LTE SIM Card

[kyler13]

So I bought a Charge off ebay w/o an LTE SIM card, seemingly. Was supposed to come with one but didn't. No big deal, I suppose. Can I just drop by a Verizon store and get one? Will I get charged for the SIM card? I like how the Verizon 4G FAQ says if you need to obtain one to go online and order one and it will be sent to you via mail, yet there's no link and I can't find anywhere how you go through the process of doing so.

 

[WA_Bob]

I'd stop by the store to have it activated. It's not like a phone with a GSM SIM card and it'll probably save you allot of headaches to have them do it.

 

[3devious]

I'd stop by the store to have it activated. It's not like a phone with a GSM SIM card and it'll probably save you allot of headaches to have them do it.

Does this mean we can't swap them amongst LTE devices liberally the way GSM users do or are you just trying to keep him from trying any old 4G SIM card?

 

[WA_Bob]

Does this mean we can't swap them amongst LTE devices liberally the way GSM users do or are you just trying to keep him from trying any old 4G SIM card?

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know all the details, but there have been others who've said that their 4G SIM cards behave quite differently from traditional AT&T and T-Mobile ones on here. Try searching the forums on Verizon's 4G and the Charge to track down the wiser ones here.

 

[kyler13]

Does this mean we can't swap them amongst LTE devices liberally the way GSM users do or are you just trying to keep him from trying any old 4G SIM card?

I stopped by the store and got it taken care of. I was worried they'd charge me for the SIM card but it was free. I gathered from the process that they basically have to link up your account in the system with the SIM since it's a vastly different ID method than the old CDMA ESN/EIN assignment. I believe the intention is that going forward, any new 4G device I acquire would be a simple SIM swap. The complexity will simply lie in the transition over the next few years.

 

[WA_Bob]

Groovy! Happy 4G fun then!

 

[RiverOfIce]

Sim cards will be semi swapable. As long as the phone is in verizon's data base and the device is supported by the sim card, you will be fine. In the near future, you will be able to change the lte sim card with devices, as long as the devices are in verzion's system. It is very unlikely for a device that is bought from a non verizon source, to be supported by verizon. When you buy a lte device, it must be in verizon's system, before you can use it. If you buy from a source outside the usa, or if you buy from a non verizon store, or reseller, it will not be supported.

 

[kyler13]

Sim cards will be semi swapable. As long as the phone is in verizon's data base and the device is supported by the sim card, you will be fine. In the near future, you will be able to change the lte sim card with devices, as long as the devices are in verzion's system. It is very unlikely for a device that is bought from a non verizon source, to be supported by verizon. When you buy a lte device, it must be in verizon's system, before you can use it. If you buy from a source outside the usa, or if you buy from a non verizon store, or reseller, it will not be supported.

Well, yes, swappable between Verizon devices, of course. I doubt you'd want to acquire an int'l LTE device as it wouldn't be backward compatible for voice or 3G data over CDMA, and the GSM/HSPA radio would be worthless. However, I'm not sure how Verizon would be able to discriminate between resellers. If the device is approved for Verizon's network, it ships as such from the manufacturer regardless of the final destination. I don't see any intention of discriminating between individual devices by some sort of unique ID such as an ESN.