T68i used with TMobile

[SirTopas]

Hi all! New to the forum and had something weird happen:

Currently with Cingular and want to switch to TMobile. I read a post on here about the new Ericsson t68i. I found a place that has it for a decent price. They said however, that T Mobile would not activate an account with that particular phone b/c they don't offer it yet.

When I personally called into TMobile Cust Service, they didn't know so they transferred me to the sales dept. The rep on the phone just asked me if the phone accepted "smart cards." I don't think he knew anything about the phone. I said yes, and he told me it should work fine. I just said thanks and hung up b/c I didn't think he could help.

Has anyone had any experience with activating a new unlocked t68i with TMobile. Thanks for any input anyone might have!

[CaliphoniaBoy]

I have had trouble convincing Cingular to accept my S-40 (they did not want to give me the wap settings... stupid) but from what I have read in other forums T-mobile is very relaxed with regards to other phones... as long as it is a gsm phone it is fine... and they even help you setting up your wap settings if you are a customer. So you should be fine.

C.

[SirTopas]

Thanks for your reply! I called up the guy at the store and he said that the specific T68is that they were going to order had IMEI numbers that were not accepted by TMobile. Does anyone know what the IMEI number is and why won't TMobile accept certain IMEIs? The rep at the store I went to said something to the effect that it is an ID number for a phone, and TMobile only allows phones with certain ID numbers to be activated?! So maybe people out there buying T68is from random chinese stores and Ebay should be careful if they want to sign up with T Mobile....

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

[aiwapro]

That guy doesn't know what he is talking about. Voicestream (T-Mobile) doesn't activate the phone. They activate your SIM Card (Smart Card), and once they activate that, you can use it in any Voicestream (T-Mobile) or Unlocked GSM phone that you want. Don't be worried about the IMEI #'s, you just better be sure that it is Unlocked. If it isn't Unlocked, then you won't be able to use it with any other provider, except for the one that you get it from or the one that it is locked to. Those are the facts on that subject.

Yes, CaliphoniaBoy is right about Voicestream (T-Mobile) being friendly about the Wap and GPRS settings for phones that they do not carry. I bought a Brand New Unlocked Nokia 8390, wonderful phone by the way, and I called Voicestream before I bought it and they emailed me the GPRS (iStream/T-Zone) settings for Voicestream. They gave me the specific settings for the 8390, even though they don't carry the phone. They even told me to call back when I got the phone and they would go step by step with me if I didn't understand the settings.

all you have to do is just activate an account with t-mobile and buy a sim card. as long as the your phone is not sim locked it will work. email me at spyder1375@hotmail.com and i will give you the wap settings.


good luck......

the IMEI is the individual mobile equipment identification number.....it is used for tracking.....and right now there is no such thing as banned handsets...unless it has been labeled stolen...so if you have another phone it should work....sales people have no idea what they are talking about.

[aiwapro]

all you have to do is just activate an account with t-mobile and buy a sim card. as long as the your phone is not sim locked it will work. email me at spyder1375@hotmail.com and i will give you the wap settings.

the IMEI is the individual mobile equipment identification number.....it is used for tracking.....and right now there is no such thing as banned handsets...unless it has been labeled stolen...so if you have another phone it should work....sales people have no idea what they are talking about.

That's what I've been trying to say, and did say in my last post. Thanks for the backup. You should become a member.

[SirTopas]

Thank you all for your help; I learned something today [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Based on what you guys wrote, I am all set to buy the phone, except--

I called into TMOBILE cust. serv. again and asked about activating an account using a T68i and the rep said that they don't plan on carrying those phones anytime in the future and pushed me to get a motorola v60g. I asked why they don't want the T68i and the rep said that customers using the t68i with T Mobile were having some problems with it in the southern CA area. Is there anyone out there in SO Cal that has experienced this? Could the problems just be the WAP settings (I don't know what those are, by the way...)?

I was shattered when I couldn't get it--in my opinion all of the other phones tmobile offers(v60g, samsung q105) just don't compare!

Thanks again for any help~

[CaliphoniaBoy]

Perhaps because the Cali network is not super-strong and the T68 is said to be weak in RF performance... and those two in a combination would make a very unhappy customer...

just a thought

C.

[aiwapro]

I don't know what problems they were experiencing, but whatever the problems were, they were brought on by the users of the phone, and not the the service or the phone itself. Also, T-Mobile (Voicestream) wouldn't just stop release on a phone just because a few people were having problems with a phone that they didn't even by from them.

By the way, wap setting are internet settings.

You know you can by the T68i from somewhere else and use it with Voicestream, or any GSM provider as long as it is UNLOCKED. I sell them for $420, brand new, unlocked, never-locked (meaning not ever locked to a provider).

[aiwapro]

Originally posted by: CaliphoniaBoy
Perhaps because the Cali network is not super-strong and the T68 is said to be weak in RF performance... and those two in a combination would make a very unhappy customer...

just a thought

C.

Could be, and if the problems are GPRS related, then we must remember that this GPRS network was not made by T-Mobile, but by Cingular, and it may not be as good as the ones that T-Mobile built.

The T68i may have better reception than the regular T68 (T68m). The T68i is made by Sony, the T68m was not.

i have t68i it works fine on voicestream and i dont know y u having this problem.

[geckojohn]

I live in the Bay Area and tried signing up for T-Mobile service. None of the stores that I went to carry the T68.. I also called customer service and they said that the T68 isn't available in CA yet. Does anyone know where I could get this phone for T-Mobile in the Bay Area... maybe at a small chinese store? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ZaphodB]

The sales person LIES! (Gosh, we're all so surprised.)

Here is the scoop. T-Mobile/Voicestream will allow you to use any 1900MHz GSM phone that is either a) locked to T-Mobile/Voicestream or b) unlocked. What I mean by 'locked' is this: GSM providers in the U.S. and Canada (Voicestream, Cingular, Iowa Wireless, and Microcell) sell phones that are programmed to accept only SIM cards ("smart chips") from that company. Thus, when you buy a phone from Cingular and try to put a T-Mobile SIM card in it, it will either reject it ("WRONG SIM CARD") or prompt you for a code ("Enter Special Code Now:" on Motorola phones). This process is calling 'locking' or 'SIM locking'.

In order to request the unlock code, you must be a customer in good standing of the company to which the phone is locked, and you must have been a customer for a certain amount of time (4 months in Cingular's case, I believe). You also have to lie a bit and tell them you're roaming to Canada, or Chile, or Peru (or some other country, if any exist, which have 1900MHz GSM service) and want to buy a prepaid SIM card from a Canadian (or whatever) provider once you get there, but you need the unlock code. It takes 3 days and in Cingular's case, they will e-mail it to you.

Now, if you are fortunate enough to buy an unlocked (or never-locked) phone from eBay or uBid or wherever, and it actually ISN'T locked for once, you can just take your T-Mobile chip out of your T-Mobile phone and put it in your unlocked phone. Replace the battery, turn it on, and it should work... your phone numbers stored on the SIM card will automagically appear in the new phone. The only settings you may need to change would be the GPRS/WAP (wireless Internet) settings, in which case you can call T-Mobile.

They really don't care which phone you use. You should be aware of two things, however: using a non-supported phone limits your support options when you call in as the reps will not have the datasheets for your phone, and b) in the case of an unlocked phone (as opposed to a never-locked phone), the banner will probably not read "T-Mobile". My unlocked Motorola V3682, which I am using in favour of the crappy Samsung R225M I got from T-Mobile, still says "Cingular Wireless" and shows the roaming symbol. It's not roaming, though.

Thus, if you can get your hands on an unlocked 1900MHz (or any combination that includes 1900MHz) GSM phone, you can use it on any GSM provider's network, as long as you have the SIM card for that provider. Just remember, caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).

Anyone who tells you different is lying and his/her soul is in grave peril. (grin)

[aiwapro]

I sell Brand New Unlocked/never-locked phones. I have the T68i. Email me if you are interested at:aiwapro@msn.com

[spyder22]

As long as it is unlocked...you are good to go. All T-Mobile will make you do is buy a SIM card....but you could probably get it for free if you ask the rep. They make their commisions off of activations not from selling handsets.

[spyder22]

Oh yeah and if you need the WAP settings...email me and I will send them to you.

[spyder22]

there is nothing wrong with the T68...I use mine everyday...and I work for T-Mobile. For some reason someone in corporate got a bur up their butt and did not go for the t68...one reason is the price???? don't buy the v60....all of techs have ditched them for nokias or ericsson's. also don't get any of the samsungs...they are really horrible. Samsung decided to manufacture phones that carriers can't do an over the air interface with. i am seeing alot of issues with the samsungs. stick with nokia or ericsson.

[ntistnt]

How can you insure a T68i phone is unlocked???? Reason I am asking is I am thinking of buying one off of E-bay.

Any pointers??

After purchase what steps should a person take to get it activate on Voicestream or T-Mobil?

Which of the two are better?

[ZaphodB]

You will have to enquire of the seller on eBay whether it has been SIM unlocked.

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).

im still shopping two vendors for service: tmobile & attwireless, both of which offer GSM in my area. ATT has the t68i, but i dont particularly like their plans or customer service (i'm a current regular wireless customer whose contract is ending soon)

tmobile, on the other hand has (from what i hear here) excellent service, coverage & i like their plans better.

anyone have any experience w/ GSM on ATT? care to compare w/ tmobile?

does anyone know if the ATT GSM phones are locked to ATT? if i decide to bail to t-mobile i wont have to re-purchase hardware if its unlocked (or unlockable)

TIA

[Matt]

AT&T GSM phones are locked and they will not unlock them.

[SirTopas]

just an update if anyone cares:

I finally got the t68i unlocked off of ebay. I had just activated a new account with TMobile and got the free Nokia 3390 included. All I had to do was take the SIM card out of the Nokia and stick it into the
T68i and it worked like a charm. TMobile even helped me configure the WAP settings. I've had it for about a month now and I couldn't be happier!

u can do it...as long as it is unlocked...all you will have to do is walk in with the phone and buy a sim card and activate the account.

where did u buy your phone?

[ladyluck]

I work for Tmobile and they can totally activate the phone. As long as its unlocked we activate phones from over seas all the time that we do not carry

[Kurtster]

Originally posted by: SirTopas
just an update if anyone cares:

I finally got the t68i unlocked off of ebay. I had just activated a new account with TMobile and got the free Nokia 3390 included. All I had to do was take the SIM card out of the Nokia and stick it into the
T68i and it worked like a charm. TMobile even helped me configure the WAP settings. I've had it for about a month now and I couldn't be happier!

Sir Topas,

Are you in California? If so, please let me know how you would rate your reception and dropped call ratios. Especially how many times you are unable to place a call. I had a 3390 for a year and was considering getting the T68i but my experience with the 3390/GSm/Cingular scared me off. If you're having great service, I'd be very interested in knowing where you are at that you get such good service.

Thanks!