T-Mobile SDA with Cingular?

[ccfallout]

I recently got ahold of the T-Mobile SDA. It's much like the Cingular 2125 but with Wifi. Same manufacturer (HTC)

My question is if unlocked, would I be able to get this phone working with cingular service? Many 'unlocked' versions of these phones sell on ebay with promises that they will work with any GSM provider. I'm not 100% sure about the whole unlocking process.

I can live with voice only, but also would like data if possible...

Has anyone successfully done this? Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated :)

Phonescoop info
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=862

[Mike Temporale]

yes it will. It's a quad-band phone so it will work with any GSM carrier around the world. 8)

[Goattee]

I am using that phone on Cingular.

It is easy to unlock Smartphones. If you do a web search you will find a couple places offering a few files to install. You run them on the SDA and within moments the phone is unlocked.

The Cingular site will also have information on how to set up GPRS settings if you are going to use their data service.

[aximilation]

I'm also using the "sda" with Cingular, although it's not locked anymore I prefer to refer to it as my Tornado or SP5m, the names before it's branded like a cow....
I digress. Use this link:
http://oregonstate.edu/%7Ekeiterk/?p=9
I've done a similar thing with my 5600 as well. I think it may work with many HTC phones.

[ccfallout]

Wow. Thanks for the replies... and a great link aximilation! Another question I have is about Sim cards... i'm not familliar with how they work to begin with. Would I need to purchase a different sim card for the phone, or is there usually one included that will work.

And also what do I tell cingular when I go to get it hooked up? I'm sure they will ask for a serial number or some kind of identification so they can locate the phone.... I'm not familliar at all with phone technology, but know my way around a PC fairly well... I've dabbled with all kinds of gadgets so I'm sure I can figure anything out.

Thanks again for the replies. :)

[Mike Temporale]

Do you already have an account with Cingular? If so, just take the SIM card from your current phone and put it in your new one.

If not, then you should go down to Cingular and sign up for whatever account you want. Take whatever free phone they have to offer. Then you can take the SIM out and put it into your Smartphone. (Assuming you don't want to get a Smartphone from Cingular when you sign up).

The carrier doesn't need to know. That's the beauty of GSM. 8)

[gregski]

Wow. Thanks for the replies... and a great link aximilation! Another question I have is about Sim cards... i'm not familliar with how they work to begin with. Would I need to purchase a different sim card for the phone, or is there usually one included that will work.

And also what do I tell cingular when I go to get it hooked up? I'm sure they will ask for a serial number or some kind of identification so they can locate the phone.... I'm not familliar at all with phone technology, but know my way around a PC fairly well... I've dabbled with all kinds of gadgets so I'm sure I can figure anything out.

Thanks again for the replies. :)
If you are using a phone on the Cingular network now, just remove the sim card from that phone, drop it in your new phone and you're golden! No need to tell Cingular anything. I have used Cingular for years and as far as they know, I am using a Motorola V-something-or-other. But I have actually had at least 6 new phones since then. :lol:

[aximilation]

Lol, same here. Just FYI, the SIM card is a little card
(http://www.nebekh.com/wireless/images/cingular-sim.jpg) -see the cutout?
located usually somewhere under your battery.
The SIM card contains your information about your phone number and all that stuff, so you take the SIM with you, you have the number.

If you currently have service, then you just pop yours out and put it in your new phone. If you don't have service, then by all means get one of the promotional phones, any phone for that matter because there is a huge discount when you sign up for two years of service. Even if you have a phone, get one as a spare, maybe sell it on ebay or something. Trust me, if you break your phone and need to buy one out of contract from them, retail....just look at the retail prices sometime.

- Your provider is on a need to know basis, and they don't need to know.

[ccfallout]

Thanks again for the info :)


If you don't have service, then by all means get one of the promotional phones, any phone for that matter because there is a huge discount when you sign up for two years of service.

I do not have service with Cingular.
I'm a bit confused by this. One of the benefits, I thought, of obtaining a phone outside the carrier is that you don't need to enter a contract. My previous service was with sprint, and a few others before that... I assumed Cingular worked the same way as far as contract goes... Unless you've been with them a certain ammount of time, you would have to pay retail anyways (only exception is equipment protection insurance). If my phone were damaged after a year in the contract, I could get a $75 rebate on a new phone, and after 2 years it would be $150... this would mean signing a new contract anyways.... and is the same exact rebate they would give a new person off the street.... so with them it wouldn't benefit me at all if I were in a contract and my phone was damaged.

Is there any alternative? Will Cingular assign me a brand new sim card?
Good idea though about selling the new one on ebay lol... never thought of that

I would prefer not to enter a contract if possible.

[aximilation]

Don't take it as the law, but the last I heard, if you go with Cingular (I believe T-Mobile does the same) you have to sign a two year contract. I may be wrong, maybe it's just to get the phone for cheap. Look into it and let me know though. I was under the impression that once you completed your two year contract, they tried to get you in another to have service as well. Maybe it's just in offering you a new phone.

It would be nice if you could go to them with a phone and just get a sim card and service with no commitment, but knowing them, I doubt it. In the least I would think that they will get you for two years, so get the new phone, and after that you're free to stay or go for as long as you like.

If you wanted Cingular in that case, I would get their 2125 or 8125 from what I've seen and sell it to get the SDA and unlock it. (wifi!)
You should look into the price to buy / selling price on ebay to find the best phone to get with the contract. It's a once in a lifetime experience! (not really....)

I'm interested in the results though, just go and ask questions...they're always open to lure in a prospective customer.

[ccfallout]

Well if anyone is interested, I got the SDA hooked up through cingular and it works fine. Haven't tested the data portion yet.... as the phone has wifi, I just use my home & work wifi networks for internet.

I did have to sign a contract though :( They told me that the only plan available with no contract is straight minutes... no mobile to mobile, no nights and weekends, no extras. I had to sign for 2 years

Other than that I'm pleased with the phone.

As for data... I thought I read somewhere that I'd have to configure the SDA to work with cingular's data network... I can't seem to find that info now... anyone have any luck doing this?

[aximilation]

Hey, if you get that working, let us know how it was and what you had to do.
I don't currently use the data service, but I may be interested.