Upgrading to 3G handset on Orange?
David Glover
future, I want to upgrade to a 3G handset (Nokia N93 specifically -
whenever it comes out), but I don't want to do this through Orange and
buy the handset offnet, will my existing SIM card still work in it? If
not, can I get a 3G SIM card from Orange without buying a new handset
from them?
Additionally, since it's possible I may not buy one offnet, does anyone
know if Orange, or T-Mobile, will be offering the N93?
Ta.
Matt Wheeler
"David Glover" <goo...@davidglover.org> wrote in message
news:1146154708.3...@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I currently have a 2.5G (Treo 650) handset on Orange. If, in the
> future, I want to upgrade to a 3G handset (Nokia N93 specifically -
> whenever it comes out), but I don't want to do this through Orange
> and
> buy the handset offnet, will my existing SIM card still work in it?
> If
> not, can I get a 3G SIM card from Orange without buying a new
> handset
> from them?
>
I'm sure Jon will correct me if i'm wrong, but you would need to
upgrade to a 3G handset through Orange to get a 3G "USIM". If you buy
a handset, you'll be stuck with your original SIM, which won't grant
you 3G access... and no, Orange won;t (or at least wouldn't) send you
a 3G USIM to put in the new phone you've bought.
> Additionally, since it's possible I may not buy one offnet, does
> anyone
> know if Orange, or T-Mobile, will be offering the N93?
>
Good question... not working for Orange, I couldn't say, but since the
N93 is supposedly due for release in July, I'd be surprised if it
actually sees the light of day before September, and even then it may
take a few weeks longer to appear on some networks, depending on how
much customisation they want to do, and how buggy (or otherwise) the
initial firmware versions are.
Jon
> I currently have a 2.5G (Treo 650) handset on Orange. If, in the
> future, I want to upgrade to a 3G handset (Nokia N93 specifically -
> whenever it comes out), but I don't want to do this through Orange and
> buy the handset offnet, will my existing SIM card still work in it?
Yes, but not for 3G services.
> If
> not, can I get a 3G SIM card from Orange without buying a new handset
> from them?
No.
--
Regards
Jon
David Glover
> I'm sure Jon will correct me if i'm wrong, but you would need to
> upgrade to a 3G handset through Orange to get a 3G "USIM". If you buy
> a handset, you'll be stuck with your original SIM, which won't grant
> you 3G access... and no, Orange won;t (or at least wouldn't) send you
> a 3G USIM to put in the new phone you've bought.
If I were to, say, join T-Mobile today (I'm tempted by Flext and
Web'n'walk), and get a 3G phone like the N70, could I then switch the
SIM to a SIM-free N93 when it became available?
T-Mobile won't get upset if I ditch the handset they gave me, will they?
simonc...@hotmail.com
After nearly 10 years as a loyal Orange customer, Web'n'Walk was just
too good an offer to refuse (and that was before the unlimited offer!).
Yes, I would highly recommend that you join T-Mobile before the end of
April as, if you go into a T-Mobile shop, you should get 25% off FlexT
(and also Web'n'Walk if you add it at time of purchase) for as long as
you choose to keep it - this discount ends on April 30th.
After several discussions with T-Mobile shop staff and T-Mobile direct
about usims, they didn't seem to understand quite what I was asking.
However, I now understand that this may be because it is a peculiarity
of Orange making the distinction between sims and usims. Apparently
*all* T-Mobile sims are now usims and capable of 3g if put in a 3g
phone - hence you won't necessarily need to get a 3g phone at the
moment - don't take my word for this though, as I'm still not 100%
convinced!
As for what handset you use, that's up to you, although I would always
recommend making an initial call or two from the handset that came with
the sim.
Regards
Simon Clark
Business Telecoms
Hands0n
T-Mobile SIMs are indeed enabled for 3G - whether or not they are
USIMs or not I'm not entirely sure myself. However, I recently bought
into Flext 35 + Web N Walk 25% lifetime discount yadda yadda with a
Nokia 6280. I tried out the SIM in a number of 3G handsets (LG U8120,
Motorola A1000 and an A835. In all cases the handset locked on to the
T-Mobile 3G network.
So fill yer boots :)
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