I know that I need a SIM card in the phone, but I lost my trusty Nokia 3100 phone, and ATT has no equivalent replacement. I can only get a new phone for my family plan by signing up for a new plan. My ATT store told me that they are doing away with GSM and want everyone to move up to the 3G type phones. I have a used Nokia 3100, but it has no SIM card in it. I happen to have a SIM card from a Samsung phone that allows the phone to give me a menu, etc, but obviously no tower contact. My question is, can I do anything with this Nokia - Samsung (att) phone /SIM combonation? I really like my current (expired) plan and don't want any fancy data features, cameras, or mp3 player, etc. Similar new plan would cost me twenty dollars per month more plus multiple activation fees.
Ideas?
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Celtic Dragon Posts: 251
Phone Model: SE w610i/BJ II
Service Provider: Cingular/AT&T
Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:08 am
No one is "doing away" with GSM - 3G IS gsm. Your store lied to you in order to get a sale. Is the SIM card you have new AT&T, Cingular branded or old AT&T? Has it been activated before? Were you on the old blue AT&T or an old Cingular plan?
db8max Posts: 2
Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:57 pm
The sim card is an old ATT (Blue) card that had been activated with the broken Samsung phone I got it from (a friend of my daughter's.) I suspect that that phone or account had been canceled by the previous owner, but I am not sure. When the sim is in the ATT (Blue) Nokia and I turn the phone on, I get the M-Life logo and everything looks fine, until the phone and tower try to establish communication. Then I get the message "sim card registration failed." I can understand that. But my question is, can I get a competent ATT store clerk (if one exists!) to set this phone/sim to my old account and number, which I haven't canceled yet? That's all I really want to do. Its like buying a used phone with a SIM card to replace my lost one (only the sim card is from another phone from the same network.)
Much thanks for your response.
Celtic Dragon Posts: 251
Phone Model: SE w610i/BJ II
Service Provider: Cingular/AT&T
Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:07 pm
You can do that, but not with the SIM you have. Once a SIM has been deactivated, it can't be reactivated. Pretty much the only place to get a blue AT&T SIM is eBay. After you get one you'll have to call in and tell them you need to replace the SIM on your account. They can't change blue plans in any way, but you should be able to replace the SIM.
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