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Cellular Phones/Sim card in sciphone

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Expert: - 1/5/2010


Question
I just bought this phone from ebay. It is a sciphone (ciphone) 32GB, cost about $65. I have a Nextel sim card that I put in the phone and when I turned it on, it will not read the card.  It will not let me make any calls, only emergeny calls.  Do I need to buy a different service (sim card) like AT&T??? I bought the phone hoping I could have 2 lines, 1 from Nextel and another seperate from AT&T.

Answer
Unfortunately, you will not be able to use your Nextel SIM card in this device. It only works with a GSM SIM card and the one you have works on an iDEN network. They are not compatible in any way. You will need to get service with AT&T or T-Mobile and even then, you can only use one line. This phone bills itself as a 2 SIM or 2 line phone, but unfortunately in the US, it can only be used with one SIM at a time no matter who the carrier. I'm sorry that you didn't realize this before you bought it. They don't tell people this, but it's true, I'm afraid. I hope this helps. Thanks. DebiN

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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

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