AboutDebiN Expertise I can answer questions on cellular phones, the physical device, the network, contracts, billing, ordering, porting and what to look for when purchasing cell phones. I am located in the United States. I am an expert on BlackBerrys, Treos, HTC devices and iPhones as well as cellphones and aircards. I have over 15 years of experience in both the wireless and wireline world with the carriers. I have a lot of knowledge regarding the wireless providers - their services, prices and policies, both GSM (AT&T (formerly Cingular) and T-Mobile) and CDMA (Verizon, Sprint/Nextel (iDEN)). I am very familiar with the individual devices and their specifications. I can also answer questions regarding BlackBerrys, iPhones and other PDAs, both Palm-based and Windows-based. I can troubleshoot most any problem someone is having with their cellular device or with the provider.
Experience Over 15 years in the Telecom industry working for the carriers with individuals, small business, medium business and large corporations(Fortune 500)
Education/Credentials Master's in Telecommunications
Question A friend gave me nearly new Verizon BlackBerry 8830 World Edition. As a AT&T customer, I have AT&T 3G SIM card. The Verizon BlackBerry lets me choose from "GMS" "1XEV" and "Global" networks, but I can't seem to get on AT&T network. I tried to have it unlocked and paid for the service, just to be told that it would work only in Europe, since they use GMS. Why can't I use it on AT&T GMS but can use it in Europe?
Thank you for your time.
Martin
Answer The BlackBerry 8830 works on the CDMA network in the US and the GSM network abroad. It does not work on the GSM network in the US and that is why you cannot use it with your AT&T SIM card. What you were told was completely correct. The bands available for GSM are 1800 and 900 only, which are European (or non-US) bands. As an AT&T subscriber, if you want to use a BlackBerry, you will need to buy the BlackBerry from AT&T. Even if you had purchased an unlocked Storm (which does have US GSM bands), it still won't work properly with AT&T because BlackBerrys have to be associated with a BlackBerry server and you can only do that if they are associated with your carrier. I hope this helps. Thanks. DebiN
