You are here:

Cellular Phones/blackberry 8900 in US and Europe

Advertisement

Expert: - 8/27/2009


Question
QUESTION: I am about to move to France for seven months.  I am not currently with AT&T but am planning on getting with them upon my return because my current contract will be up by then.  However, I would really like to have a phone that allows me to get on the internet wherever I am while I am there, and that I can bring back and use with AT&T when I come back (mainly to avoid having to buy a blackberry both there and here).  So here is my question.  Is it possible to buy an unlocked Blackberry 8900 on the internet (GSM, quadband, etc) (Amazon, Overstock.com, etc), use it with a SIM card from France (Orange, with a data plan), and then bring the same phone back to the US and use it with AT&T when I return?  A friend told me that all I had to do was start a contract with AT&T, get a free phone, and stick the sim card in the blackberry.  Will this work? If not, is there anything that you can recommend for me to do in order to have a phone over there that can access the internet?

ANSWER: Your friend was only partially correct. If you do this, the SIM will work in the BlackBerry, but only for voice and text. You will not be able to use any of the data features unless you sign up for a BlackBerry data plan when you start your AT&T service and then you will need to download the firmware for the AT&T 8900 and it will work. I hope this helps. Thanks. DebiN

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: And so will I be able to buy a Blackberry data plan without buying a Blackberry from AT&T?  Thank you for your help!

Answer
You will be able to add a BlackBerry data plan to your existing AT&T account without having to buy the BlackBerry from AT&T. When you ready to add the BlackBerry data plan, you will call them up, provide them with the IMEI number of the BlackBerry (*#06# will display the 15 digit IMEI number on the device) adn ask them to put this into your profile and then add a BlackBerry data plan. If the device you have does not have AT&T firmware for an 8900, you will need to download it to Desktop Manager and your device. This is available for free through AT&T's site and they can assist you with this also. I hope this helps. Thanks. DebiN

Cellular Phones

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

DebiN

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 and T-Mobile) and CDMA (Verizon, Sprint/Nextel). 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 20 years in the Telecom industry working for the carriers with individuals, small business, medium business and large corporations(Fortune 500). Also worked as a professor in Maryland for 10 years teaching telecommunications.

Organizations
I belong to several organizations

Education/Credentials
Master's in Telecommunications

Awards and Honors
Received several awards for papers that I have published over the years

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.