card. Ever since the two companies joined hands, Cingular has been eager to push customers off old AT&T plans onto new Cingular contracts. While they haven?t forced people outright to do so, the company does "encourage" some people to migrate by restricting the use of Cingular-branded SIMs in old AT&T phones.

But if that scenario doesn?t apply to you and you?ve been with Cingular all along, then there?s a very good chance your old Cingular SIMs have been "retired." As carriers change equipment and develop networks, they sometimes will issue new SIM cards to current customers and phase out the older ones. Cingular did this a couple years ago when they replaced 32Kb SIMs with 64Kb SIMs.

Yet, I'm still cynical about one thing they told you. If your old SIMs have gone to the graveyard, Cingular should have given you a new one already. Also, I don't understand why they might be able to "find one." They have them or they don't; there shouldn't be a grey area. I'd encourage you to get more specifics from the carrier as they need to be honest and tell you the whole story. I also think the fee they want to charge is a bit steep. It?s common that carriers stick you with a charge for replacing a lost SIM card but $35 is highway robbery. Finally, I'd ask if getting a replacement SIM required a new contract. It shouldn't be that way, but I'd make sure.

Q: Why don't CDMA cell phones use SIM cards? It just seems that they would benefit not only the user, but also the carriers as they'd save man hours in activating new phones.
--Tom

A: As I'm sure you know, Tom, the purpose of a SIM card is to hold your identity as a wireless subscriber. When you put your SIM card in a phone and make a call, your carrier?s network then recognizes you as a subscriber and allows you to place the call. GSM technology was designed specifically to use SIM cards so you could take your identity from phone to phone just by switching the card.

I don't know the initial reason why CDMA phones were designed the same way, but their absence does give carriers more control over the phones their customers use. CDMA phones "hard wire" a subscriber?s identity into the phone. So, if you?re a Verizon Wireless or a Sprint subscriber, that?s why you need to go to your carrier to activate a new handset.