I picked up an older Nokia 5165 that I planned on using on AT&T's prepaid wireless plan, Free2go. However when I turn on this phone, it says Cingular on the display. Will this old Cingular phone work on the AT&T TDMA network? Or does the phone have to be modified in some way? Or should I just toss it in the can? Does the Cingular name on the welcome screen indicate that it's incompatable? I was under the impression that I'd just give AT&T the ESN number and it would work. I have a local calling plan on another phone, but this prepaid Free2go is great for my rare trips out of town. Thanks!
Why would you say this? The Alpha tags say Cingular now, so It could be an AWE phone & he could still use it. Does the phone say AT&T anywhere on the front of it? If not you can call them to see if it's a compatiable phone or not.
The 5165 Was a Compatible TDMA fone for ATT. Unless new policy says they currently require a GSM only fone on the pre-pay plan, you should be able to use it.
I agree 100%. The 5165 was definitely a compatible TDMA phone for ATTWS. We had a 5165 until last month and it did say Cingular from sometime the begining of this year. Is there still an AT & T wireless prepaid plan available?
The only thing that would render the phone useless is if it is SOC locked to Cingular (very rare among cingular TDMA phones). Do the following: Enter *3001#12345#, this will put the phone in programming mode Goto NAM1 The SID should be listed first The SOC should be listed second If no SOC is listed, it is locked... more on this later If a SOC is listed, attempt to change it to a random 4 digit number. If you wish to ever use it with Cingular again, write down the listed number before you change it so it can be switched back again. If the phone accepts the change, it is not locked. If the change is not accepted, the phone is SOC locked. Now, if you've determined that the phone is locked... A search of Google will reveal a couple folks that will unlock the phone for a fee. But heres a problem with that... If the phone is ever sent back to Nokia for service, Nokia has a contractual obligation to providers to re-lock previously locked phones. The phone will return to you locked again. HOWEVER, this scenario is not likely a problem though because that phone is most likely out of warranty anyway. In short, if the phone is SOC locked, just go find another one on Ebay, their plenty cheap these days, and damn good phones too. If its not locked, it can be programed, flashed, and activated with no problem.
