Nokia GSM VoiceStream to Cingular

Yes. I now use my brother's Nokia 8290 from his old Voicestream service with Cingular. It works great, except for a stuck MWI. I hate my LG G4010, so I switched last week. You need a phone that will do GSM 1900 MHz, 850MHz, or whichever is offered in your area. Here in ATL, it is apparently 1900MHz, because the 8290 only does that freq., and it works great. I just popped in the Cingular SIM from my LG into my unlocked Voicestream Nokia 8290, and it worked right away (could make and receive calls). I called Cingular, and they said I had to give them the new IMEI for a free switch to the new phone, and acted like it wouldn't work until I did. Well, I had been using the phone all weekend by the time I called, and it worked fine. It does say "AT&T Wireless" on the display all the time, though, but they said that's fine, since I have the Nation GSM plan.

 

If the phone is unlocked (chances are it is locked if you have done nothing with it since you got it) you could put a SIM card in from another provider and it would work.

The catch is that you most likely will need an 850 mhz compatible phone in order for it to work. Cingular GSM is 850 in most markets except for a few. Cleveland is the only one I know of off the top of my head where they have 1900 licenses.

If you got it back in the day with VS, it is most definitely a 1900 mhz only phone. T-Mobile (Voicestream) operates on the 1900 mhz spectrum.