[beluczywo]

Jeff:
Don't waste your time -- at least not yet. I tried the same thing with an Alltel 6800. I could tell you how to unlock, flash to verizon stock, the whole thing. I had the phone showing the Verizon logo. When I called Verizon, they said they couldn't see the ESN in their wireless manager. After 1.5 hours with a supervisor they finally said to go into a store.

2 hours in the store with a pretty decent tech, the store manager, and by dumb luck the regional data guy, the consensus was that even though I had the right ROM, the right PRL (told it to use Verizon towers), the towers were seeing it, it had my phone number in there, right NAM, right SID -- they won't do it.

Verizon preloads ESNs from phones THEY buy from utstarcom. It is as simple as typing in a foreign ESN but they won't do it. They gave me some malarkey about going "open source" in July, but wouldn't commit that the date wouldn't slip. When I asked if they would then register all hardware, they said they would roll it out device by device with PDAs being last because they are "complicated". Got some additional BS about licenses from utstarcom, etc.

I did talk them into selling me a verizon 6800 for $200 after my corporate discounts (about 20%) and with a new 2 year contract, but I sure like the ergonomics of the Alltel case better. Please just save yourself the hassle or at worst, wait until July. I'm trying to get the Alltel back to stock to sell on eBay and get my money back out of it.

BTW -- stupid Verizon doesn't sell their phone with a CRADLE, HEADPHONES, or a HOLSTER -- sheesh, guys, a $400 phone that everyone else sells for $150 with activation and you have to nickle-and-dime us out of $20 worth of accessories?

That's Verizon for you.