Regarding Sprint's TP2's SIM Subsidy/Network Situation

[dicast]

if you're using international sim card. do that change your number? how is that work now.

[stevedusa]

Originally Posted by dicast

if you're using international sim card. do that change your number? how is that work now.

Of course that changes your phone number. The only way that your phone number from the States remains when you are overboard is when you are roaming; but if you are using a SIM card from a local provider (non-US), then your phone number would be the one that's assigned on the SIM card.

[dicast]

SIM card is prepare right? so everytime i buy a new SIM card my number change?

[stevedusa]

Originally Posted by dicast

SIM card is prepare right? so everytime i buy a new SIM card my number change?

The carrier bound the phone number with your SIM card. Unless you change the carrier or something happens to it, a SIM card has it's own number.

[apristel]

How does the phone recognize the difference between US GSM and International?

I also read in here that Sprint TP2's are only restricting t-mob and at&t GSM? Is that truly the case?
I would like to get a SIM from a local carrier that is Einstein PCS, they have their own craptastic network, but the rates are low. I don't really need it, but I do want it for cool factor. So if it's only tmob and at&t that is blocked or do the towers here in the US tell the phone it is in the US?

[stevedusa]

Originally Posted by apristel

How does the phone recognize the difference between US GSM and International?

I also read in here that Sprint TP2's are only restricting t-mob and at&t GSM? Is that truly the case?
I would like to get a SIM from a local carrier that is Einstein PCS, they have their own craptastic network, but the rates are low. I don't really need it, but I do want it for cool factor. So if it's only tmob and at&t that is blocked or do the towers here in the US tell the phone it is in the US?

Bottom line, every single GSM network in the world has an identification, made out of two parts, a country code and a network code.

So Sprint simply locks out all the networks with country code that reflects US GSM networks.

Like I said, doesn't matter where your SIM card is from, as long as it goes to an US network (which is easily identified via the country code on the GSM prefix), Sprint's TP2 will NOT work.

[Mutiny32]

Originally Posted by apristel

How does the phone recognize the difference between US GSM and International?

I also read in here that Sprint TP2's are only restricting t-mob and at&t GSM? Is that truly the case?
I would like to get a SIM from a local carrier that is Einstein PCS, they have their own craptastic network, but the rates are low. I don't really need it, but I do want it for cool factor. So if it's only tmob and at&t that is blocked or do the towers here in the US tell the phone it is in the US?

The phone recognizes the MCC. The Sprint TP2 is blocking based on MCC 310 and 311, possibly others. The MCC is basically a country code for cellular carriers. Base stations advertise this. Something on the Sprint device doesn't even allow Windows Mobile to see those carriers. I tested it with a foreign SIM tonight who has both Tmo US, AT&T, Cincinatti Bell, and others as roaming partners. My phone accepted the SIM, the PIN for it, the contacts, even the MVNO profiles on it. I switched to GSM only mode and it saw nothing. It didn't even see towers. I did a manual network selection and it listed no towers.

It would make sense for HTC to put a condition into the radio portion of the ROM that says if MCC = 310/311, then do not pass to OS. That's probably what's happening with the Sprint phones. As I stated in my other thread about the difference between the RHOD400/RHOD500, VZW and Telus have both stated that they are going the LTE (UMTS/GSM) route, as CDMA2000 is dead in the water after Rev.B. Sprint is going the WiMAX route as it currently stands. Telus is already lighting up some of its UMTS segments.

[apristel]

Wow thanks guys. Pretty much how i imagined it, but it is clear now.

[neodarksaver]

China telecom doe snot use UMTS... you need China Unicom

[superevilllama]

Originally Posted by apristel

How does the phone recognize the difference between US GSM and International?

I also read in here that Sprint TP2's are only restricting t-mob and at&t GSM? Is that truly the case?
I would like to get a SIM from a local carrier that is Einstein PCS, they have their own craptastic network, but the rates are low. I don't really need it, but I do want it for cool factor. So if it's only tmob and at&t that is blocked or do the towers here in the US tell the phone it is in the US?

Ahh Einstein PCS.. I remember that.. but I thought it was CDMA, or at least the phone I had at the time was CDMA... And I thought they shared Verizon towers