Help Changing a QUALCOMM Phone from Primeco to Sprint PCS
Lisa and Howard Spector
I want to sign up with SPRINT PCS and use my current phone. Can the
phone be reprogrammed to receive SPRINT's signal instead? How can Igo
about doing this so I don't have to buy a new phone?
Thanks in advance
Howard Spector
hm...@cornell.edu
Steven C. Den Beste
holes into the following pattern:
Sorry, there's no way to do this without cooperation from both Sprint and
PrimeCo, and they won't help.
The phone you bought was partially paid for by Primeco. They paid Qualcomm
more for it than you paid when you got it from them. The difference is
called the "subsidy" and this is routine in the cell phone business.
They expect to make the subsidy back from you by selling you air time. But
if you take that phone to Sprint, then Primeco won't get any money from you
at all and they'll be out the subsidy. For obvious reasons, there's no
incentive for them to make this easy for you to do.
Sprint can't do it alone; Primeco has to help -- and Primeco won't help.
--------
Steven C. Den Beste sden...@san.rr.com
Home page: http://home.san.rr.com/denbeste
"We're just ordinary earthlings, not weirdos from another planet!"
-- Calvin
Reptilian
news:37e63a2e...@news.flash.net...
> I have a QUALCOMM QCP-2700 phone currently set up to receive Primeco.
> I want to sign up with SPRINT PCS and use my current phone. Can the
> phone be reprogrammed to receive SPRINT's signal instead? How can Igo
> about doing this so I don't have to buy a new phone?
You must have the phone's master SP (Service Provider) unlock code to
reprogram it for Sprint PCS. Typically a carrier will not give you this
code, because you purchased the phone at a fraction of it's actual retail
value in exchange for getting service exclusively from them. They
(supposedly) lose money if you purchase the phone from one provider and
activate it with another.
Methods for obtaining SP-Unlock codes vary by phone model... there are
various websites and programs out there to help... I suggest you do an
internet search or browse other newsgroups.
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dante catoni
If it's set by the manufacturer, why wouldn't Sprint want to help her out?
If it's true that the service provider pays partially for the phone then
Sprint would save money by selling her service without having to pay Qcom.
Is that true?
Dante M. Catoni
Steven C. Den Beste
following pattern:
>Is the SP unlock code set by the service provider or the phone manufacturer?
>If it's set by the manufacturer, why wouldn't Sprint want to help her out?
>If it's true that the service provider pays partially for the phone then
>Sprint would save money by selling her service without having to pay Qcom.
>Is that true?
The subsidy lock code is set by the service provider which originally sold
the phone.
If the phone was sold by PrimeCo and is currently locked to PrimeCo, then
only PrimeCo knows the unlock code. Sprint doesn't know it. If the phone is
taken to Sprint, they can't do anything with it even if they wanted to.
Since only PrimeCo could unlock the phone, and since doing so would give a
financial boost to their competitor Sprint, obviously they have a
significant disincentive to do this.
Reptilian
> Sprint would save money by selling her service without having to pay Qcom.
> Is that true?
Sprint PCS tracks the ESN's of every phone sold, and they will not activate
a phone that doesn't have the Sprint logo. Not sure why, but that's their
policy.
n4...@dont.spam.me.amsat.org
not just make them give you a free phone?
One thing is odd though, I called Primco and they specificly told me
that only *their* phones could be used on their network. But I also
heard from another guy that told me that he roamed out of a Primco
area and into a Sprint area and was billed something like $2 a minute
roaming fees by Sprint. This means that the phones can be used by
other networks in certain circumstances.
Dennis.
spe...@flash.net (Lisa and Howard Spector) wrote:
>I have a QUALCOMM QCP-2700 phone currently set up to receive Primeco.
>I want to sign up with SPRINT PCS and use my current phone. Can the
>phone be reprogrammed to receive SPRINT's signal instead? How can Igo
>about doing this so I don't have to buy a new phone?
>Thanks in advance
>Howard Spector
>hm...@cornell.edu
Dennis Hawkins
n4...@dont.spam.me.evcom.net
(Remove "dont.spam.me." from address before replying)
Do you want to know who has been calling you and hanging up when you answer the
phone? Visit http://www.antitelemarketer.com to find out.
da...@nowhere.com
The whole answer to this problem is that Primeco and Sprint are ass
whole's. I don't mean to be rude, but it is true. I am an ex Primeco
employee and know how the system works. A Primeco phone and Sprint
phone are the same except for maybe a software version and a little
label. All Primeco phone lock codes are changed by a third party
(CTDI) to a number generated by a algorithm from the ESN Number. And I
would think Sprint does something similar. Primeco nor Sprint will
give out the lock code; however, Primeco will sell you the lock code
to your Primeco phone for about $250.00 which is about the price of
the average subsidy that Primeco eats while selling the phone cheaper
than the buying price. But here is the real problem, neither Primeco
nor Sprint will activate each others phone on there own network. They
will tell you the phone wont work on there network, but it is just a
lie. The phones are the same. They both use 1900mhz with CDMA. So
what does all this mean, you are screwed if you move or just want to
change service providers.
Marcus AAkesson
>lie. The phones are the same. They both use 1900mhz with CDMA. So
>what does all this mean, you are screwed if you move or just want to
>change service providers.
>
It's that good ol' "competition" at work.........
/Marcus