Alltell/Unicel/CellularOne: shutting down pre-paid service

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:28:49 -0000, Grant Edwards <grante@visi.com>
wrote:

>I bought a phone from Alltel 9 months ago for my parents to use
>on a pre-paid plan, and now the bastards are shutting off
>pre-paid service. Since it's a CDMA phone, I presume it can't
>be unlocked and now it's a brick.

No, you can't presume that. I['ve been told by an Alltel rep that you
can use a pre-paid Alltel phone on a contract account, so perhaps it
can be used with other services as well. I've also activated an old
VZW phone on my Alltel account, so obviously locking isn't a natural
function of it being CDMA.

On 2007-10-05, The Ghost of General Lee <ghost@general.lee> wrote:

>>I bought a phone from Alltel 9 months ago for my parents to use
>>on a pre-paid plan, and now the bastards are shutting off
>>pre-paid service. Since it's a CDMA phone, I presume it can't
>>be unlocked and now it's a brick.
>
> No, you can't presume that. I['ve been told by an Alltel rep that you
> can use a pre-paid Alltel phone on a contract account, so perhaps it
> can be used with other services as well.

I'll have to check on that. Are there any decent pre-paid CDMA
plans available? The last time I checked, Verizon's prepaid
rates were attrocious.

> I've also activated an old VZW phone on my Alltel account, so
> obviously locking isn't a natural function of it being CDMA.

That's good to hear. I'd always read that CMDA phones can't be
moved from one network to another they way GSM phones can.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! I'm continually AMAZED
at at th'breathtaking effects
visi.com of WIND EROSION!!

I bought a phone from Alltel 9 months ago for my parents to use
on a pre-paid plan, and now the bastards are shutting off
pre-paid service. Since it's a CDMA phone, I presume it can't
be unlocked and now it's a brick.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! Did you move a lot of
at KOREAN STEAK KNIVES this
visi.com trip, Dingy?

Grant Edwards <grante@visi.com> wrote in news:13gcoakgi99a718
@corp.supernews.com:

> That's good to hear. I'd always read that CMDA phones can't be
> moved from one network to another they way GSM phones can.
>
> -

Naw, that's not true. When I dumped VZW for Alltel, Alltel simply
reprogrammed my Verizon-branded Moto V60i with Alltel's firmware and I was
on Alltel 2 minutes later.

It's just a NAM change. Most phones support 2 NAMs, anyways.

NOW, Alltel simply REFUSES to put a Verizon phone on Alltel's system. They
won't accept any phone they don't sell for service. That has nothing to do
with technology, that's marketing.

Larry
--
You can tell there's extremely
intelligent life in the universe
because they have never called Earth.

On 2007-10-05, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:

>> That's good to hear. I'd always read that CMDA phones can't be
>> moved from one network to another they way GSM phones can.
>
> Naw, that's not true. When I dumped VZW for Alltel, Alltel
> simply reprogrammed my Verizon-branded Moto V60i with Alltel's
> firmware and I was on Alltel 2 minutes later.
>
> It's just a NAM change. Most phones support 2 NAMs, anyways.
>
> NOW, Alltel simply REFUSES to put a Verizon phone on Alltel's
> system. They won't accept any phone they don't sell for
> service. That has nothing to do with technology, that's
> marketing.

Right, but it's the carriers that use CDMA phones that act
that way. The GSM carriers just don't care. I didn't mean to
imply that there was something that prohibitted it technically.

Hell, Last weekend, QWest couln't even activate a 4-year old
QWest phone because of some network changes. I didn't even
bother ask them about activating a phone from a different
carrier.

OTOH, I've moved GSM phones back and forth between several
networks both in the US and overseas. Too bad GSM coverage
sucks so badly here in the US.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! I appoint you
at ambassador to Fantasy
visi.com Island!!!

Grant Edwards <grante@visi.com> wrote in news:13gctpqo2uvs798
@corp.supernews.com:

> Too bad GSM coverage
> sucks so badly here in the US.
>

Too bad the FCC didn't set the STANDARD for the country, as it is tasked to
do in other public services, like FM - TV - AM - CB - etc., and do its job,
instead of letting them all go off on these tangents to prevent churning.

It's why Europe's system works better.


Larry
--
You can tell there's extremely
intelligent life in the universe
because they have never called Earth.

The Ghost of General Lee <ghost@general.lee> wrote in
news:hf7dg3hhdvhrpd5vprfj7503nm2dp7de70@4ax.com:

> Define "now", as in, when did they stop doing it?
>

Hmm...I came over with a VZW V60i but I can't remember when. It was a long
time ago. Another friend on VZW wanted to do it, but they refused and gave
him a new phone for free on Alltel. Something like 2 years ago sounds
about right.


Larry
--
You can tell there's extremely
intelligent life in the universe
because they have never called Earth.

On Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:07:41 +0000, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:

>The Ghost of General Lee <ghost@general.lee> wrote in
>news:hf7dg3hhdvhrpd5vprfj7503nm2dp7de70@4ax.com :
>
>> Define "now", as in, when did they stop doing it?
>>
>
>Hmm...I came over with a VZW V60i but I can't remember when. It was a long
>time ago. Another friend on VZW wanted to do it, but they refused and gave
>him a new phone for free on Alltel. Something like 2 years ago sounds
>about right.

Then why did they activate a VZW Kyocera 2325 on my Alltel account in
May 2007, no questions asked?

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:34:26 +0000, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:

>NOW, Alltel simply REFUSES to put a Verizon phone on Alltel's system.

Define "now", as in, when did they stop doing it?

I just checked the Alltel web site and they still list the prepaid
plans. Where did you hear they were shutting them off?
John



On Oct 5, 10:28 am, Grant Edwards <gra...@visi.com> wrote:
> I bought a phone from Alltel 9 months ago for my parents to use
> on a pre-paid plan, and now the bastards are shutting off
> pre-paid service. Since it's a CDMA phone, I presume it can't
> be unlocked and now it's a brick.
>
> --
> Grant Edwards grante Yow! Did you move a lot of
> at KOREAN STEAK KNIVES this
> visi.com trip, Dingy?