need to transfer bell phone number to an unlocked phone

[bamboofiyah]

Hi there,
posting out of desperation.
I just laundered my bell cell phone and rendered it useless. (I know, I know, Blonde award please)

A friend is offering me a phone which I will have to unlock to use with Bell, but I want to know first if it's possible.
Has anyone had experience with switching a Bell phone number to an unlocked phone?

My friend's phone has a sim card, and my current one doesn't . Would this be a problem?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Bamboo

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by bamboofiyah

Hi there,
posting out of desperation.
I just laundered my bell cell phone and rendered it useless. (I know, I know, Blonde award please)

A friend is offering me a phone which I will have to unlock to use with Bell, but I want to know first if it's possible.
Has anyone had experience with switching a Bell phone number to an unlocked phone?

My friend's phone has a sim card, and my current one doesn't . Would this be a problem?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Bamboo

OK, here's the deal. At present, you cannot use your friends phone because it uses a different technology standard that Bell (is CDMA, your friends phone is GSM/UMTS, two incompatible network types).

Very soon, Bell will be starting their UMTS (a GSM variant) network, which should be compatible with the (likely Rogers) phone your friend is giving you.

If you need a phone right away, you might want to give Bell a call and see what they can do. CDMA phones do not use SIM cards and are not as easy to get working on other carrier's networks. You'd be be better off with a Bell phone. You can try eBay, but be wary of phones offered that have ESN (electronic serial number) issues, as this could affect you're being able to activate said phone.

Does this makes sense? If you need further info or clarification, just ask!

Welcome to Wireless Advisor, by the way.

[Wireless Mechanic]

just wait untill bell starts selling UICC Cards